Fussen, Germany

Today we took a train to Fussen. I met a very nice Aussie guy named Mark who just moved to London to work for a year. We chatted on the train about our travels. We arrived in Fussen and went to the Neuschwanstein Castle. We had a long hike up to get to the castle but it was worth it. The castle was amazing and it is no wonder Disney used it as the inspiration for Cinderella's Castle. Ludwig II had the castle built and used Wagner's music as an inspiration. Floor to ceiling the walls were painted beautifully.
Tomorrow we head to Innsbruck.

Salzburg

Great news! The Eagle's Nest was open today. We went on a tour and the weather was fabulous! The Eagle's Nest is nearly 6,000 ft above sea level. It was sunny and there was snow on the ground which is very unusual this time of year. I took some wonderful photos and will post them when I return. This afternoon we walked around Salzburg and took a cable car to the Salzburg Castle.
Tomorrow we head to Fussen to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle.

Salzburg

Today we tried to go to the Eagle's Nest but due to snow at the higher altitudes it was closed. So we went to Werfen and visited the Werfen Castle where Grandpa lived for a few months during World War II. We watched a falconry show which was wonderful. The birds flew right through the crowd. Then we toured the castle and it was great to see as well. The view were amazing and we were able to climb up to the bell tower. Tonight we went to a brewery and sat in a beer hall drinking beer. It was a lot of fun.
Tomorrow we are going to try again to see if the Eagle's Nest is open.

Salzburg

Greetings from Austria. I had fun visiting with John, Becca & Wes at their house in Bitburg (for a very short visit). I will see them again in a week & John has a 3 day weekend thanks to Columbus Day. Unfortunatley the traffic was really bad when they were taking me to the train station due to Friday being Unity Day (celebrating the uniting of East & West Germany) in Germany so everyone had a 3 day weekend. John & Becca ended up having to drive me much further away to a different train station so I would not miss my train. I took the overnight (City Night Line) train from Koblenz to Salzburg. The bunk room I was booked into had 6 beds. Ironically I was assigned to the very top bunk so I had a long climb up the ladder to the my bed. My bunkmates were very nice. When I arrived in Salzburg I found the hotel easily and met up with Mom & Dad.
Today we toured around Salzburg in the pouring rain. It rained all day long and we look like drowned rats in most of the pictures. We went to Mozart's home and walked along an adorable street where everyone has hanging metal signs (even the McDonalds).
Tomorrow we are going to try and go to the Eagle's Nest. If it snows tonight at the higher altitudes we might not be able to go but we are crossing our fingers that we will be able to go.

Luxembourg

So I arrived in Luxembourg and was met at the train station by Becca & Wes.  We walked around and ate lunch at McDonalds.  Then after we saw all we could see in Luxembourg Becca drove me to their house in Bitburg.  She will be dropping me off at the train station later this evening so I can catch the train to Salzburg.  It is so much fun to be at their house.

Message to Kelli

Guess what I watched on TV last night in my hotel room in Brussels... Dawson's Creek in French.  Yes I was shocked when I saw Pacey & Joey on the tv and even more shocked when there voices were dubbed in French.  I could not figure out exactly which episode it was but the whole gang was there even Grams.  I just had to let you know!!

Dag (Hi) from Brussels

I arrived in Brussels today. It has been very windy the last few days and raining on & off. Reminds me of home. I saw the Manneken-Pis (just like it sounds - it is a little man peeing) and very popular. Then I went to the Grand Place (the main square). The buildings are amazing and took so many pictures. From there I took a hop on & hop off tour of Brussels. I also went to the top of the Atomium. It is the Space Needle of Brussels. I took the elevator to the top 98 meters. Brussels not as charming (except for the Grand Place) as Brugge or Amsterdam. It is basically just a large city. There is tons and tons of grafitti. It is everywhere even on statues.
Yesterday I spent the day in Brugge. I loved Brugge. It is an adorable & quaint town. I climbed the Bell Tower (all 336 steps). The view of the town is fabulous from up there. I went to the Church of Our Lady where Michelangelo's Madonna & Child is located. Thanks goes out to Todd Fish who convinced me to see the movie In Brugge before I left. I had a much better feel for the city after seeing the movie.
On day 2 in Amsterdam I went to the Floating Flower Market & the Windmill/Brewery. I tried the beer but it had way too much hops for me to handle. I met up with Loes from the Russell office after work and she took me to an amazing restaurant for dinner. We had steak & they were delicious. Then see drove me under the Ajax Arena where the Ajax Football team plays. After that she took me too Volendam and adorable seaside town. The houses look like they are out of a fairytale.
Tomorrow I head off to Luxebourg where I will meet up with Becca & Wes for the day. Then it is off to Salzburg to meet up with Mom & Dad.