Europe 2010 - Pictures 1

The following are just some random pictures I took, but haven't posted yet. 
And because I like them, I want to share them.  :)

{yes, the following picture was taken upside down by my crazy sister}  :)

{Salzburg, Austria}

  

Europe 2010 - Oberammergau

So, let's back up 1 day...to the evening of day 5.  We spent the night in Oberammergau.  I believe that sometime during the fall of 2010, Gina went to Oberammergau to watch the Passion Play that is put on by the locals every 10 years.  It runs from May through October I believe.

After we got to Oberammergau, we checked in at the hotel, then had to go find the guest house we were spending the night in.  I am bummed I didn't get a good picture of the guest house.  Across the driveway was a barn.  A barn that had some cattle.  Due to the cattle, there was a nice pile of manure sitting outside the barn.  And the night we were there, the farmer decided it was time to move the manure.....all night long.  And not with a loader tractor like most farmers would use.  He used a claw-type device.  Seemed rather weird.  It took a long time.  He blocked us out of parking in the lot, because the tractor/manure spreader was backed in across 2 driveways, sticking out on to a rather busy road.  And he didn't seem to care.  I guess that must be how they do things there.  But that definitely would not have been happening in the states!

Anyway, it just made it feel like home....with cattle living right next door.  :)

After we unloaded our luggage and such, we drove to the downtown area.  It was already dark by this time, so we didn't want to walk and get lost. 

Downtown Oberammergau

A corner of the cattle barn, with a mountain peak in the back.

Now with the mountain peak zoomed in, you can see a cross at the top of the mountain.  According to Gina, our official tour guide, she said that the first person to climb the mountain can put whatever they want up there.  But for most people, they put a cross.  It think it is rather neat.

This was taken from the drive of our guest house, looking across the street.

It was a quick stay in Oberammergau....but it was enjoyable!  Because many of the stores seemed to close rather early, we didn't stay out very late.  When we got back to our 'house', Mom & Gina broke into the kitchen {ok...it was unlocked....but the door was closed!} and used their toaster oven to heat up our leftover pizza from the night before.  Then we ended the night with watching a movie.  With the awesome technology they had in the room {AV hookups for the stereo system}, we all hung out in one room and watched a movie before bed.  We might have even had it hook up from the computer to the tv.  I can't remember exactly, but it was something we can't usually do in the states!  And it was very much appreciated.

After Oberammergau, we then made our way to Salzburg, Austria.

That concludes days 5 & 6.

Europe 2010 - Sound of Music

Finally back to posting some pictures of the trip.

We were in the Salzburg area for about 1 day.  The reason to go to Salzburg.....The Sound of Music!

One thing I learned about the sites of The Sound of Music....it was filmed in many different spots.  Who knew they did that way back then!

The glass pavillion at Hellbrunn Castle.
{Sadly, it is always locked up.  No singing or dancing inside.}

Leopoldskron Castle

The front side of the castle was used as the Trapp family home. 
The children were boating on the Leopoldskron Lake and fell into the water.
The Venetian room was copied from the castle and used as the ballroom.

Mirabell Gardens

The Mirabell Gardens were laid out in the 18th century. Maria and the children were seen dancing around the statue of Pegasus, the winged horse, and throughout the gardens singing 'Do-Re-Mi'.

 

Behind the fuzzy rain drops/snow flakes is part of the area that the family hid after they left the talent show.

Mondsee Cathedral

The church where the wedding occurred.  {Which is in a completely different town.  They didn't get married at the Abbey as I thought all along!}

So long, farewell!

Ok.  Just kidding.

I'll be back another time to show some more pictures of Salzburg!

Europe 2010 - Garmisch & Linderhof Castle

Before our next castle, we made a quick stop in Garmisch to the Army Base.  Needed to get some stamps, go to the post office, get some money, visit the PX, and eat some lunch.  Oh yeah...and forget to check out when we were done!  But thankfully, it wasn't a big problem.

We then went to a ski run that, if my research is correct, is from the 1936 Winter Olympics.  Gina....feel free to correct me please!

Thinking 'Olympics', this is not at all what I would have expected.  But then again, it's old!

Part of the arena seating was concrete steps that you sat on.  There was also some wood benches as well.  And it seems that across the way, there were actual seats. 

Now on to our next stop.  The Linderhof Castle.  Again, when we got to this area, our car was 1 of maybe 5....and those other cars could have easily been the workers!

Per Gina's demands, we did go inside to tour this castle.  :) 

King Ludwig II built this castle {as well as Neuschwanstein.  Okay, he also built a bunch more too!}. 

However, with this castle, he lived here.  And he actually finished it!  I guess it was a habit of his to start a castle, but never completely finish it.  As is the case for the Neuschwanstein Castle.

If you have a chance, you might want to read up on your history of King Ludwig II.  A lot less typing that way. 

Now, back to touring the castle.  We were the only 4 people in our tour.  We had to wait awhile before it was our turn to go in.  While standing outside the castle to go inside, I was questioning Gina and us paying for tickets to go inside.

A look at the gardens in front of the castle.  {Yes, everything is winterized.  But Gina said that they are lovely in the right season!}

A view of the front of the castle.  Not nearly as fancy as I was expecting!  It just seemed small for an important castle.

However, once we were inside the castle, it was like night and day.  There was gold everywhere!  There was marble.  There were different types of neat woods.  There was gold.  There was lots of expensive stuff.  And there was more expensive stuff!

Sadly, you are not allowed to take pictures inside the castle.  I can sum it up in one word: extravagant!

It was hard to imagine that someone actually lived there.

I guess that King Ludwig II had a true 'man cave'.  It was located back of the house, up in the side of the hill.  So yes, literally a cave!  Had we been visiting during a non-winter season, we could have possibly gone to see it.  Oh well.

After the castle, we finished making our way to Oberammergau.  This is where we ended our day 5.

Next up - Day 6 -- Salzburg!

Europe 2010 - Neuschwanstein

According to our official travel guide, my sister Gina, the Neuschwanstein castle is what the Cinderella Castle at Disney World/Land is based off of.

After getting to town, finding our parking lot, being the only ones in the parking lot, we got to wondering what was going on.  But, after a short 'hike' up a hill, we came upon lots of people.  A couple of tour buses had just unloaded, and were in line to get tickets to go inside the castle.  But again, thanks to our tour guide, we passed on the tickets to see inside the castle {because it isn't finished or that grand}.

Instead, we got in line for a 'carriage ride' up to the castle. 

Here were the guys pulling our 'carriage'.

At the top of the 'mountain'.....it sure felt like a mountain on the ride up.  There was hardly any extra room for a car to pass the carriage!  Anyway, at the top, this is the view you will see if you look the other way.  I thought it was lovely!

It was such a big contrast of where we just came from.

Now, if you turn back around and look the other way, this is what you might see.

The carriage takes you only to a certain spot, and you must walk the rest.  This pictures was from the remaining walk up. 

Don't the two views look so different?  Who knew it is all the same castle!

It was easy to tell that it took a long time to complete this castle.  There are spots where the color the stones used change part way up.

{Hi Mom & Dad!}

While at the castle, there was this little trail that Gina so badly wanted us to go on, so we could get a better picture of the castle.  But due to the recent snow fall, they closed off the path.  Usually all paths lead somewhere.  This path.....it lead to a bridge.  And thanks to my sister and her sneaky ways, she got inside the castle and took a picture of the bridge.  Ok.  She went inside to ask a tour guide if they were going to open the path up.  And while inside, looked out the window and saw the bridge. 

{I can't forget to mention, we walked up and down the hill a couple of times, thinking they would open it back up when we saw a tractor go by moving snow.}

Now, here is the picture of the bridge.  {Thanks Gina for sharing the picture!}

Can you see the bridge waaaaay back there?   Inbetween the two cliffs?  It would have been a site to see the castle from the bridge.  But instead, we got to enjoy the bridge from the castle.  :)

Of course, while up by the castle, I had to get a picture of my cowgirl boots....in the snow, none the less.  :)

{So far, the boots have been in Germany and Austria.}

After we viewed the castle, and finally made our way down the 'mountain' for the last time, across the way you can spot another castle.

I can't remember what this castle is/was, but it sure was much brighter than any of the others we saw.

Finally, we made our way back to spot where we began our carriage ride.

Way up yonder.....you can see the castle. 

After seeing that, I was SOOOO glad we did not walk up the mountain.  The walk down was doable, but the walk up....not so much.

On our way out of the town, I again yelled at our driver to stop so I could get some pictures.  Thanks dad!

As you can tell, it was a little foggy today.  Thankfully, it wasn't too foggy.  Some of the pictures are a little hazy because of the fog.  Oh well.  That's what makes the pictures authentic!

While visiting Neuschwanstein, I found it to be quite unique how people comunicate.  If you recall, I said that a couple tour buses had just unloaded when we got to the main area.  The tour buses were of many Asians.  From which part of Asia, I am unsure.  But what I found unique, the Asians could not speak German, the Germans could not speak the Asian language, but they all were able to speak English. 

Actually, this happened more often than not.  At most of the touristy parts, English was a common language.  We would greet and say something in 'German', but then they would quickly change to English.  Sometimes, we would even be greeted in English, even if we didn't speak first.  I have no idea how they could tell, but they could!  It sure made communication easier.

But I also enjoyed learning a new language, and trying to remember it.  However, I'm afraid I haven't retained much of what I learned.

Next stop, another castle.

Europe 2010 - Day 5

Updated:  We are currently in Austria.  I forgot to mention that. :)

So far for the 3 days we woke up in Europe {not including the airplane}, this morning was by far the most exciting.  The night before, we arrived to our hotel at night.  And it was foggy.  Which means we didn't see anything around us.  When we opened the curtains on the window in the morning, Gina and I got giddy when we saw this!

There was no snow on the ground when we went to bed,

but there sure was when we got up!

Finally, a glipse of our hotel in the daylight.  :)  Doesn't the hotel look quaint?  One thing we quickly learned about homes/hotels in Europe....lots of them have barns out back, if not connected to the building.  Even if the hotel is in town!

Thanks to the daylight, this little church was just too picture worthy to not take it.  When I saw this, I yelled at our driver and made him pull over so I could get a couple good pictures.  {Thanks dad for meeting my demands!}  :)

The next time I have a Europe 2010 post {who knows when that will be!}, I will most likely be changing from blogging about the entire day, to each location/site we see.  Most days, we saw at least a couple of sites.  It just seemed too overwhelming to me to try to keep blogging about each day. 

The sites get only better from here on out.

The End!

Europe 2010 - Day 4 continued

After we left Schweinfurt on Sunday afternoon, our first stop was at Dachau.  Dachau concentration camp was the first Nazi concentration camp opened in Germany.  It is hard to put in to words the feeling that you have once you step foot there.  I have been to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC twice (and was in DC visiting other sites the year the shooting occurred at the museum).  But being at the actual site of where so much history and destruction occurred is so very different.

To get a little more history on this place, better than what I can tell you, check out the website.

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site

The entire site is now a memorial.  There have been only a few changes to what it looked like originally.

This building now houses the museum area, where there is so much reading you can do.  Honestly, you could spend hours in there if you read everything.  But, we did not do that.  Due to almost closing time, we walked through the museum part at the end.

One of the guard towers on the property.

Around the border of the property, this is what you will see.

A big trench.....

before you get to a barbed wire/electrical fence.

These two buildings were showing the 'living quarters', not the much living really occurred.

Down this lane, there use to be 30 addition buildings like the ones in front.  For some reason, they have all been removed.  {I'm sure it is written somewhere why they are no longer there, but I haven't read it yet.}

This rose was in the 'shower room'.  The 'shower room' is actually where the people were gassed.  Walking through here was unexplainable.

This piece of art is to mimic the prisioners {how skinny they got}, as well as barbed wire.

As we were leaving the memorial, Gina told me to take a picture of this gate.

ARBEIT MACHT FREI

which means,

THROUGH WORK ONE WILL BE FREE

Before we left Dachau, we stopped by the bookstore, and both Dad and Gina got a book about the camp.  This way, we can read more about it on our own.

After leaving, we made our way to Austria, where we spent the night.  We had a fun time finding our hotel, but eventually go there!

Then we went back in to Germany to a different town for supper.

Some pictures of the town.  I have no idea what the name of it is.  {Any idea Gina?}

The hotels in Europe are not like what you will find in the states.  As you can see, there are no flat sheets, blankets, or beadspreads to cover up with.  I actually like that a LOT!  There are sheets that cover the mattresses, and a down comforter in a removable cover.

This worked out very nicely!  Gina and I shared rooms every night.  She's usually cold, I'm usually hot.  So having our own comforter was lovely.  {I actually had my own quilt along with me, so often layed the comforter on the bed for extra padding, and used my quilt to cover up.}

Talk about 'old school' for the room keys.  There's no losing these things.  The 'weight' on the end of this key sure can make a pocket heavy.

That concludes day 4.  There was lots of driving, lots of winding roads, lots of listening to Delilah {Gina's Europe-friendly GPS}.