Today was one for the books, not many people can say they’ve been to 3 countries in one day that’s for sure! We were up about normal time for this trip, which is early by most of our standards. We packed up, left the hotel and boarded our boat for the mainland. After our short voyage, we boarded our new, unbroken bus and set out for Austria.
As the morning wore on, the landscape changed from vineyards to mountains. Our long bus ride was broken up by a number of activities. First, we watched “Roman Holiday,” starring Audrey Hepburn. Next, Jake and Ben gave their presentation on the 1972 Munich Massacre. Their group activity was watching the movie “Munich.” We didn’t finish the movie, but are planning on finishing it tomorrow.
We arrived in Innsbruck early in the afternoon and began our several hours of free time. Most of us spent the time getting lunch and shopping. A few of us had traditional German food. Later in the afternoon. We took a short bus ride to see the ski jump used in the Innsbruck Olympics. We couldn’t go all the way to the top, but we still got a good idea of how huge the jump is. Our bus driver also pointed out that there is a cemetery located at the bottom of the jump, so stick your landing, or you may just end up there. The path up to the jump also offered a beautiful overlook of the city and a great photo opportunity with the gorgeous mountains in the background.
As the sun set over the mountains, we drove to Mittenwald. We checked into our hotel and settled in before heading to dinner. After dinner, Grace and Sarah gave their presentation on German culture. Their activity was polka dancing. It turned out to be a contact sport as we were “dancing” in a very small area. We had a few couples demonstrate at the end, including Grace and Mario, Mark and Jamie, Sarah and Beau, and Aaron and Mary. We can’t wait to try out our new polka skills at the Hofbrauhaus!
Awesome photos!