Oh, the Alps!

Today was our "rest day" after driving all over and sightseeing for the last 3 days. I think we needed it... we slept in till 9:30am and had a leisurely morning of cooking breakfast and making plans for the day. We finally decided where to go for a hike but it took a ridiculous amount of time! We kept staring our the window at the rain and it didn't motivate us to move very fast!

In a break in the rain, we took off less than 5 miles down the road to the town of Mutters to hike up to Muttereralm. Basically, it is a hut at the top of a cable car which is also one of the many ski areas around here. There was a small amount of residual snow in the shady areas. The cable car, unfortunately does not start running until June so nothing was open up there... it was just us and the fog.

On our way up, we did get some beautiful view of the Inn River Valley. This is a view of Innsbruck... you can see the river running through the town nestled at the very bottom of the valley.

Self-portrait on our hike up the hill! The clouds kept rolling by at about the height we were hiking so, even when it wasn't raining, it was a very damp hike. It was also a fairly challenging hike. After some calculations, we figured it was about a 2100 foot elevation gain (700 meters). The hike took us just under 2 hours.

A picture of our trail winding through the trees. It was nicely marked with yellow sign posts as well as these red and white markers (they are the Austrian flag!). Some of the trail was also on gravel roads but this was the prettiest area. One thing we wondered was... why did we go to an area with similar weather to home? This hike totally could have taken place in the Cascades about this time of year! Chet says it is because it is more of a challenge to order food here... oh and the whole different culture thing!

This was the hut/restaurant up at the top... at Muttereralm. Of course, it wasn't open due to being in between seasons but we enjoyed a snack and a little shelter under the eve of the building. It looks like it would have a spectacular view on a clear day and the restaurant looked very cute inside! Maybe we'll have to come back some day.

This was from the area where we parked our car for the hike. It was just above the town Mutters. Amazingly, despite being rainy and foggy for our entire hike, when we got back down to the bottom of the trail, the sun was shining and we could see across Mutters to Innsbruck in the distance. The small towns like Mutters and the one we are staying in, Axams, are all up on a plateau above the bottom of the valley... so they are actually above the town of Innsbruck. It gives a somewhat layered sense of towns and a great view from higher up of the scattered villages throughout the valley!

Finally we post a picture of our car! It seemed like a good time since we continue to get it dirty with our adventures. Our little Mercedes-Benz with an equally little motor. It has been wonderful getting us from place to place. The only down side is that gas is expensive here... about 1.20 euros per liter (calculated about $6 a gallon). Makes me not want to complain about gas prices back at home!

The building to the right of the picture with the flowering cherry tree out front is our "home" for the week... Hotel Schloesslhof. It has been a great place to have as a base camp. And, as you can see, the mountains are within view. We are on the other side of the building but still a nice view of the hills.

This may have been one of our most exciting surprises of the day! We were searching online for a restaurant near our hotel and came across one that was half way up the hill to Axam Lizum (probably about 3-5 miles away up a windy mountain road). It said Gastof Andelhof was a family-run country inn-type place with typical Tirolean type food. Tirol is the region in which we are currently staying. So, with clearer skies than we have had all week, we took off up the hill to this restaurant and also had some great views. The picture is actually of a chapel next to the restaurant with a view of the mountains of Axam Lizum in the background. Axam Lizum was used for Olympic events when the winter Olympics where in Innsbruck in the 60s and 70s.

Oh... as for the food... we must say that is was amazing! The place was so comfortably decorated, we were nearly the only ones in there, and the flavors were exceptional. We definitely would go there again!

As the sun was setting, we drove the rest of the way up to Axam Lizum to get a better view of the mountains... but the ones behind us from the valley were the most exceptional looking. It was a good end to a good day.

Here are the mountains looking down into the valley. What I love is that you can see the place where we ate dinner... in this picture it is on the green hill on the right of the foreground. Talk about a place with an exceptional view to go with good food.

Now we are just relaxing as we prepare to wake up early for another day of driving tomorrow. I can't believe that it has almost been a week since we left home!

Much love, Brianne

Goin' for Baroque!

Alright... Chet came up with the clever title for today's entry. This morning we headed to Salzburg, a 2 hour drive away. Salzburg is certainly an old city filled with many baroque style buildings, many interesting sights and tourists from all over the world. We even noticed a bunch of people carrying about "Rick Steve's" guidebooks and chatted with some folks from Minnesota for awhile.

We continued to get some gray weather but only experienced about 30 minutes of rain. Pretty good, huh? Especially because we did spend pretty much the whole day there. We arrived at around 9:30am, just before the tour buses came in force. We parked in the Old City parking area... which just happens to be in the middle of a mountain. They just chiseled the rock away and turned it into a 1,000 stall parking garage. Pretty convenient!

We decided to fore-go a formal tour and just do our own walking tour throughout the city (our guidebook had lots of great info in it). This means that we also, sadly, did not go on the Sound of Music tour. We heard from the couple from Minnesota that it was a very good tour but just couldn't justify spending 40 euro apiece on it. I know Brenda will be very disappointed that we didn't do more Sound of Music stuff while we were there.

I have just included a few pictures... there are many more of buildings, food and us taking self portraits. Here are some that give a sense of the city (and our day).

This is in the middle of Saint Peter's cemetery, a beautiful place right next to the mountain with a view of the fortress up on the mountain. The cemetery is surrounded by 3 churches, some of which date back to 1100. One chapel is actually built into the side of the mountain, which you can see here. The cemetery is interesting because it rents, rather than sells its plots. Every 10 years it sends out a rent notice and if the descendants fail to pay the rent, they dump the remains and put someone new there. We did see a few more recent graves so it appears that really does happen!

This is the inside of the big cathedral in Salzburg. It replaced the original one on this site back in the 1600s. It was quite large and beautiful inside. The stations of the cross were on arches around the wings with detailed paintings. There are also 5 organs in the church... 4 surrounding the dome and 1 very large one in the back. Imagine the music at mass with all of those going!

Then we went down into the crypts below the church. That was even more interesting than the church because there were far fewer tour groups and a much more quiet, reflective atmosphere. Oh, an the rocks Chet is looking at in the above picture were actually from the original cathedral built in 700. Talk about old stones!

After the cathedral, it was snack time. So, one of our favorite foods (that we have actually eaten as a snack daily thus far on the trip) are pretzels! Today, we got special ones... cheese and bacon on the right; and cranberries, chocolate and cream cheese on the left. Oh, such a marvelous treat! I wish we could bring some home with us (without them getting stale and gross).

We saw the Mirabell gardens... such beautiful designs of flowers throughout each section.

The arched walkway which was actually used in the Sound of Music... and is just such a pretty area that we had to take a picture.

In the gardens, it started to rain so we escaped to Mozart's Residence. Salzburg is also the city of Mozart and he is found everywhere... street names, candies, statues and more. We decided to spend a little time learning more about him and his years growing up. I am even more impressed by his music after learning at the young age which he composed it. He composed his first organ piece at age 8... I think I was just learning to play soccer and maybe write cursive at age 8.

View from above the city. Salzburg is certainly a city with a lot of history. We enjoyed our visit and are glad we went. We plan to, later in the week, return to the area to visit the lake region near Salzburg as well as the mountains just to the west. There is so much to see and so little time!

This was just a picture from on our way home... just about back to Innsbruck where we are staying. The sun was coming through as it was setting over the mountains. What a beautiful place to be visiting!

Much love, Brianne

Mountains, Castles and Grocery Stores

This morning, Chet and I woke up later than expected and had a slight change of plans for the day. We had previously expected to head to Salzburg this morning, but with a later start (due to me not setting the alarm clock correctly), we decided to head up to see some castles instead.

Though a gray and drizzly day (much like a normal day in Washington... we felt quite at home), we enjoyed the driver over Fern Pass through steep mountains. All along the way, there were deep blue green lakes at the bottoms of the peaks and, in more open valleys, small villages scattered in green fields. Once again, the driving was super windy on narrow 2-laned roads. Thank goodness Chet is a good driver!

This is the view from the car window as we headed down from the pass. Much more beautiful in person... we were in awe!

So, being the good tourists we are, we went to see the above castle... Neuschwanstein! The famous castle of King Ludwig II is quite impressive. I had been there once before, back in high school, but it certainly was much more fun and memorable to visit it today with Chet! We explored the adjacent family hunting lodge as well.

We enjoyed bratwursts at a beer garden type place for lunch. We are having fun taking pictures of our food to help us remember the trip!

This is a picture from up above the family's hunting lodge, Hohenschwangau... and one of the two lakes that surround it. We also did a tour of this castle which provided a great background to the family. Very interesting tour.

Some folks took a picture of us in front of Neuschwanstein from Mary's Bridge. Ludwig constructed a bridge up above a gorge with a waterfall to view his castle as it was being built. Great view, quite a distance down to the grown below... made me a bit nervous standing on a 150 year old bridge with a bunch of other tourists!

Chet and I decided to hike down the hill through the gorge under the bridge. There was a well established path and signs, but, amazingly, almost no one else on it! This is a picture from that path looking back up at the castle.

The fun part about the trail through the gorge was that you get to a point that there is no trail... just these metal grates with a handrail bolted to the rocks directly above the rushing river! It was a excellent surprise and definitely gave us a great view of the river.

On our way home, we finally had the chance to stop at an open grocery store (since they all were closed on Sunday). We wanted to pick up some breakfast supplies since we have a mini-kitchen want to minimize our eating out a bit. I must say that a grocery store in a foreign language is an experience. I'd say that we did fairly well except when it came to fruit. They had a system where you print a label for the fruit after weighing in on a scale (kind of like the bulk candy area at Haggen or Top Foods). The only thing was that we couldn't figure out what number to enter! So we just got a box of grapes with a bar code. I am also glad that I recalled from a prior visit that grocery stores don't provide bags unless you pay for them. Luckily, we had our own. Overall, it was a successful experience... but a bit funny as we were trying to figure out what things were!

Anyway, our goal is to go to bed and attempt to get up early tomorrow to head to Salzburg! This time the alarm clocks will be set correctly!

Much love, Brianne

Initial Adventures into Austria

On Friday morning, Chet and I hopped on a plane and headed for our long anticipated trip to Europe. Not only was it a celebration of finishing grad school and my exam, it is our way of getting in a few more adventures prior to starting a new job and, some day down the road, starting a family. The flight left Seattle at 8:30am and arrived in Munich at 8:30am. The time different made us basically lose a day! We have been doing okay at adjusting to the difference in time zone, though we just are not moving as quickly as we usually do. I suppose that it doesn't help that both of us were short on sleep from lots of work and studying prior to leaving so we are also catching up on sleep in addition to the jet lag.

For our trip into Austria, we decided to rent a car. After arriving, we picked up a cute little Mercedes-Benz A class that appears brand new but is pretty gutless. Chet has been doing a marvelous job driving through the narrow streets and windy alpine roads. People here definitely drive fast and have no problem passing if you are going anywhere near the speed limit. We have managed to not get too lost either... though we do have a fair bit of the trip left so we'll see if that continues. The road signs are different and we are constantly looking at the guidebook to make sure we are following the directions correctly.

On our way to Austria, we stopped in a small town called Andechs to visit the monastery there. We had heard they have hearty food and good beer. It was quite a popular place on a Saturday afternoon... lots of families, groups of couples and all were chatting, eating and drinking.

Here is a picture of the monastery church. Very, very ornate inside. Many of the churches we have seen are quite Baroque appearing with tons of paintings, gilded decorations and lots of detail work.

This a picture of the town of Andechs from the monastery, which is up on the hill. I just adore the cute houses which are mostly white with red roofs. The streets are narrow and often with stonework and green rolling hills extended wherever you look.

Okay... so our first ordering experience in German was a bit interesting. There was a long line behind us and we weren't sure if we should try to order in horrible German or see if the servers spoke English. Chet wanted to try a certain piece of meat (a pork knuckle) and I was under the impression that we would just get a chunk of it. Nope! We got the hug pork knuckle you see under the pretzel and then, because we were flustered, we accepted potato salad and a pretzel! Needless to say, we had a ton of food and didn't need to eat much the rest of the day. I was somewhat in shock that I was eating a pork knuckle. Chet was in meat heaven. It was quite the way to start the trip!

We made our way through southern Germany and across the border. We had to buy a Vingette, which is basically a sticker for the car to show you paid for using the roads. The road through the northern Alps was beautiful, though by this time we were both exhausted! The most amazing part starting our way down into the valley where Innsbruck is... all of a sudden, you are going down a steep, winding road with the whole valley laid out below. Pretty impressive! Unfortunately, we did not get pictures. We just made it to our hotel, which is in one of the small towns up the valley from Innsbruck (with a strong farming background... we had to wait for sheep being herded down the main road), and then we crashed for a much needed nap. The small studio apartment we have has a balcony (with birds constantly chirping outside), a small kitchenette, couch and other normal amenities. It wouldn't work very well without a car but it is a great, relaxing place to have to explore the area.

Today, Sunday, we explored Innsbruck. A few things we have learned are that "Sprechen Sie Englisch?" is one of our favorite phrases, there are no grocery stores open anywhere in this area on a Sunday, and this area is absolutely beautiful! We are certainly enjoying our adventure.

We ate breakfast at the above cafe in the middle of the old town area of Innsbruck. Thank goodness for the nice waitress who explained the menu to us. They had lovely bread, marmalade, Nutella and coffee.

We walked up to the ski jump used for the Olympics when they were in Innsbruck in the 60s and 70s. Though we didn't take the funicular to the top of the ski jump, we did enjoy the view of the city. We hope to take a gondola ride up the mountains at our back later in the week and do some hiking.

Another view of Innsbruck... thinking pastel painted old buildings surrounded by beautiful mountains.

A few things I've noted about the people here so far... most people are moderate in size, not like the many overweight Americans. Everywhere we looked there were people nordic walking, biking, running or just out with their kids for a stroll around town. Also, speaking of kids, children are the same everywhere with their amazing curiosity and adorable high voices. Small children riding very small bicycles around the city streets pretty much made my day. Lastly, the pace of life is a bit slower. Very few stores (and virtually no grocery stores) are open on Sunday and there wasn't a sense of rushing.

Anyways, on to Salzburg tomorrow for more exploring. We now have access to the internet while we are at this hotel so we should be able to continue to write updates about our trip.

Much love, Brianne

Leaving on a jet plane...

I passed my pediatric nurse practitioner boards and now we are headed to Europe! What an exciting week! It feels so good to be done with the stress of studying and to get to pack and prepare for this fun adventure with my hubby. Hopefully we'll be able to post some pictures and stories on this while we are traveling. If not, there definitely will be much posting when we get home!

Notre Dame and Chicago!

I figured that I should write about one trip before we embark on the other! In the middle of April, we went to Notre Dame for my cousin Kevin's ordination (I am now related to a priest!) and then headed over to Chicago for some fun (and a little PNP certification review class!). It was a wonderful vacation and it was great fun to see another part of the country. Here are some photos of our trip.

The magnolia tree outside the seminary at Notre Dame. Across the lake is the beautiful campus!

Me and my cousins, Nicole and Heidi! There were almost 90 people there to support my cousin, Kevin. It was like a big family reunion with lots of visiting, eating, basketball playing and relaxing.

On our VIP tour of Notre Dame, we toured the locker room and went on the football field. Think scenes from the movie, "Rudy."

Waiting for the ordination to begin in the grand basilica.

Grandpa Kolar and Grandpa Earl with the newly ordained Father Kevin.

Down on Navy Pier with a background of the Chicago skyline.

The "bean"... need I say more? Though it certainly was much cooler than I first imagined.

Our hotel room... brand new boutique hotel. Chet got asked one day in the elevator (wearing his normal dress of Carhartt's, a T-shirt and a Mountain Hardware vest, "are you going hiking?". There were lots of people in suits and ties.)

We went to the American Girl doll store. I found only the books of my first doll, Samantha. She apparently has been "archived" to make room for new dolls.

Chet went to a Cubs' game at Wrigley Field. Amazing field, great game, and a very sunburned Chet.

We went to the 96th floor of the John Hancock building to a lounge there. Amazing view of the city skyline at night!

Boat tour! Learned a lot and great views of the city.

Oh, Chicago! We had fun visiting you!

Handsome touring husband. Note the shirt from a brewpub around Wrigley Field... he went and ate there.

I love this man! Can't wait to go on our Europe trip and have more adventures together!

We leave for Europe at the end of this week after working a lot and trying to organize many details! I also take my certification test later this week and it is my birthday on Wednesday. Big stuff, but exciting stuff! Definitely more to come very soon!

Busy March Weekend

Last weekend, the weekend prior to Easter weekend, we had a whirlwind but very fun time! We got to do some new and exciting things, like curling with a group of friends, a baby shower for a special little one, a surprise graduation party for me, lunch with friends and a tile project with my brother! I am so thankful to be surrounded by so many wonderful people who love life and love others. The weekend was certainly a joyful experience (though a bit tiring by the end of it). Here are a few pictures from a few of those events...

Ready to hit the ice for curling.

First time throwing the rock... believe me it is harder than it looks!

Our group of curlers. Thanks to Josh and Bryce for setting it up!

Baby Hannah at her baby shower! Her mom was the one I mentioned in December who passed away from the brain aneurysm when she was 36 weeks pregnant with Hannah. Hannah is looking beautiful and is so snuggly! Her dad and extended family were all at the shower with her. She is such a blessing to her daddy.

Faith and me at my surprise graduation party! Chet set it up and completely surprised me! I don't have the surprise pictures... Adam does somewhere.

Sam totally helped Chet pull it off! And provided the delicious dessert.

Cathy and Maia made it to celebrate! Maia was hamming it up for the camera.

Josh, Chet and Alan... I must say that I am super proud of my husband for pulling off a true surprise party! I usually find out about surprises! (Also, note his facial hair... interesting, eh?)

Well, this is just a brief update. Easter was also nice as I was able to get it off from work. We just went up to my parent's house and had dinner. Chet has been a bit sick so he just slept on the couch.

This Friday, we head to South Bend and Chicago! I'm sure there will be lots of pictures of the family festivities for Kevin's ordination and our exploration of Chicago.