Alpina Seefeld

Again it was snowing when we woke up but again it wasn't sticking although it was still on the trees at the Alpine Zoo which we went to in the morning. This was Tara’s choice as usual. Greg's favourite was the brown bear which was lying with its head on its paws on a log, probably contemplating whether it was time to hibernate. My favourite was the lynx which was high up in a tree. By the ...

... amazing to see how close the Golden Roof came to being bombed during World War II by the Nazis. The Austrians had bricked it in to save it and some of these bricks were actually destroyed while the Roof and building were saved.

We then walked up the City Tower which was built in 1440 and had an incredible view over the city and the surrounding mountains. It had stopped snowing by this time and you could see a clear line above ...

Walked to the train station and did an expedition to the supermarket to spend our last Swiss Francs as we are back to Euros in Austria. Had a stopover in Zurich for a while and then caught the train to Innsbruck. Again this was a scenic trip over the mountains and it started snowing and was very deep as we got higher- just beautiful scenery. Innsbruck is surrounded by mountains, all of which had snow on them.

We checked into our hotel where we ...

... about these things, and she claims she is but she always gets what she asks for!) and of course he said yes, and that is how we came to stay in a very nice room with free Internet and cozy beds.

Today we walked back to the main square to check things out. It was raining lightly but it didn't stop us from having a good time. We checked out the numerous shops and went to the top of the tower. Lincoln wasn't allowed up so we had to go in shifts. You really only need 15 ...

... well as a crystal on display that is larger than my head. The exhibits in each room vary considerably. In this case I think the pictures describe the museum much better than I can. Once at the end of the museum rooms, the visitor must pass through the showroom and store before leaving the facility. Mom and I had a lot of fun in the store and the men waited patiently for us to decide on ...

... too.
The rest of the tour took us to Linderhof castle and Neuschwanstein castle. What magical looking places they were. Neuschwanstein is the castle Walt Disney uses the sillohette of at the start of his movies. Anyway, after the trip it was back to Munich for a day or so and then on the plane home.

... shops... they have the most gorgeous Christmas shops here that go forever and have the most beautiful decorations I have ever seen. They also have decorations made from blown egg shells that are just simply stunning... I bought two as they are really quite expensive (about $10 to $35 AUD each) and refrained from buying anymore Christmas babbles as I think I will be lucky if I get the eggs home in one piece!! We then met up and continued shopping and checking out the sites... Wayne took ...

... the cops had treated them a little too roughly. He has an impending court case because of his presence in the squat, but he expects to get only probation. Apparently, Holland is the only European country where squatting is legal; buildings must be empty for two years first, though. Claude told me to read, "Days of War, Nights of Love," an American writing. He loves open-minded people. He invited me to an anarchists' gathering to be held this summer in Austria. My final ...

Another work conference for my parents brought us to Oberammergau for a week. We stayed in the cutest little wooden cottage - like the whole thing ceiling to floor and including flowering window boxes was made out of wood! Totally picturesque like you've read about in Brothers Grimm fairy tales. Aromatic town bakery. Absolutely enchanting.

Sadly, I dont remember much about Austria. Too bad because I have read so much about it lately as the music and art centre of Europe in the 1700s, I'd love to check that out.
I asked my dad recently if we had been there before. He said, 'oh yes, many times, we loved it'. Hmm, what a pity. I suppose it still counts because the images of scenery must be in my mind somewhere... curse this short memory of mine!