It’s hard not to fall in love with Austria and Southern Germany when everywhere you look, you think you’re in a storybook. We stopped briefly in Innsbruck for an afternoon to walk around. Innsbruck is located halfway between Munich and Verona (Italy). We didn’t make it to either one this Fall, but we will someday. It’s kind of picturesque…don’t you think? It’s located in Western Austria, nestled in the mountains at over 7600...

Well, it happened. Trust me, it’s a mistake you never want to make. I am fortunate to have a husband that pampers me in many ways, and one of those ways is in never requesting that I filled up a vehicle or drive, unless I want to. Well, I never really want to. So—when we stopped at a gas station in Innsbruck, Austria, Jared was filling us up when suddenly he stopped the pump and said to me, “Oh no! I just put in gas, not diesel!” We...

What a treat it was to discover one of the longest and deepest wild water ravines in the Alps—the Liechtenstein Gorge in Austria! The gorge is obviously ancient, but it was first developed as a tourist attraction in the late 1800’s by local residents. Water has cut through the rock here to create a chasm that is 300 meters deep (nearly 1,000 feet)! After paying the entrance fees we started along a boardwalk that winds its way up a...

While visiting the amazing Hohenwerfen Castle in Austria, we stumbled across an Israeli couple who mentioned they were headed to a “Cow” Festival in the nearby town of Wagrain. They said it was a celebration for the cows coming home–returning from grazing in the mountains for the summer. A festival about cows?!  Ummm—why not?! (After all, my husband did grow up on a dairy farm!) Off we went to the small town of Wagrain, which...

While we were in Austria, we decided to visit the Hohenwerfen Castle, about 40 km south of Salzburg. It’s surrounded by the Berchtesgaden Alps, and has been towering over the town of Werfen for over 900 years! Admittedly, one of the coolest things about Europe is driving around and seeing castle after castle nestled into the mountain tops. We could have opted to take a footpath up the mountainside, but decided the funicular suited us...

I’ve now finished my travelogues for Asia, and I’m hopping back to Europe where we traveled in Fall 2012. When I’m done with Europe (there is a lot to write about there) I will hop back to earlier that year in Guatemala, Belize and Southern/Central Mexico where we also explored extensively. I’m sad that I’m writing about my memories when they are not terribly fresh, but at least I have photographs to help me record my memories in...