lichtenstein and Innsbruck

Our first stop was Vaduz, Lichtenstein which is the 3rd smallest principality in the world. It became an independent state in 1815 because the surrounding countries of Austria and Germany couldn't decide who to claim them. The Prince of Lichtenstein is one of the richest in the world with a 4 million dollar per year income. Residents here do not have to pay taxes but it is very expensive to move to the country. 

We moved from Lichtenstein to Innsbruck. Carla explained a little about Austrians on our bus ride. Bullet points:

• Very trustworthy people. They have many "self service pay" stations for newspapers, public transport, etc. They all pay without anyone having to double check behind them.
• There are appox. 10 million people
• They don't like Germans. This comes from a history of when Austria was an empire and Germans were just farmers.
• In 1938 the anschluss occurred with Germany. I always wondered what Max was saying in the Sound of Music when he told the Captain this happened peacefully...now I know it means annex!

We arrived to beautiful Innsbruck in the early afternoon and enjoyed a walking tour of the city with our city guide Christian. We started with the famous golden roof that was built by Maximilian the I. It is actually made of copper with a thin layer of gold on top of it. Max built it to show wealth that he didn't have. We also had a chance to checkout a courtyard built during medieval times. Houses were built very narrow but also very long. They had bay windows on the front to keep the light coming in and the courtyard to bring light to the inner rooms. We also visited St. James Cathedral which was quite beautiful. I was spoiled by seeing St. Peter's in Rome as my very first church in Europe but I will say this one ranks high up with it's beauty. Sadly much of it was destroyed during WWII but they managed to save the artwork and restore the church. Innsbruck itself was almost 60% destroyed during the 22 bombings it received during the war. We ended with a visit to the Swarovski store as this is the home of Swarovski crystals.

For Randy's son Lee wanted to know what we eat:

Breakfast -- bread with butter or jam, deli meat & cheese, bacon, and eggs

Lunch - we stopped at a roadside cafe and sandwiches, pastries, and cokes (Randy just had the coke)

Dinner - a delicious noodle soup (similar to Chinese soup), roasted chicken, zucchini, and potato pancakes. For dessert...apple strudel. 

Our group of 35 is all getting along so well! We have made new friends and are enjoying spending time with them...especially at the beer garden in the old city center of Innsbruck!