Bolzano

We had a pretty busy day today…3 countries in one day.  An early start this morning, and off we go to Neuschwanstein Castle first off.  This is the Castle which Walt Disney copied for the film Fantasia. A very impressive Castle to look at, sitting high up in the Bavarian Alps. Just opposite is the Hohenschwangau Castle which is where King Ludwig 11 grew up. We were fortunate to get a bus to the top of the mountain where the Neuschwanstein Castle  resides because the walk up would have taken us at least an hour, it was quite steep and walking down was hard enough. Views of the Castle from up the top were great when standing on a nearby swinging suspension Bridge. Personally, we found the inside of the Castle to be too dark but there were nice parts of it as well. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take any photos of the inside.

From here we travelled to Innsbruck, capital of the Austrian Tyrol. The scenery along the way was just fantastic. The mountains are so high and craggy, some still with snow on the top of them, and all unusual shapes. The river running beside the road along the way showed that some of the Glaciers were still melting as the waters turn a milky green when this happens. Arriving in Innsbruck we had a couple of hours to walk around the town, do any shopping we wanted or visit the Swarovski Crystal Factory. We did all three things.

We then travelled through, and across, the really spectacular Brenner Pass and then into Italy. We arrived in Bolzano in the late afternoon. There was a Vintage Sports Car Rally of some sort on in the Town square and that entertained us for awhile too. We then came to our Hotel for a welcome dinner and a bit of a rest.

 Neuschwanstein Castle

 Hohenschwangau Castle

Just some of the Austrian Alps