Germany, Austria, and Italy - April-May 2024 (96 Images)
01 - Flying to Munich, Germany, where we’ll meet daughter Allison and son-in-law Steve!
02 - First night in Munich, we visited the Lowenbrau Bierhall.
03 - It had been about 6 months since we last saw Allison and Steve, and it was great to see them again!
04 - The Munich Residenz, which was the home of Bavarian kings and dukes from 1508 to 1918
05 - The Residenz has countless fancy, huge rooms…
06 - …and even huger fireplaces – Weihnachtsmann (Santa) had no problem getting down this chimney.
07 - And the hugest chandeliers – ooh la la.
08 - A mirror selfie, proving that we were indeed inside the Residenz.
09 - Munich Frauenkirche, constructed in 1488, offers great views of Munich from its south tower.
10 - Munich Residenz maze of buildings in the foreground – we could have wandered in there for days.
11 - The Munich Marienplatz (city square) in the center – Munich’s geographical and cultural since 1158.
12. The Frauenkirche’s north tower, up close and personal.
13 - The Rathaus-Glockenspiel is a large mechanical clock famous for its life-size characters.
14. A zoomed-in view to get a glimpse of the characters doing whatever it is that characters do.
15. The Eisbachwelle (Eisbach River Wave) – river surfing at its best.
16. On the left is the Hofbräuhaus, a beer hall originally built in 1589.
17. Enjoying beer at the Hofbräuhaus.
18. All of the rooms except the historic beer hall were destroyed by WWII bombings.
19. On the very convenient, but crowded, tram. We used a lot of mass transit in Munich.
20. Jumping for joy to be back at the Lowenbrau Bierhall.
21. Having fun with spaetzle and spritzes.
22. On to a somber subject, the next day we visited the Nazi’s Dachau concentration camp.
23. The iron gate with the despicable slogan “work will set you free.”
24. A memorial to the 206,206 people forced to exist at Dachau. Over 40,000 of them died.
25. The crematorium, where over 40,000 bodies were burned to try to hide the Nazi atrocities.
26. We spent the evening at Frühlingsfest – the springtime version of autumn’s Oktoberfest.
27. A fun carnival atmosphere with an abundant amount of beer.
28. The two main bierhall tents were full, so our first stop was the Hacker-Pschorr Patio.
29. On to another patio – with a revolving bar – for Aperol spritzes and Hugos.
30. Julie finagled us a spot in the jam-packed Spaten Hippodrome, one of the main bierhalls.
31. And it was packed to the gills in there.
32. A toast to fun times with German beer in gigantic steins.
33. People were dancing on the tables by 9 pm – drinking gigantic steins of beer will cause that.
34. All is peaceful in the carnival area as we make our way back to our hotel.
35. Nymphenburg Palace – the summer residence for German royalty – constructed from 1675 to 1758.
36. The Great Hall – opulent, lavish, and quite impressive.
37. On the Palace grounds looking back at the Great Hall.
38. Hanging out on the Palace grounds, after having a morning break.
39. After a fun afternoon at museums, we spent time at an outdoor biergarten.
40. Next day, on the way by train to Innsbruck, Austria.
41. The beautiful Austrian Alps were our companion during much of the train ride.
42. Outside the former Habsburg palace in Innsbruck, where photos inside are not allowed. Boo!!
43. Old Town’s Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof), built in 1500. The emperor would hang-out here.
44. Innsbruck’s City Tower, constructed in 1450, is 51 meters tall – no small feat to build 574 years ago!
45. Very windy up there, but the views were fantastic.
46. Innsbruck is surrounded by beautiful mountains.
47. We’ll be riding a tram and cable car up these mountains on our next day.
48. Dizzying view of Allison and Steve on the spiral case going down from the Tower.
49. At a rooftop bar with 360-degree views of Innsbruck.
50. At a fancy street-level bar with froufrou drinks and free cologne in the men’s room.
51. Innsbruck on a Saturday night is rather peaceful.
52. Riding the tram to the Nordkettenbahnen Cable Car, and then to 2,256 meters in elevation.
53. It was cold up there, and the clouds obscured the views at the very top, but we still had fun.
54. Innsbruck from above.
55. Impressive, jagged snow-covered peaks, looming over Innsbruck.
56. Allison and Rick took their own cable car to the bottom.
57. Enjoying the view at a lower elevation.
58. There were men in costumes back at street level, and Julie made a new friend.
59. Everyone loves a parade, don’t they?
60. Having Austrian-made gelato after watching the parade.
61. Hitting the road the next day – taking two trains to Venice, Italy.
62. Having a pretzel as big as Rick’s head at the train station halfway to Venice.
63. The crowds and turmoil of Venice was an abrupt change from sleepy old Innsbruck.
64. Drinking spritzes, Hugos, and beer at a Venice café.
65. Posing in front of the Rialto Bridge, constructed in 1591.
66. We took an evening Vaporetto (taxi boat) ride on the Grand Canal.
67. The photos just don’t do justice to the beauty of seeing Venice at night from the water.
68. Sparkling in Venice!
69. Approaching St. Mark’s Square as our evening tour ends.
70. The Bridge of Sighs at Doge’s Palace, built in 1600.
71. The Doge’s Palace inner courtyard, with a chunk St Mark’s Basilica jutting in.
72. Allison and Steve, overlooking the inner courtyard, constructed in 1340.
73. The Chamber of the Great Council was the seat of government for the Venetian Republic.
74. The artwork throughout the palace – well, except for in the prison area – is amazing.
75. Venice’s historic opera house, “Teatro La Fenice” (The Phoenix Theater).
76. La Fenice is one of the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theater.
77. How’d you like to live in a building completely surrounded by water?
78. Idyllic scene of a gondolier sculling his way through the “streets” of Venice.
79. We ran into friends Randy, Kathy, Dorie, and Doug while roaming the streets. It was great to see them!
80. St. Mark’s Basilica, which is roughly 1,100 years old.
81. A close-up of the Basilica for those of you with poor vision.
82. The Basilica is overflowing with 24 karat gold leaf, intricate mosaics, and all sorts of cool art.
83. Overlooking St. Mark’s square from the Basilica’s front facade.
84. St Mark's Campanile – the Basilica’s bell tower – with amazing views of the city from up-high.
85. Looking in our apartment’s direction – it’s the yellow building about 4 rows back from the square.
86. View with St Mark’s and the Doge’s Palace in the foreground.
88. Enjoying a gondola ride in the warm Venetian sun.
87. Our last day in Venice was a national holiday, and the streets were teeming with visitors.
89. Lots of boat traffic on the Grand Canal.
91. Laundry hangs all over Venice, and it takes forever to dry – we speak from personal experience!
92. A nice parting shot from our apartment.
93. Julie bought a liter of Prosecco on our last night in Italy …
94. … and she emptied it, with a little help from Steve.
95. Rick proudly wears his new Hofbräuhaus hat and displays his new German rubber ducky.
96. Rick’s dad died two days after we returned to the States. Rest in Peace, Dick Packard, 1938-2024.