…As it was already afternoon and we decided to take a walk by the river Mur. You can enjoy the amazing views of the city, its diversity, the blend of the old and the new architecture. 
The second picture presents the Mur Island. Under the shell is an open-air theatre, a playground and a cafe run buy Sorger! Remember Sorger? The bakery I’m praising so much?? It was planned and built as one of the buildings for the year 2003 when Graz was the culture capital of Europe. At night, it lights up in purple and looks really interesting.
Looking at the other side or the river, you’ll see another odd looking glass structure. That’s Kunsthaus, Museum of Contemporary Art, also built by 2003 and with right earned the title of European culture capital. Due its looks, it is popularly called The Alien.At the time, Kunsthaus didn’t host any interesting exhibitions, so I’ll talk about the interior, how your ticket is actually a sticker etc. some other time. Crossing the bridge, you are leaving behind one other landmark of Graz, Schlossberg. It’s a tree-clad hill with a castle which actually gave Graz it’s name. Gradec or Graz meand “little castle”.
You can either climb the stairs up or use Schlossbahn, a funicular. It’s especially beautiful in the spring when the trees are green and the sky is clear. Untill spring, I will just show you the stairs…a photo taken by a student living in Graz, which is amazing, the colours…quite sureal.
Heading back we bought “maroni”; it’s a sweet chestnut but bigger. You have to try them if you visit Graz (or anywhere in the area) in autumn or early winter. There are big stalls, smuldering and the sweet smell is spreading through the streets. We had a few more places to stop by, the places we always go to… like The Body Shop, a place to buy hand made cosmetics…
Moser bookshop – with huge section of magazines from all over Europe, but the rest are mostly books in German so don’t get too carried away…
And the inevitable Haller for this time of year. Haller sells all kinds of glass Christmas decoration. One look at their window and you are sold…
When we left Graz, bringing home some sweets and presents, it was already dark. We were happy that we spend our day exactly the way we wanted and we were surprised by the impression Graz left on us this time. When you stop chasing whatever you thought you should and just relax and start following what you’re interested in when you see it, while you’re there, that’s when you’ll understand what the place you are at is all about. I hope I succeeded in presenting Graz to you. It’s a lovely place and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Austria.
Stella – European Travelling Advisor
What a beautiful tour of Graz. They do have interesting buildings and things to see. Thank you
for sharing with us the beauty of it all. Well done.
Dan and Deanna “Marketing Unscrambled”
Hi Stella .. the Schlossberg stairs picture looks wonderful – it must have been great to see it in person; as I’ve said before your posts are enticing! Have a happy day – Hilary
Hi Hilary! Yes it was, what a scene…amazing!
You too, take care.
Stella – European Travelling Advisor
Hi Stella, this is a really nice description of Graz. It’s nice to hear that you liked the city and my photo of the stair. Too bad you had a foggy day, Graz is even more beautiful on a blue-sky day.
Well, that’s a big compliment when it comes from a person who lives in the city I was describing. Thank you. Your photo is amazing, I had to share that with my readers
I’m usually in Graz twice a year, in spring around April and at the beginning of October. And I always catch a sunny day in October which is great. Hopefully, I’ll it will be nice and sunny on my next trip so that I can make photos of Graz when everything is in bloom.
Thanks for stopping by!
Stella – European Travelling Advisor