Spring Break Pics

Saltmine tour in Hallein, Austria.

Spring Break Pics

Spring Break Pics

Spring Break Pics

Spring Break Pics

Spring Break 2010

We just finished our Spring Break 2010 trip of touring Germany and Austria. We started off in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. This is a medieval, walled city that was founded in 1170. We stayed in a quaint hotel a stones throw from the square and enjoyed walking through the town as well as on the stone wall that surrounded it. We enjoyed a little bit of shopping, enough for me to find the perfect Hummel. The next day we drove down through Fussen to the Neuschwanstein Castle. This castle was the inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle. It was started in 1869 and they stopped building (unfinished due to King Ludwig's death) in 1892. Then we drove to Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany. We ate dinner in a Bavarian restaurant and enjoyed the sights of the Alps every where we looked. The 1936 Winter Olympic games were held here. The next morning after breakfast we finally arrived in Salzburg, Austria (the original reason for this trip). We spent two nights in Salzburg. The first day we did a lot of exploring and found a great playground for the kids near the Mirabell Gardens. The next day we went on a 4 hour Sound of Music Bus tour. This took us to many places where scenes were shot as well as sights of the mountains and lakes surrounding Salzburg. One of our stops, which included the church where the wedding scene took place, we took a break and had some wonderful apple strudel with warm vanilla sauce and vanilla ice cream. The next morning we left Salzburg and drove a half an hour south to Hallein for a salt mine tour. These mines are among the oldest mines in the world. The tour included a "train" ride deep into the Durrnburg Mountain, walking through the tunnels, sliding down deeper into the mines, a boat ride across a brine lake, then taking the "train" back out again. The kids loved it! After the salt mine tour, we headed out of Austria to Nuremberg, Germany. We walked through the town and ate dinner at a place on the square. By this time we were all exhausted. So after breakfast the next morning, we headed home.

We took many pictures so hopefully the kids will remember this trip. It was a lot of walking and sight seeing, but we tried to mix in some fun too for the kids. I am ready for our next vacation to be a relaxing one on a beach!