I Dream In Cuban: Germany, Austria and Italy Vacation June 15-29. 2016 Part I

This summer we embarked on one of my favorite vacations thus far.It wasn't just the destinations but the people I traveled with. I had planned and saved for this trip for the better part of a year and even though I accounted for every single day, I found that every day could still be full of magical surprises. In order to do my family journalling justice I will have to break things down by days or sections and hopefully have my kids look back at this often and maybe even use it as a guide if they wish to return some day.

Our itinerary was as follows:

June15-16 Travel to Munich

Schloss Nymphenburg Munich

Drive to Priem au Cheimsee Hotel Lutipold-am-chiemsee

Schloss Nymphenburg

Pretty good for just traveling across the ocean

Running in the backyard

Our lake hotel for the first leg of the trip

Most days spent at the Prienavera

June 17 Boat over to Herrenchiemsee Castle

Drive to Obersalzburg, Austria to Hitler's Eagle's Nest

Herrenchiemsee was the first of several castles of the famous King Ludwig. The guy sure had an eye for real estate. This castle was on its own island overlooking Chiemsee. We took a horse and buggy from the boat to the castle and the kids enjoyed

The drive through Bavaria is something quite spectacular. Never a dull moment with ever changing scenery that takes your breath away at times. It was a perfect day to head over to Austria. Note that in order to cross the border in your car you will need to purchase a sticker at any gas station along the highway to guarantee you avoid a hefty fine if you do get pulled over.

Once you get to the visitor center for the Eagle's nest you are driven up by buses. No cars are allowed up the narrow roads to the site. The views were breathtaking and the cliffs quite close for comfort as we rose higher and higher per second.

The tunnel leading to Hitler's private elevator

The elevator entrance up to the site

June 18 Train to Chiemsee-Bahn followed by drive to Salzburg, Austria

Sound of Music tour and driving around the city. We saw Mirabell Gardens where the kids danced and ran around the fountain, Leopoldskron Palace where the Von Traps lived in the movie only. We went off tour when we visited the Schloss Hellbrunn

Cute train to town center filled up our morning

Entering the city walls of Salzburg is pretty nifty

Mirabell Gardens Fountain on our Sound of Music tour

The homes in Salzburg have the dates they were built along with dates of remodel on them

Horse watering hole

The fortress

Leopoldskron Palace now owned by Harvard

So Hellbrunn was the hunting lodge to the Archbishop Markus Sittikus of Austria. He was a loon in my opinion leaving the quirkiest garden I have ever seen filled with trick fountains including a dining table that shot water at the guests including up their bums. Who would eat there twice I ask you? Also, he bet a king that he could build a castle in a month, so in his back yard is the Month Castle.Crazy but awesome in that over 400 years after they were built, these fountains and miniatures are still functioning as well as on the first day.

Schloss Hellbrunn

This is still a functioning water driven mechanical figures

Whimsy at every turn

Back at Chiemsee every evening to walks around the lake, playground and pools.

June 19 Trip to Obersalzberg, Austria to the salt mines.

Return trip to Salzburg

Drive to Ettal, Germany to Hotel Blaue Gams

Obersalzberg is known for its salt production. Salt was so rare once that it was referred to as white gold. Today in Obersalzberg is a functioning salt mine, Salzbergwerk Salt Mine that gives tours. You may be yawning like I was when I first heard about it but do not miss this if you have kids or just like to race into a mountain on a train with no walls at 40-50 miles an hour, slide down wooden slides hundreds of feet under a mountain, or see a crystal clear lake known as mirror lake underground that you will cross on a quiet boat while classical music plays and an electric light show flashes on the walls. You do this all in some pretty snazzy salt mine jump suits. When I asked the old attendant how long the tour usually lasted, he took a puff from his cigarette and said in his thick German accent,"The longest was 14 days." When my eyes bugged out of my head, he said,(without cracking a smile) " Not really, they are all about an hour." Love the German humor....

They did not allow pictures inside the tour so I just have one in our overalls before we started but trust me, I looked great.

The water's color comes from the salt here

Every day finished with several boxes of strawberries. Delicious!

And sold out of these cute strawberry stands

Every town was amazing. Obersalzberg did not disappoint.

Before the salt mine, we headed back to Salzburg because once was just not enough.

Ettal is a small town known for it's monetary that has been making beer for centuries. It is close enough to the sites without being in the city and I must admit the view getting there and from our room was spectacular.

Ettal Monestary. The view from our hotel room.

Also the view from our hotel room.

June 20 Drive to Neushwenstein and Hohenschwangau Castles

The drive to the castles was short but we took the long way around Austria again and bordering the clearest lake we had ever seen.As for the castles, Ludwig grew up going to his fathers summer castle Hohenschwangau and set off for forty years to build his castle across the mountain from pop. You literally take one hike up a mountain to see a castle and come down and have lunch before climbing or taking a carriage up to the next. The views from both are stunning as is all of Bavaria.

The first view of the castle

The bridge that let the visitors have a close up view of Neuchwenstein was closed so I trespassed through a thorny fence and up a muddy mountain with Nico on my back, pulling Gigi and Golden with me for the perfect shot. It was worth it to see not only the final image but the smiles on the faces of my partners in crime.