Austrian Update

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A lot has happened since my last update. We finished up in Berlin by picking up our car. Kelvin is having a great time on their Autobahn's. Our VW Passat we were supposed to rent turned into a very sporty SAAB station wagon. The minimum 130 km/hr speed limit was quite a new phenomenon and took a little while to get used to but once we did, whew we get around very quickly. The Lord also blessed us with a GPS navigation system on board. Considering our German isn't much better than when we started, this is a huge help. We figured out how to get it to speak English and now we feel very capable to go anywhere. From our apartment in Berlin we drove straight to the Potsdam Sansoucci Palace. We took a quick bus tour of this very old but beautiful city of palaces. Unfortunately it was trapped in East Germany and is quite run down.
Wednesday morning bright and early we left Berlin to head towards Rothenburg. Our navigation system was not as cooperative and took us a little longer to wake up and get motivated. Once it was working we somehow had programmed in a waypoint which was not on our expected route. So after travelling on the 130 minimum roads for an hour we were taken off into the countryside and even into someone's driveway at one point. Once we discovered this phantom waypoint which we didn't want to go to, we got back on the Autobahn and were soon in Rothenburg.
Rothenburg is an amazing walled Medieval city beautifully preserved in the 13th century. The tourist traffic was really down on Wed. evening and we enjoyed a very peaceful afternoon strolling this incredible old city. The boys had a great time in the ramparts and around the wall.
The nightwatchman's tour in the evening was perfectly wonderful and gave the boys some very entertaining stories of medieval Rothenburg. I will let them tell you these stories sometime.
This morning we finished up in Rothenburg and headed out for the Bavarian Alps. We have found ourselves at a family run hotel in Reutte, Austria (Hotel Maximillion). We have a breathtaking view out our window and inviting feather quilts on our beds. After a delicious Austrian supper, the innkeeper Gabi asked us if we would like to join everyone for short hike up to the mountain meadow. At 9:00 we set out on a brisk stroll in the mountain air. At the meadow there was a small cabin which we stopped in to sit and have a little refreshment. I wish I could show you the picture of what we saw, above us loomed the ruins of 4 castles built between the 12th and 14th centuries, the expansive sky with millions of stars and the smells of Austrian mountain air. (Until one of the hikers lit up a cigarette). It was awesome to be a part of though. The boys have a ping pong table here again and are becoming quite skilled. The running score in games between Vince and Kurtis is 17- 18 I think but it changes regularly. I can't beat Troy anymore as Vince taught him how to serve aces. The last tournament champion was Kurtis but Kelvin is still playing with his left hand. However, he plays so much with his left hand now I don't think there is a difference.
I can't believe our holiday will soon be over but it just keeps getting better everytime we take on a new adventure. I must get some sleep now to see what new thing will come our way tomorrow.
We have internet access at this hotel so I will try to keep you updated.
Cheers!

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Photos

Feather Bed
The beds in our hotel in Rothenburg were so inviting.

Boys at Play
The boys were fascinated by this walled city and found no end of enjoyment scaring their mother at their nerve.

Night Watchman
Entertaining and interesting. This man does a great show while you learn a lot about the history of Rothenburg.