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Off to Austria!
Since it was night when we arrived yesterday, I didn't get a chance to get a good look at the alps... well, today proved no different. Because it was STILL raining, the beautiful Alps were totally shrouded in clouds! Beautiful, white, fluffy clouds! So we could see some of the mountains, but the higher peaks were completely engulfed in the clouds and mist. Maybe later we thought... so Michael had planned for us to visit the Salzbergwerk (Salt Mountain Plant) where we had to first dress in a mining jumpsuit. Very sexy... NOT! It was the most incredible plant! I had no idea how salt (white gold) was mined. We got to ride a little train like contraption deep into the mountain (picture Thu
nder Mtn. at Disneyland), and it was chilly so I was glad for the ugly protection I had to wear. We reached the bottom, and were ushered into a large cavern where we would begin our tour. There was some explaining done, and Francisco and I had our English headsets on, so we could understand as well. Our next direction was to sit on this "slide" of sorts, Michael in front, then Hariett, me, then Francisco. We leaned back and SLID down this slide to the next level! It was a blast! Saw many amazing sights, heard tons of interesting facts about salt mining, and even floated in a boat across a salt water lake that was 100 meters below the earth's surface. Just incredible! Upon the completion of our tour, we were given a little container of salt! :
) Our next stop was Konigssee (King's Lake), where we decided against taking a boat ride, so we would have more time in Austria! We crossed the border into Austria at 13:00 (1 p.m.) Yea! My second European country to visit! After driving a little longer, we came to Salzburg and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring (walking, in the rain) the many historical and fabulous sights it offered. We visited Mozart's birthplace, saw the massive Salzburg fortress, viewed many squares with bubbling fountains, an enormous church with such ornate embellishments, walked over the bridge to visit Mirabelle Castle (where there was a firefighter's wedding going on! Complete with a fire hose arch as the bride and groom came out!), and many streets with musicians playing their tunes. After a couple of hours we went into a restaurant for a much needed sit down break. We all ordered something to drink, and I had the opportunity to try an Austrian beer! It was good, but NOT as good as German beer! After that we walked and looked some more, then
decided to call it a day and head back home. We stopped at Burger King (I know, I know, but Paco was craving fries!), and they had a big screen TV so we were able to watch part of a soccer game as we were munching away. Once we were back at the apt. everyone took a nap while I read my book. Francisco and Michael both got up after a bit, but Hariett just kept on sleeping... the three of us were hungry, so we set out in search of some pizza. Around the lake we found a great Italian place, and we had some red wine and a delicioso pizza. We wouldn't let Michael order for us, so Francisco and I were on our own. It was hilarious! We were speaking a mixture of German, Spanish, and English trying to get our point across. We sat and ate and watched a soccer game on the big screen. The cook was making eyes at me (he was like 70!) and I was cracking up! Left there with a bottle of red wine, and back to our room to hit the sack! Until Morgen!
Since it was night when we arrived yesterday, I didn't get a chance to get a good look at the alps... well, today proved no different. Because it was STILL raining, the beautiful Alps were totally shrouded in clouds! Beautiful, white, fluffy clouds! So we could see some of the mountains, but the higher peaks were completely engulfed in the clouds and mist. Maybe later we thought... so Michael had planned for us to visit the Salzbergwerk (Salt Mountain Plant) where we had to first dress in a mining jumpsuit. Very sexy... NOT! It was the most incredible plant! I had no idea how salt (white gold) was mined. We got to ride a little train like contraption deep into the mountain (picture Thu
nder Mtn. at Disneyland), and it was chilly so I was glad for the ugly protection I had to wear. We reached the bottom, and were ushered into a large cavern where we would begin our tour. There was some explaining done, and Francisco and I had our English headsets on, so we could understand as well. Our next direction was to sit on this "slide" of sorts, Michael in front, then Hariett, me, then Francisco. We leaned back and SLID down this slide to the next level! It was a blast! Saw many amazing sights, heard tons of interesting facts about salt mining, and even floated in a boat across a salt water lake that was 100 meters below the earth's surface. Just incredible! Upon the completion of our tour, we were given a little container of salt! :
) Our next stop was Konigssee (King's Lake), where we decided against taking a boat ride, so we would have more time in Austria! We crossed the border into Austria at 13:00 (1 p.m.) Yea! My second European country to visit! After driving a little longer, we came to Salzburg and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring (walking, in the rain) the many historical and fabulous sights it offered. We visited Mozart's birthplace, saw the massive Salzburg fortress, viewed many squares with bubbling fountains, an enormous church with such ornate embellishments, walked over the bridge to visit Mirabelle Castle (where there was a firefighter's wedding going on! Complete with a fire hose arch as the bride and groom came out!), and many streets with musicians playing their tunes. After a couple of hours we went into a restaurant for a much needed sit down break. We all ordered something to drink, and I had the opportunity to try an Austrian beer! It was good, but NOT as good as German beer! After that we walked and looked some more, then
decided to call it a day and head back home. We stopped at Burger King (I know, I know, but Paco was craving fries!), and they had a big screen TV so we were able to watch part of a soccer game as we were munching away. Once we were back at the apt. everyone took a nap while I read my book. Francisco and Michael both got up after a bit, but Hariett just kept on sleeping... the three of us were hungry, so we set out in search of some pizza. Around the lake we found a great Italian place, and we had some red wine and a delicioso pizza. We wouldn't let Michael order for us, so Francisco and I were on our own. It was hilarious! We were speaking a mixture of German, Spanish, and English trying to get our point across. We sat and ate and watched a soccer game on the big screen. The cook was making eyes at me (he was like 70!) and I was cracking up! Left there with a bottle of red wine, and back to our room to hit the sack! Until Morgen!
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