Schloss Lebenberg Kitzbühel

... are tucked away here and there. We saw two horses rolling around in the dirt. The island started off as a monestary site first, also a museum, though all in German. From what I gathered something very important happened there after WWII. Had to read up later to find out that that's where Germany's constitution was created. Would have been interesting, but I couldn't understand the signs, must learn more German! A ...

... back to Hofbrau Haus for 1 last stein and Schweinshaxn then spent 4 hours at the hauptbahnhof resting mylegs and trying to upload photos to facebook using the free wifi fromburger king which was so slow I could only do 5 or 6 at a time!!! Good thing I had 4 hours to kill til my train to Paris.

Bye bye Munich and Germany :(

More photos here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1 47767&id=613699523&l=eee510bea9

Stayed at a beautiful spot in Austria (Saalbach) with Hilly, Stu's old friend and new Father..actually felt sorry for him, the poor sod was knee deep in relatives, in laws, newly purchased crib and nappies, etc.....we stayed for afew days and it was neatly timed with the arrival home of new born Frankie. Hilly's place is 3 feet from a field of horses so Lauren was easily kept busy with feeding duties.

Stu tried ...

... took us right up through the mountain to the top. An elevator in the middle of the mountain! It was made of such good brass and the engineering was so good, it has ever been serviced. But it also caused the deaths of 12 construction workers when it was made. Or thats what we were told. After the war, the UK and USA blew up most of his buildings in this area but Germany managed to save the Eagle's Nest because it was so amazing and ...

... ago. At that time we had entered the bunkers from that staircase and there was just our little tour and it was all very awesome and personal. In the new center, one enters from a well lit hallway (with aforementioned storyboards). And there were crowds of people coming and going everywhere. To me, it just didn’t have the same atmosphere.

We had to hop onto a second bus to head up the mountain to ...

... little more than one street. The castle looming above is well-preserved and evocative, and really worth a visit. There's a panoramic glass lift to get you up there if you're too idle to walk. The prison tower holds historical exhibitions and details of the erstwhile prisoners and ancient torture methods, including a shocking engraving showing some poor unfortunate being tied ...

... the hotel wouldn't be able to give us a lift into town. Okay, we thought, but would we be able to book the glacier trip? I resolved there and then to find our own way into town. How hard could it be?

Anyway, they taxied us out to our hotel after dropping the Kitzbuehel contingent as our hotel was out by the lake. First impressions - very beautiful setting and they gave us a room with an enormous balcony - even though we hadn't paid extra for ...

... the night coughing. She is rather sensitive to smoke and has gotten quite used to California's policy against smoking in public places. Europe has largely not followed that trend, and she has had a poor reaction to that. After letting Tracy sleep in, and then giving her a birthday present, we headed into old town. First, let me mention that Salzburg offers a city tour card that provides access to the transit system, as well as full or discounted entrance ...

August 26-Monday
We left Kitzbuhel at 8:30. There was a brief stop in Berchtesgarden, in Germany, at 10:00. Up on the side of the mountain, we could see Hitler's Eagle’s Nest. It was rather chilling to see that part of history. The bunker is now a restaurant. Our rest stop overlooked a valley filled with wonderful homes. What a view! Back on the bus and on to Salzburg. Time 10:35.

... saw several other little towns in the valley, with rivers winding their way through the mountains, and many other mountains across the way. I was left speechless. On our way up here, we stopped at the market to pick up a few items for lunch. We had some peaches, grapes, ham, cheese and rolls. You can have your fancy restaurants…this was the most beautiful place ever to have a meal.

We’ll turn in early tonight because tomorrow, we head to Vienna.