Travels with Sarah

Bacharach and St. Goar in the Rhine Valley

It was our dream that if we planned a trip lasting months, one or more of our adult children would join us for awhile. Sarah finally made this a reality when she flew into Frankfurt to spend a week with us. We camped at Sonnenstrand Camping right on the Rhine river outside Bacharach. She stayed in a lovely hotel that straddles the old city walls in an area of such pretty houses, it’s called Malerwinkel “Painter’s Corner.” We followed part of the RS guided walk through town and had delicious food at the “Altes Haus” restaurant which means “oldest house,” as its the oldest surviving house in town. We perused the book our server brought us about the town that contained pictures of the house, town, and many of its people from many years ago. Our server pointed out a picture of a very young girl and her family that lived in this very house. That same woman, she told us, was born in this house, is now 75 years old and is currently cooking our food! 

Click here for our photos, (i) for information.

The next day we finished the self-guided walk and climbed up to the tower for lovely views of the river, chapel ruins, and medieval houses. We walked along the town walls as far as we could and took lots of pictures. 

We took a river cruise to see all the towns, castles, and ruins of castles along the Rhine between Bacharach and St. Goar. Unable to find a shady seat on the deck above, we went below and relaxed listening to the descriptions of the various castles on the trip upriver, then took pictures on the way back.

The next day we took the train to St. Goar and toured Rheinfels Castle which was built in the 13th century and was once the “mightiest of Rhine Castles.” Our guide led us throughout the extensive ruins complex explaining the history of many different areas including a huge open storage room and dark tunnels we had to navigate with our phone lights to avoid tripping over uneven stone floors and stairs and/or hunched over to keep from hitting our heads on the low undulating ceilings carved out of rock. There were foxholes where the men shot through loopholes and the women reloaded. She even showed us where the toilets had once been - tourists are always fascinated with medieval plumbing, or more accurately, the lack thereof. The tour was in German so we tried to follow along using the google translate app to transcribe what she was saying which worked pretty well except while we were in tunnels or anywhere that cell signal didn’t penetrate. The tour ended in a small museum full of interesting artifacts and even models of the castle and fortifications in its heyday.  I remember exploring this castle along with my children many years ago and there’s really something special about exploring castle ruins with child-like wonder.

We ate lunch in the adjacent restaurant in a table set high up on a tiny terrace just big enough for our table for three overlooking the Rhine. With a bit of time before our next train, we wandered through St. Goar and topped our visit off with gelato. 

Cochem and Beilstein in the Mosel Valley

Burg Eltz

Cochem is a small city with an historic core. Sarah stayed in the city in an Air BnB and we stayed in a campground about 25 minutes walk away. She visited our campsite. Sarah has been infatuated with all the fruit on the trees, vines and bushes everywhere we've  gone. She wants to taste everything but our fruit identification skills aren’t up to the challenge.  

Our main destination here was Burg Eltz which is Rick Steves’ favorite castle in all of Europe. It is far from the Mosel River and far from any major towns. Its lack of strategic importance is the reason it still stands when most other castles were destroyed by Napoleon's armies. The castle had been home to the same family possibly since the 12th century. The tour allowed us to visit the beautifully furnished and decorated rooms in two of the three towers but we weren’t allowed to take pictures except in the treasury.

Beilstein is a cute small town along the Mosel river. We toured the town, enjoyed the small but informative Jewish Museum, climbed up to the top of the hill to visit the ruins of their castle and climbed a bit further to take in the lovely hilltop views of the vineyards, town, and river.

Frankfurt

After those charming towns, the city of Frankfurt felt more like any other city. There were some interesting historic buildings but they mostly they were rebuilt after the war to resemble the originals. We wandered the city and found the Holocaust Memorial and located the marker for Anne (Annelise) Frank. Then we walked along the river and Sarah found Historisches restaurant zum Storch. It had been a restaurant since 1704 and was run by current family since 1960’s. After dinner we sadly said goodbye to Sarah. It was fantastic traveling with her, she brought a new spark to our tour and reminded us how lucky we are that we don't have to go back to work! 

Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Wurzburg

 

The Plönlein in Rothenburg

Rothenburg ob der Tauber 

Rothenburg deserves its own post and it nearly gets one. I first visited when my kids were still kids along with my mother and her husband Don. We enjoyed this town so much I was excited to share it with Dermot but also a bit fearful it wouldn’t live up to my memory. Not to worry, Rothenburg still delivers as the king of medieval German cuteness. If you have any interest in coming to this area, do yourself a favor and download Rick Steve’s free Audio Europe app and download the Rothenburg Town Walk and listen to it either before or while you look at our pictures. 

Click here for photos, (i) for information

We arrived at Campingplatz Tauber-Idyll which is small but tidy and, unbeknownst to us before arrival, is set in the tiny town of Detwang which is one of the oldest villages in Franconia - dated 968. Google maps estimated it was only a 16 minute bike ride to Rothenburg so we broke out the bikes and headed in. The first part of the ride along the river is nice but then we were at the bottom of a hill. Pushing our bikes up the 100 meter height elevation to get into town was no picnic. Once in, we locked up our bikes and went to the recommended Hotel-Gasthof Goldener Greifen restaurant for a nice dinner in their biergarten. 

We roamed a bit while waiting for the Night Watchman’s Tour to begin. I still remember parts of the tour and even the face of our guide and was excited to see the same man all these years later. He led a group of over 50 people through the town and managed to describe the miserable conditions and superstitions prevalent in the medieval ages; the catastrophe of the town being ransacked in the Thirty Years war; the bubonic plaque and 250 years of extensive poverty with equal parts humanity and humor. I took pictures of him and sent them to Julianna who asked if I paid him in salt - a reference to the tour she experienced 20 some odd years ago! A very proud mom moment for me. 

Our bike ride back down to camp in the dark was harrowing because, though I had remembered to bring extra batteries for our bike lights, I had forgotten they recharge via usb so only Dermot’s light worked. I also had plenty of time to ponder the fact that I had no idea what shape our bike brake pads were in after multiple years subjected to neglect and wide ranging temperatures. 

Walking the walls - fun and gorgeous!

The next two days we spent in typical tourist fashion - following the guided walk, admiring the medieval architecture, shopping, strolling through the walled town, and visiting the Rothenburg Museum. We were very lucky that there were relatively few tourists especially on Monday when we nearly had the place to ourselves as we walked along the top of the walls and enjoyed a bird’s eye view into residents’ back gardens in town as well as the countryside and orchards outside the walls. 

 . . . and Würzburg

We only had one day in Wüzburg and we avoided going into town until the worst of the heat had passed so we didn’t really do it justice. We took RS’s guided walk  to the bridge but didn’t enter the Residenz (it was near closing time). The standout to me was the memorial adjacent to the City Hall (Rathaus). “Gedenkraum 16 März 1945” commemorates the Allied bombing that resulted in a firestorm that destroyed nearly every downtown building. Most residents survived in bomb shelters but the 5,000 mostly women and children who died were either burned alive, crushed under fallen buildings or smothered in underground shelters. That has haunted me for days. It's remarkable that the city is so engaging after undergoing such devastation. After strolling through the rest of the town and enjoying the views from the bridge, we headed into town for a lovely dinner al fresco by the river. 

We’ve been hinting that one of our travel-related dreams may soon come true and we stepped up the planning for that during this phase of the trip.

Next Stops: The Rhine and Mosel Valleys.

Ping-ponging through Bavaria

Munich

We arrived in Munich and settled into our sub-standard campground that was, at least, only 30 minutes from the old town center. In addition, our campsite was right on a fenced riverbank that had a lovely family of swans. On the opposite side, huge machinery was tossing logs around like tinker toys which were being fashioned into large rafts and floated downriver. Several days later we would see one of these rafts hosting a party complete with musicians.  

Click here for our photos, (i) for information.

On the drive in, we noted the nice bike paths and decided to bike into the old town. I’m a nervous bike rider in traffic but we both managed well enough by following the locals’ example of riding like they owned the path and the bike bell was a warning that must be heeded. Rick Steves had prepared us by writing “Pedestrians wandering into the bike path may hear the cheery ding-ding of a cyclist’s bell just before being knocked unconscious.”

On arrival at Marienplatz, we locked our bikes up in the pedestrian zone with a real sense of accomplishment. Then we started the RS audioguide tour but only made it from Marienplatz with its new and old town halls several sights and markets before the sprinkles combined with the forecasted storms convinced us that we should head back to camp if we didn’t want to ride our bikes in a downpour. We did some grocery shopping on the way back and noted that, once again, the promised rain didn’t materialize on schedule. It was only later that we remembered you can take bikes on the bus if you buy a pass. 

That evening as we settled into bed, the rain finally came in earnest. As we were dozing off, it started raining on us from the air conditioner again! Aargh! This being Friday, we had to wait to take it back to the repair shop which meant we were going back to Salzburg on Sunday for an appointment when they opened on Monday morning. 

On the positive side, the rain brought cooler temperatures for several days which we enjoyed while exploring Munich. Munich’s old town has very interesting history, many beautiful buildings and is sprinkled with an assortment of excellent shopping and eateries of all types. After all that sightseeing, a refreshment break was in order but the outrageously touristy Hofbrauhaus was too hot and loud! Killian’s Irish Pub’s biergarten was just the place to appreciate the merging of the two beer cultures and watch a bit of soccer as well. That night we went to the Haxnbauer which is reputed to be THE place for a traditional pork knuckle and we’re happy we gave it a try.

Back to Salzburg 

Driving back to Salzburg was dispiriting but we tried to make the most of it. After settling into the campground, we did some planning and then headed into downtown to a place recommended by a friend - The Augustiner Biergarten. We followed the majority of locals and did “Self-service”  choosing from among dinner offerings and then a beer for Dermot and a Johannisbier (currant flavored non-alcoholic) for me. We dined in the large space under the chestnut trees and enjoyed the atmosphere of friends’ lively conversations as the sun set and the light faded. A pastry with chocolate and hazelnut capped the meal nicely. Then we strolled along the river and watched as the floodlights lit up lovely Salzburg.

The next day was all about Van repair - it took two trips but we hoped it was fixed for good now. 

Back to Munich

Once back, we headed into town for cash  which is required at most businesses but most ATM’s also charge fees plus 6% so some hunting is required. Though several museums are considered better, we took in the Egyptian Museum as a change of pace and really enjoyed the collection. 

That night we headed to the Augustiner-Keller Biergarten to compare it with the one in Salzburg. This one was many times larger and more crowded. Ordering food and drinks was a contact sport without the advantage of a referee. We had to take turns as one held the table. The food was pretty good and the people watching here was just as engaging but in both Augustiners, the cigarette smoke eventually got to be too much. Most of Europe still allows smoking in restaurants and we often leave when we’d prefer to linger just to give our lungs a break.

Dachau

On our way in, we were pulled over for the fourth time this trip. The smiling police officer explained that we had taken the wrong road and were heading for the police station.  She handed us a small map with the correct route so this must happen all the time. 

Germany’s first concentration camp has been turned into an educational and memorial center. Though I’ve experienced several Holocaust memorials, they’re all different. The politics that gave rise to an evil government are explored as well as hundreds of photographs and personal stories of the victims.  What I found most powerful was the fact that you’re walking over the same ground as all those souls who suffered so horribly and died here. To our sorrow, we learned that very few of those who committed atrocities here were brought to justice.

Nürnberg 

All we knew before our arrival was this was the site of the Nürnberg Trials. Turns out it has some fantastic medieval architecture, an important Germanic history museum, a great Christmas market and seems very livable. Unfortunately, we arrived here during another heat wave and that meant we covered less ground and went to fewer sights than we otherwise would have. This might be the reason the streets seemed pretty deserted - smarter tourists were in cooler places. 

Once again we planned our time to visit during the day and return to camp before the forecasted evening thunderstorms. And once again, the rain didn’t arrive until after 11. As it was the first rain since the most recent air conditioner repair, we got little sleep. I’m happy to report no leaks - yet.

Next stops: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Würzburg, Frankfurt.

Salzburg, Austria

Hohensalzburg Fortress towers over Salzburg

Unless you’ve been unable to do laundry for a sufficient period of time that you’ve considered beating your clothes on rocks in the river like its 500 BC, you can’t imagine how happy we were that our campground had working washing machines. We spent the remainder of the day doing laundry, sweating, and looking forward to the forecasted rain to cool off. Unfortunately, it didn’t arrive until we settled into bed. We were rudely awakened around 1 a.m. by water leaking onto us from above and spent at least an hour trying to track the source and stem the flow. Unsuccessful, we had to settle for catching drips using a collapsing sink. The droplets found new pathways waking us and requiring we place additional sundry containers under each throughout the night. The next morning we called several Bürstner service centers and having found none within 75 kilometers that could fit us in within a week, we resorted to a nearby motorhome repair place that could fit us in the following morning.

Click here for our photos, (i) for information.

That afternoon, we followed the Rick Steves’ audio tour of Salzburg. I never associated “The Sound of Music,” with Salzburg but you frequently trip across the paths of the Von Trapps - the movie version anyway. I’ll make notations on the photos but if you want to delve deeper, download the Rick Steves’ Audio App and listen to his Salzburg Walk as you look through our photos and you’ll have a ton of the information I’m too lazy to write. If you’re familiar with Mozart, you know this is his birthplace and where he also lived but he grew to hate it when he was snubbed and we didn’t feel compelled to visit any Mozart attractions. There’s also much for classical music lovers here between the festivals and many concerts. We even heard a woman taking full advantage of the acoustics under an arcade singing opera beautifully with only a hat in front of her. 

Here are some random impressions: Salzburg has a lot to like: a cool fortress high atop a cliff looming over the city; a river with safe bike paths on both sides; great public transportation; lots of parks; interesting historical buildings and museums as well as modern conveniences. You could dodge from one street to another through very old stone arch alleyways where ancient metal doors were directly across from glass display windows with modern paintings used as backdrops for trendy clothing lines. The juxtaposition of the old and historic with the new and chic was delightful. Each somehow renewed your appreciation for the other. 

Q: So what’s not to like? A: There were too many tourists! I know, its high season. We need to stop traveling in high season. 

The following morning we took pains to arrive ahead of our 8:00 service appointment, handed over the keys, and headed into town for breakfast. Hohensalzberg Fortress was the perfect place to forget about our van worries and delve into the past. Construction began in 1077 and the fortress was so foreboding, nobody attacked the town for over 800 years. There was even an Irish connection: St. Virgil was an Irish missionary who built the first Salzburg Cathedral then served as Bishop (749-784) and became patron saint of Salzburg.

We weren’t surprised when the mechanic explained the leak was due to the AC unit not being sealed correctly but were surprised the repair cost $758. As we drove back to the campsite, we were pulled over by a large contingent of Polizei. They asked for our passports, drivers license and vehicle registration. Dermot was in the clear but I had left my passport at the campground at their request which we had done at quite a few other campgrounds. I did have my Passport Card with me but the very polite officer explained that he wasn’t able to check the stamps on the passport to verify I hadn’t exceeded my 90 day visa. He asked how far we were from the campground and explained that had we been far, they could have detained me until the passport could be provided. He proposed that he and another officer follow us back to the campground and we readily agreed. We laughed on the way imagining how unhappy the campground owners would be that their insistence on cash payment (probably a tax dodge) would lead to the police telling them how their practice was interfering with police business. 

After verifying my passport stamps; calculating I had not overstayed my visa; and a relatively lengthy discussion with the campground personnel; the friendly police officers apologized for taking so much of our time and wished us a safe and enjoyable trip. We remarked to each other that the nicest people in Austria are its Polizei. So lesson learned - don’t let anyone keep your passport. 

The following day the weather was perfect for biking and we headed out with no plan other than to ride along the river to the City and back. Along the way we glimpsed a lovely park and decided to explore further. Wouldn’t you know, it was Mirabell Gardens and yet another chance encounter with places that were featured in “The Sound of Music” (as noted on the photos). We’d have liked to hike the route taken by the Von Trapps to escape the Nazis but that’s pure fiction. The real Von Trapps just went to the station at the edge of their estate and took a train to Italy. Much less entertaining than the ruse with the performance, hiding in the cemetery, nuns pulling a distributor cap, and climbing every mountain but that’s Hollywood for you.

Next Stops: Munich, Nuremberg, Rothenberg ob der Tauber

Hallstatt, Austria

The drive from Innsbruck to Hallstatt took us across the German border where we were stopped, had our passports checked, and were asked if there was anybody in the van besides us. They also asked us multiple times where we were going and if we were heading home now. They were very polite and favored us with big smiles. We were also asked why our van was registered in Great Britain but was left hand drive. Eventually satisfied we weren’t harboring migrants, supplying munitions for the war effort or whatever other shenanigans an American and Irish citizen might be up to, they handed our passports back and wished us well. 

Click here for our photos, (i) for information.

Our Garmin then guided us back into Austria through remote mountain backroads where we occasionally lost satellite reception. We soldiered on and eventually emerged from a long tunnel into the small but bustling town of Hallstatt. Maybe coming from Florida we’re just suckers for a town built into a hill with little stairways leading to hidden doors or disappearing into back gardens but we both found the town exceptionally cute. Just look at the pictures! 

Door into attic, house extends several floors below. 

Rick Steve’s walk through the town was very fun. It pointed out that the houses’ main entrances were through the attic level which opened into a back alley many feet above the current road through town because the bottom of the house was originally at lake level. There is also a store under which the remains of the Roman village that was once here are open to wander through. 

We noticed a higher percentage of Muslim tourists here and learned it had been advertised as a great vacation spot because it resembles the Koran’s description of heaven. We read Chinese tourists also flock here in great numbers and had even built a model of Hallstatt in China where people often took their wedding photos. All this has contributed to the town being over-touristed making it less livable for residents and the probable cause of the general grumpiness we noticed. Servers at restaurants huffed at a request for a table; campground owners were rude; and parking lot attendants waved us on impatiently. We also learned that tourism here started towards the end of the 18th century so you’d think they’d have it down to a science by now. 

We took an entertaining salt mine tour. We rode a funicular then an elevator to Rudolphstrum Viewpoint then hiked up an informative trail past an archeological site where many prehistoric burials have been excavated. At the entry, we all had to don funny clothes supposedly to protect our clothing from the salt but I suspect it entertains the guides. It was 47 degrees inside the mine so the bulk wasn’t unwelcome. There were several multimedia projections showing the history of salt mining here from prehistoric times through the current operations. There were also two slides - we were clocked at 23 km per hour in our longest tandem run. We may have to try the luge next! The big finale was a view of the oldest wooden staircase in Europe (carbon-dated to 1108 BC). 

Image from atlasobscura.com

We then visited the Catholic Church and took pictures of the graveyard with adorable tiny well-tended garden gravesites.  The nearby 12th-century Chapel of St. Michael is a bone chapel and entry is allowed for a small fee but no pictures are allowed. Space was so limited in the cemetery that bodies rested there only 12 years before they were dug up to make way for the more recently dead. Many of the bones and skulls ended up in the bone chapel but first many were marked with the deceased’s name and date of death and decorated with garlands of leaves, flowers, crosses or even snakes. 

Richest burial site with cremated remains.

The following day we toured the Hallstatt Museum and practically had the place to ourselves. Highly recommended - I took far too many pictures of the many archeological finds from the Late Bronze Age and early Iron Age that's called the Hallstatt culture (12th-6th centuries B.C.). 

As pretty and historic as it was, Hallstatt seemed too overrun by inconsiderate tourists to be a nice place to live. 

Next stops: Salzburg, Munich, Nuremberg.

 

Italian Alps, an Iceman, and Innsbruck

Witch Trail View

Alpe di Siusi, Italy

As the temperature climbed, we headed to the Dolomites. Our first stop was Camping Seiser Alm which advertised our new favorite amenity - a pool.  The drive high up into the mountains was equal parts pretty and frightening. Though the drive wasn’t long, we took the rest of the day to check into our campsite with an excellent view of the peaks directly and distantly above us. Coming from the flattest of flat lands, we spent quite awhile puzzling over the guide book, maps, and tram and bus schedules and finally settled on the “Witch” trail for the following day. What could go wrong?

Click here for our photos, (i) for information.

For some reason, Google maps doesn’t have a grasp of the public transportation in this area so after missing the camp recommended bus, we decided to just follow those at the bus stop dressed in hiking gear and that turned out to be a winning strategy! I doubt this would work at most locations so don't take this as advice. The first cable car got us quite a way up the mountain but it took a second to reach the trailhead. The hiking provided many beautiful views of soaring peaks and it wasn’t technically difficult. The views of the valleys far below caused Dermot’s knees to knock and he wasn’t much interested in having his photo taken with those backgrounds. 

We were a bit disappointed that we only encountered one witch but were glad we never met the bull the signs warned us about since we had seen the pies he left and those were plenty big enough! We also got to see farmers using hand rakes to turn the hay and though we envied the peace and beauty of the area, decided we were lucky to have retired from desk jobs. 

Back at camp, we endured the heat and never made it into the pool which was only available with a reservation made the previous day and for only 45 minutes at that.  Time to go.

Bolzano, Italy

For our next stop we chose Camping Steiner in Bolzano for its multiple pools including one that was indoors, our newest favorite amenity. After a harrowing trip back down the mountain, we enjoyed a restful afternoon lounging in the indoor pool. Unfortunately, the heat proved too much for our AC which dripped water onto our bed and we had to disassemble the foam mattresses from their covers and various bedding and allow them them to dry. Troubleshooting suggested we clear what could be blockages to the drainage system. The fix was only temporary as the dripping resumed again later and we resigned to sleeping in the heat. As this was Saturday and there were no service centers open on Sunday, we would probably have another such night. 

Bolzano is also home to Ötzi the Iceman. Prehistoric man has always held a special fascination for me and I'd been following the Ötzi story for many years so I felt very lucky to be able to visit the museum. When I tried to make early reservations on-line for the following day, the Museum was closed until 2 pm because they had closed off the area "due to the defusing of an aereal bomb from WWII in Bolzano/Bozen."

It occurred to me once again how privileged I was to have grown up in a country where this wasn’t a routine problem. The following morning we learned the downtown area would reopen at 12 so we headed out a bit beforehand and rode the bus all the way to the site that was cordoned off and surrounded by Carabinieri and the Bomb Squad. We heard a long siren but nobody ran and there was no explosion so defusing must have gone as planned. 

We had lunch at a restaurant just off the main square and followed the fairly short walk in the guide and dipped into a supermarket (mainly for the AC as it was now in the 90’s) until our scheduled time arrival at the museum. 

Interactive and fascinating.

The many objects found with Otzi were displayed with very good explanations and I savored all of those before allowing myself to view the man himself. Though so much has been learned from him and thousands have seen him, I admit to feeling like an intruder when seeing his actual body encased in a thin layer of ice in his specially designed display tomb. In the most interesting parts of the museum, photos weren’t allowed. This picture is of the very cool interactive exhibit that allows you to move a "window" around to see various scans (bone, musculature, magnified, etc.). Of course, the fact that forensics studies have concluded that his death was actually a murder which they have investigated as a very cold case, made his story all the more intriguing. People have longed for immortality and Otzi has certainly achieved immortality of a sort. 

That night we waited until 10:00 p.m. to turn on the air conditioner again after positioning our collapsing sink under it. We kept in on low and held our collective breath, ears trained to hear the expected drips. It worked all night to keep us cool so our conclusion was that we had just overtaxed the unit and it had frozen up - twice! Time to go.

Burg Reifenstein/Castel Tasso

We headed for Innsbruck but made a stop along the way at Reifenstein Castle which is one of the best preserved as well as artistically and historically important medieval castles in South Tirol. The castle was built into the rocky hill and some floors from the earliest parts were still the original, craggy rock. The kitchen alone is fantastic in all its rough and sooty glory. 

Original kitchen - so cool!

There are even sleeping boxes where the knights, guards, staff and sometimes the townsfolk all slept together about 10 people per box. Sleeping in groups was a necessity in the cold winters and people slept sitting up as lying down was associated with the dying. There were rooms where councils were held and even a dungeon (a picture shows the hole in the floor through which prisoners were lowered). We weren’t allowed to take pictures in the two most highly decorated rooms but they were spectacular. 

The wooden ceiling and beams were beautifully painted but the paintings were badly damaged due to the use of lime during plague times. The depth of history felt very close to the surface and I really enjoyed imagining living through those times while here. The current owners are an elderly brother and sister and they spent their childhood summers in the 1940’s here. Lucky kids!

Innsbruck

Innsbruck is visually stunning with dramatic peaks and the forested mountains as its backdrop. Public transportation into the city was easy and we followed the guide's walk from Maria-Theresien-Strasse and back thru the old town streets enjoying the architectural style and paintings on the buildings.  We finally came to the famed "Golden Roof" where Emperor Maximillian I watched spectacles including jousts and even executions in the streets below. 

The Innsbruck Card let us ride a space age-looking funicular and two sets of packed cable cars up as close to the peak as possible. We then hiked an easy 15 minutes to the peak and enjoyed the views in every direction using the informational signage to pick out distant points of interest. There were hiking trails leading off and we explored a few of those. The weather was perfect and we could see for many miles.

Tirolean wedding clothes.

The following day we finished the rest of the guide's historic walk and toured the Museum of Tirolean Folk Art (Tiroler Volkunstmuseum). Rick Steves only gave it one (out of three) triangles but it far surpassed my expectations as it included entire rooms from the 1400's; many intriguing items from everyday life; and an entertaining audioguide. 

Next Stops: Several times we've learned that we just missed seeing someone we knew, or got an invitation from a friend of a friend after we had already left an area. So now, we're going to post our next stops ahead so that we don't miss any more opportunities! We're heading to Hallstatt, Salzburg and Munich. Don't be shy, we love to meet up with people on our trip even if its just for coffee or a drink.