June 28 - July 1, 2010

June 28

Each day here begins with breakfast outside with a beautiful view of the mountains.

Today was set aside for a tour of the Hohe Tauern National Park. As we neared the high point on the road (about 8,000 feet), we encountered hundreds of people walking along and near an the road, most with small backpacks and walking sticks. We learned that they are Catholic pilgrims
replicating an ancient pilgrimage across the mountains to the church in Heiligenbrut (which means "holy blood).

The trek, which covers about 28 kilometers and 4000' change in elevation, happens every June 28th and commemorates a complicated legend about the blood of Jesus dating from about the year 1000. We were able to visit the church in Heiligenbrut long before the pilgrims arrived and we both felt a strong energy there. It was all quite impressive.

We then drove up to the foot of Glossglockner, the highest peak in the park (about 12,000 feet). The glacier coming down from the mountain is quite awesome for its evidence of scouring and for its length (though it has retreated about 2.5 kilometers from its farthest reach).

June 29

Today was another hike, much like the one a couple of days ago – starting out on a steep trail along a raging stream, climbing into an open valley at the foot of a high peak -- all with lots of wildflowers on a bright sunny day plus a nice meal and a big glass of beer in an outdoor restaurant before getting into the car. We couldn't ask for anything more. Thus ends our heavenly visit to the Austrian alps. Tomorrow it's on to Salzburg and then Prague.

June 30

Left our mountain home and headed for Salzburg. Along the way we stopped for a few hours at Berchtesgaden -- Hitler's Eagle's Nest where he and several of his minions met their end. These days there's a museum perched on the very spot where he had his home and it was a big deal -- way too much information for us to wrap our wee brains around. But safe to say that the Germans are doing a bang up job of seeing to it that no one ever misunderstands what happened to their people in the '30s and '40s. And, again, as with Dachau, we had an eye-opening experience as to the just exactly what was going on in Germany at that time and how terrifying it
would be to live under such a regime. And how absolutely powerless and afraid one would feel, even if one desired to put up a fight and resist what was coming down all around them. The Nazis had control of every single aspect of the people's lives. There really was nowhere to turn
where someone could find altering information or support for resistance.
It would have been very much like being swamped in a tidal wave. Talk about powerlessness!

After the museum tour, we descended into the bunkers where Hitler and the gang hid out and committed suicide at the end of the war. Creepy.

Then on to Salzburg where we arrived in early evening and spent several hours walking around the town. We were disagreeing with son Daniel most of the evening. Why didn't he like this place? It's so lovely here. He must have been very grumpy that day.

July 1

We realized why Daniel wasn't exactly fond of Salzburg. Seeing the city at night when most of the tourists have gone wherever they go is QUITE a different thing than a hot summer's day with thousands of them wandering about. I'm sure that most of our own grumpiness was due to the heat. Slogging through the streets. Yuck.

Still though, we find we basically like this town. (And Daniel? There was only one event where we ran into Sound of Music ... maybe all that has gone underground.)

Its physical setting is spectacular -- on the banks of a river and in a mountain valley, the Alps hovering nearby. There're a whole lot of picturesque buildings scattered about. Churches, castles, cobbled lanes, etc . All very wonderful. Right now I'm dreading Prague – another picturesque cobbled city in the heat. I must remember my AlAnon training. Don't create a picture in my mind of what tomorrow will bring, because I can't really know what that will be.

We did visit an incredible farmer's market with well over 100 vendors selling all kinds of produce, meats, cheeses, prepared foods and plants. Beautiful stuff!

Tomorow WILL bring another little plane ride -- this time from Munich to Prague. So it will be a traveling day.

Love you all,

L&D

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June 26 - 27, 2010

June 26

Today was travel day to the Hohe Tauern, Austria's largest National Park, with stops along the way in Hall (a beautiful little town with a well preserved old town) and Innsbruck (site of the winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976).

Today was market day in Hall and it was an eclectic affair with some farmer booths, one booth demonstrating Weber BarBQ's, another letting people try out the two-wheeled Segway (Segue?) and yet another with adorable school kids selling slices of bread with a gooey cheese-like spread.

Innsbruck also has a nice old town which today featured a bouncy brass band and a few street performers. There is a terrific cultural museum, one section of which features superstitions, incantations and endless artifacts of a fear-based life. Near the end of the exhibit a door automatically creaks open and one is deposited in the balcony of a massive church featuring a gigantic tomb for king Maximillian (in which he was never interred).

June 27

Our accommodations in the Hohe Tauern again feature an incredible view of towering mountains from a lush green valley. Boy, are we fortunate!

We decided to hike up the valley we can see from our guest house. A beautiful trail follows the river up the valley and opens out into a broad mountain valley free of trees but with a very welcome rustic restaurant. It felt good to get in long day of hiking. Lois did great -- stiff and
sore but foot, ankle and knee all did fine.

Internet access is not available anywhere near our guest house, so our missives may be intermittent for a few days.

Love and smooches to all

D & L

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June 25, 2010

My God in Heaven -- and heaven it was as we once again explored the alpine countryside.

Today was touring day -- a big loop down into Italy to see the Italian Alps. But first we took a side trip up into a Austrian national park to take a walk in a high meadow between two mountain ridges. Again, lots of wildflowers, including many we hadn't seen at lower elevations. We walked through a herd of Palomino horses, including nine adorable foals. Apparently they were Hafflingers -- a special breed which are used to carry people and gear into the backcountry. The locals are obviously very proud of their animals.

Then it was on to Italy via a long, narrow and winding road over a barren pass. What's amazing is the sheer magnitude of the Alps in this part of Europe. Everywhere one looks there is another panorama of massive mountains. It's all so breathtaking that Lois finally put the camera down
and said "I just can't get it". It was much warmer in Italy; we were glad to get back to the cooler climes of Austria.

A couple of notes about driving in Germany and Austria: -- on most freeways (autobahns) the speed limit signs are electronic and the speed limits change depending on the traffic conditions and weather. If the sign is not on, that means there is no speed limit (and cars going
100 mph are not uncommon). -- roads of all sizes are immaculate; there are no potholes and few patches.-- there is no litter ... ANYWHERE!

Tomorrow it's on to a short visit to Innsbruck and then to the Hohe Tauern, a spectacular national park to the East in Austria.

Our love and all the best to you all

Donald and Lois

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June 24, 2010

I had often heard that Austria is beautiful, but what we've been seeing today is absolutely awesome. When we try to find pictures for our nightly post, I hope we've accumulated a picture or two which can faithfully depict what we've seen today. But I don't know.... it was one of those days when you're having a 360 degree view/experience which when tried to capture with a camera, it's kind of a pathetic rendition.

The sun was really with us today so off we went for some outdoor excursions. First, we went on a gondola ride up to the top of one of the mountains. (Yes, I really did it -- squeaking most of the way -- but I made it to the top without freaking out or hurling or anything particularly dramatic. And, it was actually fun!)

Then we took a hike high up in the mountain meadows. I have never NEVER
seen such a profusion of wildflowers. Just incredible.

And we stopped and had a long conversation with the sweetest little heifer, #1789 read her ear tag. She was so interested in us and loved it when we scratched her chin and the top of her head. She was clearly never abused by humankind. Makes you realize how badly cattle are treated in
the U.S. and what fine animals they can be. I wanted to bring this one home. I'm sure Attaboy would approve.

The weather is supposed to continue to be fair. We have all our appendages crossed for tomorrow and another day exploring these magnificent mountains.

Love to everyone,
Lois & Donald

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June 23, 2010

Well, today the sun came out with a vengeance and we couldn't possibly be happier, especially since we spent the day driving through the most glorious Austrian and German countryside, ending up in a spectacularly beautiful valley tucked up in the Austrian alps. Unbelievable! Our new digs are unbelievable as well == I don't know how we got so lucky about the money thing. The place where we are staying is perfection and it's going to cost us $75 per night, including breakfast. We have a 180 degree view out our windows of the mountains, and even have a deck where we can lounge about and watch the sun set on these amazing mountains. Sigh. Such beauty. We're very much reminded of our trip to Switzerland a few years ago.

Our drive today took us through the countryside in Bavaria where we visited another of King Ludwig's castles -- this one finished and perfectly divine. Small, intimate and lovely. Also, we visited the small Bavarian town of Oberammergau, a village which sits on the confluence of two rivers but is famous for the beautiful paintings which adorn many of the town's buildings -- frequently depicting Biblical tales, but also
children's stories such as Little Red Riding Hood or Hansel and Gretel. The latter is painted on the facade of the town's orphanage -- a story which makes me squirm a bit when I think of its daily presence in the lives of orphans. That story scared me to death when I was little. I didn't want to end up in an oven!

That's it for today. Tomorrow we'll head off onto one of the many wanderwegs around here, aka hiking trails.

Ah joy. Sun in the Alps!

Love you all.

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June 21 - 22, 2010

June 21

Today was to be a beauty-drenched sojourn down what is reputed to be Germany's premier scenic drive, the Romantic Road, which stretches from just north of Rothenberg to the Austria border. But it was a disappointment, with just one interesting town (Dinkelsbuhl) and rolling hills that were nice, but nothing to write home about (so here I am writing home about them...).

We did see some noteworthy things -- Germany has hundreds of miles of terrific paved bicycle paths that frequently parallel the highways, but so far we've only seen one bike rider on them (maybe two weeks of rain has sent the bikers under cover). The other interesting thing is the number of solar installations on homes. In some communities, a large percentage of homes have solar panels on the roof. We also saw some huge solar farms today == very impressive. It's clear that Germany is way ahead of the U.S. on solar energy.

Tonight we're staying in a beautiful guest house in Austria, just south of the German border. It's actually a working farm with a bunch of horses just outside our window (which looks up into some incredible snow-covered mountains. The hostess tells us the weather forecast is for good weather (for a change) so we're excited!


June 22 -- Happy 35th Anniversary to us!!!

Well, the weatherman lied -- it's another soggy day, but that's OK because today was castle day with visits to Hohenschwangau, which was "Mad" King Ludwig's childhood home, and Neuschwanstein, his fantasy castle built in the late 1800's. We were pleasantly surprised, finding both castles to be quite beautiful and his fantasy castle filled with interesting art and wood work. It's a good long walk up to the castle and the whole scene is a little UN, with people from all over (and lots of Americans).

Tomorrow it's off to the Innsbruck area.

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June 20, 2010

June 20

Here's our latest "blog" --

Here we are in Rothenburg, a medieval walled town on the Romantic Road in Germany. We had been expecting, well, not much, as this is Tourist Central around here, but we've been extremely pleasantly surprised, as we've figured out how to avoid the hordes ... and that's by exploring the town before and after the busses arrive, dumping hundreds of folks like us into the cobbled lanes. At THIS very moment, Donald is at a local church, taking in an organ concert. It had been my attention to join him, but after our long hike earlier today, I knew I'd be making a spectacle of myself, nodding off and probably falling into the aisle. So I've stayed behind to do a little catch up on our supposed "blog" which isn't, but will have to do.

So to catch up .. Two days ago, we took a tour to Dachau which is outside of Munich. What a fascinating experience ... not at all what we expected. Of course it wasn't exactly an upper, visiting one of Hitler's most notorious concentration camps, in fact, the mother of them all. However, it was extremely educational (we had a great English guide) and actually relieved me of a lot of race (or nationalist) discomfort around Germans. Having been raised in the '50s, we'd been exposed to a lot of propaganda about the war and anti-German books and movies were the norm in those days. Come to find out, the majority of the German people did not support Hitler. In fact, he only won the election with 37% of the vote and immediately upon taking office, he and his henchmen began consolidating power so that they wouldn't lose control. And thus began The Third Reich. We came to understand and believe that many of the German people were also victimized by these monsters. Having opposed war myself and having demonstrated and marched with hundreds and thousands of peace marchers, and having felt completely powerless against the powers that be, I can understand what it would have been like to be here then. And I didn't even have to deal with the Brown Shirts or the SS.-- only George Bush. I could go on and on about this but in the interest of time and space, I'll stop.

What next? The next day we made our way to the airport, picked up our rental car and began our journey through Germany and Austria. The first leg of our trip, yesterday, took us through absolutely lovely countryside -- along a river, fields of wheat and red poppies, wildflowers everywhere -- a truly beautiful world. We finally arrived here in Rothenburg yesterday evening and spent several hours in the town, wandering around, gazing at this extraordinary medieval environment -- and eating way way
too much food. Again.

This morning was a really wonderful walk down the mountain and along the Tauber river ... and now I MUST go find Donald before he thinks I've passed out in exhaustion and we miss each other in passing.

Later. So I found him, waiting patiently by the church and we spent a couple more hours, exploring -- including a long walk along the top of the ancient wall which surrounds the town. Next we must make a foray into the town again to find an internet cafe and a bank.

Tired but happy, we send our love to you all.

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