Hochosterwitz

Hochosterwitz Castle

A few towns away lies a beautiful castle up on a mountain....

This Middle Age castle is visible from 20 miles away. Construction began in the 800s and the fortress hasn't changed much since the 1600s. One of the famous aspects of Hochosterwitz is the 14 different fortifaction gates, each one representing a different means of protection. We weaved our way up and around the rocky hill and visited all the gates; one had a chute with boiling oil, one had a trap door, one had hidden spikes. The furthest invading forces ever got was gate four!

I went with Lauren, Claire, Morgan and Kara-all American girls! We remarked on how strange it was that it ended up just being Americans and how we could say miles and pounds and dollars and know what eachother was talking about! Just when I'm getting used to saying meters I'm going home.

We took the bus to the train station, took a short train ride, then walked a few kilometers to the castle. We passed these cool picturesque Austrian buildings on the way.

I finally tried the white sausage!