Monte Carlo!!!

The Cinque Terre. Easily my favorite place on the trip. It was so amazingly beautiful. I know that one day in the future I will be returning to this incredible part of Italy.

Oh Italia..

Pisa - Typical tourist behavior :)

Florence, or Firenze as the Italian call it was my favorite place on the trip to far. The people were hilarious, all had an abundance of personality and sass. In Firenze, we visited the famous David statue. Did you know that Michelangelo was the only artist to actually go to the site and pick out his own material for carving. We also visited

The Duomo

Bell Tower

Ponte Vecchio

Academia.. all amazing

Venice, Italy- Not the best weather, but still fun. We saw a lot of gypsies, knock off bags, and gondolas. Although we did not take a ride in the gondola, we still had a wonderful time. In Venice, we found a place owned by a former American who one day moved to Venice, met her husband, and opened a small Italian restaurant. It was wonderful.

Cortina, Italy- It was the home of the 1956 Olympics. Here, we saw the Hockey Arena, Bobsled Track, and Ski Jump.

Salzburg was so lovely. There we attended a Mozart concert in the fortress. Simply incredible. It was a must though, since Salzburg is the home to the famous Mozart. 

History on Mozart:

Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood in Salzburg. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty. At 17 he was engaged as a court musician in Salzburg, but grew restless and travelled in search of a better position, always composing abundantly. While visiting Vienna in 1781, he was dismissed from his Salzburg position. He chose to stay in the capital, where he achieved fame but little financial security. During his final years in Vienna, he composed many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas, and portions of theRequiem, which was largely unfinished at the time of Mozart’s death. The circumstances of his early death have been much mythologized. He was survived by his wife Constanze and two sons.

Pictures from the trip to Eagle’s Nest:

The so-called “Eagle’s Nest” was built as teahouse for Adolf Hitler’s 50th birthday. Perched on a mountain summit, its unusual position makes of the daring project a unique engineering feat. What few realize is that Hitler’s home and headquarters - the second seat of 3rd Reich power - were located at Obersalzberg, at the foot of the Eagle’s Nest mountain

Munich!

We had the most wonderful time in Bregenz, Austria. In Bregenz, we stayed with the Troy family. My Aunt Katie lived with them when she was in her 20’s traveling and studying abroad. They showed us an extraordinary amount of hospitality.. from the flat where we stayed, to the meals that we ate. It was incredible. Thank you so much Troy family for showing us Bregenz and all that it has to offer. We hope that in the near future, you will come visit us in Portland, Oregon. That way, we can return the favor. Love you all so much and we look forward to seeing you soon. XOXOXOXO

Zermatt, Switzerland is simply precious. The people are so welcoming and lovely. Our hotel looks to the Matterhorn. The view is nothing short of breath taking. For dinner we had fondue with escargots- and of course large servings of beer. It was beyond delicious. In Zermatt it is 13 degrees Celsius. Brrrr!