Quickly looking back at our brief stop in Liechtenstein, the fifth smallest principality in Europe We had our passports stamped and were able to walk among the banks and small buildings (the main industry in Liechtenstein is banking). The coach then embarked on our trip to Innsbruck which had us travel through many tunnels from 1 mile to 10 miles in length. It felt like we were underground more than on the surface. When we arrived in Innsbruck we were instructed by Lilli, our tour leader, to obey all crossing signs, so no jaywalking. Our hotel, the Hotel Innsbruck, was located at the edge of Old Town. Another day of travel came to an end.


Day 6 to Salzburg we go and the Sound of Music (Julie Andrews and Mozart). Walking through Old Town the many shops and trades that Salzburg was founded on were displayed by guild signs. We walked by the birthplace of Mozart and the home of Doppler. We saw many shops with Mozart chocolates available and local beer. We looked into the Baroque cathedral and finished the day with a meal in a restaurant opened in 803 (that’s right, 803). Food was delicious and it was a pleasant day in Salzburg. Our local tour guide had us practice the Do, Re, Me song while walking in the gardens. She then had us gather together on the steps for a group photo and we sang the song for a video. Then we toured the old town,


Day 7 had us up early to get our suitcases outside the door for pick up and breakfast before heading for Oberammergau. As we crossed the border from Austria to Germany, we were stopped by German border security ensuring all people were correctly identified with their passports. The main reason for the border security was that the G-7 was having a meeting in Kurn which is a small hamlet near Oberammergau. Once we were in Germany just about every road and side lane had police or military guards. It took awhile for traffic to go through the checkpoints, sort of like going through Washington DC. We arrived at our hotel, Klosterhotel, Ludwig der Bayer, in Ettal. After a light lunch the group was driven to the Passion Play Theatre. Buildings were marked with frescoes and legendary happenings. At 3pm the doors to the theatre opened (the theatre can hold 4000 people) and the actors began their performance. During the play, a thunderstorm passed through but we were undercover and the stage was partially covered by tents that were fitted with something like a gutter to channel the water away from the stage. How innovative. The play was phenomenal. The set was very simple. The choir had about 100 singers of all ages. The play was in German but we were provided a “text book”. The play was presented with the choir singing about Old Testament scenes And then the actors picked up with the Passion tide story. At 6pm we had an intermission for dinner and returned at 7pm. It was a great experience. The play ended as the rains began to fall. There was a mad dash to return to the right coach to return to the hotel.


From Ettal to Munich, we visited various examples of Mad King Ludwig’s castles. The interiors of the castles were glittery and ornate. One room had many mirrors, lots of gilt, and beautiful furnishings. The mirrors made the room look infinite. His dining room had an interesting feature. His table was on a platform like an elevator. The servants would lower the platform and set his table and then with the pulley system put it in place for his dining pleasure. When he was done with his meal, the table would be lowered again. As you can see, he was a bit strange and didn’t like to mingle much with people.


Our last day got us lost in Munich airport but we finally arrived at the correct terminal to catch our 787 plane to Washington. It was the end of a fantastic trip. Of course, we did get a souvenir, Covid.

One fun note is when you take a picture of a hotel/restaurant with your name on it.