Moms and Girls Salzburg to Reutte, July 23, 2005

Hi everyone!
Today we started in Salzburg Austria and drove back into Germany to get to Austria and over the Brenner pass to Italy to say we went to Italy and to go see Reifenstein castle. When we finally got there the castle was closed on Fridays! So we just sat on a bench below he castle and ate our lunch. We could see another castle on the mountain across the way as we ate.

Came back to Austria and found our youth hostel in Reutte, just south of Fussen. When we went to supper there was a huge hailstorm and we were all hiding out beside a building. There were some hailstones 2-3 inches in diameter, but we only got one tiny dent on the roof of the van.

Tomorrow up early to go see the sleeping Beauty castle at Neueschwanstein and drive to Rothenburg.

In the pictures you see the the girls having fun at Neueschwanstein. This castle was used by Disney as the model for the Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Rothenburg, Germany: July 30, 2005

Today we are in Rothenburg, Germany, which is a little medieval town that time forgot. Last night we went on this really cool tour by the Night Watchman and he took a group of us all around Rothenburg. We got up on the city wall and walked around at dark and it was great!

In the picture you see some of us with the Night Watchman. Both tours came here, because it is definitely so cool!

Heart of Europe Tour, July 17, 2005

We are having a great time. I am in an internet cafe in Heidelburg, Germany.

Yesterday we were in the little town of Bacharach on the Rhine. It was fabulous! We took a 1 hour cruise on a boat up the Rhine. It left from a dock across the street from our hotel. We had a lovely dinner on the terrace overlooking the water and a park.

The cruise was great, just us and 200 Japanese tourists. We got off upriver in St. Goar, and the town was having a festival and a marching band in full costume, complete with medals on their chests, started playing as soon as we got there. It was so cool! We took a little cutesy train up to Burg Rheinflels, the hugest old ruined castle on the Rhine. I led our group all around the castle with a walking tour. Then train back down, and cruise on the Rhine again back to our hotel.