Switzerland was the favorite part of our trip, for several reasons.  The first week was fun, but hectic with frequent traveling, so when we got to Einsiedeln we were able to settle in for 5 days.   And Switzerland is beautiful where ever you look.  The sights were awesome, and everywhere our tour guides took us was more spectacular than the last.   And our tour guides, Marie and Chris’s cousins’ were just great to be with.   They treated us so well, and spent so much of their time with us.   It was just easy to relax and have fun.  And have fun we did.   We were looking for a ‘low impact’ trip, without so much planning that we could not stop and have a coffee or a beer to relax.  And we were successful throughout our trip, and made especially enjoyable to be with the family.

Einsiedeln was the birthplace of Chris and Marie’s Grandmother and our home base.  People here in Wisconsin only know Kato Kaelin, but in Einsiedeln Kaelin’s are everywhere.   Back in the 800’s Meinrad, a Benedictine monk came to Einiedeln to try to live a hermit’s life of prayer.   But his advice was still sought out and people came to the Dark Forest.  Around 835 he was murdered, but Meinrad’s tame Ravens led others to the murderers. And the raven motif remains in the heraldic arms of the monastery.   A chapel was built at Meinrads site and maintained for hundreds of years and a Benedictine community founded.  In 948 the first monastery church was consecrated, St Mary’s monastery of hermits.  Somewhere in the 1400’s the statue of the black Madonna was moved into the church at that time.  Many changes over the years, but Marie said this would be the most beautiful church we would see and she was correct.  Never having been to Rome I could only imagine the great churches and this would match my imagination.   The color and detail of the many paintings and beautiful altars leave you awe struck.  There are not as many monks now as there once was, and there is lot’s of locals employed to keep up the grounds, tend to the horses, and the many needs.

So that was our base, our hotel the Drie Konigs was right across the street.   We started each morning and ended each night with a view of the monastery.  Einsiedeln itself is not a large town, large enough to have it’s own brewery and a number of businesses.   Charles says years ago there were many more tourists that came to the monastery and stayed for days, and now the buses come and leave in a day.  So some of the small hotels are being converted or rebuilt.   It was an enjoyable town to walk.  We spent time at the cousins’ houses, they took us up the Holzegg, me for a walk the girls for a ski lift ride!  And enjoyable drinks and food.

We did a Lake Lucerne boat trip that I loved.   And we started out on the far end of the lake so we could meet cousin Emil before we left.   And we all wished we would have had more time with him.  The views on the ride were breathtaking, and lunch in Lucerne and some sight seeing were enjoyable.   We went to Amden, home of the Gmur’s where Karl Gmur’s father was born.   I can’t find enough different words to talk about how beautiful it all was.

Charles and family thank you so much.   You made this trip a “Trip of a life time”.   I felt honored to spend time with all of you.  A special thanks to Marie who made the whole trip possible for us.   Thank You.  Marie has headed home now, a chance for her to see friends, and her house!  We will see her next in Florida.

I will post a few more pictures here.   If you cannot get enough of pictures scrolling across your computer screen I have loaded all of Marie, Chris and Randy’s pictures at:

http://www.photoshow.com/members/rtomb/all

And there is a button to watch full screen in the bar at the bottom of the photoshow.

If you ever have a chance to go to Switzerland, don’t hesitate!

End the night at the cafe

take a hike!

time to eat

think we can make it?

Lake Lucerne

another high altitude restaurant

Saturday we left Munich for a 1.5 hour train ride to Salzburg Austria.   Denise said Salzburg was special and Chris and Marie’s Mom was Austrian so we made this one of our stops.   No train transfers at all today, an easy trip by train.   I had planned to walk from the Salzburg Bahnhof and along the way the girls thought I was crazy lost.  The thought occurred to me, but it really was not That far!  And the girls did well again.   The Crown Plaza Pitter was a very nice hotel.  There was construction on the upper floor, adding a top of building restaurant, and luckily we missed the construction for the weekend. The hotel staff recommended some good restaurants nearby and after settling in a little we got our walking shoes on and headed out.   The shopping/restaurant district was close, it looks like they are just finishing redoing a lot of the streets.  It was a very cool area to walk, and the restaurant recommendation was excellent.  A relaxing meal and back to the hotel to settle in, settle in the bar area actually.   We found very accommodating bar staff and I tried some local beer and schnapps, and the staff filled us in on a lot of information about Austria.

The next morning we found a close Café for coffee and light breakfast.  Then we hailed a taxi to take us to the High Fortress at the other end of the old city.  Hohensalzburg Fortress, built in 1077 by Archbishop Gebhard, considerably enlarged by Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach (1495-1519), largest, fully-preserved fortress in central Europe.  During its long history the Hohensalzburg Fortress has always remained unconquered by enemy troops.  This was well worth the trip.  We took the tram up to the fortress and the views are tremendous.  Salzburg and surrounding Austria look beautiful.  The Fortress itself is amazing, and amazing to try and imagine how it was built!  We spent a fair amount of time sight seeing before heading back down the tram.   Luckily on the way up I spotted the Stiegl Keller!  It was getting to lunch time and being at the base of the fortress was convenient.  That and the fact I recognized Stiegl as one of Europe’s amazing beers.   So we made our way to the bier garden and settled in for a little relaxing.  The food was excellent, I had a seasonal wit beer that was excellent.    A great stop, and then back to walking!  We were in the old city which is full of amazing buildings, Salzburg the Rome of the north.   Everything from churches and shops, course open air cafes and street performers.  I think MJ picked up a keychain along the way and we did stop for a refreshing drink in front of Mozart’s birthplace.   We left the old city walking along the Salzach River and taking in more sights, heading back towards the hotel.   A short distance and we came to the Mirabel Palace and Gardens.   Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau had Altenau Palace built in 1606 as a token of his love for Salome Alt.   And in the gardens we were reminded of the Sound of Music.  Salzburg hosts a number of sound of Music tours as a lot of filming was done here, some in the gardens.   We have to watch it again to try and recognize sights.   The gardens remain beautiful and while we were there a school band from England was playing American big band favorites! We spent a fair amount of time there and then continued our walk back to the hotel.   We managed to find some ice cream along the way.  Everywhere on our trip they seem to like their ice cream and sorbet and from stands to all cafes you have choices. We made it back to the hotel after a full day.   I took my net book to the bar to download some pictures and the girls took a break.   We decided on supper in the hotel, the Pitter-Keller, one of Salzburg’s oldest beer cellars houses the restaurant.  We needed to have our reservations in as tonight was the World Cup Championship which generated a fair amount of interest in Germany and Austria!  And they added some screens to the restaurant to watch the game that night, and we had a great view.   We had another excellent meal and as the game got late the sisters headed to bed and MJ and I headed to the bar!   MJ for her new favorite dark Mozart liqueur and I think I tried some more schnapps!  We hung on a long time but still no score, when we left and went back to the rooms we did see the Germans win!  It was a good Sunday in Austria.   Many of the stores were closed because of Sunday, as is the case most places we visited, but still a very full day.  We could easily have spent more time in Salzburg.  On Monday we needed to get a fairly early start, for us,  to catch the ICE to Zurich.  A 5 hour train ride this time, but just the single high speed train.   Coffee and breakfast delivered to our seats and amazing views of Austria and Switzerland.

Sound of Music tour promo!

Friday evening meal

Salzburg from the fortress

Salzburg from the fortress

chapel at the Fortress

protecting the Fortress!

Stiegl

Church in old city

old city recreation!

street performer

drinking to Mozart

climb the fortress wall?

Weinerschnitzel anyone?

Mirabel Gardens

remember the fountain from the movie?

One of these 2 were in the movie?

We left Rothenburg on Thursday, taking 3 trains to get to the main Bahnhof in Munich.  From there it was a short taxi ride to Hotel Torbrau.  The taxi driver gave us an introduction to Munich traffic, the guy would be good in Chicago or New York.   We picked a hotel in Old Town to be close to sights we wanted to see.  And the Torbrau exceded our expectations for convenient.   After arriving we needed to eat and wanted to visit the Hofbrauhaus, although the front desk had other recommendations.   We thought we were at the wrong place when we happened across the Hofbrauhaus a few minutes later.   But there it was.   Started in 1592 it is a must stop.   But we figured out why the desk person pointed us elsewhere, at 6pm the large hall and all tables were jammed.   Loud, noisy and a band about to start, at another time may have been fun, but after a long day of traveling our thoughts were on a comfortable table not pushing in to make 4 places on a long family style.    So we moved on, unfortunately I had my ideas in place when the desk person gave us directions and I took the girls on a longer than necessary tour to find the Spaten Haus!  But we were sight-seeing, right?   The Spaten Haus turned out to be the perfect choice.  The beer selection was one of the best we saw, and the food was excellent.   And even though we arrived ‘without reservations’ we ended up with our own little room to relax.  The next day on Friday was a full day of walking, well maybe not full day, we did make some stops.  We made our way to the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), originally completed in 1488.   Here is the tomb of Ludwig IV  and the church is quite impressive.   Unfortunately one of the towers that has the elevator to see the city, was closed!  From there we walked to the Marienplatz at the center of the shopping district.   The New Town Hall dominates the square and is breathtaking.  And at the center is the 43 bell 28 foot Glockenspiel, which we arrived just in time to see it perform.   From there a short walk to the Viktualienmarkt.  One hell of a farmers market.  Lots of vendors along with everyday food stands.   And a central bier garden.   The highlight was getting a large pretzel and beers and sitting down next to 4 gentlemen who brought sandwiches from the Norse stand.  Hard rolls with probably pickled fish and onions, Chris was in heaven.  And then more walking.  We hit Schneider Weisse  by accident but I could not walk by.  The girls placated me by stopping for a beer, and although I love their Weisse I could not pass by ordering a half liter of Aventinus. Yum.   More walking, lot’s of people walking and lots of bicycles.  And we had a beautiful day.   A number of stops along the way.   And being real tourists we even stopped at Hard Rock Munich.    And we did get to eat at the Hofbrauhaus, on a second floor balcony and it was well worth going back for.   And of course we got to know the restaurant and bar staff very well!   Munich would be the one stop we all agree we would have taken out to spend more time at the other stops.  Yet I can’t think of what I would have wanted to miss.

Hofbrauhaus patio

Glockenspiel

New Town hall

Viktualienmarkt

Viktualienmarkt

We ate at Spaten Haus

Hotel Torbrau bartender

King Ludwig’s crypt

Marienplatz

OK had to throw that in

National Theater

Spaten Haus

Hofbrauhaus

wedding car

Getting organized and back to normal.  We are still recounting our trip in our minds, it seems it went so quickly.   We are organizing photos and I will post some here from the 1^st leg of the trip.   We landed in Frankfort after leaving Detroit at 6pm, and arrived 8:30 am the next morning.   Then we had a number of hours at the Frankfort airport to get through passport checks, get our luggage, and find the train station.  Then 3 trains to get to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.   The trains were wonderful and we made our transfers without issue.   We had rain our days in Rothenburg, but light enough for us to still walk and sight see.   We stayed inside the walled city and walked the cobblestones.  And among the cars that they unbelievably let drive through the narrow streets!  We stayed at Hotel Eisenhut which has lot’s of history.   And the start of the wonderful breakfasts of breads, sausage and cheese.  We did some shopping and stops for drinks and eats.  There was certainly a lot more to see than we got to.   And we had a great meal at an Italian restaurant with MJ’s cousin John and kids.  John is now retired Army and his wife is stationed in Germany.  This was a great kick off to our trip! We arrived there Tuesday afternoon and left Thursday afternoon.

A few notes on Rothenburg!

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a small town with a big reputation. Nowhere else will you find such a wealth of original buildings dating from the Middle Ages. You can’t help but ask yourself whether time has stood still, as you amble past the beautiful old houses, secluded squares and tucked-away corners of the old quarter, where towers, taverns and town gates alternate with fountains, fortifications and former storehouses.

But it could all have been so different … in 1631, during the Thirty Years’ War, Rothenburg was captured by General Tilly of the Catholic forces. In desperation, the councillors offered him wine in a tankard that could hold more than three litres. Tilly, who had intended to burn down the town, showed clemency and decreed that he would spare Rothenburg if anyone could empty the vessel in one steady chug. The former mayor came forward and to everyone’s astonishment, met the challenge. Tilly was suitably impressed and let the town stand. Whether all of this is true nobody really knows, but it’s undoubtedly a great story – and it also gives rise to the annual Meistertrunk festival, a historical spectacle with a focus on entertainment.

Rothenburg may be small, but it has a remarkable wealth of historical sights, museums, churches, abbeys and monuments. In Rothenburg, another nostalgic spot is the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas Village. The largest Christmas shop in Europe open all year round, it stocks everything that makes the festive season special, from candles, nutcrackers and decorative tablecloths to Germany’s famous Christmas pyramids and incense burner figures.

It is well worth strolling through Rothenburg’s ‘spital quarter’, passing through the medieval town gates or visiting the wonderful churches. St. James’ Church, for example, has a beautiful stone carving depicting Christ and the sleeping apostles

on the town square

on the square

looking towards one of the town entrances

looking at part of city wall

MJ and Marie’s room

Hotel, we actually stayed across the street

Schnee balls!!

it’s all good!

Rothenburg streets

St Jakobs

Cousin John

We are on our way home, currently in Paris at Charles DeGaule Airport.    Done nicely but the French don’t know how to organize like the Germans and Swiss.   If you ever transfer in Paris leave plenty of time!  We hated to Leave Switzerland,   every where was beautiful scenery and the cousins treated us royally.   And they tell us we left too little time to see much at all and have to come back with more time.     Charles please thank everyone again, we thoroughly enjoyed our time.    Our biggest regret was not having more time to spend with cousin Emil, our short time was very enjoyable.   We met Emil at one end of Lake Lucerne as we took a 1906 steamer (since converted) to Lucerne.  A wonderful boat ride on a warm sunny day.   We had a late lunch in Lucerne and a little sight seeing.   That was Thursday, Friday we relaxed the morning and then Charles let us up the mountain roads to Amden, a town where Marie’s friend from New Glarus hails.   We had ice cream and took in the sights.

More pictures to come, now getting ready for a long plane ride.   And Monday time in the car returning to Oshkosh.

none of the pictures really do justice to being there.

There is Emil! He reminded us all of Chris’s Dad Frank

On the boat ride to Lucerne, Charles Kathy and Marie

We drove on that road, where there are mountains you need to cut into them and through them

The boat we were on looked similar to this

in Lucerne, covered bridge from the 1400’s behind us

The train to Zurich was very nice, and on arriving in Zurich we were surprised to be met by Marie’s friend Kathy.    Kathy greeted us to Switzerland and helped us to the next train to the Zurich airport and to find the car rental offices there.  The car rental went well and we left with our Skoda wagon.  The GPS is such a wonderful addition!    The ride was less than an hour to Einsiedeln.   And since arriving we have been treated royally by Chris and Marie’s cousins.   Charles is always there for us!  We had a great meal that evening at the hotel, which is right across the street from Einsiedeln Abbey Church /Monastery.  The girls had told me it would be more beautiful than the churches we saw in Germany and it lives up to expectations.   Amazingly beautiful.

http://www.einsiedeln-tourismus.ch/en/abbey-pilgrimage/abbey

We have done a little walking around town, today took a hike on the mountain, actually Chuck and Walter would say Holzegg really doesn’t qualify as a mountain!   But it had beautiful scenery and we spent a good part of the day.   The girls took the tram and I got some hiking in.   So life is grand!   Tomorrow a lake cruise on Lake Lucerne and a little time in Lucerne.   So it keeps getting better.

Abby Church

Charles has a robotic lawn mower that was a highlight

Leaving Charles house

Looking back to Einsiedeln from Holzegg hike

Swiss cows graze the slopes

break time up top

looking down the other side and Lake Lucerne down the valley

something new for lunch

Familia at lunch

Do you know what a Chamois is?

On our hike!

On the railjet train from Salzburg to Zurich.  About 5 1/2 hours, and seeing lots of beautiful countryside.  Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful day for walking Salzburg and today looks the same, warming into the 70’s.   Yesterday morning we found a nice coffeeshop near the hotel for a light breakfast then grabbed a taxi to the other end of old city to the high fortress.  The fortress can be seen from around the city and was one of the few never over taken from the 1200’s on.   Luckily a tram took us up, although you can walk.  Beautiful sights overlooking the city and countryside, amazing how it could have been built.  Salzburg is home to Steigl Bier, and near the base of the fortress is the Steigl bier hall with a garden overlooking the city.   It was now afternoon and a good place to stop for a light kase and sausage plate, of course with a few beers.  After that we continued down into the old city and sightseeing.   Even though most stores are closed on Sunday many restaurants and cafes are open and enough vendors to suit us!   Past Mozart’s birthplace, multiple churches.  The Mirabel Palace and Gardens are beautiful and I think we visited the perfect time of year.   And now we need to rewatch The Sound of Music to try and match the views!  By the time we walked across city back to our hotel it was time for an ice cream and a break!  I caught up on details for today’s trip and then we planned a dinner in the hotel restaurant, supposedly the Pitter has the oldest bier kellar in Salzburg.  And our reservations were necessary since the World Cup Football game started while we were there!  So travel day today, and looking forward to settling down in Switzerland for the rest of the week!

overlooking Salzburg from the fortress

tram up to the fortress

Looking out from the fortress

Stiegl seasonal specialty

platz at Mozart’s birthplace

Mirabel gardens

the girls were models for the statue!