So…Billie called and said; “I’m going to tour the Alps. Wanna come? Well Duh! This is our first Grand Circle Tour starting in Stresa Italy then proceeding to Interlaken Switzerland and Seefeld Austria before ending in Munich. Along the way we’ll visit Zermatt, Lichtenstein, Oberammergau, and (a favorite from trips past) Mittenwald. We’ll check out lakes, islands, and castles. We’ll also leave the tour one day to visit Fraunfeld – Billie’s ancestral home. Should be a great trip!
We said goodbye to Seefeld, Austria, and the Alps this morning as we loaded the bus and headed to Munich. The peaks had thrown off the clouds and were basking in all their glory this morning. Passing thru Garmisch-Partenkirchen we got a good shot of the hospital and the ski jumping hill close by. As […]
It was a short trip back to Bavaria this morning.But long enough to enjoy the mountains playing hide and seek among the clouds Arriving at the bus parking lot in Mittenwald it was just a short walk into the city center. Similar to Obammergau yesterday painting on buildings is a big deal here. Our first
I have a theory about these wooden houses we see scattered (in an orderly fashion) across fields. I believe they are early silos. Billie’s cousin pointed out that the round plastic shapes we see stacked in fields are not actually waterproof covering for round hay bales. They are packed with fresh-cut grass which begins to
We set off, on a wet and cloudy day, for Innsbruck. Arriving at Innsbruck we bussed thru the city to our parking lot. Our guide joined our bus and took us on a short orientation tour of the city.Along the way we passed the university hospital. This one is notable because it is the main
The day started (late) with an orientation walk around the town. After that we were free till 1:00 – time for lunch and some wandering/shopping. 1:00 saw us on the bus for the trip to the Tratzberg Castle. There are records of a Tratzberg castle dating back to the 13th century.Following a fire in 1492
Up, finish packing, suitcases in the hall, down to breakfast, a bit of blogging, on the bus. The bus took us over the mountain and past Zurich (same route Paul took on Saturday).The same traffic jam (construction) sent our driver onto surface streets and probably didn’t save us any time, but at least we were
This was an early day. A Grand Circle Tour has a couple of program components. There are a series of included excursions – at least one on most days. But there are also significant blocks of free time. Additionally, in every country we have the opportunity to participate in ‘optional excursions’. These extra-cost opportunities present
We didn’t do that. Instead we ventured off into the unknown with our trusty guide Paul Koch, to find the Frauenfelder heritage. Billie’s progenitors arrived to the US from an area in Switzerland close to the town of Frauenfeld (hence the name). So a major piece of the genesis of this trip was a visit
After breakfast we had a lecture on life in Switzerland today.The lecture focused particularly on government and the prominent role citizens play in proposing and enacting legislation. The lecturer also covered immigration, naturalization, and citizenship as well as mandatory military service for men, taxes, and government benefits. After the lecture we headed out on an
Early morning. We were on the bus by 8:00 for a LONG day on the road. Reaching the top of the first summit we stopped for fluid adjustment and photos. Coming down the other side, the spectacular scenery continued. The next stop was the town of Tasch. Here we caught the train to the popular