Last European Adventure

We have been very fortunate to have been able to do some traveling during our time living in Germany.  There is so much we wanted to see in Europe, but so little time!  We had been planning to do one last "big" trip before leaving.  It worked out that Jesse's parents were going to come visit one more time so we all got to go on a big adventure together!  So, we piled in our rented VW Sharan, and our chauffeur Jesse started us off on our journey.  

First stop: Salzburg, Austria

Yes, we had been to the Salzburg area before with my parents, but there was more to see and do!  And by now, we were clearly experts on the area.  On the way to Salzburg we made a stop to see the salt mines where "Salzburg" got its name.  We visited the Salzbergwerk Mines and took a fun tour down into the old mines.  Unfortunately, you were not allowed to take pictures during the tour, but we got this awesome picture of us before the tour.

Miners for a day!

After the salt mine tour

We got suited up and the took a cold train ride into the mine.  We got to take a huge slide down into the lower mines (twice), and had a boat ride across "mirror lake."  The lower levels are still used as working salt mines today.  The tour was fun and interesting, I would recommend it if you have the chance!  

The next day we visted the Königssee for the second time.  We wanted to go back to do some more hiking.  Unfortunately, the day we planned to go turned out to be rainy and foggy.  The fog made for some beautiful photos of the lake.  Our plan was to take the boat to the first stop on the lake and hike to the "Eiskapelle" (Ice Chapel).  The hike took about 1.5 hours and it rained the entire time.  The end of the hike got to be a little challenging because it had rained a lot in the area.  We didn't quite get as close to the "Eiskapelle" as you can during colder times of the year, but we still made it within view. 

Fog on the Königssee

Hiking to the Eiskapelle

 

Braving the rain!

A small chapel along the hike

After another night in Salzburg we headed south to Italy!  Of course, we had to take a scenic route through the alps (Go VW Sharan!).  We paid 35 euros a little extra, to drive on a pass over the mountain that is only open for a few months during the summer.  It was only 4 degrees Celsius at the top, brrrr!  Once we made it through the clouds and fog the weather cleared on the other side.

Dolomites in northern Italy.

Second stop: San Martino di Venezze, Italy

After a long day of driving and seeing some beautiful scenery, we arrived at Agriturismo, Corte Carezzabella.  My requirements for finding an Agriturismo (a working farm/guesthouse) for stop #2 were:  close train access to Venice, a play area for the kids, a pool, on site restaurant, relaxing area outside to enjoy a day of rest during the trip.  Corte Carezzabella was almost exactly what we were looking for.  My favorite part about staying here was sitting on the huge patio in the evening, relaxing, watching the kids play until way past their bedtime. 

On our first full day in Italy we took the train to Venice for the day.  It was only an hour train ride from where we were staying.  Venice was beautiful, everything was so unbelievable old and historic.  We had planned to do a "free" (pay what you wish) guided walking tour, but unfortunately missed our tour time because we had to take a later train (thank you abundant and easy to find parking in Rovigo, Italy).  We still enjoyed exploring the city on our own.  

Gluten free Popsicle!

Famous Rialto Bridge

Valerie's souvenir, a venetian mask

 After several busy days of sightseeing, we had a relaxing day by the pool for our last day at the Agriturismo.  The next day we drove further south and to the opposite side of Italy to make a stop in Pisa before going to our last destination.  Talk about a tourist trap.  The "Square of Miracles" in Italy is made up of the Cathedral, Tower, Baptistery and the Camposanto.  Finding "safe" parking was our first challenge.  There were people everywhere selling selfie sticks, sunglasses, etc.  We decided to make it a quick stop because really there is not much to see beyond the monuments.  The buildings and tower are really quite spectacular though.  

 

Final Stop, Cinque Terre, Italy

About 1.5 weeks before we left for the trip we had everything planned except for the last 3 days, we couldn't decide what we wanted to do most.  One of Jesse's coworkers told him about his recent trip to Cinque Terre and we were sold!  Cinque Terre is a string of 5 very, very old seaside villages built on the cliffs along the coast.  The villages are very small and difficult to reach by car, so we decided to stay in one of the larger towns nearby, La Spezia, Italy.  It was a great location for exploring the area.  On our first night in La Spezia, I tried to find a restaurant close by that we could walk to from our apartment we rented.  Thanks to Trip Advisor I found, Pigons.  For 12,90 euro they bring you all you can eat homemade Italian food.  It was literally in the first floor of this family's house.  We had to sign a waiver because it wasn't "officially" a restaurant.  It was a fun experience and they made us feel so welcome!  The woman honestly just loves to cook and brought out several courses.  They just kept bringing more to the table until you told them to stop.

Ian taking selfies at Pigons

The next day we walked to the train station and bought a 2-day pass that allows you access to use the train as much as you want to and from the 5 villages, and access to the national park hiking trails.  The towns are not far apart and there are hiking trails between them.  Our plan was to take the train to the farthest town then hike to the next one, and possibly the next.  The trails were supposed to be for "beginners."  So, we thought, "great we'll take the kids."  The hike and views were AMAZING.  However, we only saw 4 kids on the trail (including our 2!) and countless people that praised our brave kiddos.  It turned out to be a longer and much more difficult hike than we anticipated.  There were a ton of narrow steps and it was very hot.  We were very proud of the kids, what an accomplishment!!!

View from the hike

Narrow steps

Getting closer, there's the next town!!!

Yay!  We can see the town!

 

Silly selfie as we rest.  Jesse went to meet his parents who opted out of the hiking portion and took the train instead.  We were so exhausted.  Some other foreign tourists were amused by Ian's selfies.  Soon after this they sat down next to him and started taking selfies with him too.  I was amused, and also slightly creeped out.  They were not trying to be creepy, they were just big fans of this silly American boy.... :-)

Amazing views as we hike closer to Vernazza

Vernazza, Italy

 The last day in Cinque Terre was a beach day!  We took the train to the farthest town again and spent some time playing in the water and relaxing.

 As I typed this post, I can't even believe how much we squeezed into 8 days.  On the last day we drove about 10 hours straight back to Heidenheim from La Spezia.  The kids were exhausted, so they got to catch up on some sleep.  Our Chauffeur  Jesse was definitely happy to be finished driving after our big European tour!  I am so thankful for the experiences we got to have and I hope Valerie and Ian will look back on this time and realize how awesome it really was.  I also hope maybe they get to come back to some of these places when they are grown and experience them again.

The Zugspitze on our drive home-highest mountain in Germany