elevation 2,345 metrs

Innsbruck We left St. Veit an der Glan, this morning, the small town nested in the foot hills of the Austrian Alps. As we were leaving, kindergarten aged kids were being dropped off at their school, a quaint little two story banana yellow house behind the hotel. The little girls were in the traditional dirndl dress and the boys were in lederhosen, all very cute. It was a rainy travel day to Innsbruck. We travelled through northern Italy with a stop lin the...

Leaving Vienna We left Vienna early and headed south through the Austrian countryside, taking a scenic route through the mountains. A coffee stop mid morning in a charming little village called Kindberg, resulted in Rick and I sharing a "vanilla slice". This is a common Austrian pastry with thin layers of pastry filled with vanilla cream. Absolutely delicious . Our tour guide keeps telling us we can diet when we get home! We arrived in St. Veit about noon and h...

Vienna 2 Day 8: Vienna We had a morning tour of the city and the Schonbruun summer palace with a very Informative guide named Gertrude, or Trudy. The history we are learning is amazing. For example: Maria Theresa, Duchess and Empress of the Habsburg Dynasty ruled for 40 years, 20 of them pregnant, having 16 children, including the future Marie Antoinette. She was the only female ruler of the time and was very successful at maintaining her borders and implemen...

Vienna Enroute to Vienna today. There is absolutely beautiful scenery in Austria. Most houses and business's have stunning flowers adorning their exteriors. We enjoyed a coffee on a terrace this morning just as a mass ended at an ancient church. People poured out onto the square to all the waiting patios around the square. Many were dressed in traditional garb for this region. Next stop was the Benedictine Abbey in Melk. a huge baroque style, working abbey ove...