GERMANY and AUSTRIA 1999

On April 30th, 1999, my wife Carol and I began a new journey. On a KLM 767-300 out of Atlanta, we flew into Amsterdam, changing planes to what the Dutch call "city hoppers" and on to the Motherland--Berlin Germany.

Upon arrival, we took the airport bus to the Hertz Rental where for the next 6 days we would drive one of their cars--a new 1999 Burgundy Volvo that would go at least 200 KPH on the Autobahn--LOL.

For the next couple of days we toured Berlin, making our way thru Germany via both the Romantic Highway and Autobahn-A9 & A7. Our travels took us thru Wurzburg, Rothenburg, Munich, Fussen, Neuschwanstein Castle, Garmisch and on to Innsbruck, Austria before continuing our 17 day trip on to Italy (see that story elsewhere on Blog).

Before getting on with the photos, let me just add a couple of notes. This has been the only European Trip we've taken where we did not have hotel reservations--speaking of a gutsy move! We had heard of a chain that would meet out needs and standards of travel (my sweet wife believes camping out is room service at the Hilton--LOL) and as we traveled, we found a "Ring Hotel" in all the towns we wanted to stay. We can highly recommend that chain! Also, most Germans speak English-especially the younger generation in most large towns. And, there are ATM machines all over Germany so getting your money is way too easy.

Enjoy the photos.


The German Flag.

Berlin with a Smart car.

Marathon just outside our hotel--we were on the third floor and had a great view of the event.

Mercedes-Benz offices with a Hyatt Hotel in foreground.

1999 Volvo--our rental car from Hertz. We picked it up in Berlin and dropped it off in Venice, Italy some 8 days later.

One of many historical German buildings used in government administration.

In 1999, Berlin was undergoing major new construction as seen from our tour bus.

This church in Berlin was destroyed during WWII and the Germans chose to leave as historical landmark.

One of many shops along busy streets in downtown Berlin.

Carol and I enjoying lunch at Berlin Hard Rock Cafe. Our waiter was an American who returned to Germany to live after his military duty was over.

Outside the Hard Rock Cafe in Berlin.

Berliners love their bears.

Ditto

Advertisement on a busy street in Berlin.

Large historical building--note the Smart car in foreground. These small cars along with BMWs and Mercedes are everywhere.

This photo was taken as we headed from Berlin to Wurzburg. We had just eaten at a McDonald's.

Downtown Wurzburg.

Ditto.

This is our room at the Ring Hotel in Wurzburg.

We ate at the outside cafe just across the street in this photo of downtown Wurzburg.

Carol enjoying a moment of rest.

Here I am in Wurzburg--wow--look at the size of those sunglasses!

From Wurzburg, we traveled south on the Romantic Highway to the very historic city of Rothenburg. It was in this town I brought our authentic Coo-Coo Clock that hangs on the wall of our foyer at home. Here Carol is enjoying a treat from one of many bakeries.

Carol as she's leaving a bakery shop in Rothenburg.

One of many shops in Rothenburg.

The main square in Rothenburg.

Here I am (just barely) at the shop where I purchased my Coo-Coo Clock.

Here is Rothenburg as seen from the outer wall--built centuries ago for protection from invaders of the city.

From Rothenburg we traveled via Autobahn to Munich (If you ask, I will tell you how the Germans pronounce)-home of the 1972 Olympics that received world attention because of the hostage situation, BMW, Lowenbrau, Glockenspiel, etc. We loved this city as Carol illustrates above.

A very busy square in Munich.

The Germans are excellent builders!

Shops everywhere.

One of many busy streets in Munich.

One of my favorite photos.

One of many city trains.

Here is one of many signs at the Munich Olympic Park--we enjoyed the tour. Note how the city of Munich is actually spelled--Munchen.

Lowenbrau factory and home.

Ditto

Interesting!

The world famous Glockenspiel.

View of the Olympic Park from the tower.

This is the busy square in Munich where the Glockenspiel is--see building in center of photo. Our Ring Hotel was just around the courner.

From Munich, we again headed south, this time toward Fussen where, as seen in this photo, the famous Neuschwanstein castle built by King Ludwig (he almost bankrupted the country building castles)sits high on a mountain.

Here is the wagon that will take us to the top so we can tour the grounds and inside Neuschwanstein's majestic halls! We met a really nice young American family who were stationed in Germany.

View of Fussen as seen from castle.

Neuschwanstein Castle. I must admit, it was not snowing in May! Further, I did not take this photo! This is a beautiful photo of the winter scene as scanned from a post card!

This is the main entrance to the castle--renovation in progress.

Here is a good photo from a distance.

A local tourist guide with castle in background.

One more Postcard photo. Such beauty. It's little wonder when you see this shot why Walt Disney chose this castlte as the icon for his theme parks.

Here is a Smart car on display in the very southern German town of Garmisch--just before going into Austria.

Here is a road sign declaring we are now in the country of Austria or as written by the natives-Osterreich.

Back during the Cold War, this border crossing from Germany into Austria would have been manned with border patrol--no more. In fact, one can pretty much travel most of Europe these days uninhibited from country to country.

Interesting advertisment that bicycles are ahead--along the road toward Innsbruck, Austria.

Our hotel in Innsbruck. This was a really friendly town, but difficult to drive in as the street names all seem to have about 20 letters.

A short story. This hotel obviously sits on a very busy street with virtually no available parking. Upon the day of our arrival, the small parking lot provided by the hotel was full. To my surprise, the owner of the hotel not only offered, but insisted I park in his private spot across the street. He would not let me refuse the offer, so that's where the 1999 Volvo spent the night while his Mercedes was parked on the street several blocks over! We southerners do not have a monopoly on hospitality!

As we left Innsbruck--on our way to Venice.