Landhotel Rupertus Leogang

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 ...

... Center and also the new, more accessible entrance to the bunkers (no steep flights of a hundred steps). There was a lot of reading and information that we did not have time to take in. We got to see portions of the bunkers and the long staircase from which the bunkers used to be entered. It was all fenced off; in fact the hotel above is now levelled. I was not as impressed with this portion as I had been 25 ...

... 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 ...

... legs began to whimper and ask whether it wasn't time to gently ride back to base for a nice, cold beer. However, they quickly came to their senses and marshalled themselves for the coming onslaught: a long, hard fire road climb up 9 long switchbacks. Bigger than anything in South East England, for sure. The reward was worth it: a long singletrack descent with lots to offer in ...

... 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 ...

... on the AutoBahn. Thankfully Nora was vigilant enough to avoid any danger. This was the end of my experience in Salzburg, perhaps not the city so much, which I've had an opportunity to see along with kids and several thousand tourists over the past few weeks, but more of the experience of life as a Salzburger and I have to say, it is an extremely pleasant one. I can only imagine how much better it becomes once the snow is sitting in the alps in the winter.

... then I thought about the American South and changed my mind. The views from up there were great. Then there was the guided audio tour that went through a portrait room, a torture chamber (although they didn't actually torture people here because the courts weren't here), the top of one of the towers (windy but what a view!), and through a hallway with views. Then Allison and I walked back to the hotel and had a grocery store dinner. This morning we woke up and took an early train to Munich.

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.

... a view it was! Kitzbuhel looked just as beautiful from there as it did while we were walking through it. We could see the way the narrow streets wound all through the town. When it was time for our ride to the top, off we went. The ride to the top of the mountain was slightly different than that to the middle station. This time, we stood in a box-type car, apparently used for skiers and their equipment in season. It was quite the ride up, looking down at ...