Switzerland, Austria, and Germany Day Five

Switzerland, Austria, and Germany Day Five - 11/9/26

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 Liechtenstein, Kara took a stroll to find Alte Rheinbrücke (Old Rhine Bridge), the last surviving wooden bridge crossing the Rhine.

After our stop, we continued on towards Austria, arriving at Hotel Innsbruck (spoiler alert...it is stunning!) around 4:00 p.m. Martin gave the group a walking orientation tour of this amazing town before we all set off on our own for dinner. One surprise bonus is that they are currently setting up for the Christmas Markets, so we have a sneak peek. They officially open in a little over a week.

Stay tuned for tomorrow when we will venture to the Alpine village of Seefield for a horse and carriage ride followed by a visit to a farm to learn the art of making apple strudel!

Comments

Cordoba

First our morning started with an alarm - or a lack of one; as Mary Jane and Pat's room never received a wakeup call. So everyone else was on the bus ready to go when they finally got a knock on the door. What troopers they were, though! In 15 minutes they were on the bus with everyone and not long after they were able to laugh at the 'chaos' of it all. Our local guide Isabel was just delightful - and clearly has a love for her city. She tells us that filmmaker Pedro Almodovar is from here as we begin our walk. First we go through the old Jewish center. Nearly all of the city's buildings are white-washed (originally by the women we hear). We stop at an old Jewish synagogue and learn some history of the area. Then we stop at the statue of a famous rabbi ( can you name him ?) which legend is that by rubbing his foot and then touching your own head you will get taller and wiser. most of us did that - some hoping for extra height, others for a...

2011: Day 4 - Vienna

Another great day! We had a 6am wake up call - but it paid off! Our tour director, Robert, secured the first reservations of the day at Shronbrunn Palace - which meant we were the only guests in the Palace for the most part. We went room to room with our own local guide, Gabi, for a nearly private tour! A one-of-a-kind experience for sure. The Palace and Gardens were beautiful. 1,441 rooms and acres and acres of grounds. We learned about Mary Theresa (and all of her 16 children). This was the summer palace for the Hapsburg dynasty. We then switched gears and went to see modern art at KunstHausWien - what a creative artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser was. And a man who epitomized eco-friendly living and work. A very different experience after our tour of the Palace. Next was a driving tour of some of the city's monuments, etc. with a stop for lunch along the way. We ended with a walking tour to additional historic spots and a tour of the downtown palace - the winter residence of the...

Seville Tour II

Following our stop at Plaza Espana in Seville we headed out on foot through the Santa Cruz area and then made our way to the Seville Cathedral . Its Main Mosque and minaret were built using bricks from 1184-1198. In 1248 the building was consecrated as Catholic with construction from 1434-1517 on the Gothic Cathedral. It is the most extensive Gothic cathedral all over the world. It houses the Tomb of Christopher Columbus. Following the guided tour some of us made our way up the 36 ramps to the top of the tower to see panoramic views of this great city!

Stonehill College Alumni Travel

Search This Blog