European Escapade Page 6 of 12

	The narrow cobblestone streets of Salzburg are colorful and have an interesting variety of shops catering to tourists.		This is a courtyard of St. Peter’s Church where St. Peter is buried.
	And this is an ancient Fortress accessible by cable car that overlooks the city of Salzburg.		We stopped to look at some of the artistic products on sale by local street vendors outside St. Peters Church.
	And, w hen we took a break from sight-seeing for a cup of coffee and pastry, Lena had a difficult time deciding which one she wanted.		The town square with its fountain and a church where we were meeting the bus after our walk through the city of Salzburg was a tranquil place.
	By this stage of the tour, Steve was ready to try ANYTHING if it would help him get over the flu and to feel better. So, in this photo he considered asking for St. Peter's BLESSINGS.		From Salzburg, we traveled to the Bavarian Alps to visit Hilter's notorious 'EAGLES NEST.' In order to get up the mountain, we had to transfer to special motor coaches which were specially built to make the steep climb up the mountain roads to the peak.
	When we finally arrived at the top, this is the entrance to the mountain's elevator and access to the Eagles Nest itself.		A large brass-lined elevator takes people to the top.
	Steve stands by a WWII photo of soldiers at the Eagle's Nest which was taken after Germany was defeated and US troops made their way to the top of the mountain.		Again, the weather was bad and the haze was thick enough to preclude really being able to photograph the spectacular surrounding 360 degree views from outside the Eagle's Nest. This bird hoped to get a handout from the tourists who were eating outside.
	This photo of Lena clearly shows the clouds drifting in to cover the mountain top. In the background one can barely see the cross which is positioned at the highest point on the mountain.		By the time Lena walked the 100 or so yards up the hill to reach the cross, the clouds had rolled in and made it almost impossible to see anything from the vantage point where the cross was located.
	These photos give one an idea of the incredibly spectacular...		...views once would enjoy of the surrounding...
	...area on a clear day.		This is a photo of the Eagle's Nest facility itself as seen from a position midway between the buildings and the cross. Note the clouds which continued to roll in and obscure the scenic view.
	This is the main dining room in the Eagle's Nest where Hitler and his guests enjoyed their meals and entertainment. It is still used as a restaurant and serves meals.		The only original decorative part of the Eagle's Nest which was not carried away as souvenirs by US (and other) troops after the war is this massive marble fireplace behind Lena.
	From the Eagle's Nest, we traveled to VIENNA [SEE MAP], Austria. Lena was very impressed with this antique, decorative, lobby area of our hotel.		One of the main attractions in Vienna is Schonbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Hapsburg monarchs, and it's magnificently-preserved staterooms and exquisite gardens.
	Actually, the gardens of Schonbrunn Palace are immense and would require much more time than was available on our tour to fully explore.		Vienna's Parliament, City Hall, and Imperial Boulevards were also very impressive.
	These horse-drawn carriages outside Vienna's Opera House are available for tours around the city.		And, this IMMENSE costumed guy with "size 18 DDD" shoes outside the Opera House simply dwarfs Steve (and even Lena).
	We toured the Opera House and were very impressed with the facility...especially the backstage part of the tour normally not shown to the public.		These decorative halls are in the lobby and entrance areas of the Opera House outside the actual theater area.
	We stopped across from the Opera House for a STARBUCKS cafe latte and an incredibly-delicious and unbelievably-rich piece of chocolate double-fudge cake. WOW!		In passing some of the souvenir shops in Vienna, Lena saw some porcelain CATS that caught her attention, but, since it was Sunday, these stores were unfortunately closed.