AUSTRIA - THE HILLS ARE ALIVE

Munich - Salzburg - Obersalzburg (Germany)

We left behind the scenic rolling hills of Germany and were suddenly confronted with the Northern Limestone Alps of Austria.  A massive uprising of rock that left us all with stiff necks from looking up so high.

Our first stop in Austria was Schloss Hellbrunn which is a magnificent manor surrounded by beautiful open parkland.

The summer palace was built by an Archbishop (who controlled this area of Salzburg) not as a residence but as a place of amusement as he had organised a series of 'trick' fountains.  Georgia, Tom and Ellie were targeted as they were the only children in the guided tour.  Plenty of giggles and some very wet children as water sprayed out of seats, statues, stairs and walkways - no one was safe.

We found the Pavilion from the Sound of Music and the girls had their moment of singing "I am 16 going on 17".  Needless to say - it cleared the park   ...

Salzburg was fascinating:  Hohensalzburg (castle pictured below) with its history, artwork, firing towers, and dungeons; Getreidegasse, an old narrow cobblestone street lined with beautiful shops; the Dom Cathedral with its majestic interior, and Mirabell Gardens.

Unfortunately the rain set in late afternoon and we ran to catch the bus back to our home on wheels.  Something got lost in the translation and we got to see a lot of Salzburg on the wrong bus, heading in the wrong direction.  An hour and a half later we had found our home and headed to Konnigsee (Konnig Lake) near Obersalzburg.

The rain was stubborn and we waited until mid-morning for it to clear a little as we wished to go to Hitler's Eagles Nest (a hideout on top of a mountain with a brass elevator lift inside the mountain for the last 124 m) to witness the spectacular views.  We caught the bus up and fortunately the views were clear on our trip but when we got to the top the soupy cloud was thick.

On the upside, there was SNOW at the top and we certainly took advantage of it.  There was no mercy shown and everyone got icy cold hands.



Obersalzburg - Heilgenblut - Lienz - Fussen (Germany)

We headed south back into Austria to Grossglockner Pass (Grossglockner is Austria's highest mountain) but to our dismay, due to snow falls within the past 24 hours, the pass was shut for the next few days.  We thought Austria's most scenic drive was going to elude us   ...   however   ...   we stayed that night nearby and next morning we woke to blue skies and the Pass being OPEN.

Absolutely breathtaking scenery and all the more beautiful with fresh snow on the rugged mountain tops.  We saw Grossglockner and the Kaiser-Franz-Josef glacier and plenty of cute cheeky little marmots (furry animal with beaver like face and teeth).

We were in three countries today - Austria, Italy and Germany. 



Fussen - Buchs (Switzerland)

Our campground, beside a lake, had views of the fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein, which Walt Disney based his magical castle on.  This was our first destination on our itinerary for the day.

The castle, which was built by King Ludwig II, was a monument to medieval culture and kingship with its turrets, bastions, towers and artwork.  The throne room floor alone had 2 million tiny mosiacs laid.

The next part of the day will live in Georgia's and Ellie's memories forever - we caught a horse drawn carriage down the hill and Georgia got to hold the reins.

Off to Switzerland   ...

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