floridatjej

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Av EvaLena Hallgren - 1 augusti 2023 05:52

Good morning, it's a new month and we are driving further North toward where Mom grew up as a puppy. I think we are almost halfway there. 

So far, I've seen trees, a hundred thousand, no millions, no billions of trees, and an occasional mailbox indicating a house somewhere. We see no people these places look empty so Mom must have been pretty lonely when she lived here.

Mom says many of these houses are owned by Dutch and German people who don't have as many trees and they come here to spend their summer. 

So this is Swedens Florida I ask?  

Well, kind of Mom says but it's not like they're escaping cold winters because it already feels like fall here now.


  

  

 Hydropower is currently Sweden’s largest source of renewable energy and accounts for approximately 45% of Swedish electricity generation. Together with nuclear power,(Sweden has 2) hydropower is the foundation of the Swedish electricity system. Its operation causes no carbon emissions and the water is returned to the river after leaving the turbine. There are 76 run-of-river plants, most located in the North.

You can see a tower for power lines in the distance.

 

Here's a picture of my new friend having breakfast with me. He's been trying very hard to ignore me but with my charm (and his wife telling him) he finally gave me a meatball

 

No one had to tell this lady to share her breakfast she immediately fell for my  charming personality 



driving through these forests is boooooring and we're both hoping to see some life a moose a bear or anything but trees

So far we have had no luck and Mom says ALL wildlife has the right of way because Lucy could be seriously hurt hitting a moose. We stopped at this river in a village with one gas station and a couple of houses that also looked abandoned but Mom assured me they weren't. People go to work she said. Where I say? there's nothing here but forests. That's where they work Mom said

Mom HATES when I get this close to the edge, so I do it for a little excitement

   

Swedes love to bring picnic baskets and sit in the forest with their coffee and sandwiches so many places have these tables set up in the middle of nowhere.

We couldn't figure out how come there's a light pole here unless people come here in the winter too?. In the summer there's no need for a light since it never gets dark.

 



We finally stopped for the night by a river with a place to swim. I know there's no risk of Mom getting in that freezing water 


 


The Swedish icecream man must have gotten lost here. 

I killed him

 


The next stop is Mom's aunt's house where we'll visit for a couple of days, after that? nobody knows but we haven't been very lucky with good sunny weather lately so we may stay put until it changes.


Life i great

Henry

    

 


Av EvaLena Hallgren - 27 juli 2023 06:57

We have now been at Mom's friend from puppyhood for a week and just like last year Mom has no time for my story, but there's not much happening to tell Mom says. WHAT!!! I say I'm having the time of my life lots of walks in the woods and large fields to run on. Can you see me out there free as a bird?

 

We do many walks in the woods and mom is looking for these yellow mushrooms that she says are delicious. They are chanterelles and a really expensive gourmet mushroom if you an find them in the stores.

 


These snails are plentiful but not gourmet

In this area there are a lot of hunters, and depending on the season they hunt for deer, boar, elk, and whatever else we don't know much about. This is one of the many hide out towers we see

 


This looks like a fun ride Mom

 



This is where Lucy is parked and it's very peaceful 

 


Except when this thing comes blowing his horn a few times a day. It is a railbus, a very lightweight type of railcar designed specifically for passenger transport on little-used railway lines. As the name suggests, they share many aspects of their construction with a bus, usually having a bus body or a modified bus body, and having four wheels on a fixed wheelbase, rather than bogies. Originally designed and developed during the 1930s.

This "smalspåret" is a narrow-gauge railway passing our friend's house.

It is 71 km long,(44 miles) and it is only 891 mm. (35 inches) broad; it stretches through forests in the west, past lakes, and through small communities and agricultural areas out to the archipelago in the east. Along this line, trains have been running ever since 1879, despite many attempts to close it. Thanks to the determined efforts of residents and enthusiasts alike, the line is saved and is today regarded as one of Sweden’s top-10 industrial heritage artifacts.

Many tourists from all over the world come to feel that atmosphere, and join in for a very different railway journey and experience how a train journey used to be. The whole operation is run by volunteers from all over Sweden and abroad; for example, neither the driver nor conductor receives any remuneration for services rendered, and your fares go directly into maintaining the railway. 

 



 

Yesterday we went to a different forest, On the slopes of a hill an artist erected several troll and dwarf statues. They are beautifully embedded in the landscape. The walk goes uphill. Proper footwear is helpful since there are a lot of rocks and roots and sometimes you have to climb a bit so of course I had to wait for Mom as she sometimes struggled a bit

   

       



Some of the sculptures are perfectly blended with the surrounding nature, which makes a challenging task to find each one of these figures. At the end of the hike, there is a small picnic area that offers a panoramic view of the village, and more hiking paths in case the experience with the trolls was not enough.


 




   


the biggest troll Garpe sits at the entrance and motions you to come in and visit 

 

 

After this exercise, Mom and her friend stopped at a nursery, and Mom wished she could take these geraniums with her to her garden because she have never seen such a gorgeous kind.

 


This is a different kind of hydrangea, but they don't do very well in Florida's heat

 

After all this, we had built up a good appetite so as the yearly tradition calls for we went to Blankaholm Hotel/restaurant for the best potato pancakes in the world. The owners are our friends so I ran straight into the kitchen looking for something to eat. Mom forgot to take a picture of this scrumptious meal? (I did get a lot of bacon from Lotta because she's a little finicky when it comes to the fat part)

This place is on the water and is a very popular tourist location for boaters and RVs

 

     


It's Thursday morning and it looks like it'll be a nice sunny day. I heard a rumor about driving a bit north from here?

All I can do is wait and see what'll happen later, you can never tell with Mom

 

Life is great 

Kisses to ya all 

Henry

 

 

Av EvaLena Hallgren - 20 juli 2023 19:03

 We arrived at Swinoujscie Marina ( it's impossible to pronounce so Mom calls it Swine juice) on Saturday evening and decided to stay here and do nothing until Wednesday waiting for our ferry.

   

After the first night, Lucy was empty on Propane and there was nowhere to fill her since the Polish tubes are different than the Swedish. It meant we had to go out and eat, which is ok, but Mom is sick of Polish food. There's a taverna at the marina but after trying them for lunch, Mom considers their food questionable.

It's a short walk into town so we walked to a nicer restaurant, but again Mom disappointed me WHAT is THAT?  Delicious herring with kaviar Mom said..............I did get a taste of the green stuff on the bottom but noooooo

This guy at the table next to us kept staring at me, it was very intimidating I pretended to ignore him but made sure to keep one eye on him the entire time. Mom thought he was very regal looking and well-behaved.


   


This is a very small town and not all that much of interest still it's relaxing and a change of pace.

 

Every evening we take a long stroll along the harbor which is not my favorite because there's no grass for me to do my business on. 

Is that seagull giving us the stinkeye?

 

No worries Mom I'm gonna get him....................and I would have if it wasn't for the stupid lead

 


The last night in Swine Juice we went to a restaurant that we previously noticed had a line of people waiting to get in and that says Mom, means the food is really good, and it was


 


This came out with the bread and Mom tasted it and didn't think it was very good. I got a taste and thought it was great.

Mom asked the waitress what is this? and the answer was FAT. Mom thought she must have been sarcastic 


  


But the man sitting next to us had heard Mom's question and looked up the translation on his phone and showed Mom 

It is lard instead of butter. 

 

The ferry was to sail at 18.30 and after filling up the diesel tank, (less expensive and better than in Sweden) We were in the front line to get on the ferry which made Mom very happy because to get a place in front means first off .


They have a helicopter pad on deck and a huge sandbox for me if I should need it  ( I never go in those places, it doesn't smell right and I want grass under me)

   

Lots of coal are being loaded here? looks dirty and old

 

 We are passing a military base and this ship belongs to them 

 







 Nope we aren't locked in a padded cell, this is how the inside of the walls on Cardeck

 


Here's my cabin, well Mom's too

 


This ferry had three car decks and when loading several men are telling you exactly where to park we were on deck 5 in the bow, and on the starboard side only a couple of small sedans in the point . In the middle there were two rows of eighteen-wheelers.

We waited and waited, but nothing moved and to Mom's horror, she now noticed the bow does not open? Which means we have to reverse off this ship? Can't be, can it Mom thinks.

Never had it taken this long to get off the ship before so Mom started to get nervous I could feel it. On the loudspeaker, a voice tells people to get to their cars NOW because they're holding up the disembark

Aha, that's it someone is probably running around frantic forgetting where it is parked. (Mom knows, she has done it, now she learned and take pictures)

As it turned out decks 3 and 4 were taken off first and finally it was our turn and when this huge truck started to reverse Mom's heartbeat was speeding.

Hahaha no need to be nervous as soon as the truck was gone, Lucy is so little so she easily made an Uturn in the bow PUHH

Now to the second debacle. It's 2 am and for the first time, Lucy has been out in the dark. Mom didn't know her lights are the equivalent of two candles. We weren't going more than 25 km to parking but it was pitch black we drove on high beam most of the way. Luckily we met very few cars.

First thing, well second I need my wee walk first, then we need propane

 

First night was spent in Sweden at the Smygehuk harbor 


   


Mom starting to get desperate now, and we need to find propane quickly so she gets her morning coffee.

Nothing is open Sweden is sleeping late 

at 9.30 a propane fill station will open about one hour away, so off we go. Mom stopped at a gas station for coffee and there they were. Newly baked cinnamon rolls and the scent of them get to Mom every time. When they are warm they go very well with milk she says

 

we got to the propane place a little early so we found a place to wash Lucy which she really needed

Now we are at a marina that is celebrating something with music and waffles. Not sure what it's about but we're going out now to join in.

 


Life is great 

Henry 












Av EvaLena Hallgren - 17 juli 2023 21:27



  

 Mom has made the decision to take the ferry directly to Sweden and skip Denmark since the only part Mom would like to revisit is Copenhagen and with the new environmental restrictions, Lucy isn't welcome.

The best option to save on fuel is taking the same ferry we took going south and that's in Poland right on the German border.

When making reservations there were no cabins with dogs allowed until Wednesday the 19th, so that's booked.

Since we now have plenty of time to get there Mom looked to see if there was something else to see on our way and we stopped in Wismar 


 

That's Tinkerbell, our ferry 





In 1803, Sweden ceded both the town and lordship to the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin for 1,258,000 Riksdalers but reserved the right of redemption after 100 years. In 1903, Sweden finally renounced its claims to the town. Wismar still retains a few relics of its old privileges, including the right to fly its own flag

Fish was being sold from boats on the dock I guess it makes the illusion that the boat just sailed in and is selling its catch. Looking closely these boats weren't equipped for fishing................or?


     

During the 1949 to 1990 era of the German Democratic Republic, Wismar became East Germany's second-largest port, after Rostock, and developed a shipbuilding industry. Although the GDR government had pledged to restore the local churches and historic sites that had been heavily bombed during the war, this commitment was for the most part not fulfilled


 

After German reunification in 1990, churches and all historic buildings in the city's town center were restored, and the old town of Wismar was listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 


 The Wasserkunst (Waterworks) is the most renowned landmark and sits at the center of the market square. Built back in 1602, the ornate well supplied the city’s drinking water until the late 19th century. Even though it’s lost its original purpose, the Wasserkunst is still the centerpiece of the Old Town

 

A restaurant with that name had to be special so Mom said

 

 

So we sat down and ordered the usual and that's all good  but look at this mess, how awful, I had a piece of tomato and then I looked around to see if I can get something better.............Mom caught my thought and stopped me from getting of the chair.

 

Every summer, this city hosts a big party reminding of the 155 years of membership in the Swedish Kingdom. For one weekend the inhabitants of Wismar celebrate an impressive historic city festival together with guests from all over the world - the largest Swedish Festival outside of Sweden.

 

Walking on these streets has to be done with great care and is not very comfortable for my paws and Mom says an occasional bad word as her feet slip between a rock.

 

 


This was a nice slow day not too busy streets, just the way we like it


 

 


The day after we continued to Poland and we are now camping here until ednesday


Life is great

Henry







Av EvaLena Hallgren - 13 juli 2023 18:48

We were on the road at 8 am because Mom wanted to get a space at this parking close to the city center. Germany is very good at offering services for RVs so you don't have to go to a campsite. We have everything we need in Lucy but some countries make it very hard to find parking near a city so you're forced to go to a campsite and pay for more services than you need. 

We made it to the place while there was still room. This city is named Schwerin and lies about 65 miles east of Hamburg and stuns with its romantic palace and surrounding landscape riddled with lakes.

At the end of World War II, on 2 May 1945, Schwerin was taken by United States troops. It was turned over to the British on 1 June 1945, and one month later, on 1 July 1945, it was handed over to the Soviet forces, as the British and American forces pulled back from the line of contact to the predesignated occupation zones. By German standards, wartime casualties and destruction by bombing in Schwerin were small, in spite of nightly RAF raids and the droning of massive bomber pulks as silver specks on the sky during the day on their way to Berlin.



This is the train/bus station and Mom claims that the public transportation in Europe works great if you know your way around, as a tourist it can get really tricky to get on the correct bus and know when to get off or change


 


The 13th-century cathedral (In the background)Back in the Middle Ages, a reliquary that was believed to hold Christ’s blood drew pilgrimages to Schwerin Cathedral.

I guy with my name founded this city, Henry the Duke (I like the sound of that)of Bavaria and Saxony, was one of the most powerful men in his region of the world. He founded the city of Schwerin in 1160 and also founded other cities like Munich (1157) and Lübeck (1159) on the Market Square, there’s a  monument that features a lion prowling atop a single pillar. Each side of the monument shows curious scenes associated with Henry the Lion. The lion on the top of the monument references Henry’s heraldic animal. (good to know) The reliefs on the sides of the pillar show several episodes from the duke’s conquests—and one scene depicting a row of several bare butts. This strange inclusion is an artistic representation of something Henry allegedly encountered while on a military campaign.

Legend has it that when Henry the Lion arrived in the town of Bardowick, its residents received him with their pants pulled down to reveal their bare behinds. They formed this “bottom parade” to express their anger at the Duke’s trade policy. During his reign, Henry had promoted Schwerin and Lübeck as important trading places, causing Bardowick to lose its prestige, much to the contempt of its citizenry.

The nearly 15-foot-tall monument and its four reliefs were built by the satirical (and often controversial) German sculptor Peter Lenk in 1995 to honor the 800th anniversary of Henry the Lion’s death.

 

  

 

The main attraction in Schwerin is the castle, where graves from 3000 years BC have been found inside the city's limits. The earliest traces of a fortress on the island of Schwerin Castle date back to 942. The Slavic tribe of the Obotriten lived here. In 1160 the area was conquered by Duke Henry "the Lion" and became Christianized during the following centuries. 

 

              

 

Is it true that the police eat a lot of donuts? 

 

 


 

This castle is haunted and down in the huge cellar vaults of the Palace lives the mystical Petermännchen (little Peter). He is said to be a small, good-natured goblin with a grim look and there are many legends surrounding his character. Several hundred stories can be told about the Castle's poltergeist, probably making Schwerin Castle one of the most "legendary" places in Germany 

 

Schwerin Castle is now both the seat of the local government and an art museum displaying pieces ranging from the ancient to the twentieth century. Some of the most important pieces at Schwerin’s museum are its seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish paintings.

Mom admired  the garden so we spent a lot of time walking around the castle

         

 


It's surrounded by water and the views are beautiful, in one place there is a frame put up so you can get a portrait of yourself with a nice background. 

Mom asked a lady to help us out with pictures, but I don't think she understood the concept

 

Frame is gone

 

 


Maybe we should have asked someone less colorful to take our picture ;-)

 

This is Herkules overlooking the lake and the Orangerie 

   


Me looking at a place in the shade where we can sit for a while

 

 

 

 

This became Mom's favorite place so we sat down on a step where it was cool, but it didn't take long before a guard came and told us the garden is closed. It's only 3 o clock? they were preparing for a private party.................Private? you can rent this garden to have a party? wow, Mom I just had a birthday maybe next year we can have the party for me here, right? 

      



Walking out we found these caves leading to the cellar maybe

 


this is a weeping beech planted here more than 150 years ago. In those years many noblemen and their guests were wandering through the park. Time passes and brings challenges. As you can see it has two trunks and a huge crown to carry, and as if age and weight were not enough it's suffering from a fungus infection known as brittle cinder

 

what a nice shady place to sit and listen to the birds chirping............this is where I want the snacks put out on my party



Some of the roots stick out of the dirt destabilizing the tree so there were signs of no stepping or climbing to help it remain standing for many more years

 


Leaving the park there were many more massive buildings in Schwerin but in compare to the castle they seemed forgotten

     

Those steps by the lake look like a perfect place to meet and have a drink or lunch


 



This lady is on her way to play her giant guitar somewhere 


At one place Mom stood for the longest time staring up at these stone people holding up the roof. She was in disbelief at first, but after zooming in really close you can see it was some kind of scarf  tied around their waists  

 



After all this walking we planned to sit down at an outdoor place for something to drink, but all of a sudden the weather changed and it was happening in seconds. Waiters started to run around pulling down umbrellas and bringing in cushions. The wind picked up and it was very strong and then rain and thunder.
We tucked ourselves in under an awning by a bank and waited for the worst to pass. It was SCARY. 

This time Mom was prepared for rain and when the wind died down she carried me under her coat almost all the way back to Lucy. I don't care how much Mom tells me it's ok, I DO NOT like thunder it is SCARY.

 

Here I  am soaking wet but safe back in Lucy 

It's now Friday morning (Mom was too tired to finish last night) and it's sunny again 

I'm not sure if we're staying her or going somewhere else, time will tell


Have a great day Kisses to ya all

Henry

Av EvaLena Hallgren - 12 juli 2023 20:28

We're still heading north and the progress ahead seems very slow. According to Alice a distance that should take 9 hours have taken us 3 days? I mean not that we were in a hurry but it was getting way too hot for both of us so we want to go north to cooler temperatures. The weather channel warned of temperatures up to 40C (104F) and we're not having it.

I don't think Alice knows about traffic and delays because getting around Munich was a nightmare. It was raining and lane closures and miles and miles of trucks in the left lane. Mom manages to clip a rearview mirror on a truck but there was nowhere to stop so she kept going, and a few miles down the road a police car was waiting and flashed "Folgen sie mir bitte" The truck driver had called them saying she was running away from an accident, but the police understood she had nowhere to turn off.

When Mom got out of Lucy the driver came after her screaming so she quickly jumped back inside Lucy and locked the door, letting the police deal with him. The police said that "It is a German thing" and this is so minor not to worry.

It's a German thing to scream at the woman?


Small men are like chihuahuas 

  It put a damper on the evening so Mom just looked for a place to park and sleep, which we did, still awfully hot


The following morning Mom tried to forget the previous crappy day and we drove along the river Saale which runs into Elbe. Many small villages are on the way and sometimes Mom thinks Alice must have shown the wrong way, because are we really supposed to be driving here? People have to watch for cars when they step out of their front door.

Some corners have mirrors put up so you can see if anyone is coming in the other direction

 


we were looking for a camp right on the river and Alice was showing the way. She did not say anything about a ferry until we got to it

   

This was the smallest ferry we have ever seen and it took about 2 min. and cost 5 Euro

The camp was wonderful with lots of flowers and a big dam with trout that you could order and cook fresh.

     

On this campsite, they had so many different animals, goats sheep, lots of rabbits and many birds in cages.

Swallows had a nest on the fixture to the entrance, so there was poop everywhere.

     


As a matter of fact, Mom thinks the reason we have to deal with so many flies is because of the animal poop 

We were comfortable here and Mom kept thinking we should stay another night but changed her mind before noon and off we went.

 

Alice told us to drive North on this side of the river and we did and came to an even smaller ferry

 



Mom started to think about a scene in the movie Deliverance, not a Soul in sight, and we wondered if this ferry is for real? Mom looked at a timetable and realized this ferry isn't going to move in another two and a half hours, so we turned around.
A lot of time was lost and again we encountered road closures. The funny thing in Germany is they close the roads by putting a big red cross over the name of the town, but no detour signs on which way to take instead. They take it for granted everybody has a phone with updates and directions. We also have to get the phone out because Alice isn't updated on the latest. closures.

We are now in a small town called Stendal and walking through town we could really tell that it was a while since this towns heydays

     

After walking through the town we sat down for a dessert. On the menu was a picture of fruit with ice cream. Mom thought the emphasis was on the fruit and order it. 

While it looked pretty it was mostly ice cream and cream very little fruit to Mom's disappointment.

 


Tomorrow we may be in a different country Mom said, ok I know she has a way of changing her mind often so we'll see


We're going to bed now and who knows what tomorrow brings.


Good Night all 

kisses Henry



Av EvaLena Hallgren - 10 juli 2023 06:42

We stayed a second night in Heilingenblut and as we walked up to town Mom said the Austrian people must have the strongest legs in the world. Everywhere you go it's hills, steep hills, how anyone rides bikes here is a mystery to us 

   

It sure is pretty though,can you locate Lucy sitting there between 2 trees

 


it was an exhausting walk (for Mom) so we got lunch and enjoyed the view. Something went horribly wrong with the lunch order. This is FISH, where is the beef? how could you Mom? I did get a taste but it wasn't very good and thankfully Mom didn't think it was good either so that means she wouldn't order it again.

 

The dessert was pretty good whatever it is. Mom said it tasted like sugary pancakes hmm guess she wouldn't order this again either

 


Leaving in the morning we noticed a lot of these French cars, and we found out it was a rally from France to Italy. If these guys with a very small motors can make it over the Alps so can Lucy Mom thought.

 

Today, Mom said Lucy is going to get a rest, we're staying on a flat wide road to the next destination

Ha ha, who is she kidding? look straight ahead

 

so many homes here are clinging to the mountainside and the road seems to wrap around their property


   


We went to Kitzbühel a small Alpine town east of Innsbruck, in the western Austrian province of Tyrol. It's a fashionable winter resort, known for the annual Hahnenkamm downhill race. When we got there it was too crowded and nowhere to park Lucy so we continued on.


We continued on and again there were serpentine roads and sometimes steep inclines and then??????

MOM's worst nightmare: the Felbertauern tunnel. Alice didn't warn about this. The tunnel was completed in 1967 and is operated as a one-tube tunnel in two-way traffic and is located at an altitude of 1607 to 1650m (5 272- 5 413ft). It is 5282m (3.28 miles)long and thus the eleventh longest tunnel in Austria.

 

Mom hates driving in these and I think she held her breath all the way thru ...................we made it alive but here's a guy who wasn't as lucky as us.

 


At the end of the tunnel was a little restaurant, I could smell the food and went to beg for some

 


Mom is calling me to come being a little embarrassed over me begging strangers like she never feeds me at all

but MOM they are having Gulash, you know that stuff we both love 

They didn't give me any? so I reluctantly had to leave the table.

 


By the road there are many places like this, I suppose people stop and pray to make it through the darkest tunnels and highest peaks

 


We finally stopped in a town named  Kössen, which is an internationally renowned hotspot for paragliding enthusiasts who enjoy nothing better than taking to the skies and gazing down on the Kaiserwinkl mountains from above.

Mom was looking at them longingly remembering doing it a few years ago in Sweden. The price was 100 Euro so she passed this time.


People here love flowers and this was the decore at the WC entrance

There are flowers everywhere here, and every house is decorated with millions it seems of geraniums and petunias in windowboxes on every balcony ...........it is gorgeous according to Mom, I don't care much about that, Im more into the food here 

 

It's now 9 am and we're packing up to keep driving North 


Allis great 

wet kisses Henry 


Av EvaLena Hallgren - 8 juli 2023 09:58

What an amazing day we had yesterday, after leaving Zell Am Zee we were heading south again? Strange I thought but of course, Mom had something in mind and I was getting a little worried when I sensed her apprehension at this parking place

 

At first, we went for a walk then she left me to watch Lucy while she went for a walk on her own? Not sure what happened, but she came back looking very determined and we paid the toll, and off we went.


 


We were driving up The Glockner which is the highest mountain in the Alps after Mont Blanc  at 2,424 m (7,953 ft)

and what a ride. Mom's concentration was high, and after a while, I went to lie down under the table in the back of Lucy.

Mind you, my seat was on the outer edge of the road and it was a far way down 

         



Mom didn't stop more than once going up the mountain, she was too scared because the parking spaces were very narrow and on the steep side looking down. At that one-stop she noticed Lucy's temp gage was 90C so she called a trusted friend to find out if it was ok to keep going, and he said it was all good.

At the top, she quickly parked and let the fan cool the engine, and look at all the bikes for company.

This place reminds us about Beartooth hwy and the Sturgis motorcycle meeting we went to a couple of years ago

 


  The view from the Grossglockner summit is one of the farthest of all mountains in the Eastern Alps. It ranges out to 220 km (140 mi) or, taking account of atmospheric refraction, almost 240 km (150 mi). Its view over more than 150,000 km2 (58,000 sq mi) 

This road is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country (second after Schönbrunn Palace) with about 270,000 vehicles and 900,000 visitors every year, about 50 million since its opening.

After Lucy cooled down we found better parking and we stayed and had some Gulach soup and enjoyed the view

 

in this view Lucy looks like a little toy



         


Driving down is less fun according to Mom and I could smell break pads despite Mom driving on a low gear. 

      



It's greener on this side and Mom loved the wildflowers growing here

     


Austria is truly a gorgeous country and the best water is coming out directly from the tap ice-cold. We see many tourists buying cases of water and we believe the locals must be laughing at them.

Cows are roaming free and the way this looked Mom could almost see and hear the Trapp family skipping down the slopes.

       


We are now camping at the legendary mountain climber village of Heiligenblut which s regarded as probably one of the most beautiful in the entire Alpine region. It is set in a picturesque mountain landscape at almost 1,300 meters above sea level, against a unique natural backdrop in the Hohe Tauern National Park.

We are here for the second night and soon we'll take a walk into the village. As usual, I do not know what plan Mom has next, but I doubt anything will top this day.

It is sunny 75F and fresh clean air, almost feels like every breath is cleaning a little bit of the inside of our lungs.

Gorgeous place and life is great

kisses to ya all 

Henry





Skapa flashcards