Eisriesenwelt Ice Caves, Austria

The main reason for our stop in Salzburg was to see the Eisriesenwelt ice caves. We got up early and took the train to Werfen, Austria. The train ride was in a valley surrounded by big fields with white top mountains in the background. The little village is very colorful and peaceful. We took a mini bus from the station to the ticket office, 5 km uphill. We then had to do a steep twenty minutes walk to get to the cable car that took us closer to the cave entrance. There was another twenty minutes steep walk to get to the entrance. A good work-out well worth it but not over. The tour consist of a 1 km deep visit in the caves that are 40 km long. It is again a workout as you go up and down around 1400 stairs in the ice caves . The caves are beautiful with the ice formations inside that the guide illuminates from behind for the visitors. Unfortunately, pictures are forbidden inside the caves during the tour so we borrowed one from their website as an example. It is magical and a must see in Austria.

 

Werfen Castle, Austria

Werfen, Austria

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, Austria

Inside the caves. This is a picture from them as you are not allowed to use your camera inside the caves.

Train from Venice, Italy to Füssen, Germany and Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

After a fairly long train day we arrived in Füssen. The train journey was really scenic, the real Bavaria. On the next morning we walked the 5.8 km to the castles. We climbed up to Hohenschwangau Castle where Ludwig II was born. He had the Neuschwanstein Castle built in 1880s and the castle reflects his obsession with Wagner operas and swans. It was unfortunately never finished as the King died in suspicious circumstances. He only lived in the castle for less than a year. We had a guided tour of the castle which allowed us to see the extend of King Ludwig II's passion. The scenery was very beautiful in and around Füssen. We enjoyed the small stress free village.

 

 

Venice, Italy

We got up to take the train to Venice. The train ride getting from Verona to Venice was very scenic, especially when entering Venice via the bridge. When we got out of the station, we found the Hotel Guerrini very easily. We checked in and went for a walk in the little streets of Venice. There are many bridges that go across the canals. There is also a lot of boat traffic and tourists. It is very nice and relaxing to be in a car-free city. It was very funny to see water taxis, water buses, water ambulances, water polices etc.


The next day, we visited beautiful Venice all day, getting lost in the small streets. We had a look at the big Piazza S Marco, and walked along the Canal Grande for a little while. We came back to the hotel for a late lunch, early supper, before going out again to get some gelato. Venice is a popular tourist destination and there is a good reason for this; it is simply magnifico! It has so much character. It is worth visiting.