Final Leg -Salzburg & Vienna

Sept 26/28 2017  (Tues-Thurs)

Leaving Innsbruck we head towards Salzburg

Salzburg

and Vienna.  This where Bob gets "cultured", ie; Mozart's birth place.

Mozart's  Birth Place
 

World famous classical music capital, opera, ballet, Sound of Music Production, and much more.  On the way, more castles and cathedrals.  Beautiful, but more than we can take in the short time we have.  We did take in a live performance, Wiener Residenzorchester, a marvelous production of strings, flutes, drums, ballet, and singing.


Opera Hall

Opera Stage (Where's Jimmey Buffet)

At least that's what Shari tells me!  I was waiting for Jimmy Buffet.

One of the largest castles in Europe, "Hohensalzburg Castle", awesome!   Also a stop at the famous Milk Abbey Cathedral / Monastery.

Castle

On our way to Vienna, we zig zaged in and out of Germany stopping at the famous Hitler's "Eagle's Nest". This if like our Camp David only for Hitler.  Constructed in 1938 it became Hitler's private escape

Hitler's "Eagles Nest"

headquarters.  Now a significant tourist site at some 6,000 ft with a spectacular 360 degr view.

Farwell dinner to our traveling friends.

Farwell Dinner

Summary:

What a spectacular trip, and our thanks to Bill & Judy Hesser for putting us on to it.  Trafalgar certainly knows how to do it up right.  Our tour directors were superb.  A wealth of knowledge.

Three weeks was perhaps a bit much for us "old fogies", so not sure we would repeat that.  Every day was a 12 or 14 hr day by the time bags were out and settled in room for the night.  But still worth the effort based on what we saw.

Home!  Always feels Good!!

Entering Austria

Sept 24, 2017 (Sun)

Leaving Munich and Oktoberfest, we head towards Innsbruck, first stopping in Oberammergau viewing a world famous castle. Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Csatle



King & Queen of Castle

Bridge Behind Castle
 

built by the great King Ludwig II.  Awesome it was and a bit overwhelming.  He died at age forty and never really occupied the castle.  Now a serious tourist attraction.  No pictures allowed inside.  This is the same city in which the famous 'Passion Play" has been put on every 10 years since 1634.  A very,very religious city, as was King Ludwig.

Sept 25, 2017 (Sat)

The German Tour

Off to Innsbruck, Austria and greeted by a "local" tour guide setting us off in horse drawn carriage with shots of  Schnapps.

Carriage Ride

  Our destination the famous winter Olympic Ski hill of the 1976 Winter Games.  The scenery is awesomely beautiful with the site of the Bavarian Alps everywhere.

Bavarian Alps

It took the horse drawn carriage ride, a train, a bus, and finally a cable car to reach the top.  Magnificent!  They do ski in the summer also, water sprayed on a plastic type surface, but today down for maintenance.

Ski Jump '76 Olympics

After tour, we had free time to enjoy the "Old Town" Innsbruck.  It is stunning!  Lots of shopping,

Old Town Innsbruck

dinning, and history.  Tonight a Tyrolean Folklore Show and dinner.

Arrive Germany

Sept 17, 2017 (Sun)

Arrived in Frankfurt air port for our 2:30pm shuttle to our hotel.  Greeted by our travel agent, Emo.


Local Oktoberfest

After checking in we were given a brief tour and orientation of the city.

Frankfurt City Square

Lots and lots of history.  Frankfurt being the "financial" capital of Germany and the European headquarters for the Euro.

Dropped us in city center for free time.
Local Oktoberfest in progress.  Evening was a welcome dinner for our tour group. 

Sept 18, 2017 (Mon)

Off to Cologne along the Rhine River.  Beautiful wine country.  Numerous castles.  Stopped and treated to a magnificent boat ride

Rhine Boat

Castle

Castle Hosts

on the Rhine River past the famous "Lorelei Rock".  After our boat ride we were shuttled to a private castle for lunch.  A brief history narrative followed by a lovely lunch.  Then we continued to Cologne.  Cologne was pretty much leveled during WWII, of course rebuilt sense.  The magnificent Gothic Cathedral escaped damage.  Free  time for dinner and evening.

Gothic Catherdral

Sept 19/20, 2017  (Tues/Wed)

Leaving Cologne, a day of travel aboard a high speed train to Berlin.  Train speed reached 250 kmph or 150 mph.  Wow!   Evening tour of Berlin revealed more history than I can remember, but significant was the fall of Hitler - 1945, and the fall of the Berlin Wall - 1989.  Visited the Hitler Bunker,

Hitler Bunker

Brandenburg Gate

the site of his death.  Also visited the memorial site of the Holocaust, the death of some 11 million souls, of which it is estimated 6 million Jews.  The wall of course was more than one wall, actually two with a "death strip" in the middle.  Visited "Check Point Charlie,
Brandenburg Gate, and the famous TV Tower.



Check Point Charlie

Celebrated Shari's birthday with dinner and Bill & Judy Hesser joining us.  Nice!  Berlin, a very vibrated city with lots of construction and tourism going strong!


Sept 21, 2017 (Thrs)



TV Tower
 

A travel day by bus going towards Munich, but first a stop in Rothenburg with an overnight.  This is an original medieval city with minimal damage from the wars.

Rothenburg



Walls of Rothenburg

The city is walled and our hotel was located inside.  We were privileged to a night tour by the local "Night Watchman".  A climb to the watch tower was fun!

Sept 22/23, 2017  (Fri/Sat)

Leaving Rothernburg we are off to Munich.  We are arriving right in the middle of Oktoberfest, now in full swing.  But first a tour of the Marienplatz, the focal point of the city and a view of city hall with its Glockenspiel Clock

Glockenspiel Tower

. After a brief tour and beer then to see the clock at 5pm do its thing.  Dinner at a famed German local.

Dachau Cremation Chamber

Dachau Gas Chamber

  Saturday was a morning tour of "Dachau", the local prison / concentration camp of Hitler.  This was very emotional standing in the site of cremation, gassing, and brutal human treatment.  A museum helped put on contrast.  A horrible event!!

Late afternoon and evening we headed to the Oktoberfest grounds.  Massive people.

Oktoberfest Gate

Oktoberfest Beer Stein
 

  Like three state fairs in one.  We did manage a beer at one of the large beer gardens.
 Tomorrow on to Oberammergau, with a stop in Neuschwanstein.

Switzerland Final

Thurs September 14, 2017

Leaving Zermatt Switzerland, we head to the famous "Lake Geneva", of course home of the United Nations, Red Cross and many more.  We traveled by high speed train through some of the most beautiful country Switzerland has to offer.

Flower Clock

  Spectacular country side settings and scenery.  Our route took us through Visp, Montreaux, and Chillon.  Arriving in Geneva we got a brief orientation tour of the city center, Old Town, and the famous Flower Clock.


Spectacular Scenery
 

  Unfortunately, we had our first rain of the trip, so our tour was somewhat abbreviated.  The evening however cleared for our wonderful dinner boat ride on Lake Geneva, Swiss cuisine and charming shoreline villages.  This is clearly the spot for the "Rich & Famous".  Very expensive living.  My traditional evening Manhattan at a hotel bar, a mere $25.  Ouch!

Friday September 15, 2017

Next, off to Lucerne with a lunch stop in Interlaken aboard the Golden Pass train, taking in the stunning scenery of the heart of the Swiss Alps.  Our lunch stop was at a Youth Hostel,

Youth Hostel

Famous Peaks Eiger and Jungfrau
 

and was very good. In route to Lucerne, enjoy the view of the famous peaks Eiger and Jungfrau.
  In Lucerne we had a short drive to the famous "Lion Monument", built in memory of Louis XVI's Swiss Guard.

Saturday September 16, 2017
Awesome day, still in Lucerne.  Early morning boat ride on Lake Lucerne via Stanserhorn Mountain.

Boat ride was cool but comfortable with sunshine.  Beautiful scenery.  Arriving at shore we were greeted by our bus to take us to the Stanserhorn Mnt..

  There we boarded a small "cable train" taking us to the "Worlds" newest unique cable car, "CABRIO".  Wow!!  What an engineering feat!  The Swiss know how to make things.  This was an open car with a 360 degr view of Jungfrau and all the surrounding peaks.  This was "Incredible"!!

The evening we were treated to a "local" farmer carriage ride.  More like a covered wagon, but fun.  Drawn by two horses, owner Hans, gave us a marvelous tour of his farm and village area.  Rain had proceeded our arrival, so we were treated to a "double rainbow".
Completing the carriage ride he treated us to wine and cheese with some wonderful homemade bread.  Our Switzerland adventure ended with a "farewell" dinner at a local restaurant in Lucerne.

Farm Carriage Ride

Tomorrow we head to our Germany leg of our trip.

Farmer "Hans" and Wife

Friends Bill & Judy atop Stanserhorn

Switzerland Summary:

For friends and family never having visited Switzerland, we can highly recommend as a bucket list item.  The scenery is incredible, train system efficient, villages quaint and perfect, people friendly, country clean, and Alps awesome.  Highly recommended, but it is a little pricey.

Sunday September 17, 2017

Our Switzerland Journey

Travel day, leaving Lucerne early am to the train station via Zurich.  In Zurich we board a flight for Germany, Frankfurt.  Arriving mid-afternoon, we will meet with our new Travel Director for a welcome reception.

Switzerland, Germany, Austria

Switzerland

Sept 9 – 10  (Sat/Sun)

Got out of Florida just ahead of hurricane “Irma”.   Airport shuttle picked us up at 5:45am at our house arriving at Orlando Int’l for our 9:05am flight to Chicago, Sat 9/9.  Good connections for our flight to Zurich Switzerland, meeting friends Bill & Judy Hesser in Chicago International.  Flight out of Chicago at 2:45pm direct to Zurich.  Arriving in Zurich 6:20am local time, so a long 18hr travel day.  Registered at the Radisson Blu Hotel.  Meet tour guide around 1:00pm, orientation and city center tour.

Zurich Center

 

Zurich Streets

Zurich is an awesome city situated on a lovely lake with lots of waterfront activity.  Definitely a place for the “rich and famous”, as shopping is pretty much high end. 

 

 


Zurich Water Front

Train stations are efficient and elaborate, both underground and street level.  Thanks to our tour guide it was made easy.  Lovely dinner at Linde Oberstrass, delicious Lamb Steak.

 

Bernina Train

Sept 11 (Mon)

Countryside

All aboard the Bernina Train line.  A full day tour of eastern Switzerland from Zurich/Chur to St. Moritz.  We lucked out with good weather and beautiful scenery.  Stopping at a local for Swiss  “Apero” Cheese  within wine, bread and sausage.  Lunch on the train and dinner at our hotel in St. Mortiz.  A wonderful day.

Wine & Chesse

 

 

 

Sept 12  (Tues)

Zermatt Center

Hotel Zermatt

Off to Zermatt to the great Mt. Matterhorn.  But first the train experience aboard the Glacier Express.  This covered the south east portion of Switzerland from St. Moritz to Zermatt, a full day. Again, lots of scenery with much local flavor.  Our hotel in Zermatt was first class 5 stars.  Two night stay here, with tomorrow on the Matterhorn.  Incredibly lovely city, lots of tourist sites.  Walking streets.  We opted fast food in town.

 

Young Skiers

Sept 13

 

King & Queen

 

Gondola

A magnificent day on Matterhorn.  Tour guide arranged transportation from hotel to the mountain.  All must reach the mountain re; cable car and gondolas.  Year round skiing here, so being somewhat offseason now, ski areas are somewhat limited.  We ran into a large group of young world wide professionals giving us serious completion for entry onto the cable car.  A real experience.  (see Pic)  The Gondola ride was “spectacular”.