This day was going to involve quite a bit of driving and with the typically nasty weather of Southern Bavaria we couldn't be too sure what we might encounter. Making things a bit hairier was the fact that we had to get to Innsbruck (115 miles away) as early as possible because of the expected early store closings on New Year's Eve. When I put this itinerary together the only "must see" for Gail was getting some shopping time in the Innsbruck Swarovski crystal shop. We also knew from past experience that finding a place to eat dinner on New Year's Eve would be nigh onto impossible. Therefore I booked dinner months in advance at the touristy Werdenfelsner Hof restaurant a couple hours North on the opposite side of the Alps in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. When I booked ... read more

No need to go into how I slept during the night. Cassie really complained about my snoring this time. Maybe I’ll get my own room from now on. We had a long drive ahead of us today. Last night we asked Ton when breakfast started. We got up early enough to be the first people in the dining room. They laid out a massive spread. I suppose the fact that half the population of Holland was staying here may have had a lot to do with the heaping buffet table full of breakfast treats. We got first pick at the feast There were soft-boiled eggs, bacon, various juices, lots of rolls and a big selection of cold cuts and cheese. There was even a chafing dish full of hash browns. I think Ton was a little ... read more

Last night we decided we had to go to Budapest’s famous baths. Until now we really hadn’t seen much of what we had planned to see because of all the holiday closings. Going to the baths, no matter how scary or uncomfortable it might seem, would at least make us feel like we had “done” Budapest. Besides, it was Gail’s birthday and she seemed very determined to go there. When we had returned from dinner and our walk downtown the previous night our hotel desk clerk had told us that the baths would open at 6:00 am, but they didn’t get crowded until later in the morning. He also informed us that we didn’t have to check-out until 1:00 so we had no excuses not to give it a try. The first thing we had to ... read more

I started planning this trip more than nine months before we left. I worked and re-worked the itinerary constantly. From the start we were certain that we wanted to visit Berlin, Prague and Budapest. It was where we would go in between that took the most consideration. Once I had a fairly concrete plan I spent nearly every night up until our departure date booking and canceling our accommodations. I was continually searching for better deals. First priority in selecting a hotel was price, followed by whether breakfast was included, with location being an afterthought. Knowing we had our own transportation allowed me to consider almost any cheap place within 30 miles of where we wanted to tour. For the final leg of our trip (Bavaria) I must’ve changed reservations 10 times for each destination. The ... read more

It got mighty cold last night but by staying under my fluffy down comforter I stayed warm. I just hope none of my appendages were sticking out as I slept. I don't need a repeat of last year's brain-numbing flu. Once again Tyler was the last one ready for breakfast. When we finally were ready we headed downstairs to the totally quiet and deserted breakfast room. The smells of hot coffee let us know we were expected. As we walked into the Fruhstuckzimmer we could see Ralf had really laid out an impressive breakfast spread. Just like the breakfast at the much bigger Hotel Agon, this buffet table offered a variety of rolls, cheese, cold cuts, juices, hot and cold cereals and soft-boiled eggs. From time to time Ralf popped his head into the room to ... read more