Bloggapalooza 2.0

Germany: Day 4
Hoenschwangau
I imagine the locations of these castles didn't seem so inconvenient when the royals had horses and carriages to make the climb for them.



And Neuschwanstein


We were so glad that the most picturesque view of the castle was covered in scaffolding. I also was not crazy about the bridge I had to walk out onto to get this picture.






This swan's beak is open because it was hissing at us, I think because we didn't have any snacks for it. He walked up out of the water as we approached the water's edge and when we did not throw any bread or pretzels, he started getting aggressive. Kind of funny, but I made the kids get back anyway. Stop hissing at us, swan!

Germany: Day 5
Berchtesgaden was our destination for day five, primarily to see Hitler's Eagle's Nest. You park way down at the bottom of the mountain, well, half way up maybe, then you get on a bus that takes you to the base of the elevator, which you then ride to the top. My feelings on riding the bus up the road to the Eagle's Nest are much like my feelings about flying in turbulence. This road was only wide enough for one bus, just wide enough, and the drop off the side of the mountain was steep.

The tunnel to the elevator.

It was pouring rain when we got to the top, and there isn't a lot of room to maneuver. Everyone was trying to find a place to stand under the eves of the roof outside to see the view without getting soaked, but eventually the clouds got so thick that there was no view. And at that point everyone starting cramming inside and rushing the elevator like it was only making one more trip down the rest of the day. And, all of the exhibits inside were all in German, so looking at those didn't take very long. No, the Eagle's Nest was not my favorite.




After the Eagle's Nest we toured a salt mine, which was actually very interesting. We got to put on these stylish jumpsuits and ride a little train deep into the mountainside. Then we rode several slides taking us further underground. It was a lot of fun and the boys loved it.



Germany: Day 6
We drove to Salzburg, Austria, birthplace of Mozart.



We wandered around the city, making our way up to the Hohensalzburg Fortress. We passed the Kollegienkirche,

the Dom cathedral of St. Rupert and St. Virgil

and the market square, where we had some delicious pretzels. Auntie Anne's, eat your heart out.

We also strolled down the Getreidegasse, which is lined with shop after shop, and is also where we found Mozart's birthplace, the yellow building pictured earlier.

A view of the fortress from the town.

Some views of the town from the fortress.


If you peer through the trees, you can see the home used as the exterior of the von Trapp family estate in The Sound of Music, where Maria rides up on her bicycle singing Confidence in Me, just before meeting the family. Marsha and I wanted to take the Sound of Music tour of Salzburg. Unfortunately, it is four hours long and requires advanced planning, but this building I recognized.
What, no pictures of Day 7, you say? No there are no pictures from Day 7 because I spent the better part of the day in the hotel room with the boys. Sound bad? It was. But after a week of being stuck in the car with them, the hotel room seemed a little better. It was not fun. It was a punishment for them, and it's effectiveness has managed to stick a little. But the rest of the gang shopped in Garmisch, and we got to join them in the afternoon. We flew back to England the next day. But we weren't finished yet. Not even close. But I am finished for now. Tune in next time for Cringing along England's Western Coast.