Continuing on our 14 day European Adventure we traveled from Brussels to Bopard Germany to take a Rhine River cruise. On board we enjoyed some local Riesling as we passed by many castles and local vineyards. The weather was amazing, not a cloud in the sky. We also made some new friends during the river cruise.
After completing our cruise, we transferred to our coach and traveled on to Heidelberg. Our group stopped at Castle Heidelberg. It was hot and there sure were a lot of steps to reach the top, but the view was lovely. After coming back down from the castle, we had a beer while we waited for everyone else and made some more new friends to boot. Then our bus whisked us off to our hotel for the night.
The next day was a long travel day, Heidelberg Germany to Innsbruck Austria. To break up the trip, we stopped in Munich for lunch at the Hofbrauhaus. We had big mugs of beer, huge pretzels and Sauerbraten with our new friends from the Tour group.
Part of the fun of traveling with a group is all the new and interesting people you meet.
The drive from Munich to Austria took us right through the Alps. When we arrived and checked into our hotel, this is the view we found from our balcony. Gorgeous!
Driving to our Be Our Guest dinner that night, we passed The former Olympic Park and Ski jump site located near Innsbruck. Wouldn’t it make a great water slide?! Our dinner was delicious and ended with a wonderful homemade apple streudel.
My Great Grandfather came from Austria so this part of our trip is very meaningful to me. Our Tour Director, Emile, is very knowledgeable and fills in our bus time with some historical and cultural information. I love knowing a place’s story.
The next day we made our way from Innsbruk to Vienna. Our hotel was pretty interesting and filled with dramatic artwork. Even in the shower! I absolutely loved it!
That evening we had a great dinner experience in a very unique establishment called Marchfelderhof. Roaming musicians, Walz instructors, great food and drinks. Not to mention some very interesting art and bathrooms. All I can say is wow!
I was excited to start our next day with a guided tour of Schonbrunn Palace. What a fabulous place. It’s like a mini Versailles. Afterwards, we did an in depth walking tour in the city before having a few hours of free time to explore on our own. We made our way to Sacher’s for their world famous chocolate Torte and a coffee melange. Decadent to say the least.
Later, we found time to wander through the Albertina Museum. There was an Impressionist exhibit in addition to their main collection. We even found some drawings by Klimt. On such a hot day, the air conditioning and free bathrooms were also much appreciated.
Afterward, near where we were waiting for our group, the President of Iran was leaving the Austrian Palace. Black Sedans and military vehicles filled with armed soldiers formed an impressive motorcade as they whisked him away from the crowded streets of Vienna. What a day!
The World According to Dev 