Up and out by 6 am, we were on our way to Tortuguero. We left San Jose and crossed the mountains to the Caribbean. About half way into the drive we stopped for breakfast at a restaurant owned by the company that also owns the Evergreen Lodge where we were spending the next two nights. After eating breakfast we explored area around the restaurant and found a sloth resting in a tree and poison dart frogs along the ground. From the restaurant we continued on our way to the river at LaPavona where we boarded a boat to take us to our accommodations at the Hotel Evergreen. As we traveled to La Pavona we passed a number of banana plantations. The ride along the canal took about 1 1/2 hours as we watched for and photographed ... read more

Today was the last day of our tour. We awoke to cloudy skies but we were looking forward to the journey to the top of Mt. Pilatus via the world's steepest cog railway. The clouds and fog limited visibility but glimpses of the surroundings were possible. The mountain is still used for herding and cows were found along side of the railway. Their bells could be heard as they grazed the land. Legend has it that a dragon living on the mountain had healing powers. As Mt. Pilatus means cloudy mountain, it lived up to its name, encased in clouds allowing for no view to the scenes below. As we descended from the mountain via tramway the lake and its surrounding area became visible. After returning to Lucerne, we walked the streets souvenir shopping and taking ... read more

Since we were not able to visit the Glacier Palace yesterday due to weather, we postponed leaving Zermatt and boarded the trams to make our way to the top of Klein Matterhorn. The weather in Zermatt was still gray and foggy but as we rose higher up the mountain the clouds we departing and a vivid blue sky awaited up at the top. The top of Klein Matterhorn is glacier covered thus the snow still remains and we were joined by fellow travelers carrying skis and ski poles. The Matterhorn appeared in the window of the tram and below was the Klein Matterhorn Glacier. At the first stop to change trams, we stopped for a brief time to acclimate ourselves to the higher altitude before ascending even higher. At our next stop we climbed some steps ... read more

When we awoke this morning the fog was lifting and the sun was starting to shine through. So after breakfast we returned to the lake for a few quick pictures before continuing on our journey. Today was another travel day, traveling to Zermatt, but only part of the trip was by bus. For six hours we enjoyed the ride on the well known Glacier Express. A fun way to celebrate our 51st wedding anniversary. The Glacier Express was anything but a express. We had lunch on the train consisting of rice, carrots and a goulash type dish with apple pie for dessert. We slowly made our way up and over the mountain into the town of Zermatt which allows no gas powered vehicles. Only pedestrians, bike, and electric cars are allowed on the streets. My first ... read more

Our second day is Salzburg started out with us leaving Salzburg and traveling to Germany to the Berchtesgaden region for a visit to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. It was a beautiful sunny day to journey into the Bavarian Alps and climb to a mountain top. On the way we passed several locations where parts of the Sound of Music were filmed, including the bridge the children danced across singing and the home where the outside scenes. In the photo you can see the wall alongside which Maria sang the song "I Have Confidence In Me." Upon reaching Eagle's Nest we walked through a tunnel to reach the elevator to the top. After a few minutes for our guide to talk about the building we had time to explore the mountain on which Eagle's Nest is perched. A ... read more