Some delightful surprises along the way. I have mentioned previously about being delighted by the fireworks display in Heidelberg. The surprises continued. In Brissago on the Friday night, while relaxing after a very nice 'grill' (in Oz a BBQ), suddenly fireworks light up the sky. Some celebration was occurring with the cigar manufacturer on the water's edge, so they entertained the region. The big difference here was we were mainly looking DOWN on the display - an unusual experience!
Next surprise came while we were out for a walk at Triesenburg, where our hotel was near Vaduz, Liechtenstein. We could hear a marching band playing and sure enough they came marching up the road. When they had had enough of that, they then set up in the plaza outside our hotel and 'put on a concert'. Actually, it was practice evening for them as it was too hot for them to practice indoor, so they practiced outside, much to our enjoyment. What was also remarkable was the age range within the band. It covered the generations from probably 12 to 80?? Great to see them all enjoying themselves.
The next one was in Innsbruck. Wandering around the old town, again we heard the sound of a big band. In front of the 'Goldenes Dachle' (one of the features of this medieval town), the Police Band had set up and gave a concert to the assembled and growing crowd. Not bad for a Wednesday morning! Stefan - they sounded pretty good, even the trumpeters. Very polished performance.
Our time in Innsbruck was impacted by the extreme hot weather. When places like this exceed 35 degrees C, then you know it's hot. They just aren't set up for hot weather. Apparently only 2 weeks previously, they were still dealing with max temps of 5 degrees C. Quite a contrast - sounds like Melbourne!
We moved on to the Chiemsee and fortunately the weather has moderated, making it easier to get out and about. Naturally we visited Ludwig II 3rd castle at Herreninsel. He modelled it on Versailles because of his great regard for Louis XIV. The hall of mirrors, the state bedroom etc, all based on the castle outside Paris. We also visited nearby Fraueninsel. Both these islands housed Benedictine monasteries. Their names are derived from that because on Fraueninsel, was the nun's convent, and on Herreninsel was the monk's monastery. A couple of km of water to limit fraternisation?
Many permanent residents now live on Fraueninsel and the convent is still operating. The monasteries date back to around 908AD. The monastery on Herreninsel was taken over by the Augustinian order, but is now a museum. It was where in 1948, German political leaders gathered to write the constitution for the Democratic Republic of Germany (at that time West Germany).
Had a drive around the area today : Gstadt, Prien, Aschau - very enjoyable places to visit.
1 week to go - hard to believe, yet still much to enjoy.