Salzburg

We both really liked Salzburg. The older part of the city was very nice and we were able to buy a combo ticket that allowed us to see all the major sights very cheaply. Mozart was born in Salzburg and you're not allowed to forget it for a moment. You can visit where he was born, where he lived and where he performed. Mozart actually spent very little time in Salzburg from the time he was five. He toured almost constantly with either his father or mother and then, feeling stifled in the small town, decamped to Vienna where he did much of his major work.

There are other reasons to visit, however. The castle is very nice and was formidable in it's time. Salzburg was a major city in the region from antiquity because of the nearby salt mines--salt, salz.

Here are some pictures

















-














Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Innsbruck

Tim was kind enough to drive us up to Innsbruck on Tuesday. It turned out to be an easier drive than I expected and we appreciated the help. Innsbruck is not large and it's pretty easy to walk around town. Innsbruck was Emperor Maximilian I's favorite city and he spent a lot of time there. However, old and and sick, he tried to make one last visit and the local burghers wouldn't provide lodging for him and his retinue. Seems he stiffed them the last time he was in town. He went on down the road to Wels and died. The Hapsburgs did leave a lot of cool things around, though. Here are some pictures.














These are some of the bronze statues surrounding Maximilian's casket.


This is one of the carved panels from the casket. The casket is empty. The emperor was buried in Wels, where he died.





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Vicenza

Tuesday we all went to Vicenza, which is famous for the architect Palladio. If this doesn't ring a bell, think Monticello-- Jefferson was a big admirer. A lot of the buildings in Vicenza bear Palladio's stamp. My main memory is the ten mile death march my daughter took us on. Oh, she says it was only six miles, but I don't believe her. I can't gripe too much, however, because Maya walked the whole way.

In between the gasps for breath, I managed to take a few pictures.



















Maybe this is why the walk was so long. Where are we anyway? The GPS says we're in Milan.











An Italian movie star and her daughter relaxing on the steps of their palazzo.





























Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Padova

Today Tim, Susan and I drove to Padova (unfortunately Chris had to work). We had a nice day walking around and seeing some really excellent examples of fresco art. Unfortunately, in every case photos were prohibited, so you'll have to take my word. There were a lot of other things I could photograph, so here are some pictures.































- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sunday was an easy day

We didn't do much on Sunday. We slept in and then met some of Chris's colleagues for a tour of some grappa distilleries. Grappa, if you didn't know is what they make from the leftovers from the squeezing when they make wine. Grappa is essentially distilled wine leavings. It can be anywhere from 80 to 120 proof. I found it not to my taste, but it was an interesting tour.

We ate dinner at a local seafood restaurant right on a lake. The food was excellent, as was the company.

A few pictures.










- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Road Trip

On Friday and Saturday, the five of us went north to Bolzano and Cortina d'Ampezzo. These two cities are in the ethnic German part of northern Italy. The countryside starts getting rough south of Trento and gets really mountainous by the time you reach Bolzano. We took the funivia (cable car) up the mountain and I was tricked into a four mile death march through the woods. We had dinner at a nice restaurant by a lake. We descended to Bolzano and stayed at a really nice hotel overlooking the city. We took another walk (this time mercifully downhill) down to the city for dinner.

The drive back to Trento was magnificent. The mountains are called the Dolomites and are different from any mountains I have seen before. I'll let you judge from the pictures.






















- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Made it (finally) to Trento

We made it to Chris and Tim's on the intended day, only four hours after we planned. Our flight to Frankfurt was forced to circle for about 20 minutes before we were allowed to land. As a result, we missed our flight to Verona--which may not have mattered because United had not advised Lufthansa of our flight change.

We were pretty ragged by the time we got off the plan. To make matters worse, I've picked up a bug that's causing me to cough all the time. It's a real nuisance--for me and everyone else.

Thursday we just knocked around Trento with Chris and Tim. Trento is a very nice mid-sized city and like most places in Italy, a very long history. The university here (where Chris is visiting) is one of the best in Europe. The city is mostly famous for the Council of Trent, a gathering of the Catholic hierarchy in response to the Reformation.

Here are some pictures.



































- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad