Drive thru The Alps, Austria and Germany
The Cruise ended in Venice. It was a Friday. The is no way a Non-Rev pass traveler, let alone 5 of us, would ever get out of Italy right before the weekend. American doesn't even fly out of Venice. So we decided the best thing to do would be to drive up thru the Alps and tour Germany. The flights looked good out of Frankfurt the next Tuesday. So we rented this huge van, piled all 5 of us with our bags (4 carryon Rolla boards, three backpacks, 2 suitors, and 2 large duffle bags. This may seem excessive, and it was, but we were packing for 3 weeks) and drove north.
Driving out of Venice. We could have taken an Autobahn all the way to Germany but that sounded too easy. So we decided to take these winding little roads up to Innsbruck. From there, we went ahead and took the autobahn.
This was the first little town we went through. It was quaint. Especially with the Matterhorn in the background.
Wait, that may be the Matterhorn there.
Nope, there is the Matterhorn, now.
Another quaint little village here at the base of the Matterhorn. You know, the kids were born and raised in South Florida. They think a big mountain is the garbage pile south of Miami. They were impressed with these mountains. For about 10 minutes. Then it was back to video games and fighting.
The Matterhorn is off to the left.
Believe it or not, the Alps aren't really big on Vista Points. So outside this beautiful little village, at the base of the Matterhorn, we just kinda pulled off the road and wandered around some. Very peaceful.
Here we are at a lake, at the base of the Matterhorn.
The kids are funny. Driving around the Majesty of the Alps, and they thought the little lake with duckies floating in it was the cats meow. The same thing happened at Yosemite Park.
You know, sometimes they even act civil to each other. Then they realize what they are doing and the war resumes.
Another village, with the Matterhorn behind it.
The clouds are obscuring it, but here is another shot of the Matterhorn.
Another view of the Matterhorn.
This is the field where Julie Andrews sang in "The Sound of Music". At the base of the Matterhorn. I don't remember the horses, though.
They used the crane to build the Matterhorn.
Guess what mountain is behind the clouds. You got it. The Matterhorn.
At a little rest stop. The Matterhorn is on the left.
Oops, now it's on the right.
After Innsbruck, we got on the Autobahn and made great time down to Munich. We never did see the Matterhorn again.
This was a little gastehous we stayed in Wurtzburg, Germany. The whole city struck us really neat.
The kids just thought the room was cool. Ornate wooden furniture, pretty lamps
And a skeleton key to open the closet door. Sometime, it doesn't take much to keep the kids entertained.