Reutte, Austria

Just a 30-minute car ride from Garmisch is the quaint town of Reutte (pronounced ROY-teh, with a rolled r).   Reutte is a great place to visit if you'd like a deep breath of fresh air.  In fact, it's a popular spot for Germans and Austrians to visit because doctors say that their "grade 1" air is great to breathe.

Our first stop was Highway-179; the longest Tibet-style footbridge (1,318.9ft) suspended between the historic Fort Claudia and Ehrenberg fortifications.

Seeing a bridge that long only suspended on two sides didn't necessarily sound too safe. Especially when you can see the ground below!

     You could tell that when a majority of the weight was concentrated in the middle, the bridge bends.

When we got to the start of the bridge it was a bit windy, and you could see it swaying back and forth.  

We held on and walked across.

There used to be a fort, Fort Claudia, on the other side of the bridge.  It's no longer there, but there are still beautiful views of the Ehrenberg Castle ruins (Festungsensemble Ehrenberg) on the other side.

We went back across and explored the Ehrenberg Castle ruins, which was built in 1296! 

 It's amazing what people can do with piles of rocks.

I was enjoying the fresh air!

We had a great time in Reutte, and on our drive back through the mountains to Germany I had to get out of the car for something...

None other than the most beautiful view ever!

Well we definitely took a walk on the wild side today, but hey isn't that what adventures all about?

See ya!

Garmisch & Oberamergau Germany

We enjoyed a whole week in the German Alps while Jordan took a continuing education course...or maybe I should rephrase that; while Jordan took a continuing education course, I got to enjoy a week in the German Alps. Our home base for the week was the Edelweiss Lodge & Resort.

Edelweiss, Edelweiss,

Every morning you greet me

Small and white clean and bright

You look happy to meet me! 

We went on a hike through the Leautasch Spirit Gorge. 

There was a suspended metal walkway hanging out from the cliff overlooking the gorge. 

Beautiful clear water.

Looking down at the gorge was beautiful.  Nature is truly magnificent but the heights are not for the faint of heart!

                                                          While Jordan was hard at work I explored the beautiful meadows.

I love Bavaria.  There is so much open land, and so many farm animals.

My favorite animal was definitely the sheep.  You could hear them half-a-mile away; they had cow bells attached to their collars and they made lots of noise! They were very friendly, and came right up to the fence to say hello.

Check them out!

The country side is so peaceful, it makes me want to get out and enjoy the scenery... Hence some friends and I went on a hike to the Partnach Gorge.

The hike wasn't difficult, but we had to stop often to admire all of the scenic views.  Walking along the gorge was really cool too. We went in and out of small tunnels, and got a little wet as we followed the raging water.

                                       The town of Garmisch is great to explore.  They had lots of boutique clothing stores, and souvenir shops.  

                                                                                         Not to mention...a great bakery too!

The nightlife in Garmisch was pretty spectacular...we definitely provided all sorts of entertainment. Check it out below.

                                                                

When Jordan finished learning about drilling and filling we spent time together in Garmisch and the neighboring town of Oberamergau.  We stayed at a nice bed and breakfast for the night in Oberamergau called Gästehaus Attenhauser.

                                              All of the stores and houses in Oberamergau are hand-painted.  I loved all the detail!

We went on a great 6-hour hike, up into the alps from Hammersbach to Kreuzeck. Here we are getting ready to start.

 We walked along beautiful streams of fresh clear water

Half way up the mountian Jordan and I stopped to look at the gorge cutting through...and also to snack on some gummy bears.

 But nothing felt  quite as good as making it to the top where we had beautiful views of the valley below.

After all of the hiking we came back down to civilization by gondola. Walking through the fields we saw lots of cows, and some even introduced themselves to us.  This one I named "non-fat".

We stopped at a delicious restaurant, Gasthof zur Rose, before heading home.  Jordan had a great looking meat platter and I enjoyed a venison goulash. Our bellies were full, and our legs were tired!

The conclusion of our trip was a highlight.  I didn't realize that I hadn't paid for our Bed and Breakfast ahead of time, and silly me, I also didn't realize that they didn't take credit cards.  Well, we were a little short on Euro bills, so we had to pay the last 15 Euros to the family in coins.   they probably thought we were peasants.   We had a lot of fun, I can't wait to go back next year for Jordan's next convention!

Innsbruck, Austria

On our way to a dental conference in Garmisch we made a pitstop at Innsbruck.  Innsbruck is a mecca for world-famous skiing, and a heaven for hikers.

We started off our trip by taking the Innsbrucker Nordkettenbahnen all the way to the top of the Nordkette mountian.

I was getting nervous to go higher with the thin cables!

There is a half-way stop (seegrub perch) where you can take some great photos.

When you're at the top of the mountian (2,256 meters above sea level) there are breathtaking views of the city on one side, and a vista of untouched pristine nature on the other. 

Jordan hiked the extra 200m to reach the summit of the mountian... it was pretty freezing!

I stayed behind and took selfies with friends...

We wanted a traditional Austrian lunch, and found it at Gasthaus Restaurant Buzihutte.  Inside this cozy restaurant (that feels like an Alpine home) we had their speciality -eiterbeule- which is a type of cordon bleu with cabbage, rice and spätzle.  It was very tasty!

And for dessert we tried kaiserschmarrn- a traditional "shredded" pancake with fresh blueberries smothered in powdered sugar.

 We were so full we could barely breathe, but it was a great eat!

We had a great time exploring the old town of Innsbruck.  Maximilian I loved Innsbruck and built his palace in the heart of the town.  We visited his well known Golden Roof, where he would come out on his balcony and view his medieval spectacle. 

We wandered down Maria-Theresien Straße and admired the mountains in the background.

Amongst all the shopping there is to do, the town has amazing medieval architecture. In the center of the marketplace is St. Anne's Column (bottom right photo). The column was made by the townspeople and dedicated to the city after they had defeated the invading Bavarian army as a thank-you for saving the town.

Off of the busy path we visited the Cathedral of St. James (Dom zu St. Jakob).  From the outside it doesn't look like much, but when you step in the Baroque design is exquisite.  There are murals and paintings all over, and lots of gold work too. I was impressed by the organ, it looked like a very intimidating instrument to play! 

In the old town we stopped at Cafe Munding for a delicious Austrian pastry, you may have heard of it before...Apple Strudel?  It was a bit on the tart side, but still mouth watering and quenching.

One of the best parts of our adventure was a suggestion from our friends, who had previously gone car camping.  So we decided to save some money and give it a try.  We found a great camping site with clean amenities (including free WiFi) and gave it a go. 

We plugged our twin sized air-mattress into the car outlet to make our bed.  It was lots of fun, but a bit cold!

The Bavarian Panhandle is full of charming towns, and Innsbruck is one that isn't to be missed.

Loire Valley, France

Our wonderful journey through France brought us to the Loire Valley for an amazing few days!

Where we stayed:

We found a perfect Airbnb in Amboise.  If you're looking for a place to stay in the heart of town (parking included), right off the Loire River, I highly recommend this find.  Right down the street we found the most delicious boulangeries.  Now we're hooked on chocolate croissants, and crunchy baguettes...A pretty sustainable diet.

There's a great Sunday market in the town of Amboise and it's one of the largest in France.  They sell everything, and it's not to be missed! Live chickens, trees, flowers, produce, food, clothing, hardware, furniture you name it, they have it.

Look at these chickens! Have you ever seen ones like these?

The crusty breads...

cured meats and fine cheese...

and dozens of farm fresh fruits and veggies to choose from.

The Loire Valley is home to the best preserved château's of the French aristocracy. There are over 15  châteaus to visit and we chose three that we were most interested in seeing.

Château Chenonceaux:

Just a 20 minutes car ride away from Amboise is the beautiful Château Chenonceaux arching gracefully over the Cher River.  The château was once the home of Catherine Medici, who once her husband died, acquired it by trading her residence with her husbands mistress. That was quiet a friendly trade... I don't think they do that nowadays.

We took an audio tour of Chenonceaux but I think it is too long (and the mans monotone could put you to sleep).  It's best to just walk through on your own with the information pamphlet in hand.

Our favorite part of Chenonceaux was the kitchen, which reminded me of the kitchen in Downton Abbey.  I loved all the copper cookware. 

We went through the maize

and found a gardeners paradise

Château de Chambord:

We loved Château de Chambord. 

Chambord was built by King Francis as his hunting lodge.  This didn't seem like the average size "lodge" with 440 rooms.  It took him 32 years to build and he only spent 72 days of his life there.

A beautiful clock in Robbins Egg blue

 And of course you need a room to show off all your game

There was a great 18-minute video about the Château.  They talk about the beautiful architecture of the building; no one knows who the architect was but there is thought that Di Vinci helped influence, and maybe even to have drawn up the blue prints.

The hunting grounds are impressive! King Francis kept guards here to permanently protect all 5,500 acres surrounded by a 20 mile wall so that he would have plenty of game to hunt when he visited.

All this talk about hunting sure does bring out my wild side.

I think we found our next property to buy...wink wink!

Château de Cheverny:

When visiting the Château's it's easy to daydreaming about what life was like living in a beautiful mansion. To sit on chairs made of the finest silks, drink out of delicate porcelain cups, walk the halls where Louis XIII once walked.  Château de Cheverny is one of the places where the idea of living this dream is a reality. The descendants of the builders (Huralt Family)still live the Château and their family pictures can been seen in rooms that you can visit today. 

There are so many beautiful rooms to see, with artifacts dating back to letters written by President Washington.

Nearby you can hear the hysterical barking of the 70 hunting hounds on the property.  The dogs are half English foxhound and half French poitou-and they are bred to have big feet and bigger stamina. 

They get exercise by going hunting twice a week (year round) and if you check their feeding times you can watch them devour their raw meat.  I was impressed at how obedient they were: the trainer opens the gate and the dogs gather enthusiastically around the food, but only when the trainer says they can eat do they dig in. 

 mmmm.... yummy?

 Getting ready... the trainer has his whip ready

 and its chow time!

Check it out live by clicking below

We finished off our trip to the Loire Valley with none other than what they are famous for...Tarte Tatin. At Bigot you will find the well known delicacy in it's finest form!  Just ask for it because it is not on display with all of the other beautiful pastries. Jordan is usually a fan of the chocolate variety for dessert however he confessed this was the best dessert he has had so far in Europe.

We had a great time exploring parts of France we have never seen, and we will be onto the next adventure before long!