Stonehill College Alumni Travel

Today we set off to continue our adventures by heading north to Bavaria, Germany.  We departed the hotel, boarded the bus, and made our way to Ettal Abbey. Here we were greeted by our local guide Angelika who gave us a wonderful tour of this Benedictine monastery founded in 1330 by Louis IV.  We learned the history of the Abbey, toured the Basilica and the dressing room before making our way outside for a treat. You see, the monks at Ettal also brew beer!  The Ettal Monastery Brewery stands on a tradition spanning over 400 years and is one of the few breweries still run by monks. Since 1609, the famous Ettal Monastery beers have been brewed right next to the Abbey.  We enjoyed a taste of both the blonde and dark ales, while shopping a collection of vintage steins.  After an enjoyable morning, we said our goodbyes to Angelika and set off a few miles down the road for a bonus trio to Oberammergau.   Oberammergau is a town in Bavarian known for its once-...

This morning we boarded the bus at 8:15 for the drive to Salzburg.  Upon arrival, we were greeted by our local guide Christine, who gave us a leisurely two hour walking tour of Salzburg.  We began by strolling through Mirabell Gardens , the location of the Do-Re-Me scene from  The Sound of Music (1965). From there we made our way through the quaint streets of Salzburg, stopping to see Getreidegasse (the birthplace of Mozart), the DomQuartier, the Salzburg Cathedral, and the Petersfriedhof (St. Peter's Cemetery) among many other highlights of this beautiful city. We ended our tour at the 1,200-year-old St. Peter’s Restaurant, the oldest in Austria and still owned by monks.  We bid farewell to Christina and enjoyed a group lunch together in St. Peter's.  The restaurant was already fully decorated for Christmas and was absolutely breathtaking. After lunch, we had two hours of free time to further explore, shop and take in the atmosphere as the locals feverishly set...

This morning, we met our local guide guide Angelica in the hotel lobby at 8:30 a.m. for a lovely excursion. Sergio dropped us off at the train station and we hopped on the train to the lovely town of Seefeld.  The mountain views from the train were absolutely stunning!  Known as one of the world's greatest ski resorts, Seefeld is a beautiful Alpine town with shopping, dining, and magnificent fresh air. After arriving by train, Angelica poured us a "fine Swarovski crystal plastic" glass of schnapps and jumped into four different carts for a traditional horse and buggy ride through an enchanting forest. After our buggy ride, we met up with Sergio who took us to Gasthof Hirschen hotel and restaurant owned by the Scholl family.  Here we entered the dining room and Peter Scholl gave us a lesson in how to make one of Austria's famous sweets, apple strudel.  Michael, Robyn, Anne, and Julie were our brave volunteers who peeled, cored, mixed, and kneaded their way to a wonde...

This morning we had to have our bags packed and outside our rooms by 7:30 a.m. so that they could be loaded onto the bus for our move to Innsbruck.  We said goodbye to the lovely town of Bern and began our journey.  At about the halfway point, we stopped in Liechtenstein, the smallest German-speaking country in the world and the only country to lie entirely within the Alps. We spent about an hour and a half on our own exploring this charming little country that is only 62 square miles!  With a population of 39,000 and having won 10 Olympic medals, Liechtenstein is officially the country with the most medals per capita in the world.  The country is governed by Prince Hans-Adam II, who has ruled since 1989. On August 15th, Liechtenstein's National Day, the Prince hosts an official state ceremony and celebration at his home, Vaduz Castle, inviting every citizen over the age of 18 to spend the day celebrating with the princely family. During our free time in Liechtenstei...

This morning we set out bright and early (well, for vacationers anyway) for Lucerne, the "Swiss Paradise on the Lake".  Martin gave us a wonderful walking orientation tour of Altstadt (Old Town)  which began with a stop at the Lion of Lucerne. Sculpted in the cliff of an old sandstone quarry  between 1820 and 1821 by Lukas Ahorn, it commemorates the hundreds of soldiers of the Swiss Guards regiment who died in 1792 in the service of the King of France, Louis XVI, when the revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris. From there we made our way through the side streets of this 800-year-old city taking in such sights as the famous Water Tower, which has served as a prison, watchtower and treasury; the Renaissance-style Town Hall; the baroque Jesuit Church, and much more.  The city is complimented with beautifully hand painted buildings and over 200 fountains.  Our tour concluded with a walk over the  Kapellbrücke (or  Chapel Bridge),  the o...

We set out this morning at 9:00 a.m. and jumped on the bus (the first time in a few days!) for the hour and a half drive to Habkern. Our bus driver Sergio expertly navigated the winding mountain roads, and tour manager Martin provided some wonderful information as we wound our way up to 3500 feet.  Even with the fog and drizzle, we took in some breathtaking scenery on our way to this charming town where the cows outnumber the residents 1000 to 630! Upon arriving in Habkern, we headed to an alphorn wood shop where Christian gave us some historical background on the village before leading us through the process of how the alphorn is made.  An alphorn is a wood reed instrument traditionally used by rural communities in the Alps. Originally made in one piece from the trunk of a tree, modern alphorns are made in three detachable sections for easier transport and handling. After we toured the workshop, Christian gave us the opportunity to give it a try and we quickly realized we hav...