Saturday morning the 27th of April, we left Venice there wasn’t a cloud in the sky! I took a couple more photos out of our apartment windows before we bid goodbye to Venice.

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Seamus took a fun photo of the cruise ships from the 8^th floor of the parking garage. We had a bit of a conundrum leaving the parking structure. Our parking voucher had gone missing and the only way to prove it was our car was to show the rental receipt, which also was missing! Now Robert and I are very methodical about placing such items in safe places, but for some reason we couldn’t find either. It was a Saturday, which made it hard to call the rental agency in Graz. Well after tearing through the car Liam happened to look amongst our Passports and lo and behold the rental receipt was tucked inside a passport. Robert had placed it in a very safe spot that we couldn’t even find!

Once the ordeal with the parking voucher was done, we said a prayer of thanksgiving and headed out across the 3km bridge to the Italian mainland. As we drove north towards the mountains a sudden thunderstorm hit and the skies opened producing torrential downpours and pea to grape sized hail! Robert quickly found a gas station overhang for us to sit and wait out the hailstorm. It seems everyone had the same idea and before long this little rural station had cars tightly packed under the pump awnings and in the nearby fields under trees!

After 20 minutes the storm passed and blue skies met us as we drove into the Italian Alps. It wasn’t long before we were back in Graz, unloading the car and reminiscing about our two week Easter Holiday trip!

“Pizza e Pasta, Pizza e Pasta!” called the animated watiers/waitress’ from the doorways of various restaurants!

This is now the kids’ new favorite phrase complete with the pinched fingertips and the classic Italian flicking of the wrist and hands! Yes, it’s true that Italians are very animated and “talk” with their hands. We saw this motion in every city and town we visited, including Venice.

We were blessed with a beautiful spring day in Venice. It was pleasantly warm, yet the cool breezes wafted through the tiny back streets and canals straight from the Mediterranean Sea! Faywen was a little nervous when we boarded a Vaporetto (traditional public boat taxi…the trams of Venice) and rode it almost the full length of the Grand Canal to San Marco.

For me it was a flashback stepping off the Vaporetto and entering San Marco (St. Mark’s) Piazza. I had visited Venice 27 years ago and it was just as I recalled. The large four sided piazza with it’s Baroque buildings, the Lion of Venice statue on the pole, the Doge’s Palace, the Campanile rising above the city, and the majestic St. Mark’s Basilica. We decided to visit the Campanile, however we couldn’t climb to the top only take an elevator. Atop the bell tower we had stunning vies of all of Venice and the Mediterranean Sea! You could even see the canals dividing the 117 islands.

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Once back down the tower we walked around the corner of the Doge’s Palace to find hte famous iconic Bridge of Sighs The bridge connects the palace with the prison and it is said that as prisoners passed over they looked out the tiny windows and sighted. Another legend holds that when the great lover Casanova was caught with one of the Doge’s daughters he was sent to prison. Many of the town’s women came to the adjoining bridge and “sighed” wishing for the release of the great lover. He was eventually released much to the pleasure of the women of Venice!

From there we meandered through the narrow streets of Venice and over it’s many small bridges connecting the islands. Everywhere there were little shops and cafes. One could hear the call of Gondoliers as they rounded corners and the charming old streets gave us vignettes into what everyday life is like for the locals… from garbage gondolas to hanging laundry outside the buildings.

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As we crossed the Rialto Bridge that spans the Grand Canal, a pop up thunderstorm forced us into one of the little shops that line the bridge. It was a nice place to be caught, because it was full of Venetian blown glass. Venice is known for its mouth blown glass and leather products. Faywen and I purchased leather purses and Robert bought me a beautiful Venetian glass bead necklace.

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After the 20-minute thunderstorm subsided, the skies cleared and the sun came out. The afternoon sunshine made the canals sparkle. It was the perfect time to hire a gondola! Our Gondolier, Marco, was amazing. We asked him questions about the process of becoming a Gondolier as well as the other traditions associated with the job. I think he was a bit surprised to be asked such questions. He spoke enthusiastically about the tradition. Most people ask him questions about Venice and it’s history (he did tell us some of that too). It seems very few people inquire about the history of the Gondolier’s themselves!

Faywen was a bit nervous at first to get on the gondola, but Mr. Marco had her at ease as we gently glided through the old neighborhood canals. There are over 340 Gondoliers and 10 areas where they work in rotation. We chose a less populated area of town for our ride. It really gave us a feel for what life is like in Venice. We did go out onto the Grand Canal for a bit too. The gondola ride is something our family will never forget.

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The kids wanted Robert and I to have a “romantic” dinner in Venice so they ate dinner at the pizza café near our apartment. Robert and I crossed the Grand Canal to a beautiful Roman Restaurant. We sat right on the edge of the Canal as the sun sank over the waters. We had a lovely meal and our waiter, Alex, was actually half Italian and half English. We thoroughly enjoyed the service, food, and of course the ambiance!

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Venice might be old with it’s crumbling buildings, salty and slimy canals, and touristy areas. But if you get into the back streets and talk with the locals it’s one of the most charming cities in the world!

Robert and I had a surprise in store for the kids. We packed up and headed in the car to a nearby neighborhood. A long stone wall with greenery blocked the view until we rounded the corner and the kids were surprised to see something familiar, something out of place in Europe, something that made them question why they were seeing double! It was a bronze statue of a giant horse!

Faywen exclaimed, “What is the Meijer Gardens horse doing in Milan?”

Yes, the brother horse of the Fredrick Meijer Gardens statue is in Milan, Italy. Charles Dent, a wealthy archeology and history enthusiast, took up the challenge of casting Leonardo DaVinci’s Horse. Sadly before it could be done he passed away and leading donor, Fred Meijer, continued the cause and completed the project. He had two horses cast, one for the Gardens and the other as a gift to the city of Milan where DaVinci had resided most of his life. The horse statue stands in a lovely garden at the gate to the Milan Race Track and is surrounded by smaller “themed” horses by Italian artists. There is also a lovely little museum with the original casts and photos showing the history of the Horse Project.

From Milan we drove an hour to the ancient city of Verona, which is commonly known from uses in Shakespearean plays including “Two Gentlemen of Verona:. However besides its connection to Shakespeare, the city offers a hidden gem that many tourists are unaware even exists. Verona is home to the only complete Roman Coliseum that is still in use today. Built in 30AD the coliseum was used by Caesar and local magistrates for battle and theatrical displays. The latter still occurs within the coliseum, which hosts various concerts and operas year round. The original coliseum could hold up to 30,000 spectators and today comfortably seats 15.000. We were able to walk through the old outer promenade and then climb up to the very top of the coliseum. It was humbling to think that when the Verona Coliseum opened Christ had just begun his ministry!

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As we ate lunch at a lovely outdoor café we noticed several Italians dressed in USA and UK, WWII military regalia. Liam and Seamus inquired of the gentleman what it was all about and it seems that April 25 is celebrated in Italy as Liberation Day. Many towns have re-enactors who dress in Allied Uniforms, and have WWII military jeeps etc. on display in the town squares as a way of teaching the young about their freedoms and a way on honoring the men who liberated Italy from the Nazi regime.

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As the sun lowered in the sky we drove across the 3km bridge into Venice. Parking is only allowed on one of the 117 islands that make up the city of Venice. We parked our car on the 8^th floor of the parking garage, gathered our luggage, and walked up and over a few bridges to reach our apartment. It was a charming place with beamed ceilings, slanted wooden floors, and several windows that looked out onto the Grand Canal. It was fun watching all the Vaporettos (public transport boats) and private boats glide by on the canal. We also heard the bells from the Convent next door calling the Sisters to Vespers. Meandering through the canal lined streets we found a local grocery to purchase breakfast items and

Instead of taking the tram we walked to the nearest subway and boarded a train bound for Sforzesco (Sforza) Castle. Built between 1360-1499 Sforza Castle is an impressive Italian-Spanish style fortress with various courtyards and ramparts. The red walls stand out against the surrounding elegant baroque cream and grey structures. Sforza Castle was the seat of the Dukes of Milan. Today it is a huge complex of various “theme” museums.

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Some of our favorite museums within the castle included the Portrait Gallery, the Early-Medieval Artifacts Museum, and we all loved the Musical Instruments Gallery! Seamus even found a case full of different kinds of cellos from over the centuries. I also loved the case full of different oboes throughout the ages. However, we did get tired of seeing case after case of various “pots and pans” as Seamus called them!

After a fascinating and long morning exploring the castle and all the wonderful art and history of Milan, we walked around the streets of Milan until we came upon the Church of St. Ambrose. Before entering the 11^th century structure we checked out the famous column where St. Ambrose fought the Devil! In the mid 4^th century there were still many Roman columns in Milan. Ambrose was at the time the Archbishop of Milan. Legend says that the Devil challenged him and Ambrose was pinned against the column. He ducked out of the way just as the Devil charged, whereby the Devil’s horns got stuck in the column. Ambrose then was able to use a crucifix to banish the Devil back to hell. The holes are still present in the column and if you get close enough you can smell sulfur and hear the cries of the damned in hell!

Ambrose decided to build a church near the spot where he wrestled with the Devil. The current church structure dates from the 11^th century, but there are remnants of the original 4^th century structure inside. The sanctuary was beautiful and the little side museum with ancient artifacts was fascinating. The relics of St. Ambrose are kept in a crypt under the altar. He is considered one of the four founding fathers of the Christian Faith. He is laid to rest with two later martyrs.

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Robert had a surprise stop along our walking tour. After we left the church we walked for about 15 minutes through the backstreets observing everyday life in Milan. We popped out in the banking district and saw a very unique statue sitting in the piazza between the Stock Exchange and the Bank of Milan. It was a giant middle finger! Yep, it seems that Milan had a recession in the 1990’s and the people commissioned a local artist to sculpt a “in your face, we are living life to the fullest” statement to remind the bankers of the people’s power.

Our final stop was to walk another 15 minutes or so and see the complete 2,000 yr. old Roman Colonnade. In the same piazza was a statue of the first Holy Roman Emperor, Constantine. The columns were stunning. Milan is a city with contrasts. There is 2000 yr. old architecture nestled in amongst newer buildings. After a long day of walking we ended up at a local pizzeria!

It was a bit drizzly and rainy our first day in Italy, but not a washout. Milan has the oldest tram system in the world. We boarded an older orange tram and headed downtown to the Duomo Piazza. The main square in Milan was beautiful. The gothic Duomo Cathedral sprawled across the one side of the piazza. The oldest shopping mall/arcade in the world was just to the left. Milan is considered the fashion capital of the world followed closely by Paris.

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Unfortunately the Duomo had a waiting line of over 2 hours and several rules to go inside, so we opted to stroll around the outside and take in the architecture of the cathedral. I particularly liked the stone alcoves that portrayed various Bible stories and we found the evil serpent on the front façade as well!

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After meandering around the piazza we headed through the large four-story open-air arch into the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. It was shaped like a cross with a large circle in the middle, a typical design for 1861. There were only shops on the main floor some of which were two stories tall. The third/fourth floors were private businesses or apartments. It was fun playing the rich and famous as we explored the various shops, which included Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Gucchi. There was one shop that actually had items that a normal person could afford called A&D Andrew’s Ties Robert and the boys bought ties, silk handkerchiefs, and Liam even got a nice shirt there!

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At the far end of the mall there was a museum dedicated to the great painter and inventor Leonardo DaVinci. He lived most of his life in Milan. Inside the museum engineers and artists had recreated many of his inventions including many of his famous flying machines! They were all life sized and the interactive computer displays were fun for the kids.

Outside the museum and at the opposite entrance to the mall was a little square with a statue of Leonardo DaVinci! Across from the mini park was La Scala. Built in 1778 it is known in Italian as the Teatro alla Scala named after an old ruined church that used to reside on the spot, Santa Maria alla Scala. So what is La Scala? It is the premier opera house in the world. If you get cast in an opera at La Scala you have made it to the top as an opera singer! Unfortunately we couldn’t go inside due to rehearsals, but the outside was a beautiful example of neoclassical design.

Just behind the opera house was the golden triangle. This area is the other important shopping district in Milan. Oddly enough we came across a British woolen shop and went inside to explore. The clerks were very friendly and they carried traditional clothing items from Italy as well. Robert even found a traditional Milanese fedora hat.

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Grabbing some more food at the local market we headed back to our little apartment and Robert whipped up another delicious meal. Milan is a big city, but the food and people were very nice. We chatted about our favorite things that day and we all agreed that eating an incredible authentic Italian meal at Gino’s and then shopping at the Ferrari Store across the way was lots of fun!

When the Lord made the Swiss Alps He must have been in a fine mood!

We left Zürich the morning of the 22^nd and drove south towards the Italian border. Little did we know what awaited us? Pristine mountain lakes, chiseled mountains with snow topped peaks, and rolling hillsides covered in the largest dandelions I’ve ever seen!

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We stopped often at roadside overlooks that gave us stunning views into green valleys, where little villages or farms nestled into the hillsides. Sometimes charming little chapels were built at the overlooks and we were able to meander in the yellow flower covered fields.

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At one of these unbelievable stops Liam, Faywen, and I hiked 15 minutes down to the lakeshore. Robert’s stomach wasn’t feeling well and Seamus was a bit tired. They stayed up top and enjoyed the views before taking a nap in the car. I thoroughly enjoyed this alone time with Liam and Faywen. We meandered down a country path past cow farms and eventually made it to the lakeshore where there was a lovely outdoor chapel. There were little steps down into the lake and Liam took off his shoes, rolled up his pants, and stuck his feet in the cold mountain lake water. The wind was blowing and so waves lapped against the shoreline. Liam did get his britches a bit wet, but he dried out quickly.   

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On the way back up we saw a bell tower with over 40 bells. They began chiming the William Tell Overture. However, it was a bit hard to hear over the clanging of the cowbells! Each cow had a massive bell around her neck. We would find out later at a nearby rest stop that William Tell was from Uri, Switzerland! We also picked up our own cowbell in the rest stop gift shop.

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Gotthard Tunnel was up until recently the longest tunnel in the world at 17km. A tunnel in Norway now holds the record. We drove through this iconic tunnel and thought we had popped out in Italy on the other side because all the signs were in Italian. Little did we know that it would be another 50+ kilometers before we reached the border. The very southern tip of Switzerland is an Italian-speaking region.

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Milan, Italy isn’t too far from the Swiss border. We entered Italy and paid to get on the Italian toll road that took us straight into Milan. Our fist impressions of Milan were that it was a huge, kind of dirty city. Though as we got closer to our apartment we discovered that it was old, had graffiti, but still had charm. We parked in an underground neighborhood-parking garage and then walked by a neighborhood block party. Everyone was eating, drinking, and playing football in the streets. Some of the locals even waved at us as we passed by and offered up a bottle of wine as if to say “come over have a drink” to which we waved back “no thanks” and pointed to our luggage as if we needed to check into a hotel somewhere.

Our apartment was in a gated community with a lovely balcony overlooking a large piazza garden. The boys and Robert went out to the nearest grocery and bought some food. Robert made spaghetti with pesto in the tiny kitchen. Our first Italian meal actually made in Italy!

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The Schweitzer Osterhase found us in our hotel in Zürich, Switzerland. The Swiss Easter bunny left us all little bags of chocolaty treats! After a quick sweet breakfast we put on our Sunday clothes and headed into Zürich proper.

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St. Andrew’s Anglican Church of England is located near central Zürich. It was wonderful being able to attend Easter services in English. There are no English speaking Churches in Graz, so we have been having home church. The folks at St. Andrew’s were very kind and even invited the kids to participate in a little egg hunt after services. Of course, they had hidden good Swiss chocolate eggs all over the little churchyard.

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After church we meandered a few blocks down to the center of town and took a lovely Sunday Stroll along the Limmet River. Everyone was out enjoying the afternoon sunshine. We ate a nice meal at Vapiano’s Italian restaurant and then took a scenic drive around the entire Zürichsee. Once back at the hotel we freshened up and headed back out to enjoy another stroll along the lakeshore.

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It was a peaceful and relaxing day. He Has Risen, Alleluia!

We were blessed with another beautiful day to explore Liechtenstein and then travel onto Zurich, Switzerland. How does one start off a day in Liechtenstein? Drinking wine from the Prince’s own personal vineyards of course! That is exactly what we did at the Prince of Liechtenstein Royal Vineyard outside of Vaduz. Our host, Ella, was very nice as we sampled four different wines, 2 white and 2 red.  Our favorites were the Profundo Red and the Pinot White. Strolling around the vineyards we took in the simple beauty of the mountains and surrounding village.

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From the vineyard you could see Schloss Vaduz up on the hill. The road wound through quaint neighborhoods before reaching this personal residence of the Prince. Unfortunately we couldn’t go inside, but were able to take photos of the gardens and the surrounding mountains.

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Haus Gutenburg is another personal castle belonging to the Prince that is situated atop a beautiful hill with fantastic views of the sprawling valley and vineyards below. Nestled against the northern side of the hill is the town of Balzers, which could be seen from Haus Gutenburg. This small castle was begun in the 1200’s and has the original 13^th century chapel and gatehouse. The part the Prince resides in was built in the 1700’s.

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It was hard saying goodbye to Liechtenstein. We all really enjoyed this little country, but it was time to cross the Rhein River back into Switzerland and drive on another hour to Zurich. We arrived mid afternoon and checked into our hotel in Horgen, a suburb of Zurich. Our hotel had stunning views of Zurichsee as well as the local train stop. It was fun watching all the trains pass through! We went to a local grocery and purchased dinner. After eating in our hotel room, we headed out for an evening walk. The church bells were calling people to Holy Saturday Mass and the sun was making the waters shimmer on the lake.

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There was a lovely boardwalk out to a marina, a rather large spray fountain in the lake itself, and of course several little parks along the banks of the lake. Our favorite was an old turn of the century estate that had been turned into a local park and music school. The kids once again had fun playing on the dangerous playground equipment! We love finding old playgrounds to enjoy! Another fun thing we did was to stand right up against the fence as the commuter trains whizzed by. It’s quite thrilling to hear the tracks pop and hiss, then see the train coming, and feel the breezes made by the cars as they whiz by you within 8 feet!

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Where, do you say is Liechtenstein? Well, it’s a tiny little country of 62 square kilometers nested between Austria and Switzerland. It is the most charming, prettiest, and friendliest little country I’ve ever visited! We said goodbye to the Bavarian Alps and drove 2 hours crossing back into Austria and then into Switzerland briefly before arriving at the Rhein (Rhine) River. This mighty river is in its infancy at the border between Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Over the river we found ourselves in Vaduz, the capital city. Truthfully it’s more like a town than a city. The entire population of Liechtenstein is only about 40,000 people spread over 9 villages. Liechtensteiners are very proud of their independence and culture. They are also very devoted to their Prince. Henri Adam is the 75 yr. old prince of Liechtenstein and his son Alois is 50. Prince Henri has several other children and grandchildren. He is the wealthiest European monarch with a total worth of about 11 billion dollars. Most of the family fortune is in banking, but his state wealth is near 3 billion. He shares much of his personal wealth with the people. Liechtenstein has a 25-person parliament who recently granted Prince Henri the ability to veto, kind of like the US President. He is the only constitutional monarch that has been given power back to him by his own people!

We explored central Vaduz, went to the Landes Museum of Liechtenstein, and visited the Vaduz Cathedral and Parliament building. The Landes Museum was very informative and we learned about the founding of Liechtenstein. In the early 1700’s Henri von Liechtenstein asked the Hapsburg King for a land grant within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Within a few years he had established himself as the prince, but would always pay homage to the Emperor. Since the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire the Prince of Liechtenstein has been a royal ruler in his own right. 2019 marks the 300 yr. anniversary of the founding of Liechtenstein!

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Some of our favorite items in the museum were the native costumes, the wooden cow horn decorations, and the Princes own private Faberge egg collection in the national treasury. They are known as  “people’s eggs”. They also seem to really like stamps in Liechtenstein!

However our favorite memory of Vaduz has to be the “Terrifying Osterhase of Liechtenstein!” We found out from a museum clerk that a young lady was dressed as an Easter bunny handing out candy to little kids. Seamus had gone to the bathroom and came upstairs to warn Faywen that the mascot was in the museum. Remember she is terrified of mascots! We had seen it earlier in the streets and had played “dodge the bunny”, but now it was in the museum! I must say the docent who helped us was quite sympathetic and actually went downstairs and asked the bunny to leave. The young lady understood and even gave the docent a sucker to give to Faywen! By the late afternoon the bunny had moved on and Faywen could once again enjoy strolling the streets of Vaduz!

As the sun began to set we walked across the only surviving wooden bridge to cross the Rhein River. In the center of the bridge is a sign marking the border between Switzerland and Liechtenstein. I took some lovely photos of the kids playing down at the edge of the Rhein River on the Liechtenstein side. I was standing in Switzerland! We ate supper then checked into our hotel pension in Vaduz. The kids had an amazing little apartment that had stunning views of the mountains. Robert and I also had a nice little balcony to enjoy the sunset over the mountains and Rhein River.

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Another lovely day in the Bavarian Alps found us driving through the mountains in search of Germany’s tallest mountain, the Zugspitze. I remembered riding a cable car to the top of the snow-covered mountain when I was a teenager, unfortunately when we arrived at the station it was ridiculously expensive to ride up the mountainside. So we took a few photos and headed towards Garmisch-Partenkirchen. This is the home of a US Army Base and also where our next adventure was to take place! It actually ended up being more enjoyable than if we had gone to the top of the Zugspitze.

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We parked our car and then walked a little over a kilometer through an enchanting valley following a lovely little mountain stream. Eventually we came to a tiny little outpost and the entrance to the Partnachklamm Gorge. We had no idea what to expect from the website, but were delighted to discover that the gorge was amazing!

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We paid a small fee and entered into a cave that opened up onto a small stone and wooden walkway that hugged the side of the gorge. The mountain stream we had been following, rushed and swirled below us as the water flowed over rocks and through the narrow gorge floor. It was exhilarating to listen to the rushing water only a few feet below. Sometimes the path even extended out a little over the river. The walls of the gorge reached 80m or 263ft. high and at times one could only see a sliver of blue sky above. The entire gorge was 800m or 2035ft long and once you reached the other side it opened up into a lovely little valley. After a respite in the sun we turned around and walked back through the gorge again. At times the path was very narrow and you had to practically hug the person trying to pass by you. Partnachklamm Gorge was declared to be a German Natural Monument in 1912.

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It was nice to warm up in the sunshine as we walked back to the car. Often water would drop on you from the rocks above and it was considerably cooler in the gorge. Needless to say we had worked up quite an appetite and so we ate at the Olympiahaus Restaurant by the carpark. This restaurant sits at the bottom of the 1936 Olympic ski jumps. Interestingly this is where Adolf Hitler opened the 1936 Munich Olympic Games!

On our way back to the apartment we stopped off in Oberammergau again and finished a little last minute shopping in the Bavarian Alps.