Day 23 Flying Home Zurich to SLC: August 21, 2007

Here I am in the Zürich airport, on my way home. I'm actually in a chocolate shop (of course!) and they had this great sign showing the Eiger, the Monch, and the Jungfrau, which are the mountains above Lauterbrunnen and Wengen, Switzerland. Translation: the Monster, the Monk, and the Young Maiden. Legend says the monk is protecting the maiden from the monster.
When I was there, I couldn't see them because of the cloudy weather, so I had to have this picture!
The Zurich airport is a whiz-model of efficiency. It's big but easy to navigate. Next year's Switzerland trip, here we come!

Day 22 Zurich, Last Night in Europe: August 20, 2007

Hello all, I'm in Zürich and I'm almost home!

Punctuation is alwazs fun on European computers. Zou can never find anzthing, and everz countrz is different! Exclamation point on this computer is to the right of the letter P and zou have to shift to get it. At least I found it! Sometimes what shows is not even the actual kezboard, and zou have to hunt around and experiment. As usual, Y and Z are switched. Also, if zou see a plus sign +, zou know I shifted on the number 1 like we do in the states!

Todaz has been mistz and drizzly all daz, from the time I left mz hotel in Lausanne to right now. With better weather, the train ride to Zurich would be beautiful, because it goes through green farmland and past lakes and towns and sometimes there are high mountains in the distance.

Trains are definitelz faster than driving here, because thez never have to slow down for traffic and thez go at a steadz rate, about 70 mph for this one, I would guess. You get off right in the center of town, with no traffic problems. (Train station is in background of picture at left.) If zou were driving, zou would be slowed through everz little town unless there was an autobahn to where zou want to go, and the cities would be terrible. The train from Lausanne to Zürich onlz took 2 hours, and it even stopped 4 times.

Zürich is a nice town, home to lots of Swiss banks. Lots of men in business suits here, all going busily on their way. It has a nice river running right through the middle, from North to South, and it empties into a lake.

The big church zou see in the picture with the 2 towers was the center of lots of unrest during the Reformation. In the 1500's, Martin Luther started Protestantism in Germanz, and it was a verz big conflict here in Switzerland. There were even wars about it. Whole churches switched from Catholic to Protestant.

Zwingli preached here in Zürich, and managed to get the town fathers to control religion his waz, which was Protestant. The church was originallz Catholic, built in the 1200's I think, and was verz ornatelz decorated. Now it has plain white walls inside, because the Protestants took down or painted over all the fancz gold decorations. Their emphasis was on everz man reading the Gospel for himself out of the Bible. Because of this, manz more people learned to read and write.

There are swans on this river and lakes and lots of places here in Switzerland.

Todaz I got here about noon, and found mz hotel and had lots of time, so I took a walking tour of the citz. I had some difficuties trying to follow mz directions, because thez were not explicit enough. Like I hate it when thez skip mentioning one whole street that zou need to take! The tour should have taken me about two hours, but with all the backtracking I did, it took four. That's OK, walking is cheap, and I had lots of time. I wanted to make the most of mz last daz in Europe.

On my tour, I found a couple of wonderful toy stores. The very coolest part was a kid slide from the main floor down one level. It was a dragon! Jump into the mouth, and emerge from the tail one floor lower!

The photo just below is in the Jewish quarter, and it shows the sign of the dentist's guild. They were required to be outside the city limits, because of the screams of the patients!

One thing I never knew was how fierce and freedom-loving the Swiss are. During World War II, thez placed explosives at everz bridge, everz road, every factory. In case they were invaded bz Hitler, they were going to leave nothing of their country that would help him. Thez were readz to completelz destroz their own countrz, rather than leave it to another people. Fortunatelz, thez never had to do it, but the will was there. Even todaz, there are gun emplacements and explosives guarding the roads and the three main passes through the Alps. Thez are still prepared to blow the passes, should the need arise.

The Swiss are a direct democracy. The people have voted NO, thez do not want to join the European Union. So thez are an island, completlz surrounded. All thez want to do is be left alone to live in peace. For example, the photo left was taken from a park on a hilltop in the center of town. There was originally a castle there, but when the people defeated the lord, they tore the castle down. They knew that whoever lived there would have power over them, so they made it an open place of freedom forever.

The most important thing I have learned on this trip was how manz people looked forward to a time of freedom like ours, and did not find it. They wanted freedom to choose their own government and their own religion, and thez fought and died for it. Thez progressed with small steps, but there were manz backward steps. So very many changes had to be fought for, one by one, to give us the freedoms we have.

When I got back to my hotel, I noticed a large Catholic church up atop the retaining wall next door. I climbed up the steps and came in. The Church was large and ornate, in a Byzantine stzle, with round arches holding up the decorated roof, and gold and blue painted mosaics of Bible Scenes. Mass was being said in German. A few people were scattered around the church. A man and an old ladz beside me responded to the priest with the congregation. I noticed thez did not have prayer books. Everthing thez said was memorized, probablz in their childhoods. Thez were the faithful few.

Everz town in Europe has its old center, surrounded bz a newer part. In everz town their are several churches, usuallz the best buildings in the town. Most of them have stood for hundreds of zears. Now not manz people go to services. The churches stand as monuments to the past.

I am tired of rain. I come in tomorrow night late. I think I land in SLC at almost midnight. Hooraz for the great schedule zou get using Skymiles in August!

Day 21 Lausanne & Europe's Best Castle: Chillon, Switzerland. August 19, 2007

Well, today was really my last day touring, so I'm slowing down, but it was a really good day.





I only had one thing planned for today, and that was to make a trip about 20 miles out of Lausanne to Castle Chillon. I had heard that it was the best castle in Europe, and it did not disappoint. What a fabulous experience!

I took the milk run train along the lake, and the views were fabulous. It made about ten stops before we arrived. The "station" was just a stop at a little empty building, with no one to ask directions, so I went under the tracks and found a little sign with an arrow. After about 100 yards, the castle came into view. It sits right in the water on the edge of the lake.

Chillon was actually built on a little rock island near shore, which made a natural moat. This was a critical location, because the mountains are so steep and squeezed right next to the lake, and this was one of only 3 routes through the Alps. So the castle was only attacked once in a thousand years, but it was built for business purposes. The Savoy family built it and the road through the Alps, and charged a tax to everyone who went past! They became fabulously wealthy.

The castle is not really large, but you get to go through almost all of it. Dungeons, crypts, great halls, bedroom of the prince, circular towers, tall square keep, and walk on the ramparts and peek through the slits to the moat down below. There are about 40 rooms and you get a little sheet that tells about each one.

I felt like I should take a guided tour, so when I got there I signed up for one. It turned out to be the best guided tour I have ever taken, and that's saying some! My old Swiss guide was a colorful character with a beard and a wealth of knowledge. I loved the way he tied everything into what else was going on during those time periods. It turned into a giant humanities/ history/arts/medieval/renaissance/30 years war lesson that I hope I can remember. He made everything make sense.

The history of this area is very much a war story of Protestant versus Catholic. I knew that the Protestant art styles were much simpler than the Catholic, but he explained that the Baroque style, with all it's big fancy gold decoration, and Michelangelo-type ceilings and Da Vinci paintings, was a Catholic "propaganda" style. It was meant to say, "Here is the side that will get you to heaven, just like this beautiful church."

The corresponding Protestant style of the time was simpler depictions of fruit and vines and flowers, like God's own creations. For example, when the Protestants won Castle Chillon, they scrubbed the colorful paintings off the wall and repainted them all white! Where it was too high to scrub, they just painted. Then they put simple vine and flower decorations on the walls. Recent restorations have uncovered some Catholic ceiling paintings.

Do you know what a halyard is? It's that long pole, a war weapon, with a deadly hook and a point and an ax blade on the end. With the hook, a footman could unseat a knight on horseback, and then stab him, and then chop him up. It was much cheaper than a coat of mail or armor, and pretty efficient, too.

Another cool thing. Did you know that the Swiss cross was a fighting formation? Pack a bunch of guys tightly together in the cross formation, and give them all halyards. Then let any opposing forces try to run through them! Also cheaper and more efficient than knights on horseback.

A little boy was carrying his own toy sword during his tour of the castle. I thought, "What a smart mama he must have!" I also thought how much fun it would be to give Michael and Andrew and Jared and Justin and Hayden toy swords and Tiff and Sarah and Amy princess dresses, and just sit in one of the courtyards and watch them play hide and seek! I wished that the other tourists wouldn't mind! I have enjoyed this thought a lot.

I rode the boat all the way back, because there was no one at the train stop to sell me a ticket, and no ticket machine at the bus stop. It was a 90- minute boat ride back to Lausanne, and I sat on the bench in the sun and took pictures and dozed.

The boat brought me to the park I mentioned yesterday. Today was Sunday, and it was full of people and activities. I rode several buses home to avoid having to climb uphill to my hotel, even though it was only about 10 blocks. I came in and slept for an hour!

Tomorrow I go to Zurich, and fly home from there the next day. I have loved this trip, but it's time to be home.

Day 20 Lausanne, Switzerland, August 18, 2007

After 2 days of clouds, it finally started clearing up as I was leaving the Jungfrau region of central Switzerland, and it was glorious! When I woke up and looked out my window this morning, I could see the top of the cable car lift that I took up for my first hike yesterday. I had no idea it was right there! I wanted some sunny pictures, and I finally got a few on the ride down the mountain. (left) It really is this glorious!

I thought it would be a pretty straightforward train ride to Lausanne. Once I took the 2 small trains to Interlaken, I would only have to change once in Bern. Wrong! Once again, they were working on tracks (washed out by rain, I think) so I was re-routed to Biel, which is even further out of the way, and got a train there for Lausanne. I almost missed the connection because my watch stopped. One of the info ladies I had talked to picked up on the fact that I should be hurrying to catch the train, but I was just sauntering away in the wrong direction. She chased me down and sent me running to the train!

A really cool thing happened in Bern: I saw a sign from the train that said OberZollikofen. I knew the Swiss temple is in Zollikofen, a suburb of Bern, so I started looking wildly in all directions, and I spotted it from the train! I did not see the whole temple, just the spire and angel Moroni, but it was enough. I had wanted to see it, but thought there was no chance.

I got to Lausanne about 2:30, got directions from the tourist info, took a streetcar, and found my hotel. Lausanne sits on a hill and the whole town slopes down to Lake Geneva. The lake is lovely. It's on the border between France and Switzerland, so now I am trying to remember my French again. It's really hard, because I keep sticking German and Italian words in, and not so many people here speak English. Lausanne is the permanent home of the Olympic Committee, so it's a really international city.

I thought I ought to see the cathedral, so I went. I found it typical of cathedrals built in the French Gothic style around the year 1300. Maybe I'm getting jaded. Anyway, I also saw on the map something called "Chateau" so I walked uphill a few blocks and found it. It was really cool looking, with a round tower on each corner. I could not get in, though, because it is still being used as county offices. There were pictures of what it looked like in the 1300's, 1500's, 1700's etc. It's hard for Americans to comprehend that if you build something sturdily enough, it might still be around in 700 years!

I could not figure out the map, with all the winding little streets, so I just walked downhill, consoled myself with a pastry in a chocolate shop, and collected my thoughts. I finally found my way back to the station, and took a bus for only one stop because I was so tired.

I had an exciting afternoon doing laundry in a little laundromat. It really was exciting, because I did not have to wash in my room. I didn't have to roll it in a towel and stomp on it to get it almost dry, and then hang it for 2 days until it dries out!

I was not really impressed with the hotel. It's older, but has sort of been renovated. My room is on the 4th (American 5th) floor. The hall was dim and the light bulb was dangling from it's wires, and I could hardly see to get my key in the lock.

Then I opened the door to my room, and all was forgiven! It's small, but new looking, with a complete view of the lake! The tall french doors were open and the sheers blew gently and the view was to die for! It has the tiniest balcony. (view from the balcony, left) So what if the hall is dark and reception area needs help! This computer is in the day room, which is being used as a storage room; so it's stuffed with sheetrock and furniture piled on top of each other. Who cares? The room is wonderful!

The hotel has 2 bikes to loan. When I got back from the laundry, the bikes were back, so I got one and went for the most beautiful ride down by the lake. Lausanne has a large park area all along the lake, with a "promenade" beside the shore through the grass and trees, with a couple of marinas and swimming areas with ducks and swans. It was suppertime, and groups of people had set up picnics and others brought hibachis and were cooking. Lots of people strolled, some kids rode scooters or rollerblades. (nobody skateboards) For two hours I pedaled along the lake. The light was perfect and the air was warm, and it was wonderful. I must have gone at least five miles. I had to miss the pedestrians, but the path was wide and paved, and I didn't hit anybody or fall, so I consider it a great sucess!

I also stopped for awhile to watch some international beach volleybal tournament. The players were really good. When I went past the first time, very athletic women in skimpy bathing suit-type uniforms were playing. I'd seen adverts for it. When I came back, I stopped to watch the Swiss team defeat Canada. Next was Brazil versus Canada. It was in an arena along the path, about the size of a small rodeo arena.

I have seen so many wonderful things on this trip, and I have loved them all, but I'm learning a lesson. I enjoy the parks and the bike rides and the scenery and the people more than the "must-see" sights. So much better that monuments and cathedrals! There's a good lesson in that for my tours for next year. People come to Europe to see the sights, but let's break it up with a bike ride or a stroll in the park.

For supper at 9:00 I had a dish of some strange but good soup in the Indian restaurant across the street. I was the only customer in the place. They only serve their specials for lunch, so that must be when they have customers. The soup was supposed to be spicy red lentil soup, but there were no lentils in it. It was a clear broth with what I think were some kind of rehydrated peppers and mushrooms, plus fresh chives and tomatoes. It was really good.

Time to quit for the night . . .

Day 19 Hiking in Switzerland, August 17, 2007

This keyboard looks all messed up like the others, but the letters are really in American places, not what it says! If I can just figure out the punctuation, we'll be good! Today was hiking like it really should be. You will remember I am staying in Wengen, a little town half way up the mountain on a shelf looking a thousand feet down. First thing this morning, I walked a few hundred yards to the gondola and rode up higher to a saddle on the mountain. It was cloudy much of the time, but at least I could see below, if not above! This picture was taken from the gondola, looking down on Wengen.

When I came out of the gondola, I saw that the men were hosing a lot of crap off the walkway. I thought, What the heck? How could there be animals up here? Then I realized I was hearing cowbells out of the clouds below me. They bring the cows up to their high pastures in the gondola at the start of summer! I had the most wonderful hike for an hour, never out of range of hearing the cowbells. Each animal wears a bell. Sheep do too, but their bells are smaller and so they sound higher.

This particular trail was along a ridge line, nearly level. There were fabulous views downward. I understand that the 3 huge mountains, the Eiger, the Jungfrau, and the Monch are all so close you can reach out and touch, but I could not see them because of the clouds. This picture is actually one I took of a postcard on a rack, showing what it looks like on a sunny day.

This is my kind of hiking! High mountains, fabulous views, and a gondola to take you to the top of the mountain. When you are tired of hiking, no worries about your knees: take a cog train down. So that's what I did. I hiked from the top of the Mannlichen lift horizontally over to Kleinescheiddig, and took the train down like you see in the picture below. It's enough to make you want to do it again! I will have to, because I definitely want to see it when it's sunny!

I definitely want to bring people here next year.

I was back to Wengen, where I'm staying, by 11:30; so I came down to Lauterbrunnen on the cog train, and took another gondola up the far side of the steep valley, opposite Wengen. This was definitely the steepest and the highest gondola I have ever done! It went up very fast to Grutschalp, where we all got off and went to a waiting one-car train. The tiny train took us horizontally across the face of the mountain to the town of Murren. Then I walked a couple of miles downhill on a paved (picture at left) path to the next town of Gimmelwald, where I took yet another gondola back down to the valley floor. I hopped on a bus, and soon I was back in Lauterbrunnen. It's a good thing I did not reverse this hike, which I was planning to do, because the two miles would have been all steep uphill!

By this time it was only 3:00, so I went by train back to Interlaken, and bought a combi-ticket for train to Brienz, bus to Ballenberg, admission to Ballenberg open-air living museum, and return the same way. I knew I would not have much time at the museum, but I am really glad I got a chance to see it.

Ballenberg Museum is kind of the same idea as This is the Place Monument Village. It is quite large and I walked forever. They have brought in many old houses from all different regions of Switzerland and all different time periods. You can go inside most of the buildings, and they are furnished from that time period. I was too late to see them, but there are costumed people doing authentic crafts, and if you're not interested in culture, at least it's a beautiful hike. There was a house from the 1300's and various types of houses and barns and it's all very beautifully done. The temperature finally warmed up and we got a little sun, and it was beautiful.

All for now, I'll be home in a few days.

Day 18 Innsbruck & 9 Changes to Wengen, Switzerland: August 16, 2007

Well, I finally have arrived! I am in Wengen, part of the Lauter- brunnen valley in central Switzerland. Wengen is a gorgeous, car- free town perched on shelf above the valley floor. The picture above was taken right where I got off the train in Wengen.

The train out of Innsbruck was the most gorgeous ride zou can ever imagine. High, high mountains as we rolled through the long Inn River Vallez, lots of little villages, each with a couple of centuries- old churches with pointz steeples or onion domes. Green everzwhere and blue skz and little tiny log cabins in the fields that are used to store haz for the cattle in winter. Some of the cabins are falling down, and there are fewer cattle. Nowadays they individuallz shrink-wrap each large round bale of hay in its own plastic case. They stack the wrapped bales right outside next to the tinz little log cabin sometimes. Zes, I do mean that huge round bales like we have, each wrapped in plastic, are replacing the log cabin hay barns.

As we got closer to Switzerland, the skz grew cloudz and it has been grey and drizzly the whole rest of the daz. That is a big problem where I am now, because the clouds cover the top half of the mountains, so I cant even see them. I hear they are faulouslz high

It took me 9 changes to get here! The last 2 trains were interesting because thez were small and narrow gauge. That means the tracks are closer together than usual. Thez do that so the train can go around tighter turns. Swiss engineers have been putting trains on these mountains for a long time, over a hundred zears.

The verz last train was a cog railwaz, which means it has teeth in the gears that pull it up reallz steep hills. Thats what we did, go right up the side of the alps with hairpin turns.

Where I am is in a little town on the side of the mountain at least a thousand feet above the vallez floor. I had to lean forward in the last trains, just to keep mz balance. Manz people come here for a week just to hike the manz trails. The great advantage is that zou can take a cog train or a gondola to the top of the mountain, and then hike from there, which make for fabulous scenerz and mostlz downhill hiking+ there a trains and trails crisscrossing this whole area.

This was waz too much hassle getting here for tour people. I will have to decide if we reallz want to come here. Zou can't drive a car here because it's too steep. Zou would have to park a few towns below and take the trains, funiculars, and in some cases aerial trams like Snowbirds' ski lift, just to get up to the little towns . Thez are all pedestrian zones, that's for sure!

This is the hotel where I am staying: (left) "Baeren" means "the bears." http://www.wengen.com/hotel/baeren/ The computer did something wierd, so I hope the link works.

I sure hope it clears up tomorrow!

Day 17 Innsbruck, Austria: August 15, 2007

Hello, all! This is the website of the hotel where I am tonight http://www.weisseskreuz.at/ in Innsbruck, Austria.

The mountains here are so astoundinglz high zou just can't believe it! It's gorgeous! Last time I was in Innsbruck, it was frustrating because I could not find the Golden Roof, reallz the onlz sight in town. This time mz hotel is about 50 feet from it, and I can see it out mz window. Innsbruck has a reallz neat old center bz the River Inn. I climbed the clock tower in the city hall right next to my room and took pictures in all directions.

This hotel is so old, it was built on Roman foundations. I don't know how long this building has been here, but it started being a hotel 500 zears ago. 500! Amazing concept. There is a plaque on the wall that sazs Mozart stazed here. Mz room is at the verz top of the hotel, and is one of the cheapest I am sure, because it is onlz 65 euros, one of mz cheaper rooms. That's about $90. It has a reputation for being expensive, which is the reaction I got when I said I was stazing at the Weisses Kreuz white cross.) The white cross was the sign of the Order of Malta which was people during the Crusades who took in Pilgrims going to the Holz land.

Tonight I went to a Tyrolean Evening of music and slap- dancing. It was reallz fun. I had to take the bus clear across town, but there were no transfers, so it turned out to be easier than I thought to get there. Thez plazed all kinds of Tyrolean instruments and a lot of slapping the legs, floor, stomping, singing, yodeling girls, and dancing. They even had one song done by 3 Alpenhorns!

The verz coolest part was at the end, when thez plazed and sang a folk song from everz countrz that was represented there tonight. All the people would stand up for their country's song and I loved it. I was I think the onlz one in the audience from USA. The others were almost all big bus tours from France, Spain, Netherlands, Gemanz, UK, Australia & New Zealand. I counted 6 big tour busses in the parking lot when I left to go get mz citz bus home. Then I saw one of the singer ladies come out of the place and start running to the bus stop. I figured, 'She must know the schedule of the bus" So I ran, too! It's a good thing I did, because here came the bus and I made it to the back door and pounded on the "let me in" button and the door opened and I jumped on!

I didn't know where to get off, so I asked these 2 zoung girls, both dressed up to kill all in white, where I should get off. They said "You can come with us, because we are going to McDonald's." which is right next to mz hotel. So I was home 15 minutes after the show ended and the girl at the desk could not believe I got there so fast!

I had one shocker todaz. When I got here, I went to the info window at the train station to find about going to Wengen, Switzerland tomorrow. Wengen is directlz west of Innsbruck, in the middle of high alps. It's the Lauterbrunnen valley; where I think Shelley and Kim stazed in the 5th grade. What I found out is that I can't get there from here! Well, I actuallz can, and I will, but I have to go to the border, and there is work on the tracks again, so thez will take everzone and put them on buses and take them to the next station. Then I have to change trains anzwaz and go clear to Zürich which is clear on the north edge of the countrz, and happens to be where I am spending mz last night in Europe and where mz flight leaves from next week. Then I change trains again and go to Interlaken and then change again to go to Lauterbrunnen and then change AGAIN to go to Wengen! What a hassle! And the whole trip will take me 8 whole hours IF all goes perfectlz smoothlz, and with an itinerarz like that, it won't! I was just getting over the shock of that, when I went to the ticket office to buz the ticket, and got another shock. 85 euros! Over $120! Mz eyes popped at that one! I alreadz have reservations in Switzerland or I would change it, and it's too late to cancel.

This afternoon I also went to a cool Tyrolean folk museum, where thez have rooms set up like in old houses from different time periods, and mannequins wearing all different costumes from local areas in different times from the 1600's to late 1800's. Thez also had some fabulous carved funiture and some reallz beautiful painted furniture. That's what I call a reallz good musem.

Thez also had a neat collection, something like nativitz sets, but thez were of all different scenes in the Bible, not just the Christmas storz. Most had fancz backdrops and moveable figures, so zou could put the people anzwhere zou wanted. Sort of like plazing GI Joe with Bible action figures from 300 years ago! Explanations were all in German, so I could not tell verz much, but thez were so elaborate thez could not have belonged to ordinarz folks. They must have come from churches or rich people.

I also bought some fruit and walked down bz the river for a little bit. I have found it calms mz spirits in a big citz to go be in a green space.

In this picture I'm standing on the bridge over the Inn River.

Day 16 Train & Bus to Hallstatt & Salzburg, Austria: August 14, 2007

Today I wanted to go to Halstatt, Austria on the way from Melk to Salzburg. (It's way out of the way, of course.) What a parade of ride changes and more surprises! I had heard it was a lovelz little town on a mountain lake crowded against the mountain, reached bz boat, and I wanted to see it. (Pix left) So I had to take a train from Melk to Amstetten, change in Amstetten to a train for Attnang Puchheim. In Amstetten a couple hundred college kids got on and thez were all drinking and smoking. I figured out later they were going to a rock concert near Fuschl. There were 8 of us standing crammed into the foyer at the end of the car; standing room onlz in all the cars, and thez kept going back and forth and squeezing past and smoking. I got on one kid's case really a hard when he was about to light up, saying "No!" several times forcefully, so at least they did not smoke in the foyer. I was reallz glad to get off that train!

I'd heard the change was fast, but the other train was alreadz there, and it was waiting for me and the conductor was waving to me to hurry up! I ran with mz suitcases and got on.

We rode through fabulous high mountains and past idyllic lakes and it was trulz beautiful. After a lot of stops, thez made everybody get off the train! Evidentlz thez were working on the tracks, so thez transferred us all to a bus and drove us the rest of the way into Hallstatt. The drive was astoundinglz beautiful. The switch meant we did not get to arrive bz train on the far side of the lake and take the ferrz boat across the lake to the town. Too bad! We just drove into the tour bus parking lot. What a letdown! I arrived in Hallstatt at 2:00 and left at 3:15. Even still, it was very beautiful. Hallstatt is the town you see on all the brochures of Austria, so I wanted to check it out. I decided you can get the same sort of beautiful lake feeling on the Koenigsee in southern Germany, which is a lot easier to get to! I'd have never known if I hadn't gone.

When I got on the bus to leave, I told the driver "I want to go to Salzburg." He said OK and sold me a ticket. Turns out, this is not the bus that puts zou back on the train! Boy did I do a doubletake when I discovered it did go to the train station, but I just bought a ticket for bus all the waz to Salzburg! This was actually faster and better, since it cut one leg off the triangle and went there directlz. The onlz problem was it stopped in everz little town several times, and took us over 2 hours to drive 55 K (30 miles)!

Wendz, we drove right down through Fuschl! In fact, we had 3 bus stops in Fuschl. We went right past the pension where we stazed on zour trip and right past the Swan Restaurant on the lake where we ate. It looked like heaven itself, and I wish we could all go there again.

When we finallz got to Salzburg, I went to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station,) because I wanted to learn where it is so I might bring Dad's group on public transportation. I finallz found enough people to help me and asked enough questions to get to mz hotel (right.)

Tonight's hotel is right in the old part of Salzburg, about 2 blocks from Mozart's Birthplace House. It is reallz old, over the top of a cafe again. It has lace curtains and a funnz marble sink that is probablz antique.

I made a walking tour of Salzburg, same tour I took Dad on when he went 2 zears ago. I did it again to finallz figured out where everzthing is! It was wonderful and the evening was coming. The shops were closing and people were looking in shop windows and deciding where to eat for dinner. I had a pizza slice again.