Don't mention the war

Ever since crossing the border from Austria to Slovenia we have come across memorials to soldiers killed during WW1 and WW2 in town and village squares, similiar to those you see in Australia. This has highlighted something we had noticed when in Austria - that while there were a few memorials to soldiers killed during WW1, there were very few (I only actually remember one, in Gmund, first photo) to soldiers killed during WW2.

Austrians, it seems, would rather forget about WW2.

In the castle above Salzburg, there is a quite large interpretive display about Austrian military history from 1700 to 1918.      And that's it. No mention of WW2 at all. No mention of the thousands of troops that died, no mention of the 65,000 Austrian jews who were killed during the holocaust.

Lest we forget.










Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bitte pssst!

Image
Finished up in Vienna with a good meal and boutique beers from a local pub in a lovely town square. Caught the fast train to Salzburg this morning. It reached speeds of up to 230kmph and got us there in time for an early lunch and stroll around the old centre.  The main plaza was the meeting point for a classic car rally. Thought Will in particular would like some of these photos . More photos and narrative of fortresses, churches and narrow cobbled streets tomorrow. 
Read more

*Macht spass in mund!*

Image
12 more hours and we wil be on our way. We travelled by train and bus today through spectacular scenery and incredible mountains. The afternoon was spent looking around the town, watching motorbikes of all shapes and sizes roll in. We are next to the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, a famous and very popular road classed as one of the best roads in the world. Another beautiful church that overlooks a graveyard for mountaineers. We poked our head into the 130 year celebrations for volunteer firefighters complete with oompa band. *make fun in mouth* the slogan for the pub we went to last night
Read more

Venice

Image
In previous reports I have mentioned that we have seen very few tourists and in many cases we were alone. Well, all that changed when we stepped off the train in Venice. Shoulder to shoulder busy and hot and humid. The last few cathedrals Annie and I visited we were the only ones there. At the main bascilica in Venice, Saint Mark's, we had to queue for 40min. Our accommodation was good, however. Great location, right on a canal, first floor and air conditioning. The first 3 photos and the last one are taken from our balcony . As most people know, Venice is unique and on most traveler's bucket lists. But don't come in July, or August. Apparently November is good. Had an interesting meal on our last night. Dried fish cooked in a variety of Venetian ways. Never had firm fish before. Beautiful flavours with unusual texture. Caught the train to Rome, our last stop, yesterday. Only takes 4hrs and reached 272km/hr.
Read more