Europalooza Part 3 - For a Few Euros More

Our Euro trip continued as we drove into the Rhine valley, the heart of German wine country. Our bus stopped in the village of St. Goar and the tour group went for a boat cruise along the river, viewing many majestic looking castles nestled into the hillside. After dinner, we went for a wine tasting and then went back to the hotel bar so the tour group could get to know each other better. Good times were had by all.

Next on the list was Switzerland. Our hotel was nestled in the mountains in Engleberg and the view was breathtaking everywhere you turned. While there, I picked up a new watch mainly so I could say, "Oh, you like this watch? I got this while I was in Switzerland..."

On our way to Austria, we stopped for lunch in the postage stamp sized country of Liechtenstein. Coincidentally, Liechtenstein is famous for its elaborate postage stamps. We spent a fun-filled afternoon white-water rafting in Austria. There had been a lot of rain in the preceding weeks, as such the water levels were high and the current fast. At the beginning of our trek, we had to jump into the water and swim back to the raft. Most jumped out holding onto the line attached to the raft. I jumped out and realized I was going to have to swim against the 16 km/h current to get back to the raft. I was able to keep the same distance between me and the raft, but couldn't get any closer. Struggling against the current, I started wondering if this is what a salmon feels like. Then I remembered that at the end of their trek, at least they get to spawn. Finally a voice in my head said, "Idiot, there's another raft about 40 feet behind you. You can swim WITH the current to it." Gotta love the path of least resistance.

Getting into Innsbruck, Austria, I noticed there didn't seem to be any fat Austrians. Our tour guide explained to us that Austrians are very much into walking, mountain biking, skiing, etc. I had made friends with an Aussie guy from Perth named Dave, and pointed out a great t-shirt to him which he immediately bought. It shows a yellow road sign with the silhouette of a kangaroo and the caption, "There aren't any kangaroos in Austria." Dave and I headed out to a night club that evening and discovered there is no shortage of beautiful Austrian women. Thank god we could sleep on the bus, because there were a lot of late nights and early mornings on this trip.

The next morning, we were off to the chaotic and passionate country of Italy. Former seat of the Roman Empire. But that's another story...