The Conclusion: Salzburg

Well the end is finally here and I'm sure you are all glad! I know, I know, I have drawn this vacay recap out a bit much! Bel

Anyway, after our jaunt in Italia we headed north to Salzburg, Austria. I think Tyler and I would agree that Austria was by far our favorite country. The people were so warm and inviting and the fact that EVERYONE spoke perfect English didn't hurt either!

Our VERY quick stop in Innsbruck.

We were amazed to see the Orient Express at the train station in Innsbruck. From what we could see through the windows all of the passengers were dressed in the Sunday best.

Tyler forced me to take this picture!

Warning: Another silly video ahead.

If you couldn't hear, this was where they filmed part of the "Do Re Me" scene from The Sound of Music.

Salzburg, Austria

We were in Salzburg during their annual Salzburg Festival and were lucky enough to see not only the authentically dressed theatre patrons as they entered but we watched the actors arrive as well. Each year Everyman is preformed outside of the cathedral and got the behind the scenes view!

We also managed to find the local beer garden. It's still attached to the local monastery and was quite a sight!

Yummy potato salad, and some random yet delicious meat products!

This may have been one of my favorite spots. At about 10 am we found this tiny local spot packed full of old folks enjoying homemade schnapps of all flavors. For a few Euros you we taste all we wanted but only ended up bringing home one small bottle.

Yum, more random meat products!

Our final day in Zurich was not much to a day at all. After our early morning 5 hour train ride from Salzburg we only had about 4 hours to spend in Zurich. Either way we enjoyed the city for as long as we could before our flight home the next morning.

One last video just for old times sake... 

Two Rednecks in Italy: The Final Installment

Now don't get too excited, the final installment doesn't mean that I am finished with our vacay recap but we are getting close!

Here are a few shots from our journey from Bologna to the far northeast city of Bolzano. We took a few pit stops along the way and they were well worth it!

Our first "pit stop" was a gas station off the interstate. Why can't all American gas stations serve fresh sandwiches and espresso? 

We stopped in Verona, Italy on our way to Bolzano. Remember that little story, Romeo and Juliet, by some guy named William Shakespeare? Yeah, me neither but apparently it took place in Verona and this is what has become known as Juliet's house. The tourists were EVERYWHERE but Tyler and I managed to mark our territory with a sharpie...

 Can you find it?

Get ready for another cheesy video segment!

 The day we left they held a production of Romeo and Juliet in the old Roman coliseum; I was so sad that we couldn't stay to see it.

After another 2 hours of driving we finally made it to Bolzano. It was amazing how the further north we drove the more German the architecture and food became.

We stayed at the Park Hotel Laurin in Bolzano and it was by far the nicest hotel stay of our trip! It has been hosting travelers for over 100 years and not only were the rooms and food lovely but the hotel garden was beautiful as well!

 Can you find me in this picture?

 The square in Bolzano.

Bolzano seemed to have some kind of identity crisis going on. It was part German, part Austrian, and part Italian. Thank goodness the German part meant they had some great beer to go along with the Italian wine!

One of the few things that Tyler DEMANDED that we do on this trip was to drive in the Dolomite mountain range in Northern Italy so that is just what we did!

A wine shop in the mountains.

 

Yet another "Sara looking at a map" shot.

 We took a ski lift to the top of the mountain and did a little walking. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

 Our 2 door compact car looks so hard core doesn't it?

Check out how windy the roads were!

Get ready for the final chapter of our European adventure, Salzburg, here we come!