Within a few minutes before leaving our four-night-stay gasthof this morning, a technician finally arrived to fix the hot water heater. Ironic, because for three mornings we’ve had tepid water at best. I suppose we enjoyed camping at its finest!

We walked down the mountainside for the last time (3/4 of a mile) and met the gasthof owner who had our luggage in his vehicle to transfer into Tom and Petra’s van.

Before leaving Austria we stopped at a beautiful lake: Haldensee in Tannheimer Tal. It is overlooked by the Hahnenkamm mountain that, from a distance, looks like a camel or a creature with a saddle.

Also before leaving Austria we bought fuel–less than 1,10/liter Euros for diesel. Fuel is cheaper in Austria than in Germany. According to my sister-in-law Petra, it’s because of the German taxes being higher and not having toll roads in Germany, while surrounding countries all have toll roads and lower taxes associated with fuel.

Something that is cheaper in Germany than in the U.S. is Birkenstock sandals. We stopped at Fuessen, just inside the German border and walked around the old town area. Petra pointed out a shoe store where I paid only 65 Euros for a nice pair of Birkenstock with three straps! We couldn’t talk John into buying lederhosen, but Tom modeled a pair for my camera. I have already owned a dirndl; in fact, a kilt and a dirndl were the first two pieces of clothing I sewed as a teenager. I learned from Petra that a janker (jacket) can be worn by both men and women.

Near Fuessen stand two world-famous castles, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. We drove by and snapped some photos, but too many tourists were around and our time was limited, so we didn’t stop for a tour. I understand that Neuschwanstein is so popular that advance tickets must be ordered online. It’s the castle that inspired the Disney castles.

A few kilometers north of the castles, we stopped and went into Weiskirche, a church from the Baroque era. It’s by far the most elaborate church interior I’ve seen to date. It’s a world heritage site, with many people stopping by daily for free admission. They do ask for donations, though, to help defray maintenance expenses.

We took a scenic route north to Munich and avoided much of the Friday rush hour traffic. Tom and Petra dropped us off at the Munich Airport Hilton where we will catch our plane back to the States tomorrow.

After wandering around the airport, we ate in the huge cafe court between the two terminals. In the night lights, the colors and overall architecture are stunning.

We must return again to see more of Europe.