Road to Rome Venice

We left fairly early the next morning for the drive to Venice.  

Within 30 minutes of leaving Austria we were in Italy and surrounded by the Dolomites.  Italy's dramaticic towering light grey rugged mountains. The scenery we passed was spectacular.

Along the way we stopped in a tiny village to sample the local wine, Prosecco.  We visited a wine maker and his family who don’t speak any English.  

Fortunately our tour leader is fluent in French and Italian so he translated for us.  We had a tasting of their wine and they gave us a light lunch of cheese, salami, bread and focaccia.  It was delicious. 

After our lunch they took us to see the vines.  

We were there about an hour or so and then back into the bus for the drive into Venice.

The bus parked near the water and we transferred to a boat for a 30 minute trip to our hotel which is located right in the middle of Venice.  The boat arrived right in front of the hotel.  The hotel is called Hotel Gabriella and is a few minutes walk to St Marks square.

Our room is located on the 5^th floor with a balcony that has views of the water and St Marks Square and all the rooftops of Venice.  Very beautiful.

View from our balcony

Road to Rome Lucerne to Innsbruck

On our way to Innsbruck we visited the tiny country of Liechtenstein.  It isnt the smallest country in the world, that honour goes to Vatican City.  It ranks as the 6th smallest country in the world. Liechtenstein is landlocked between Switzerland and Austria.  We visited the capital Veduz which consists of one main street and a couple of side streets.  we saw it all in less than an hour.                                                                                                                     

After our visit to Liechtenstein we drove to  Innsbruck in Austria.  The scenery along the way was fabulous.  As we drove through Switzerland we passed small villages with traditional houses with flower boxes and cows with bells grazing on the grass.

As we arrived in Innsbruck it began to rain heavily.  Our hotel was right on the edge of the old town so when it eased off a bit we set off with umbrellas for a walk around the town. 

The beautiful medieval town centre is surrounded by majestic Alps.

One of the main attractions in town is the Swarovski crystal shop.  The biggest shop in the whole of Europe.

After our walk we set off by bus to a local restaurant for dinner and a show.  Our meal was traditional Austrian food, schnitzel with potato salad and for dessert we had apple strudel. 

After the meal we went into a larger room with a stage for the traditional folklore show.  It was very entertaining, very professional.  There was a lady yodelling, another lady playing tunes with cow bells, men in leiderhousen and a band.  It was excellent.  The troupe apparently take their show all around the world.

Mt Stanserhorn and Cabrio Cable car and funicular rail

Prior to visiting Oolio at her farm in the moutains we visited Mount Stanserhorn.

A very new attraction is the open top cable car to take you to the top of the 1900 metre moutain.  The journey begins with a funicular rail journey to Kalti.  This funicular is the longest of its kind in the world.

In Kalti you change to the new open top cable car.  I didnt go, but Colin rode the cable car to the top of the mountain.  There are two levels to cable car one indoor level and the open top deck which provides fabulous 360 degree views.  It takes 6 minutes for the cable car to reach the summit and it holds 60 people. 

While Colin was doing this I explored the town of Stans.

A wide view unfolds at the top. You can see the Pilatus and Lake Lucerne in the north, and the Bernese Alps in the south. There is a 30 minute walking path on the summit, but the Stanserhorn is also the starting point for much longer hikes into the valley. Also there's a small mountain marmot zoo where you can watch the animals up close.

Road to Rome Engelsberg Switzerland

We visited a small farm in Engelsberg high up in the mountains.  Oolio and her family run a farm with horses and cows and they make cheese from the cows milk.

Oolio invited us into her home and she had cooked some Swiss specialities for us.  She made a cheese pie and a potato rosti and we sampled the various cheeses they make.  There was also some local wine to go with it.  All very delicious.

Afterwards we went for a horse and carriage ride through the village for about an hour.  Oolio's son was the carriage driver and the horses belong to Oolio.

Road to rome Lucerne

Many have heard of the incredible statue of the Lion of Lucerne but few know of the stories behind the monument and what it stands for.

The beautiful sculpture of the lion  was built in 1820 by Lucas Ahorn and  Bertel Thorvaldsen.

It was meant to commemorate the deaths of the Swiss Guard that died during the French Revolution. The monument features a dying lion pierced by a spear while under it is shield with a symbol of the French monarchy and beside it is a shield with the symbol of the Swiss coat of arms.

However, what many people do not know is that the lion is placed within a small alcove which has the shape of a pig. This was done by the sculptor due to not being paid for his work. The creator of this incredible piece had a deep respect for the soldiers who died thus he did not want to damage the monument itself but still want to leave a message for the unfairness of his situation.

From these photos the shape of the pig is quite visable.  Whether the story is true or not I dont know but it definately looks like a pig.

Road to Rome Lucerne

Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke) is: a 200 m long covered wooden bridge in the city center, with 111 paintings in the inside. Attached is the Water Tower, which dates back to about 1300.  We walked over the bridge to the Old Town and then returned to the new part of town on one of two metal foot bridges further along.

My favourite of course is the wooden bridge but it's fun to cross all of the bridges.

Road to Rome Lucerne

Leaving the bright lights and hectic city life of Paris behind we headed off in our coach to Lucerne Switzerland.

we arrived in Lucerne late in the afternoon and after checking into our hotel we went on a leisurely boat cruise on the lake taking in the spectacular views of the surrounding snow capped mountains and the crystal clear waters of the lake.

Our relaxing cruise lasted for an hour and half.

Lucerne is a compact city surrounded by towering snow capped mountains.  There is a 13th century bridge linking the new town with the picturesque old town.