DAY 8
Saturday 28th June 2008 7.30am Engelberg
“L'oggi è un bello giorno!” It is clear, blue and sunny and difficult to capture in a photo. We are in the bus leaving Engelberg for Innsbruck. The sun is peaking through the mountains lighting the grey stone cliffs and dark green forests. It is chilly in the shadows. This morning we are sitting in the front seat behind Deborah as our seat rotations continue, so we have a full view forward of the road as it winds down towards Lucerne.
Is Australia the only country in the world where it is illegal to not wear a bike helmet? The notion that we Australians are an easy-going people is a myth.
This is the fifth day with this tour and we now know this group fairly well. There are a group of six older Italians from Melbourne who are really lovely and they talk to everyone and are so kind and caring. There is Hayley from New Zealand who is travelling alone. She is quiet and friendly girl in her early twenties who will talk non-stop if you get her talking. She is lovely and reminds me a little of Danielle. Maxine and her grandson David are from Ohio. Older Don with a walking stick and his wife Lyn were dairy farmers in New Zealand. Tin and Michael are the newly-weds from The Philippines. Sharon and Ian and Steve and Denise are from Brisbane. Croatian Australian Dane and his wife Connie are from Sydney. There are a strange group of five from South Africa who are a bit radical. And there is tall Phil and his wife Chris from Woolongong. We sit near them on the bus and they whined so much on the first day that we have chosen to avoid them ever since. Trevor and Jacqui are from Seabrook near Altona and we pal up with them a lot. Jacqui is originally from Scotland and has a bit of an accent. There is a family of four from Williamstown. The parents Cathy and Joe are originally from Italy and they have two teenage daughters with them Laura and Stephanie. There are two other teenagers named Daniel and Cassie. Daniel is travelling with his mother and aunt. There is a quiet mother Gloria and her daughter Simone travelling together. Gloria is from Batemans Bay and Simone lives in Sydney. Altogether there are 46 of us plus the driver Eduardo and the tour director Deborah.
28/6/08 8.30am
This road we are on now is winding its way amongst green rolling hills, pastures for cattle, chalet shaped farmhouses all with neat vegetable gardens and tidy modern villages. The Swiss flag is often draped from windows and colourful flower boxes adorn the towns – even on road signs. Every now and then we pass through a thick stand of forest trees where dappled light tries to penetrate the darkness.
We passed by the lake of Zurich which is another beautiful sight. Zurich is at the end of the lake and we bypass without a glimpse. The Alps can be seen towering in the background with snow with dotted about. Every now and then we pass through a long underground tunnel. There are no fumes so they must be well ventilated. The trucks pose no problems on the motorways as they seem to stay in the slower lanes and let the cars pass by in the fast lane. The tunnels are narrow and yet the speed limit is still 100 km/hr. We are following this valley towards the small country of Liechtenstein which was formed in 1719. It is a principality of just 62 square miles and has a population of 33,000. There is a ruling prince who lives in a castle overlooking the capital city of Vaduz. We cross the Rhine River for the last time.
28/6/08 10.32am Liechtenstein
Our morning stop was in Liechtenstein. We wandered around the main square. It was very neat and new looking. On the cliffs above the royal family’s castle is situated. We tried to spend our remaining Swiss Francs and bought a bookmark souvenir, two coffees, a packet of bandaids, and two passport stamps of Liechtenstein. The man in the shop where we bought the coffees could tell we were Australians even before we had opened our mouths to speak. We talked to him about the football final tomorrow night between Spain and Germany. The main square was being set up with a huge TV screen and food and drink stands.
We will soon cross the border into Austria.
28/6/08 10.54am Austrian border
We have been held up temporarily at the Austrian border. For some reason the officials have decided they want to see everyone’s passport and not just the numbered list provided by Deborah. While we sit here we can see luxury sports cars crossing the border freely in both directions.
28/6/08 4.11pm Innsbruck
We were taken to an old rococo style church on the outskirts of Innsbruck just across from the new super architecturally designed Olympic ski jump. The church interior was beautiful with giant frescoes and marble columns. In Innsbruck we unload at the Hotel Graur Baer (Grey Bear), then immediately we walk into the old town filled with inviting cafes. It is hot and walking around the street soon saps our energy. I bought some black sandals hoping they will be comfortable for walking around Venice. We walked to the river which is another rushing torrent. Then we succumbed to a seat under an umbrella and had a huge glass of cold beer.
Now we have checked into our room and it is a very stylish and modernly decorated room in a very old building. We will just have a quick refresh before we leave for a horse and carriage ride before dinner.
28/6/08 10.20pm Innsbruck
Another beautiful day full of divine moments. The bus took us up the hill to a neighbouring farm village called Rinn where two horse drawn carts met us. We all hopped aboard then enjoyed the slow moving tour of the town. Some of the houses date back to the 15th century. We stopped at a very old farmhouse and were given a sample of Schnapps. The carts took us through Hansel and Gretel forests before delivering us to a very nice and stylish restaurant in the middle of nowhere. A huge marquee was set up in the field next door and we could see hundred of tables set up for a huge dinner event. Later, dozens of well-dressed young people arrived in buses. Meanwhile we enjoyed a leisurely typical Austrian dinner sitting outside under umbrellas. We began with a tasty broth with a shredded pancake floating on top. The main course was Schnitzel with fries and salad. Dessert was apple strudel with cream. It sounds ordinary but I have never eaten such a perfect apple strudel and the schnitzel and fries were delicious.
Back on the bus we cruised back down the green hillside towards Innsbruck as the sun disappeared behind the sheltering mountain range. Our tour guide put on some laidback music and I experienced another moment of perfect bliss to “The first time ever I saw your face.” Still light at 9pm we wandered back into the old section of Innsbruck for another drink. Jacqui and Trevor came along. We sat at the T-intersection of the square near the “golden roof” and watched the people walk by. I had an Irish coffee, Michael had grappa and red wine and Jacqui and Trevor had white wine. Other in our group wandered about too enjoying the balmy night air.
Now we are in bed ready for another nights sleep before a trip to Venice and another very busy day ahead with gondolas and serenades.
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