Crystal

I had my 30th birthday in Austria; Hofgarten in the Tyrol to be exact. I had at plenty of schnapps that night! I danced with our tour guide Jules and my near twin, the bus driver Gert. He was a funny guy and a cool dancer. His stories of trips around Europe were very entertaining.

The Tyrol area is known for its Swarovski Crystal, which I purchased several items. The shopfront disappears into the side of a hill. Very impressive.

I loved the pine forrested landscape, the rolling hills and green fields. We took a bicycle ride through the mountains and had a ride on a chairlift high into the air. I was very impressed at the way the local cemeteries are so well maintained. Picturesque even.

Chocolates are great in this region and so is the schnapps!

You need the energy from the chocolates and the courage from the alcohol to do the awesome white water rafting the next day.

This was great. Lisa and I had the front and pumped hard into the waters to keep us from tipping while others were oblivious to any danger. I would recommend you do such a trip. You are well prepared and looked after by trained guides and wear all the right gear to undertake this venture. The scenery is to die for, and you pray that you don't.

From here we briefly stopped in Leitchenstein where there was no unemployment problems. A little country, but impressively beautiful. Aparently the military has a complex dug into the mountains with enough supplies for over 20000 people if war ensued.

We saw paragliders coursing through the alpine skies. The air was crisp and fresh, but most of the bus's occupants were blissfully sleeping the time away from a hard night before. Ah, these young people just don't have the stamina!