September 16, 2011
March 18, 2007
March 16, 2007
March 15, 2007
March 14, 2007
At last, a chance to update!
Well, we have had a busy time so far. Today we are in Salzburg, Austria for the morning and then off to Munich, Germany this afternoon.
From a chaperone's perspective, it has been a fantastic adventure so far...many beautiful and impressive sites as well as a wealth of information and insight from our four international tour guides. Our coach driver, Hinek is fantastic! He can turn that bus around or back it out of any situation and he hasn't yet complained about our on board sing-a-longs courtesy of DJ's Alex and Laura.
In Bu
dapest, the weather was cooler and we had some rain, but our guide, Imre, gave us two days' worth of fun...the highlight for all of us being the trip to the thermal baths after a long "day" of travel. Hungary's varied history under the rule of Huns, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Soviet Russia and now Hungary as an independent nation again has certainly created a patchwork of stories and struggles for the country.
On to Vienna, Autstria, where the sun came out and the temperature rose! Clearly a wealthier country with a more consistent thread weaving its way through the history of this nation, the city of Vienna (Wien) is an incredible sight!. An afternoon tour of the summer palace of the Hapsburg royal family at Schönbrun Palace gave us all an inside look at the daily life of royals during the 18th and 19th Centuries.![[TITLE]](http://www.ionbee.net/media/.gallery/image71.jpg)
The city tour the next day allowed students to wander about the pedestrian areas of Vienna's centre. Highlights include the Opera House, St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Rathaus (city hall), shopping areas and the very unique social housing complex, the Hundretwasser House.
Next, we were off to Salzburg...before actually entering the city we arrived at our hotel and had the opportunity to meet a group of student travellers from Italy. Curfew was thrown out the window as the Italian students entertained us with an impromptu concert and some singing. It was the kind of experience you can't schedule in to an itinerary and one I'm sure we won't forget! We spent a busy day yesterday first following a guided tour of Berchesgaten. This town sits below the village of Obersalzberg where Hitler and several high ranking Nazi officers had homes and planned many of Germany's WWII operations. With our guide, Christina, we were able to ascend the mountain and capture several magnificent views of the Eagle's Nest ( a birthday present to Hitler which he only visited 14 times due to its position at the summit of a mountain and his difficulty with heights and claustrophobia). From the Documentation Centre, we were able to go down into the extensive bunker system the Nazis built below Obersalzberg.
After lunch, we headed to a wardrobe change and into the salt mines...dark, damp and informative. Sliding down into the various sections of the mine was lots of fun. Just remember...no braking, Miss Jewson!
Last night's walking tour of Salzburg gave us a great introduction to the city that we are free to explore this morning. With a great deal of musical history as well as magnificent architecture, you are sure to see some fantastic photos! This afternoon we're off to Munich...more updates to follow (I hope. Unfortunately I can't connect my camera to the USB port here, but I guarantee with the number of flashes going off we will return with enough photos to fill several albums. AufWiedersehen!
