Munich and Salzburg - Can you drive in Germany on the autoban?

My colleague convinced me to drive from Venlo to Munich which is near our Poing factory in Germany.  It is about a 6.5 hour drive, 700 kms.  So, Thursday, May 21st, in the early evening, I drove to Koblenz, a small town in Germany.  It was about 2 hours into the journey and stayed at a small hotel (Hotel Scholtz) in the heart of the city.  Friday morning I drove out towards Munich and it was a great drive.  Yes, I drove the German Autobahn at around 145 kms / hour!  I have to say at first I was intimidated to drive but the German drivers are great.  Yes, the speed is high but they really observe the rules of the road...Left lanes are for passing, slower traffic stays in the right hand lanes and yes, they actually use turn signals.  People are careful and respectful when they drive.  There is no honking horns though they will flash their lights at you if they want to pass and you are in their way.  You have to also check your review mirror a lot more often as someone always wants to go!

After I spent the afternoon working, 3 of my colleagues (Tomasz, Peter, and Robert) took me for an authentic Bavarian dinner.  The restaurant looked like a very rustic home and was comfortable.  It was fabulous and Tomasz took a few photos.   

From left to right - Robert, Peter, and me (of course)

 



I stayed at a local hotel called Stangl which is the usual hotel where Oce employees stay.

Saturday afternoon, I headed south towards Salzburg, Austria.  The weather was overcast and not very good.  It didn't rain but it was gloomy looking.  Once I arrived at the hotel, I did a quick drive into and around Salzburg. 


The fortress above the city of Salzburg



A statue near the Schloss Leopoldskron

Geese on the lake where Schloss Leopoldskron resides

Look familiar?

Think "the hills are alive...."....It's the mansion of the von Trapps in the movie "The Sound of Music"
aka Schloss Leopoldskron

The lake in which the Schloss Leopold resides

Another view of the Fortress

I saw this cool looking home and could not resist taking a photo!

On Sunday, I tried again to take photos in Salzburg but weather was actually worse - raining and foggy.  So I decided to go for a drive out into the countryside and the mountains.  I drove to a small town and lake, Fuschl.  Weather was not much better...

 

Then I drove out to another lake area....Mondsee.

Driving through the hills...did I mention every town has a church at its center?

 

 
 

Loire Valley part 5 - Post script

I am still trying to catch up with all the photos. posting to the blog, and last minute travelling. 
I will now pick up where I left off....my last posting on the Loire Valley.

We are now down to the last day, Sunday.  We drove around the French countryside on Saturday evening and Sunday morning as it is stunning to drive through.  We also got photos of a few other chateaus - Chamont-sur-Loire, Mont Richard, Chateau at Ambrois, etc.  These were the last photos of my Loire experience.

Chateau at Ambrois from across the Loire River



French countryside

Mont Richard on Loire River

 

Chissey en Touraine

 

Wild Poppies



A French Vineyard

Leaving for Slovenia tomorrow

My Dad and I are almost ready for the journey to visit his family in Slovenia.  My cousin, Martina, will meet us at 4pm at the Zagreb Airport.  I will be sure to take lots of family photos and few sites this time. 

I will return on Tuesday next week and time feels like it is moving quicker as the count down is underway....Dad will return to Amsterdam on Friday, June 19th and then we are off to visit the Rhine river valley for 3 days.  So much still to finalize with work and any last minute fun!

Until next week...

Loire Valley part 4 - Chiverny

 



Chiverny is more of a stately manor home which today is still owned privately by the same family for 100's of years.  It is of course open to the public and there are some parts which are private for the family.  It is much smaller than the other chateaus we visited however it has a lot of charm particularly when you see the smaller gardens and the hound dogs....

 

 

When you enter the main gate, you see these giant palms.



The sign reads "Chateau for sale"

 

The Chateau

Outlining garden wall

Outlying buildings

Park like setting at the front of the chateau

 

My little winter home !



They have a large number of hound dogs which perform
each evening at 5pm



The dogs are trained professionally on site.



Outer building which is a small museum

Lovely garden - small and intimate

 

 

There was a number of these large palms across the property

 

 

After a very long day, we drove back along the Loire River and took other photos of the countryside and a few more chateaus.  We also stopped at a winery to purchase some wine.  I bought a few bottles for my colleagues in Venlo which was appreciated...