European Ramblings

[Jesus_man]

Back to Italia again. Coincidentally my birthday weekend! This time to Sardinia, a large island off the Western coast of the mainland. Our hotel was just north of the city of Alghero. We did NOTHING, by design. We planned to be either enjoying the beach or the hotel pool, and nothing more. We did just that. Maybe my wife and I should have put just a tad more sunscreen on, but the light burns were well worth it. The kids enjoyed the trip and it was a nice relaxing weekend. So with the lack of sites visited, I really only have one photo to share at this time. More on my camera, but nothing at all spectacular. As for beaches, it was nice. But really not a whole lot to do and I get bored easy. The lack of seashells or other interesting ocean things made it a somewhat boring beach. I guess I just need to teach my son how to throw a frisbee as that is one of my favorite beach activities.



Anyone ever get an extreme sinus headache on the plane? Google says it's Aerosinusitis. On approach to Alghero I began to get this splitting headache on the brow of my right eye and it spread down under my eye and was approaching unbearable! I thought I was going to have to throw myself on the floor and began kicking and screaming! The local pharmacy fixed me right up with some nasal spray. I have NO IDEA what's in the spray, nor do I care. What I care about is results and was thankful to report no pain for the return ride. I had been experiencing "spot" headaches where the nerve passes thru my skull above my eyes on other flights, but didn't think much of it. Changing pressure - some discomfort is to be expected. I will kick myself if this spray does not accompany me on future flights.

Oh, and while walking around a nearby (to home) city of Homburg, I ran across this interesting vehicle:


Next trip...more flowers! how do you think I get to go on all these beer runs?

[Colorado75bronc]

Well happy birthday! Glad to see you guys are enjoying your time in Europe. Crystal and I are very jealous.

Personally I think you need one of those cars just for beer runs! Lol :P

[Jesus_man]

More family came for a visit. This time, my sister-in-law and her family. We picked them up in Frankfurt, brought them back home and prepared for a long road trip the following morning. Our first stop was the cathedral in Strasburg, France, which I have shared before, so IΓÇÖll skip those pics. We made our way to Colmar via ΓÇ£The Wine RoadΓÇ¥ for our overnight. The wine road was interesting, but you make slow progress stopping at every wine shop and stand tasting/buying wine.

After our stay in Colmar, we made our way south. Our goal was Grachen, Switzerland. We crossed the mighty Rhein river into Southern Germany to top off the fuel tank and we made our way further South into Switzerland. Following a borrowed Garmin, we landed in Kandersteg for lunch. Little did we know that the Garmin had us cornered with few options. The trouble was, we didnΓÇÖt know what we were getting into until it was too late. Two minutes up the valley from Kandersteg we ran into a toll both. It was then we realized we were going to be cargo on a train in order to get thru the Alps to the next valley. Not knowing what else to do we paid the toll and loaded on the train.


This was interesting and I kinda liked the break, but I would have preferred to travel in such a manner when there was more to see than a black tunnel. Twenty minutes later we emerge from the tunnel, unload, make a quick potty stop and head further south to the E62. One more turn up valley and we were greeted with an amazing view of some little mountain some of you may recognize.




We quickly unloaded and went for a nice walk into town. HereΓÇÖs the view from the small town squre:


The next day we were going to get closer to the Matterhorn, but the weather had not cooperated. Still, we had this day only to make it work, so up we went.


Some family shots with Riffelsee and the Matterhorn:



Playing with some of my camera settings:


The day we leave, the clouds clear out and give us some amazing shots, but with this day being the longest on the road, we had no time to spare.


A flower shod Chalet in Grachen:


More camera fun:


Again, following the Garmin, we soon realized it was taking us back to the train. Hmm, maybe I should just pay the extra money each month to be able to use my phone in other countries. Interesting experience anyway.

For lunch we stop in Lauterbrunnen Valley and show our guests the most scenic spot in Europe weΓÇÖve found. I have also shared this location, maybe twice, but itΓÇÖs so amazing hereΓÇÖs another shot right from town:


After the lunch stop and a walk around town to source from smooth Swiss Chocolate, we made our way East to Garmisch for the next base camp. The next day, we were headed to the tallest mountain in Germany known as the Zugspitze at 9,718ft. It was a nice view from up there, but I think the view from the shorter Alpspitze is better. Here is the peak:


And a view of the Eibsee far below:


The following day we took the girls shopping in town. That night my Brother-in-law and I signed up for a Microbrewery tour, which enjoyed just a tad more than shopping!

This brings us to our last travel day, but we had an important stop first. There is this little Castle known as Neuschwanstein, where a particular Walt Disney got the inspiration for his Castle.



I see some similarities:




Once we returned, we did a few things local, but nothing spectacular. The girls wanted to do some family photos, so one afternoon, we met our photographer at a local castle and endured what itΓÇÖs like to herd cats. The photographer got some much better pictures than I did, but hereΓÇÖs what I have to share.



My little sweetie:




That wraps up this trip. We had a great time and hope they get to return!

The day after we dropped them off at the airport I left for Brussels for my second Belgian Beer Weekend. I didnΓÇÖt take many pictures of that weekend as we were too busy trying all kinds of different beers, but I wanted it in here for the record.

[Kinder]

I always like your European posts, a serious trip down memory lane for me, keep the posts and pics coming.

[Justin]

x2. You're getting to do some awesome stuff, thanks for letting us travel along with you.

[Jesus_man]

I'm thankful you guys get some enjoyment out of them. I don't want it ever to be a bore. So I'll keep it going.

[Justin]

Makes me miss my traveling days.

[landshark]

Speaking of traveling. I need to send your plates. Been super busy!

[Jesus_man]

Speaking of traveling. I need to send your plates. Been super busy!

No problem! I understand. My inlaws sent me a few a while back. Took them in to grease the skids. Then I'll start asking for some in return when I take any others in.

[Jesus_man]

Ireland again, this time the North end with another couple. We flew in late Wednesday evening to Dublin, stayed nearby, then picked up a rental van and drove north to Bushmills. After some delays picking up the van, a long stop in Belfast for lunch and Titanic Museum, we were running late reaching our accommodations in Bushmills, but we arrived safely and ready to hit the local pub. I say safely because they drive from the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road. And the van we rented was a manual, which I am highly proficient at, but shifting with your left hand is awkward at best.

In any case, we found the local pub for a Guinness (hey we're in Ireland after all) and some hearty grub. We settle in for a good nights rest so we can tackle the next day's itinerary.

Friday we get cracking early-ish and head down the road to the Giant's Causeway. There is some very interesting things going on there geologically and it is an incredible place!




Giant's boot:










Macro setting:


Rought seas, but the norm for the Northern Coast:


After the Causeway, we made our way into Bushmills to eat lunch at the worlds oldest distillery. However, I have heard the same claim of others so who really knows??

We toured the distillery and had a sample of their 12 yr old reserve whiskey. I'm not much of a whiskey drinker.

Next stop was the Dunluce Castle.






Last stop of the day was the Messenden Temple with it's downhill house. Here's the "house", which isn't old 1775, relatively, but had fallen into disrepair since 1944. It appears to be kept at this point, but I don't know what was lost.



It was quite a large house, mansion, castle, but I don't know if it was all covered or not.


Messenden temple:


The rear of the downhill house:


We retreated to our apartment for the evening after a stop to pickup a few beers. I was shocked to see Coors Light on tap at nearly all Pubs and available in the large can at the stores. But we opted for Italian and Irish beers.

Saturday was race day. My wife and her friend were slated to race in a 10k today. We slept in as much as possible, which wasn't really sleeping in when two young kids are around. We left in time to find a quick bite to eat and get the girls to the starting line. While the girls ran, the husbands and kids hung out at the beach watching the impressive waves roll in. This is a nice one in front of the Runkerry House across the bay from where we were:




The girls finished the race, but we missed them as we went to the pub for a Guiness and to warm up a bit. They also told us 90 minutes, but they were closer to 70! Oops! So we took them for some ice cream before heading home for some store bought Shepards Pie and beer.

Sunday we were headed back home. We drove back to Dublin in time to tour the Guiness Storehouse. We ate a very hearty and guiness based Stew, with a Guiness of course! This one is the Extra Stout.







As part of the tour they allow you to draw your own pint showing you the 6-7 steps. Here is a succession of pints poured with about a minute of time lapsed:


You top it off there is a distinct line between the beer and the head. After we had completed the course, we were given certificates for passing the class and got our group picture.



It was a fun trip and the Irish people are so friendly, fun-loving and accommodating. Not at all what we're used to in Germany. Plus they speak a "variation" of English so it was nice not to have much of a language barrier.

[Jesus_man]

We had family come for a visit last month to see us and tour around Europe a little. We picked them up in Frankfurt and took them directly to an apartment about an hour North of Stuttgart where we'd spend the next few days.

First day we traveled a couple hours East to the villages of Oettingen & Hainsfarth in hopes to uncover some family history. We have a Great^4 grandmother that was supposed to have been born in Oettingen and we were looking for any records that might shed some light on that fact. We spoke with some women decorating the church who showed us where the town historian lived, but she was not in that day. So we wrote down all her info and are currently trying to contact her for more information. We scoured the local cemeteries trying to find any headstones with the family name. No luck. But Oettingen is a nice little village.


And it's where one of the more common German Beers are brewed:


On the way to our apartment, we got an early start to see if we could find a cool castle. We chose Hohen Neuffen as it looked cool and was the least deviation from our route home. We were quite dissappointed when we found there wasn't much to see It was like visiting a ship and only getting to see the deck. There was much more, I suppose, but it could not be seen by the public. Here's a nice overall pic from the internet:


And my son on the walk up:


The following day we attended Canstatterfest, which is basically Stuttgart's Oktoberfest. We went on a Saturday, which seems just as busy and as the one in Munich, but I understand it is far better on a weekday. We had a great time and many liters of beer were consumed.

On the way home we decided to stop at the world's largest pumpkinfest in Ludwigsburg at the Palace. We were here two years prior. The theme for the decorations this year was "King".


King of the Dinosaurs...yep:


The King...of course:


It was a nice way to spend a beautiful afternoon, eat some delicious pumpkin soup, drink some pumpkin wine and other fine pumpkin offerings.

From there we made our way home, allowed our guests to re-pack for their big 6-day train tour taking them up to Amsterdam, over to Hanover and back here.

Not to miss a beat, we picked them up 6 days later and took them to Rothenburg, the walled city. We partook in the night watchmens tour, which was quite entertaining even if it was a little late for the kids. The next day, we retraced the tour route to see the same things in the daylight as well as walked mostly around the city atop the wall.




We also toured inside visiting some of the more famous photo points. The fog added to the mystic.




After a couple nights there we drove back in the direction of home, but didn't stop. This time we made our way to Bastogne, Belgium where the battle of the bulge ended and soaked in some WWII history. The first evening we visited the Mardasson Memorial and then onto the Fox Holes, which if you've seen Band of Brothers, you might recognize.

Here we are in the forest where some of the more visited Fox holes are, although I get the impression they are all over the area.


My son standing in one looking towards the village of Foy where the Germans had their stronghold:


In the area, we ran into an older man who was out for an evening ride. In his broken English he told us the story of when he was 7 years old, his family took refuge in the forest for 18 days in what he showed was no less than 18" of snow. Can you imagine?

The following day we hit as many museums as we could, but found that Monday and Tuesday are not good days as most of them are closed. However, we were far from dissappointed at the Bastogne Barracks where we got almost a private and free tour of the facility and it was one of the more impressive collections we've seen. This is where General McAuliffe replied "Nuts" to the Germans when they told us to surrender. They restore a lot of WWII equipment here and display a vast majority of it. They even took is to the shop where the work is performed. Here's a cool little Renault UE type 2:


Here's the main vehicle display warehouse, which had probably over 50 vehicles in there:


Another cool smaller tank:


On the day we were returning home, we felt it necessary to wait for the 101st Airborne Museum to open and I am glad we did. The museum itself is interesting, but it was the theater downstairs that grabs your attention. They have decorated a room with period items to make you feel like you are actually hiding from the fighting happening outside. Then with HiFi Speakers, they play a battle reenactment complete with Tanks driving by and firing, people yelling, kids screaming, gun fire etc. It was a surreal experience and only a taste of the real deal. It scared my 4yr old son, but he also has a bit of an understanding how horrible all this was.

We returned home having enjoyed our company and the things we got to see.

[Jesus_man]

Wow, am I behind on this thread... For not really having much of a job, I seem to keep busy.

Anywho, where was I? Oh, so our guests headed home after having a wonderful trip. Later in Oct, my wife had a 4-day training seminar for all military dentists in Garmisch, Germany. We went a day or two early and decided to make the hour trek North to check out some things in Munich. First stop was a technic museum, which was pretty cool, but we didn't have the time to linger. So we hit the highlights. Here's my son in front of a neat carbon fiber mesh car.


From there, we made our way to the famous Hofbrauhaus:

But when we discovered Hard Rock Cafe across the street, we had to go for the American food. But while there, other friends of ours were joining us and we'd end up at the brew haus for a beer.

During the week, I watched the kids with the help of other spouses and we tried to make the most of the mini-vacation. This was the view from our room one morning:


A month later, we found ourselves in Brugge with a kid-less couple. Good thing they are patient. We went to see a Hobbit themed Ice Sculpture display. Knowing the exhibit was indoors, I didn't think it could be too cold, but I was wrong! I don't recall the temp, but they kept it well below freezing, and probably closer to 0. We were froze after only spending 30 minutes inside! It was much harder to take pics inside than I thought, so here's a few that turned out acceptable:










Some amazing talent to create these! And to endure the temps!

From there, we visited their Christmas Market, toured De Halve Maan brewery and just enjoyed the weekend.

Then on a weekend mid-dec my wife, a friend of ours and myself left the kids at home and drove to Bastogne Belgium for the memorial March commemorating the 70th anniversary of the battle of the bulge. What was great was that we arrived to find it snowing, which is quite near the conditions the soliders endured. What was not so good, was it was more of a sleet and we quickly found out where our gear was inadequate.

They offered three different lengths and lacking good judgement we went for the big one, a 14 mile'er. Heck, it was for the vets right?? As we left Bastogne, reenacters started appearing. And here's some sights we saw along the way:






Who doesn't love a half-track?


Peek-a-boo




Upon our return back to town, the parade was about to start leading to the center of town where a ceremony was going to take place where Belgiums queen would speak. Here's a couple vets making their way to the ceremony:


The love for what American Soldiers did here is still very evident 70 years later:


The ceremony was very crowded and we couldn't hear anything, but we stuck around to see what was going to happen. The royalty got into armored up cars and drove away and the town went back to normal. Cold and tired, we made our way back to the car and kept each other awake as we drove back home.

That brings us to New Years, of which we were very far behind in planning and some common places to celebrate had no openings, so together with another family, we found a place near Lake Constance, Germany. Really we did nothing exciting or worth sharing. It was nice to spend it with friends over a few beers tho! And the area was quite nice, tho more of a summer vacation area.

[Jesus_man]

This brings us to 2015. Mid-Jan we took tagged along on a ski trip to Murren Switzerland with two other couples. We had been here before, but not to stay, and not to ski. It is a beautiful place nestled in the mountains above the cliffs of Lauterbrunnen. Basically, that means, no access via car. Arriving to find out some world cup skiing event was going on across the valley, closing the one parking garage we had planned to use, we adjusted our plans and made our way up the valley to Stechelberg where we loaded all our stuff into big carts that would then meet us at the top of the Cable car. Once at the top, we transferred our gear into smaller carts that would then allow us to drag our stuff and our whining children 3/4 mile to our apartment. Then haul it up 60 outdoor steps and finally to our destination. What a workout and chore, but it was rewarded first, by a very nice ski lodge, then some tasty adult beverages and then by a near blizzard-like snowfall overnight! We were told, we couldn't have planned the trip any better. This was the first real snowfall they had had this season.

The view from our lodge Staring left to right, Eiger, Monch & Jungfrau. These mountains will never get tiresome to look at!


During one of the days where the boys drew the short straw and had to babysit, we were treated to a lunchtime airshow by the Swiss military (for the ski race of course)


The long straw day...we went to the top...the Schilthorn where a 007 movie was filmed as I mentioned much earlier.


Two of us were trusting the third guy to know what he was doing when he lead us here. Sure, we could ski from the building where all the others do, but what's the fun in that. Instead he lead us to a red/white taped off stairway which we crossed and then made our way out the back. We weren't the first, so that was a little comfort, but two of us aren't expert back country skiers like the third. But we pressed on and were rewarded by over-the-knee powder and still untracked snow! Eat your heart out Bond! What was most scary is knowing that if you fell, or lost control that you could end up tumbling over cliffs that were many 100's of feet.


One final view of the Eiger's North Face:


We spent the final morning doing a little skating on the rink before becoming a team of mules to pull our stuff back to the cable car. Had it not been for the 24"+/- of snow and subsequent nightly storms, that could have been a miserable trek lugging all that gear all over town. I would certainly think twice about doing it again.

The very next weekend, we had a week-long ski trip planned in Oberndorf Austria. Friends had told us about this place that was in an amazing location. Ski-in/out and the kids' ski school was 150yds away where you could watch from the apartment.

Again, the night after we arrived, we were blessed by copious amounts of snow!


And then most days it would clear off to see spectacular views:


My son at ski lesson day 4 of 5:


And on day 5 graduating top of the class (at least in my eyes) being able to ride up a t-bar and ski down alone (if he concentrated)


I took him for a few runs on the bunnies, just him and I, but it took me a while to figure out how to click him in.


Then disaster struck:


We took a train ride to Kitzbuhel one day to ski that area and were treated to some awesome conditions there as well. Here's my buddy "Lovin' it"!


This is a great place for a family to ski out of. You can get up on the mountain easy. You can leave your properly aged kids in ski school, and if you buy the right pass, the whole valley can be yours using the costs-covered public transport. My only wish is that the mountain we stayed beneath had more to it. It's perfect for the beginner - intermediate skier. But for the advanced skier, you run out of cool runs within a couple days.

We're already making plans to go back next year tho because it's got so many good things going for it! And you have to get your name in early as the place books up fast!

[Digger]

Wow!

Your pictures are amazing! I can't think of a better word to describe them.

Keep'em coming!

[Gunnibronco]

Beautiful. It still kills me that the year I went to Chamoinix, there was NO snow, at all. Seeing your pics reminds me of why I went.

[Jesus_man]

Thanks guys! It's fun sharing for folks who enjoy them!

Chamonix is one of my favorite places. It's just a long enough drive from here that we can't get there too easy. And it's pretty spendy there too.

[Dukietown]

I was really looking into a summer trip to Chamonix this year with a possible ascent of Mont Blanc but it's going to have to wait a year or two. I'll keep looking at photos like those and dream on! Those shots of the Eiger are making my Monday morning back in the office a little more tolerable. After spending all weekend teaching an avalanche course on Berthoud pass, your backcountry ski shots scare the heck out of me. But Switzerland doesn't have the downright awful snowpack that CO does so probably not that bad.

[Jesus_man]

Avalanche Backpacks are pretty popular here for backcountry skiers. But we were only out of bounds for a fairly short while there. I'm no avalanche expert, but being that others had done that some run that same morning, I felt it was ok and any slides couldn't be more than 200yds long since that's as far down from the top we were when we joined the main trail.

I know a buddy who climbed Mt. Blanc. I could put you in touch with him if you'd like.

[Kinder]

I just took an avalanche course weekend before last, great course and I'd recommend it to anyone who travels in the back country during winter.

[Dukietown]

I don't want to turn your thread into an avy discussion but a 200 yd slide that's only a couple deep is plenty to bury and kill someone. Also saying that "others skied that slope already so it should be stable" is how a lot of folks end up triggering a slide. As Kinder said for anyone that travels in the backcountry in winter, regardless of your mode of travel it's worth taking an avy course. That'll end my PSA and we can get back to ing over your shots of your European travels!

[Gunnibronco]

I went to avalanche class in Silverton in 1998. They opened the class by stating that the Colorado snowpack is among, if not, the worst, most avalanche prone snowpack in the world. I've ridden slopesf in WY, MT, BC, and AK that we could never ride in CO.

Dukie is right about being prepared, on any slope, out of bounds. When I was in MT, the attitude was very lax. Many were riding the slopes accesable by walking off the ski area, without any avalanche gear (beacon, shovels, probes). I was very surprised, coming from CO.

An avalanche class (and some basic tools) are a definite for anyone traveling, in the backcountry. Not just skiers, snowboarders, and snowmobilers.

Great pics, JD.

[Dukietown]

I went to avalanche class in Silverton in 1998. They opened the class by stating that the Colorado snowpack is among, if not, the worst, most avalanche prone snowpack in the world. I've ridden slopesf in WY, MT, BC, and AK that we could never ride in CO.

Dukie is right about being prepared, on any slope, out of bounds. When I was in MT, the attitude was very lax. Many were riding the slopes accesable by walking off the ski area, without any avalanche gear (beacon, shovels, probes). I was very surprised, coming from CO.

An avalanche class (and some basic tools) are a definite for anyone traveling, in the backcountry. Not just skiers, snowboarders, and snowmobilers.

Great pics, JD.

It makes me laugh that when things are bad in Utah their avalanche center will tell put up that they "have a Colorado snowpack" and to exercise extreme caution.

[Jesus_man]

We threw together a last minute trip to the Amsterdam area over the weekend. We hated the thought of wasting a 3-day weekend and Amsterdam is close enough for just this sort of long weekend. So we booked an nice apartment in De Zilk and made that home base. We drove up early Saturday morning and checked in but immediately got back on the road to Haarlem to visit the Corrie Ten Boom House. This house rescued over 800 Jews from the Nazi's during the war until someone claiming to be with the Resistance betrayed them. Quite an interesting story. We enjoyed a night-in Saturday night and let the kids unwind from a day in the car.

Sunday we made our way into Amsterdam going to a science museum for kids. It was a good way to tire our son out. He really is a "big kid".


After that we made our way to the Van Gogh museum and did a quick walk thru. It was something my wife wanted to do even tho she isn't an art buff. In the ticket package we bought, a 1hr canal ride was included, so we partook in that adventure seeing the city from one of the canals. That was interesting, but since the kids didn't have a chance to nap, it was beginning to be too much. However, it was now dinner time and we feared what the kids may do if we tried to go out. But it was too late to head back the apartment, so we found a small bistro and hoped for the best. We survived, but it wasn't pretty. Once we finally got to the car, the kids were both out moments later.

The next morning we awoke to a frosty sunrise.


Our plans were to stop at the windmills in Kinderdijk where windmills were built in the 15th century to drain a section of land and keep it dry. It was a neat site to see. There are 19 windmills here, which are probably what comes to mind when most people think of Netherlands.










We made our way home from here and after filling up in Northern Germany, learned that due to the slower speeds of Holland, my Mondeo yielded it's best fuel economy at 46mpg! I love these Euro diesels!!

[Jesus_man]

IΓÇÖve got some more miles to add to my repertoire. My folks came for the third time, but the first time during warmer weather. So this afforded us the opportunity to show them some cool and amazing European sites, as well as get some more items knocked off our bucket list.

They talked about wanting to go to Normandy, but also the Alps. Unfortunately, since those two areas are more than 12hrs driving between them, we had to compromise. Since it was WWII history they were after, we took them to Bastogne Belgium. They loved the experience there and there was enough history there to fill two solid days, and then some. I think we have finally visited all the museums on that area, and some even twice. It was interesting to learn more about my DadΓÇÖs Military service.

After a couple days reprieve from that, we started in on our big trip, a 10-day gauntlet thru the Alps! We drove way out East to Salzburg, Austria. A repeat for us, but it was so darn hot then, we wanted another crack at it. We toured the Fortress again, as well as other points around the city.






On Easter Sunday, we boarded a bus for the ΓÇ£Sound Of MusicΓÇ¥ tour, which you might recall took place in Salzburg. This was solely for my momΓÇÖs benefit, lets be clear. ;-) We visited a Castle which was the scene where they were drinking lemonade on the back porch with a lake in the background.


A picture of Untersberg, the mountain where we stayed at the base of last time, and the mountain of which the Von Trapp Family escaped into Switzerland. However, Switzerland is a long way from there…


I am sixteen, going on seventeen…. (this was moved from private property out to a park due to people trespassing.



HereΓÇÖs the gate from which Frauline Maria entered to start her nanny job.


From there they took us into the mountains and honestly I was wresting our 16mo old, so I didnΓÇÖt get much out of this part until she fell asleep. HereΓÇÖs the Redbull Headquarters. I always assumed they were a US company.


The church where the marriage of Herr. Von Trapp & Maria took place, although I donΓÇÖt believe any filming took place inside.


But hereΓÇÖs a sneak peak.


HereΓÇÖs the steps Maria and the children sang on, walking up and down as they changed notes.


HereΓÇÖs our apartment, partially carved out of the rock face in town.


From here, we drove SW to the Dolomite mountains of Italy and checked into our apartment in Siusi, but not before our staple stop at McDonalds for lunch. This location was just south of Innsbruck, Austria and I think the most scenic one IΓÇÖve seen.



I also didnΓÇÖt expect to see so many Castles in this area, and throughout our Italian Alp route. I even think there is more here than IΓÇÖve seen in Germany!

HereΓÇÖs a view of some of the Dolomite peaks from our apartment.


From there we drove the narrow road that leads to the town of Compatsch. This road is closed during the core of the day as itΓÇÖs such a popular hiking route. We were rewarded with 360* views of the amazing Dolomites.




The view as we neared our village.


The following day, we took a cable car back up to the top to walk around a bit and take in the scenery a bit more.




After lunch at the bottom of the Cable Car, we got in the van and went on a road trip for even more scenery, and hoping the ride would allow the kids to nap.



























After leaving the Dolomite region, we headed for Milan for an afternoon tour, to include MichelangeloΓÇÖs ΓÇ£The Last SupperΓÇ¥ painting.

On the tour, was one of the Worlds Oldest shopping malls exhibiting some very high end retailers, as well as hotels costing 11k EUR/night coming with your very own personal assistant.


Duomo is a huge cathedral in Milan, built to hold 40,000 people; the population of Milan at the time.




Of course, no photography was allowed for the painting (not in Duomo), but it was a very worthy way of spending an afternoon in Milan. From there, we made our way North to Lierna, on Lake Como, arriving quite late.

The following day, we awoke to a haze in the air and discovered a fire had started and was filling the valley with smoke.


We booked a ferry ride across the lake to the village of Bellagio. This is Verenna as we left port.


Approaching Bellagio.


It was quite comical (and a little frustrating if I’m honest) when our apartment owner said that Bellagio was stroller friendly…


At the top of all the stairs we treated ourselves to some gelato, Italian Ice Cream. "I want this one…"


We shopped until we dropped.


While waiting for our ferry, we spotted this cool hydrofoil.


Verenna on our return voyage


From Lake como, we pointed our Van North and headed into our favorite area of Switzerland that we have discovered. The Lauterbrunnen Valley. We actually stayed in Grindelwald at the base of THE North face of the Eiger, which we have not done in the past.

This kids posing at the apartment near the base of the Eiger.


It was a working farm and the kids loved the animals!


They even had this cool diesel ride.



With these awesome hydraulically steered and locker equiped portal axles. I need to find a junkyard for these!


More views from the apartment.




My folks took a cable car ride to the top of Piz Gloria, where a 007 movie was filmed. Sadly, it was cloudy up top, so they didnΓÇÖt get to see what I was hoping they would. But on the last day the skies were clear, I decided to take them up to the village we first stayed in as I knew there was a good vantage point there.


We made our way North back into Germany and eventually home. Another amazing long range trip. I am hoping itΓÇÖs among our last as driving that many KMΓÇÖs wears on a fellow!

[Digger]

Great pictures as usual!

I'm really digging that little utility vehicle. The axles are unique. Thanks for posting those up.

[Colorado75bronc]

Absolutely amazing J.D.! Myself (and many others) truly appreciate you taking the time to post on this thread showing your travels! I love reading about all of these experiences and the history you are surrounded by in Europe, thank you for sharing!

[Jesus_man]

Digger, I will be digging into those rigs a bit more. I just wonder if they would handle highway speed and what type of locker there really is. It is cable operated. But I think they would be awesome under a crawler and I'd be willing to bet they are fairly HD. Getting parts would prove difficult.

Corey - Thanks! I am glad folks still appreciate this. It's a log for myself as well, but all the better when others get some enjoyment from them.

[Jesus_man]

Another entry from another amazing trip. This time, Spain and Portugal. We got up very early on Monday morning to catch a 7am flight that is 1.5hr drive away. We landed mid-morning is Lisbon Portugal where we located our rental car rep and after two hours of slow service, we finally left with our rental car. But it was on empty, so we came right back and wasted more time. The blessing was that we rented a VW Golf or similar, and we got a nice little Mercedes Citan Van, which was large enough for our three suitcases and a stroller. It was a 5spd diesel, so it got good fuel mileage as well, just didnΓÇÖt like much above 120km/hr, which was the speed limits anyway.


Already exhausted, we set the GPS for our first accommodation in Seville, Spain. That's about 5hrs of not a lot to see and it was all I could do to stay awake! We finally made it to our destination in the evening, checked in, found some tapas and cold beer and turned in early.

Tuesday we hit the road for Gibraltar. We really never gave it much thought, but now know it's part of the UK. Who'da thunk??

The Rock:


The rumors of horrible traffic lines entering Gibraltar turned out to be true, so after missing a turn, we just decided to find a parking garage in Spain and walk across. This also turned out to be a blessing because just on the other side of the border was a company who offered tours and they were just getting ready to leave, so we booked our tickets.

First stop was St. Michel Cave. Very hard to take pics inside with the continuously changing lighting (set to music), but I think these give you an idea how amazing it is.






Next stop was the top. An amazing view from here of the Mediterranean Sea.


Monkeys, monkeys everywhere. They are wild and you have to watch your food. They ask you not to feed them, but they will simply steal anything edible.


The land you see on the far left of this picture is indeed Africa:


This is looking down at the border between Spain and Gibraltar, which is just on the opposite side of the air strip. And yes, that is the only road currently in and out of Gibraltar, so traffic stops for flights. They are working on a tunnel.


The rock is hollowed out by a series of tunnels built to protect the area during a Siege in 1779, but also in WWII. Cannons were placed along the tunnels and made a formidable force.


Looking into Spain with some camera fun:


More cannons:


From there the tour took us to downtown and left us on our own. It was still a mile walk back to the car, so we grabbed some lunch at a pub, did some shopping, and caught a bus back to the border. We had planned to walk all of this, and I am so thankful we didnΓÇÖt. Not with the weather being as hot as it was, and with two kids. It would have been miserable. I would recommend this tour, or one of them that takes you to the hot spots and gives you some background along the way.
Driving back North to Seville we tried to capture pictures of the bountiful fields of sunflowers:


Then off in the distance we saw something I had only seen on TV. A Solar power station:

We were in awe at how we could see the beams of sunlight being reflected back at the towers. There were at least 4 towers that we could see.

Something that was less climactic, but also interesting were the flowers in the medians for nearly all the big highways we drove on:


We arrived back in Seville that afternoon and I was thankful my wife convinced me to make the trip to Gibraltar. It was worth the effort. We toured around Seville and even hired a horse and carriage as a way to see more in less time. Again, that worked in our favor. We found a streetside café and had a good dinner before retiring at our hotel for the night.

Wednesday we hit the road fairly early to start our beach vacation. We made our way 2.5hrs East to Olhos De Aqua, Portugal where we met a property manager who let us into our apartment for the next three nights. After settling in, we grabbed some lunch and scoped out the beach. We played a little before grabbing some groceries and relaxing at the apartment for the evening.

Thursday we booked a ΓÇ£Cave tourΓÇ¥ out of Aldeia Do Mar. This is a picture of the Marina, and you can see one of my many boats parked across the water:


Headed West along the coastline, we got to see our beach from the sea:


This is the beach at the small city of Albufeira.


A lot of the villages of Spain and Portugal are stark white buildings against a drab background.

Some caves began to appear:


Sea mist from a cave:


The fed us lunch on the boat and dessert was an orange. Which normally I wouldnΓÇÖt consider dessert, but it was truly mouth watering! So on the way home, we bought some:


We ordered dinner to go and enjoyed some port wine at the apartment, along with a side of orange.

Somewhat disappointed with our first cave tour, we began to see what else we could find and we knew one cave in particular was a must-see. After coming up with very little information on the internet, we left a message for one company who offers tours, but we need it to be Friday. With no response, we took a chance and made our way to the beach where the tour company operates. At 9ΓÇÖish someone at a small kiosk tells us that we are in the right spot, but that the sea is too rough and they may not be able to do tours that day. But encouraged us to check back every so often.

We took the opportunity to take some family photos:


About 11am, we see a small crew beginning to mill around the boats and they were going to try to get a tour or two going, so we jumped in line. Sure enough they got us out there, in spectacular fashion. Rolling the small 20ft boat out to the huge surf on buoys, they waited for a big wave to roll in and pushed all 10-12 of us out to sea by hand and away we went. We again headed West along the coast, but with a smaller boat, we were able to get up close and personal with the caves. And it was a whole different set of caves as well.




Our littlest one had too much touring:




Check the captain:




And the cave weΓÇÖve all been waiting for, Benagil




If you use your imagination, this is an elephant drinking sea water:


While we were waiting for another tour to leave, we had some spare time and the captain gave the reins to my son:


Once we were cleared, we landed on the beach in even a more spectacular fashion. ΓÇ£James Bond styleΓÇ¥ according to the Captain. We got up some speed and rode the waves right onto the beach! Quite exhilarating! We toured 30-40 caves and it was impossible to document them all and still enjoy the tour, but if you go, I highly recommend the smaller boats and try to book several weeks in advance. Even the larger boat offered a glass bottom tour, but the caves were not as impressive and we didnΓÇÖt get to go inside but just one or two.

The kids had had enough of the sand, so we went back to the apartment pool and played there. My son and I did go back out to the beach for a little while as a last hurrah as this was the last day on the beach.

Saturday morning we checked out of the apartment and drove back to Lisbon. We had a Rio De Janerio-ish welcoming:


Arriving near lunch time, we checked into our apartment and sought lunch. Luckily, we came upon a market where we were able to try local foods and lots of good Sangria. From there we booked a Tuk-Tuk tour around the city, which was also quite an experience. There are more comfortable ways to tour the city, but they lack the character these little rigs do.


Overlooking Lisbon and Tajo River:




Ministerio Da Justiça building:


From the backside:


They have these really amazing trees blooming with purple flowers throughout that entire region. They were impossible to really capture their color with my limited skills and lack of camera savvy.


We really had a nice apartment in Lisbon and felt it a shame to only get to stay one night, but we had to get back home on Sunday. Knowing what a mess it was to get our rental van, we arrived when they opened and they still put us behind. But all is well that ends well and we made our flight and arrived safely back in Germany.

[TOOLMAN]

Very cool. I've been somewhat subscribed to your European adventures. You've been able to see so many cool places I can only hope to visit. I'm trying to go to Oktoberfest with some buddies in 2017.

Anyway, the pink flowers in the highway median are most likely azaleas or oleanders. They do the same thing on California highways in the medians. I forget the names of the purple trees, but also grow in California. Both have the same Mediterranean climates.

[Jesus_man]

I'm glad a few of you guys enjoy. That what it's meant for, but it has also morphed into a way to keep track and I need to go back thru and save all the pages to my Hard Drive for future reference.

Let me know if you need some help on Oktoberfest. It is wild and and I've been to both the Munich (original), but also Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart. Start planning immediately after this years fests in order to get the tent you want as seats get bought out quickly. Especially if you plan to attend on a weekend. If you want , then go Friday or Saturday night. If you want slightly less , any other day of the week, which is also easier to attain tickets. It's cool to go once, especially if you can go without kids. But for me, once was enough. However, we have had one set of guests drag us to another one, and my inlaws will be doing the same this fall. I will be o-fest'd out!