The Longest Day

Departure time this morning was 7:30. The kids had had too much energy last night and this morning all the adults were tired and cranky. Getting off the mountain took about an hour and then we were on our way to Germany. It was a long but interesting day as we crossed back and forth over borders between Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. Yes, we were in 4 different countries in one day!





We really had to push because our appointment for Neuschwanstein was 4pm. The driver has very tight regulations and has to stop after so many hours for so many minutes. Its good for all of us to have to get out and stretch as well but it made it tight getting to our appointment.... we made it anyway.







Neuschwanstein is the fairy tale castle build by King Ludwig in the 18th century. It was built well after the feudal era so isn't a castle in the true sense of the word but still very impressive. My favorite parts are the music room and all the amazing wood work. This is the castle Walt Disney used as his inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Next stop, Innsbruck. Again, we were not actually in the city but about 45 minute drive out of town. It is actually closer in some ways than you think. It takes the bus forever to navigate the narrow switch back roads that make their way up the mountains. The view from this hotel was spectacular. We enjoyed an amazing sunset from the terrace looking out over a deep valley. Beautiful. The East boys even serenaded us - we discovered new talents tonight! The kids had an early night to help them remember to be more quiet in hotels, to stay in their assigned rooms and to behave!