Does 60 into 4 go?

Well, 60 is certainly divisible by 4, but I am wondering this morning when we get up, whether we can get our total luggage allowance of 60 kgs into 4 bags - 2 large suitcases, one on-board size suitcase and one packpack. We seem to have accumulated far more 'stuff' than we left with!

We have gathered a bit of other currency too and I will need to put this somewhere safe to exchange when we get back to Sydney. Better be careful though, last time I put something somewhere safe, I lost my little purse that I bought last time we were in Switzerland in 2006! Found it this morning! No point in exchanging the money here though as you lose on the double exchange between currencies (initially to pounds and then to Aussie $). In hand we have:
- 196 Chinese Yuan Renminbi
- 150 Czech Republic Koruny
- 120 Polish Zlotych
- 300 Croatian Kuna
- 650 British Pounds
Plus god knows how much more in loose change - that little bag is surely heavy! We will change the notes and the coinage can go to the airline's UNICEF collection bag when we complete our flights. Trouble is, that all the currency that we are changing does not really amount to a great deal!

We are packing one suitcase with the mid-season and winter clothes we have been wearing and also putting other things we won't need immediately in this one. The other ones will have the 'summer' clothes that we will need when we land in Sydney. And then is our bright little small carry on size suitcase that I bought to take to Paris when I met Helen, we will put a change of clothes (hmm memories of being in Atlanta, USA with none of our baggage and no 'smalls') and precious elements such as the cameras and my jewellery. We also have the laptop (my precious!) and a backpack with books etc. Gosh!

And I have just uploaded the last of the photos on to the external hard drive and on to DVDs - so I know exactly how many photos we took! In fact, there are a whole heap of statistics that are interesting:
- 21 countries (Britain, France, Belgium, Germany, United States, Spain, Portugal, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Vatican City, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, The Netherlands)
- 54,917.25 kilometres driven (doesn't include the side trip to the USA)
- 79,050 photos taken!
- countless new friends

Now, hows THAT for some numbers!

There was one last dinner to be had at the Premier Inn. And while the menu was the same there were still choices that we could try for the first time. This time it was
Entrees:
Drunken duck Pate - smooth pate enriched with sweet wine, truffles and Bramley apple jelly served with toasted rustic ciabatta and spiced onion marmalade (Michael)
Crispy seeded chicken strips served with Mandarin chili sauce (Maria)
Mains:
Smothered chicken - grilled chicken breast topped with crisp bacon, Cheddar and mozarella cheeses served with chips and seasonal vegetables and hickory sauce (Michael)
Rump Steak served with chips, garden peas, sauteed mushrooms and grilled fresh tomato(Maria)

We had goodbye calls to Steph and Felix and to Anna today which was lovely and we have phoned the mums to confirm our departure tomorrow. We are not phoning every Tom, Dick and Harry. Its time to go quietly!
So everything is finally in the bags - but we still have to get them on the scales and on to the plane though! We suspect we are somewhat over the weight allowance!!

The colours of Florence

We all had a terrible night's sleep last night. Helen mainly because the voices in her head (reminding her of everything she must do to ensure she and her luggage gets home safely) would not shut up - bit much to ask really given that she herself is a Queen of the Gift of the Gab! Michael and I didn't sleep because our bed was the worst we have had on this trip. It kind of had two spoon shaped depressions with busted springs and a hard ridge between. Between that and keeping an eye on the alarm clock to make sure that we did not sleep in, there was not much sleep at all in the room.

Breakfast however was great - if, as Hels remarked, you felt like eating! Think she is a little excited to be going home - she has missed Greg and the girls no matter how much of a brave face she put on. Don't get me wrong, I think she has loved the holiday, but without those you love to share it with, it's a poor second!

We could have had a range of cereals including Coco Pops which you don't see very often here, cold meats and cheeses, rolls, croissants and cakes. Fresh fruit and juices. And completed with very nice coffee. We finish and return to our room to finalise our packing.

On the road in good time. We leave the Hotel Stella Mary with its lovely big room just after 9 am to walk around to the garage where the car is parked about 3 blocks away. With Helen's luggage now totalling 2 suitcases, we all haul one each over the cobbled streets (<groan> how I hate cobbled streets). The fellow we saw here last night is not working and the man in charge speaks no English. He seems to take his time and I am about to tell him to hurry (aerporto and point to my watch!) when he finally comes down the drive with our car. I wonder how they feel about the right hand drive?

Kate does not have the Florence Airport in her databank by name - how odd. But we checked with the hotel staff last night and they tell us it is Aeroporto Amerigo Vespucci. Kate however, and the Airports of the World have it listed as Peretola Airport! Go figure. All the road signs are for Vespussi too. Go figure again! Anyway, the hotel staff marked our map with the location so Helen gave me a street nearby as a starting point. We are all a little concerned however when she directs us away from what I think is the logical direction (and the road signed direction). Never fear however, Kate is on the ball. I had asked her for the fastest route and she obviously knows that the motorway is very busy on a weekday morning. We link back with the motorway about 2 kms from the Airport and despite the hotel staff telling us to allow an hour, it has taken less than half an hour! Go Kate!!

So we are there in plenty of time to get Helen all sorted. Initially we make our way upstairs to the Al Italia desk only for her to be told she is in the wrong place. I am sure that her heart is in her mouth, when the airline clerk continues that she needs to check in at the Air France desk downstairs - whew. They however don't open for another half hour. Oh well, nothing to it, we just have to wait, frustratingly.

Finally Hels is all booked through and sans much of her luggage. She has opted to take all her gifts with her in a new small suitcase. She is pretty sick of wearing the same clothes over and over during the past five weeks, and I get the feeling that if they go missing, it wouldn't be the end of the world - unlike what would happen if the pressies she has bought the girls go astray! That plus her neck pillow, a jacket and a couple of books will keep her hands full. She has to run a marathon to get home: Florence to Paris, Paris to Copenhagen, Copenhagen to Bangkok, Bangkok to Sydney, Sydney to Brisbane where Greg and the girls will give her a very warm welcome on Thursday morning. Whew. Methinks she will be very tired and sick of planes well before she gets to Brissy.

One last shared coffee, hugs and kisses and a few tears and we are waving her off through to the gates. Michael and I go back to the car. It seems so empty all of a sudden.

We turn back for Florence, having decided to stay another 2 nights. We are changing hotels though and will be a little further out. But first there are two bus tickets that we need to finish using. We take the car up to the Piazzale di Michelangelo as we noticed plenty of parking when we were here yesterday. It was created as part of major restructuring of the city walls, the terrace is typically 19th century. Giuseppe Poggi also designed a monument base dedicated to Michelangelo. The monument itself was to be composed of copies of Michelangelo's works, including a bronze copy of the famous statue of David and the Medici chapel sculptures from San Lorenzo. Renowned for its panoramic views of Florence and the Arno valley, this terrace is popular spot with locals and tourists. And today is no different - there are at least three Japanese weddings taking place here today - complete with over the top photographic choreography! Who can blame them? The views are simply stupendous.

We get a few more photos ourselves while we wait for the bus to arrive. We also buy a small watercolour from an artist who is busily sketching away. She shows us a huge array of her works - all scenes of Florence skylines, or of Tuscan landscapes. She sure knows what appeals. They are simple and neat and she has a great flair for capturing the perspective accurately. I wanted a trio of miniatures with examples of both, but she groups them as one or the other. Eventually I settle on one that shows the city skyline - it is so memorable and ever so stunning. I can see why it is one of Italy's top ten tourist drawcards up here looking down on all the domes. It is stunning to see the shades of red from up here, high above the city with the quieter yellows and whites beneath these perky caps.

Our first thought was to go and have a look at the Pont Vecchio first, but given that it is on the inner city bus tour, we decide to first go and have a look at the Duomo as that stop is before the Pont. And there went the plans. We spend the rest of the afternoon at the Duomo where Michael climbs firstly the Bell Tower's 414 steps and then realises that you can also climb the dome of the Cathedral - 308 to the first tier and a further 155 to the top of the dome (which the ticket seller didn't tell him!) So his calf muscles are shagged tonight!

This Cathedral is the 4th largest in the world. The space is huge and open and the seating that is used during services has been removed. leaving only some pews around the outer walls. Why?, do I hear you ask? Well, the floors in this church are the most amazing we have seen yet. Beautiful inlaid and mosaic marble floors, they lie testament to the remarkable skills of the local stoneworkers. And while they are fascinating, there is more. The whole of the exterior of this cathedral is a mosaic of candy cane coloured marble giving this building it's famous facade.

Once we have finally had our fill of the Cathedral, we say goodbye to Kath and Frank from New Jersey in the US, to whom we had been chatting. They are off to Rome for three days tomorrow - have a great time guys! We have spent so long in the Duomo that our tickets are will expire in the next half hour meaning that we dont have time to go around to Ponte Vecchio tonight. So we walk across the inner city to the closest stop where we can pick up the bus on the other route to return to the car up on the Piazzale di Michelangelo.

We are changing hotels and so set out for the Vivahotel Fleming Novoli on the other side of the city from where we were previously. Funnily enough it is really close to the airport! Again we are caught in a web of one way streets, at one time turning right where we should not, only to have a local gesticulate madly as he is driving towards us! As soon as he realises we are tourists - because I as the driver am on the other side of the car, he becomes more helpful straight away and points to the street we should use.

So we book in for an early night. The hotel advertises a limited restaurant both on the Booking.com website and in their in-room compendiums, so we are not impressed when the surly young girl at Reception tells us that the don't have one. Michael goes for a walk, only to return to say that there is no real options for dinner anywhere around here. So it is doner kebab takeaways. Not bad actually, just not what we expected! And then to bed.

Lets start . . . and finish at the top!

Prenote:
There were a number of complaints about the school students last night and after the Reception Staff explain that the teacher had been told a number of times to quieten them by the night porter to no avail, I offer them some advice and even offer to take care of the problem if it arises again tonight! If I have to, I'll chase the bloody little blighters myself!

Now, Lets start at the very beginning - it's a very good place to start!
Yes you guessed it - I am on the Sound of Music tour today! AND I AM EXCITED. Michael has opted not to come on the tour and will go to the Festung Hohensalzburg instead.

I am up early (6 am) to get the tickets and get the last one in the book. It leaves here at 8:30 am with the accommodation pickup around to the tour departure point. There are a total of eight of us going from here and four others doing other tours. We are picked up in two small mini-buses and driven to the starting point at the Mirabell Gardens. They are wonderful baroque style gardens that featured a number of times in the movie including the dancing Do-Re-Mi scene. (Later, Gunther tells us that locally it is called Do a Deer, Bring me a Beer!) I nearly have a heart attack when I realize that the memory card for Michael's camera that I have today is back at the hostel and the in-camera memory is all of about 16 Mb. Never fear, Michael realised that I did not have it and catches the second mini-bus driver in time to get it to me before we set off. Whew. A day like today without a camera would be a tragedy (well for me, of course!)

And so we are off. Our guide Gunther is dressed in his part in his lederhosen, jacket and perky little hat! He is a right character and turns out to be one of the day's highlights. The coach is not quite full, but almost. Don't find any other Australians on it but there are five Auckland New Zealand girls who are having the holiday of their lives - a couple have been working in Europe and are about to return home. They are posing in front of the bus and are setting us up for a blast! Just the sort of company I need for today - and Meredith and Hels, THEY ARE SINGERS, just as I - so we plan to make sure our voices are collectively heard today! Left to right they are Becky, Sarah, Nicola, Kathy and Amelia.

So we are on the bus and headed for an intensive visit touring all the main sites that were used in the movie. This is as good a time as any to give you a bit of a history of the time line that surrounded the making of the movie that we all know. Based on a true story, Baron Von Trapp lost his first wife to scarlet fever but not until she had borne him seven children. The retired submarine captain (who in real life DID run his house on whistle calls) realised that he needed a nanny for his children and approached the Abbess at the Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg who sent one of the novices to help out. (And Nonnbery Abbey was where the real wedding between the Baron and Maria took place.) Enter stage right, young Maria Kutschera, a trained teacher and 25 years the Barons junior. We all know the story from here. Once they had fled Salzburg into Italy (not Switzerland) they went to America. After the Baron's death, Maria (who had 3 children of her own to the Baron) wrote ‘The Story of the Trapp Family Singers' which was made into two German films. The book was later adapted into a stage musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein and only after this was the movie made.

And then the tourist trade began for Salzburg - all the Americans wanted to see where the movie was filmed. And the tour company we are with today is the one whose bus Maria steps off in the movie! They have been operating these Sound of Music Tours every day since 1965! Our first stop was at Schloss Hellbrunn where today you can find the Gazebo where Leisl and Rolf sing 'I am 16 going on 17'. It had been moved here from the original setting at the Schloss Leopoldskron due to public interest in it. This Palace was the setting for all the internal shots during the movie and today is open to the public just once a year for 5 hours! And thousands and thousands of people queue. And the Gazebo is kept locked now as there were too many accidents with people trying to emmulate the bench hopping act of the movie!

And so, to Schloss Leopoldskron and the lake where the children fell from the boat. At this point, my camera batteries are flat with the spares back in the bus - darn, but you can see pics of the palace on the link above. There were ducks and their ducklings swimming about on the lake today. And every time we get back in the bus, on goes the appropriate song and we sing to our heart's content! As we drive, we can see the alpine meadow in the low peaks where the opening scene with Maria singing 'The Sound of Music' was filmed. It has as a backdrop the Goldberg Mountains, some of the prettiest mountain scenery in Austria and Germany. (Sorry, the photo was taken with the lesser camera through the bus window).

From here we head into the mountains through Lake Fuschl and St Gilgen, situated on the beautiful Lake Wolfgang, where Mozart's mother was born. Gunther has a special surprise for us - the opportunity to go on a summer tobbogan ride! Most of the group do go, but a couple of the others and I sit it out - god knows whatwould happen if I were to come off. Looked a lot of fun though! You are hauled backwards up the slope attached to a pulley and then at the top you change track and come down a winding slope.

Back on the bus, we continue around to our final destination - the lakeside town of Mondsee. The former Abbey Church of Saint Michael in Mondsee was the film setting for the Baron and Maria's wedding. It is stunningly beautiful. Quite light inside but all the altars are in black marble with gilded wreathing wrapping them and golden robed figures. The setting is reminiscent of many of the lovely green mountain lakes we have seen in Switzerland. Gunther explains that it is dissolved limestone in the water (the mountains are primarily limestone and sandstone here) that gives the water this colour. And so, still singing we set a track for our return to Salzburg.

Now, you realise that I could go on and on and on about this, but there are more stories to be told about today, so now I will hand you over to Michael and he can tell you about where he went this morning. And then we can share with you where we both ended UP this afternoon!

"If you want peace, then arm yourself for war" - Emperor Heinrich IV
While Maria was enjoying a morning of 'The Sound Of Music' tour, I ventured to explore Austria's most visited fortress: Hohensalzburg Castle. I have found it very difficult to view European castles with the same enthusiasm compared with those we have seen throughout the UK; particularly castle ruins. However, where Hohensalzburg Castle is concerned, this edifice would be the exception.

Now, there are two means of entering the fortress - the furnicular or the stairs. Signs advise the stairs will take approximately 20-30 minutes; the furnicular had taken one minute to reach the summit! It's quite a ride I can assure you.... I opted for the latter, as I only had four hours before I would need to rendezvous with Maria at 13:30. The morning was cloudless and the warmth in the air certainly heralded a hot day; and with glorious weather like today is a prediction for.... crowds. So, I completed some laundry and armed myself with camera, hat, sunscreen and made my way towards the old city.

I thoroughly enjoy walking through the narrow streets of old cities and Salzburg is no exception. Small cafes and shops have opened for business, which are being vigorously patronised by locals and tourists alike. I eventually arrive at the town square, Kapitel Platz, which I cross and walk up the steep incline of Fetsungsgasse where entry to the funicular is situated. Festungsgasse is a narrow cobblestone street packed with humanity who are of similar ilk - gaining entry into Hohensalzburg Castle!

Parting with €10.50, I joined the waiting throng to ride the funicular which will carry a miximum of 48 passengers. Yes, 48 passengers exactly, for above the turnstiled entry is an electronic counter displaying the number of bodies passing through the turnstiles. When the magic number 48 is displayed, a red light flashes whereby the turnstiles freeze. Well, it certainly stops those passengers who are over eager in forcing their way through!

Reaching the castle I seek out the Tourist shop and purchase a guide for the complex. It's then when I open the booklet and survey the map, the full expanse of the castle is made apparent. Where to start? Fortunately the guide has set out a suggested route which I had found most helpful. The first impression I got was the panoramic view over the city of Salzburg and the unique and defensive position of the complex.

Construction of the fortress commenced in 1077 by the Archbishop of Salzburg, Gebhard von Helfenstein, who had sided with Pope Gregory VII, and feared reprisals from Emperor Heinrich IV. Now, Henry had a falling out with the Pope over investiture rights, and to prevent a threat of excommunication he undertook a penitential pilgrimage to Canossa, Italy. So, Gebhard built a modest tower surrounded by a wooden wall which was more of a sanctuary than a fortress. However, over the following 600 years the modest tower had developed and expanded into the "Citadel of the Salzburg Archbishopric" which survives today.

Mind you, during those 600 years the two Archbishops who were most instrumental in major building phases of the complex were: Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach (1495-1519) and Archbishop Paris Lodron (1619-1646). Both of these contributions established the Castle as a mighty unconquerable bastion and nucleus of power.

Even today the complex is as impossing now as it was during the turbulent history of the region. Its high defensive walls with towers topped by bastions for canon and the substantial interior walls have certified its longevity. Archeological digs have uncovered the existence of chapels which pre-date the existing structure. The complex system of water delivery and the construction of a water cistern and pumps attest to the siege mentality of those turbulent times.

Wandering through the citadels' streets, I just looked in awe at the architecture and realised this 'city' was built with purpose and not haphazardly. Above many doorways are medallions indicating the year construction was commenced on a particular section, which includes the name of the Archbishop involved. The regal rooms are garishly decorated, however, I could only marvel at the artistry effected by the original artisans. Museums within the Castle provide an in depth history ranging from its early days to Austria's involvement during World War 1.

I could continue to ramble on about the history of the Castle - but I won't. So, if you are interested I recommend you follow the link for further information.

I return to the Youth Hostel at 13:20, make myself comfortable at one of the outdoor tables and continue reading 'Sarum'. By 14:00 there is no sign of the returning tour buses conveying the 'The Sound of Music' retinue - no need for concern, as they obviously are having a good time. Still no sign of their return by 14:30... not a problem as 'Sarum' is entering its third Roman phase. Around 14:45 one of the Hostel staff disturbs my reverie and advises me Maria had phoned and asked me to rendezvous with her at the Untersbergbahn cable car at St Leonhard. Ok... I obtained directions which revealed my destination to be about 10kms outside of Salzburg.

I drive to St Leonhard and find Maria waiting at the cable car terminal - yes, and all smiles as the tour must have been worthwhile. We decide to take the ride up to summit of Untersberg Mountain. There are a number of passengers for the forward journey, and we all board for what would prove a most remarkable journey. Remarkable is the altitude the cable car condola is negotiating and the steepness of the ascent.
Some stats:
Peak = 1,766 m Cable car journey = 2,866 m
Av angle of journey = 52% Maximum angle of journey = 79%

The vista is just overwhelming and although there is a haze, the views towards the horizon is quite remarkable - and we're only half way! Upwards the cable car continues its climb and as the car almost reaches the summit we travel under a stantion and then there is a cry from some passengers as the car momentarily drops as though its just struck an air pocket? Here the car negotiates the steepest point of the ascent and the mountain face is just literally metres away! And then, as you cross the top, expecting to see the mountain continue to loom in your face, your cross a threshold to another sheer drop into a deep valley - WOW. One of the passengers was so alarmed by the experiencedthat she was going to walk back rather than face the 'drop' again!

We all survive the experience and our reward would have to be one of the best summit views we've yet encounted. I climb to the top of the crest with several other passengers, and receive a virtual 360 degree unrestricted panoramic view. However, we notice avid walkers striking forth on the various walking paths leading down towards what appears a lodge/restaurant and paths beyond. We also marvel at several of the walkers who arrive via the slopes. There was one fellow who appeared to be in his eighties but bearing a stride of person half his age! Should we all be so lucky?

Maria and I decide to have a late lunch (16:10), and as we are eating several other arrivals appear at the summit. Wait a munite, these blokes are carrying backpacks - bloody BIG backpacks. We wonder where in the hell are they going or more importantly...camp? It's not until we've finished our lunch and make our way to catch the next car down that we see one these fellows unfolding a parachute! This bloke is on one of the lower slopes as he's busy preparing the chute when we realise that this lot are going 'paragliding'.... we both agree to stick to the cable car!

The return journey is just as impressive which included the 'drop', which produced the desired effect. As we've both had a busy day, we decide to return to the Hostel for some relaxation.

Packing for home

OK OK don't get your knickers in a knot -
don't get too upset,
or too excited!

We are not coming home yet - just sending excess clothing and shoes and books and more tourist stuff home in readiness for Hel's (and maybe Donna's) arrival in September.

When we left Australia we had two suitcases full of clothing - we had packed the maximum because we knew we would have a car and that we would be here for all seasons. But really, we have brought too much. Sure, the winter was cold (but not freezing) and if you layer well, you don't need clothes such as driza-bones! So we now have a box packed to nearly bursting and about 14 kilos to send home by DHL. It should only cost us about €20 - €30 and probably wont take all that long. It will certainly beat us home.

We cooked a pork roast last night with all the trimmings and it certainly seemed to be appreciated (:->) Michael even made a Creme Caramel for dessert. And then after dinner I opened the bottle of Pastis Citron. Anyone who wants it has only got to come and take it! Neither Steph or Felix liked it at all, and me? Well, I wont buy another bottle - I'll just stick to the original.

This morning I was up early (8 am) so I could link up with James on Facebook because I had not spoken to him for so long. But Michael got the times wrong and so I sat waiting for him to appear for 2 hours! But it was worth it because when he did log on we messaged back and forth for the best part of an hour and then I persuaded him to load Skype so next time I can see and hear him as well! Makes a big difference. He has finished his studies and is now a qualified chef - GOOD ON HIM! He finishes on Long Island at the end of the month and will spend the next couple of months VFR (visiting friends and relatives in travel speak!) all over the country - first to Brisbane, then to Maryborough, then to Adelaide, then to Cairns and finally to Darwin. Hasn't decided what to do finally after that - I reckon he should come to Europe while he is young - lots of work and everyone seems to love Aussie workers!

Amanda and Antony are home in Maryborough for a couple of weeks after a holiday in the snow with Micah and Amanda (cousin and his wife). Amanda's brother is getting married next weekend. Gen is enjoying her precious time with Izabella who does little else but chatter chatter chatter and walk walk walk. She is growing up so quickly! Gen's hairdressing course at TAFE is going well too.

It is still raining and paints a bleak look for the day. After breakfast this morning we sat and chatted before leaving around 1 pm to go and visit Steph's cousin Ulli, her husband Andy and their twins Anneka and Mara. When I see the girls I am amazed at how much they have grown in just six short months. Steph on the other hand went to visit Mutti in the rehabilitation unit. Anja (Ulli's sister) came up to say hello too and it was lovely to catch up with them all. Anja, her husband Thomas and their boys Marius and Mario are going to north-east Germany at the end of the month for a motorhome holiday - and it will be about 3 weeks too early for our time there. Funny how things work out.

After spending a couple of hours with them, we decided to go and have a look at SchoWo - a local festival (Schorndorf Week). Hang on, where are the cameras???? At Steph and Felix's. So being the dumb Aussies we are, we drive the 20 odd kilometres back to get them and then drive back down to Schorndorf! And where do we get to park? No, not miles and miles away (she says with a grin) - in the main side street one block from the party! Yep, thats our car at the front of the photo.

The festival is really only getting in to swing when we get back at 5:45 pm. It reminds us a little of the Pub Crawl - everyone goes from tent to tent drinking beer. No really it is more than that - lots of food stalls, kids rides, restaraunts with special menus, a market, 'adventure' park, and a number of bands. And BEER. Including a one-metre beer - actually 10 glasses of beer in a timber holder.

There was one band where the singer was styling herself after Pink - and they were obviously a young persons band - very loud. And a few blocks away we find one much more to our decibel and musical liking - The Rock n' Roldies. All 60s and 70s music. They were great. And just like Rotary and Lions sell foods at the various events back home, the local sports clubs do the same here. So of course we support them! We get 'dinner' there - wurst and schnitzel rolls and frites (but I cant some at the lashings of mayonnaise they add) plus an apple juice for me and an alcohol free pilsner for Michael (that tasted terrible!) And because the rain persists and it is now only 15°C, we head for home a little after 8pm.

The road signs here continue to amaze us. Like the deers that jump 2.3 kms. What, oh, Michael thinks that means that we must watch out for them for the next 2.3 kms. Silly me ha ha ha!! And then there is this one that not only gives car and truck maximum speeds, but also tanks! Tanks? Here? Gee - we haven't seen any yet.

Tonight Michael has discovered Felix's DVD collection and is having a movie-a-thon! I on the other hand look for accommodation in Munich and for tours etc. Nice and quiet night. These couple of relaxing days are doing us wonders.

The Baker Street connection

Switzerland is a land of architectural contrasts - here in a rural town, we find a farmhouse that dates back to 1586 and just a little way further on, a brash, bright example of modern building that lends an almost festive air to the neighbourhood. And they co-exist quite happily.

I would have liked to travel a completely different route to the one we partly travelled yesterday as we need to double back a bit to today's destination - but there is no road over the mountains here, so we have no choice but to re-trace our 'steps' a bit. In deference to the fact that we had already seen the area, we will today take the shortest possible route and use the motorway! This ever so slightly different route does take us through Lungern on Lungernsee (Lungern Lake) - again demonstrating that amazing colour that is the alpine lakes. I will never get sick of looking at them!

We are en route to Mieringen, the neighbouring town to the Reichenbach Falls which was the spot that Arthur Conan Doyle chose for the setting of the final conflict between his famous character Sherlock Holmes and his arch enemy Professor John Moriarty. This came about after Doyle had visited Mieringen and subsequently the falls themselves. In The Final Problem (1891), Conan Doyle wrote of Reichenbach:

• It is, indeed, a fearful place. The torrent, swollen by the melting snow, plunges into a tremendous abyss, from which the spray rolls up like the smoke from a burning house. The shaft into which the river hurls itself is an immense chasm, lined by glistening coal-black rock, and narrowing into a creaming, boiling pit of incalculable depth, which brims over and shoots the stream onward over its jagged lip.

The Falls are reached either by a walk up the mountainside, or via a funicular railway. And when I tell you that the path of that railway is at an average grade of 60%, you will understand why we chose it, and not to walk! The actual trip up to the falls only takes about 10 minutes but that journey is spectacular! As you near the top, the first thing that you notice is how wet you are going to get. The rail stop is actually very close to the falls as they tumble on their second step down into the valley far below. This series of waterfalls have a total drop of 250m. At 90m, the Upper Reichenbach Falls is one of the highest cataracts in the Alps.

At the rail station at the head of the Falls they have a small gallery displaying items relevent such as the history of the falls and the rail system, the link to Arthur Conan Doyle and the annual projects of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London whose members make an annual pilgrimage. They then provide plastic rain ponchos so that you can stand outside in the mist of the falls to view the second and longest drop come plummeting over the rock ledge. At this point, the fall divides into two streams, with one bouncing off the rock face and the other tumbles down through a chute (hole) that over time it has worn in an adjoining rock. From the station, you can climb the remaining cliff area to the head of the falls, and so off Michael sets. The path is very steep consisting of a series of steps and gravel or earthern paths (and slippery as his bum discovered on the way back down!) While he is gone, I take the opportunity to have a good look at their exhibits.

And finally when Michael gets back down, he stands fall side in the cutout of Holmes, on which he places his very out-of-place Akubra for the obligatory photo. And on the trip back down, as in the trip up, I can't look down and sit backwards for the journey! I know, I know, I'm a wuss - but I have always had an issue with heights. Michael of course is on a big high!!

Today, Mieringen capitalises in every way possible with this link to the famous character - in fact a bit like Maryborough does to Mary Poppins! We see place names like Baker Street (courtesy of the City of Westminster), Conan Doyle Place, and the Das Hotel Sherlock Holmes with its Restaurant Sherlock and the Sherlock Alpenclub!

We are ready for something to eat now and head to a local cafe/restaurant for a pasta meal (Michael has Spinach Ravioli with sage butter sauce while I have tagiatelle with pesto and we share a green salad), but not before Michael first raises the issue of his disappearance with the local Sherlock Holmes bronze statue. In the main square in town a former church has been converted to the Sherlock Holmes Museum. Michael goes over for a look while I head to the local computer store that offers public internet access to upload the blog from yesterday and to find some accommodation in Bern for tomorrow night. When Michael gets back full of praise for the 'authentism' of the Holmes sitting room in the museum (and with a whole swag of photos to boot), he takes his turn on the PC to check his email. At this point, I sit in another chair and open the local tourism magazine. And there I find ...

Information on Aareschutal - The Aare Gorge. Now, I remember the Aare River from our visit to Bern in 2006. It is a particularly beautiful alpine river whose waters are a milky blue. The headwaters of the Aare pass through this accessible gorge just up the road from us. So even though it is later (5 pm), it is still as light as, so we head off to have a look. And if the draw to Mieringen was the link to Sherlock Holmes, even Michael agrees that the Gorge trumps all!

The Haslital, one of the large valleys in the central alps, stretches from the Grimsel Pass to the Lake of Brienz. The flat valley floor of the lower Haslital is separated from the upper valley by a rock formation called the 'Kirchet' that lies between Meiringen and Innertkirchen. Over thousands of years, the Aare River eroded a path through this rock formation resulting in a gorge which is 1,400 metres long and up to 180 metres deep.

In the late 1800s, members of the local community began to build a series of timber walkways through the gorge and today, through a series of timber boardwalks, tunnels and gravel paths, we too can experience the immense and breath-taking beauty of this wonder-filled place. The boardwalk passes through crevices, under overhangs, and hangs off the cliff wall to show us not only the furiously rushing water of the Aare River, but also the amazing formations that have been carved by the power of water over the millenia and waterfalls that fall in delicate veils, or that tumble in a fury off the top of the cliff, falling half way out in to the river. Believe me, these photos just don't do the place any justice at all, but they are the best we could do.

Oh yes, and the other claim to fame that belongs to Mieringen is the Meringue! This delectable dessert was first created in about 1600 by Gasparini, a local pastry chef, naming it after the town in which he was employed. It was then spread through Austria and southern Germany and then throughout Europe finding favour with the court at Versailles and the name 'Meiring' was changed to suit the French tongue. In 1985, a world record was made in Mieringen with the towns' pastry chefs making two giant meringue shells from 2500 eggs and 120 kg of sugar. They were backed in a specially adapted sauna cubicle! And so, we, of course, support the local industry and buy a box of eight from the Frutal Ofenfrisch. Very nice! And as we leave Mieringen, we are diverted down back roads to accommodate the weekly music market that is held on Wednesday nights in July - but they are just setting up and we still have a drive of 90 minutes ahead of us.

So it is back to Engleberg and the Youth Hostel for the night. On the way back, we stop to get a photo of some of the felled timber we have been passing over the last couple of days. The largest log in this photo is from a tree that was 228 years old (yep, I counted the rings!). And as we pass the spot where we took the photo of Lake Lungern this morning we pass only the second car crash we have seen in our six month journey to date - at least no one appears to be hurt, although one one the cars is a write off. Can't believe we haven't seen more.

We decided to eat in town and drive in past a number of 'angels' that are found across the town(?). There is not a real lot open and we end up at La Strega, the restaurant in the Ramada Hotel. Expensive sure (as we expected in Switzerland) but ever so worth it - the meals were the best we have had all week! Our choices?
Appetiser:
We are served with a small plate of dressed leaves and ham paste and foccacia with olive oil
Entrees:
Gazpacho con pomodori e cetrish - Gazpacho, kalte tomaten & gurtzensuppe (Tomato & cucumber soup, served chilled) Michael
Mains:
Filetti de sella d'agnello - Lammrückenfilet in der Kräuterknuste (Lamb rack fillet with herb crust) Michael
Corn-banana con salsa al curry - Maispoulardenbrust mit Bananen-Currysauce (Chicken breast with Banana curry sauce) Maria
Both are served with fresh vegetables and mine has the added joy of a whole heap of tropical fruits served warm - cherries, strawberries, pear, nectarine, kiwi fruit - that balanced the curry sauce beautifully. We are well sated and have no need for desserts, but do finish with Espresso coffees.
And those angels? When quizzed, our waitress explains - Engelberg = Angel Mountain! Ahh, of course!