hey everyone

Greetings from Frankfurt in Germany. last time i blogged I was in Vienna. Have visted some stunning scenery and cities in Salzburg, Zurich and Munich since then. Had 3 nights in each of the aforementioned cities. Both Salzburg and Zurich were surrounded by snow capped mountains and as such were a little crisp.

I climbed to the local peak in Salzburg at 650 metres high offering stunning 360' views of the city and the neighbouring mountains. I also explored the city on foot, visiting the many sights seen in the sound of music film. Salzburg was a really small and picturesque city.

Zurich was much more developed but just as visually appealing. My only regret about visiting zurich was that I did not have more time to explore some of the surrounding towns and mountains which were strongly recommended by many of the travellers i met in zurich. I did manage a day trip down to Luzern which was a small town next to Mount Pilatus. Unfortuantely i did not get to climb the snowy giant next to the town as it was a little 2 steep on the bank account. A summary of the downside of switzerland was just that - i can't afford it. not a cheap city.

I cruised around Munich with an american traveller i met at the hostel. We headed out to Dachau Concentration Camp on my first day there. This was a very touching and moving experience. There is still the original infirmary with the original gas chamber and incinerator. There is also reconstructions of the housing barracks and a museum. was a bit disturbing to see such sights which were only made worse by two guys running around taking photos of themselves with a National socialist party flag. they were promptly removed. It was a valuable learning experience.

We decided to shift the mood to something a little more positive and embarked on the beer challenge of munich...which involved visiting numerous drinking holes and beer ha#ouses (including the famous hofbrauhaus). was not a great idea not to have any dinner before the challenge but the preservative free german beers ensured the next day was not too bad. The following day we did a walking tour around munich which lasted around 3 hours. We had to come up with a team name which I came with - Team Wunderbar (wonderful) which im sure cath will appreciate.

Got to Frankfurt on the 10th and did my own walking tour yesterday around town. It is not so touristy here and the city is more focused on the corporate events based here. I did get to a traditional german dining hall last night and had a good schnitzel for dinner. OK off to see a couple more sights of Frankfurt.

Hope everyone is well. Love Mike xo