Austrian Alps and Salzburg

From Fussen, we entered Austria through the Alps, drove to Innsbrook, which is in a valley in the Alps, and then back in them to get to Salzburg. This was the most amazing and beautiful views we have ever seen. We have flown over the Alps a couple times before but never seen then at ground level. Unreal and these pictures do not do them justice.

Salzburg was not exactly what we expect but we definitely grew to enjoy it. It is at the base of the Alps along the Salzach River nuzzled between two large mounds. These mounds prevent the views but the last morning we toured the Hohensalzburg Fortress on top the Monchsberg mountain. From here the views were greatly approved.

Most of Salzburg touristy sections have to deal with either Mozart or the Sound of Music which was filmed here. We tried to stay away from this as much as possible but it is weaved into everything. We also toured the Cathedral and the impressive St. Peter's Church which was used in the Sound of Music. It was after this the we found possibly our best meal of the trip. We ate at one of the many sausage stands in the markets. You had your choice of 10 different styles and you grabbed your own bread. Nice alternate to how we do it. Right next to the sausage stand was a fresh fruit stand so dessert was a bit healthier. We took our new fruit and ate on the other side of the river at the Maribelli Gardens. Nice relaxing day.

The last Saturday, we awoke and hit the road for a long trip to the airport in Frankfurt. Along the way we stopped in Dachau to tour the concentration camp. We took no pictures while we were there but I can tall you that we had planned to only be there for an hour to an hour and a half, but we were there for 4 hours. This was the most moving thing either of us have done. I can not express what the emotional state this brings. Most of the camp was torn down but later rebuilt as a reminder for all those who come to see. The showers, barracks, prison, and ovens are all in place. I can not do this justice but I can urge all those who can to go or to go to one of the others.

That's it. We took a flight home the next morning. We enjoyed the trip, maybe even more when we got home. I think the Europeans do it well, going to one place for a long time. Hitting a new place every other day makes it a long trip. The Germans are by far the nicest group we have encountered. Everything is neat and clean and all know a good amount of English. Their language is by far the hardest I have had to deal with. I think we ended up in areas a bit too touristy at times, but all in all, it was a great trip.

The Romantic Road to the Castles

Roman emperor Claudius constructed a major road connecting Rome to its Northern boundaries. This road, the Via Claudia, was the main trade route of its day. Flash forward to today's time, the road is still around, but now used for tourists. The Romantic Road, runs from Wurzburg in the north to the Disney castles in Fussen in the South. We left Rothenburg Tuesday morning and traveled along the Road for the better part of the day, stopping at other Medieval towns along the trip. Stops included Dinkelsbuhl (pictured above), Nordlingen, and Lansberg. We tried to bypass the larger towns such as Augsburg.

As we were closer to the Southern end of the Road, the Alps came in to play. It was definitely one of the most breath taking views of our loves. The towns and views in the South where exactly what you imagine when you think of Bavaria. Fussen itself was beautiful. Built along a major water route and at the base of the Alps, you can imagine the view. There is a former Roman Castle that overlooks the city to provide protection. This was our nicest hotel by far and the food was good. Found my favorite beer in Fussen, Konig Ludwig Dunkel, but doubt it can be found in the US. Shopping was poor here, little too touristy for our taste.

The main attraction of the area are "Mad" King Ludwig's Castles (Konigsschlosser) in the Alps. There are three castles in the area and two are the main attraction. Ludwig was a Bavarian King in the 1800's. The first castle was his family's Summer retreat, Hohenschwangau. This was the more interesting of the tours and definitely more intimate and informative. It was a smaller castle and not what we expected.

The larger of the two, Neuschwanstein, was his dream castle. This was the model used by Walt Disney to design Cinderella's Castle in Disneyworld. The castle was only partially finished and only lived in for 172 days. However, the exterior was completed and it is an amazing view. The tour left a little to be desired. 60 people ushered into each room for a whopping total of 30 minutes (total, not each room!). Needless to say, you leave scratching your head. All in all, even with the rushed tours and constant souvenir shops, the castles are an unbelievable place. The views from the Alps are amazing and one of our best meals at a sausage stand at the base of the hills.

From here, we left an drove 15 minutes away to the Wieskirche, Pilgrim Church, which is Germany's greatest Rococo-style church. The exterior of the church is rather boring, but the interior is breathtaking. It was constructed in the middle of a meadow overlooking the Alps and dedicated to all Pilgrims. From here we drive into the Alps......

On To Rothenburg odT

We rented a car in Hamburg and made the 5-6 hour drive to Rothenburg ob der Tauber (on the Tauber River). Drive was nice and it was interesting to see all the campers on the Autobahn. Germans love their camping. Rothenburg was beautiful. Medieval town that feels like it did 500 years ago. We stayed in a small hotel above a bakery just below the clock tower below.

Sights included Castle gardens, Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum, Christmas shop, St. Jacob's Church, and the fully intact town wall. But the best of all was the Nightwatchmen tour. Nightwatchment where used during the medieval times to protect the community as they slept. There is one gentlemen, who still preforms this duty, in full watchment clothing, and you accompany him on his rounds. It was great and he has polished his skills over the last decade if not longer.

Food was great as was the beer, which was getting darker and stronger. Each town has its own brewery, if not more. We found we liked the dunkels the best. Sausage was the norm but I was able to find a wild boar goulash and a venison schnitzel. Both wonderful. We ate dinner the second night at a wine bar and tasted both local red and white.

Germany - Phase 1

Melissa and I had the opportunity to spend 10 days in Germany (and Austria) this last couple of weeks. I had meetings and a party in my home office in North Germany in Hamburg. The first 4 days of the trip where there. Not much planning went into Hamburg, as we assumed we would not have much time to do anything. However, it ended up being one of the better stops we had.

Hamburg is considered the Venice of Germany. It is the second largest port in Europe and thus water everywhere. We spent the first day eating a late lunch on a patio that overlooked the lake. The remaining couple of days where spent around work and included eating, shopping and sight seeing. Friday night we had the opportunity to watch an inter-company soccer match with an accompanying BBQ. Food was fantastic.

Pictures are of the town hall building and St. Nikolai. St. Nikolai is a burnt out cathedral that was bombed during WWII. Hamburg was devastated by Allied bombing during the war. They left this cathedral in its ruin state as a reminder of those who lost their lives during that time. Beautiful city! Food was normal German cuisine with a lot of fish.

Isabelle's First Birthday

It is so hard to imagine our little girl is now 1! Well we decided to throw a Ladybug themed first birthday party for her. We thank all those who traveled so far, Nana and Aunt Margaret, as well as all the other family and friends who where able to make it.

Our good friend Jessica was able to make two cakes. Isabelle's cake was her own ladybug, which after she got going I thought kind of looked a little bloody!

One 34 Hour Trip Down

Well, we made it and it went well. Isabelle was a true trooper, with days in the cars equal to 13, 3, 12, and 6 hour days. With a combination of toys, food, play time and movies, she was great. We were so excited that she did so well.

The wedding itself was great. Isabelle's cousins would not let her go, and being the social butterfly she is, she did not take a nap for two days. So midway during the wedding, she just past out on Nana. The girls took turns holding her, and you have not lived until you have seen 11-13 year old girls yell at each other over who turn it is to hold her. Our daughter is in high demand.

We traveled through a neat little mountain town on the way back at the Colorado-New Mexico border, Trinidad, CO. We just fell in love with it and stopped to explore for a bit. Kind of place you could retire to one day. If they only had oil in SE Colorado.

We came back to see one of my best friends, Jeff Dressen. He is doing well and it was great to see him. He is trying to make it for Isabelle's first.

Well, our anniversary is in a week, Isabelle's birthday is in 2 and we will be in Germany in less than a month.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

We take one of our longest road trips to date tomorrow. Melissa's cousin is getting married in Colorado Springs and we decided to drive. Pray for our safety and sanity. Two day trip each way but we get to see Jeff in Abilene on the way home. Should be good and this will be Isabelle's longest trip to date. We welcome any ideas.

I came across the web site deliciousbaby.com the other day. It is a site that discusses traveling with little kids. If you have some and you do, go read this. Fantastic site with a bad name!