austria

High above the village of Werfen in Austria, we got the chance to explore a huge, breathtaking ice cave! We had to take a brisk hike (kind of tough the higher you climbed. Air got cold and it was challenging to breathe, but we kept going!) We then took a tram that was high up and super fast.
Our guide explained that “The World of Ice Giants” was discovered in 1879 and is actually a labyrinth of ice caves that is almost 30 miles long. It is considered a dynamic cave, meaning that the corridors and the crevices connect lower lying entrances to higher openings- this makes it possible for gusts of air to circulate. During the spring months, the ice that has melted and turned into water seeps through the cracks in the rock. It reaches the chilly, frozen lower areas of the caves, freezes some more and slowly transforms into magical ice formations. We were given ‘old school’ gas powered torch lanterns, but our guide had this funky wire he would light on fire and it would get super bright. Sometimes he would go behind an ice wall with the bright light and it looked magnificent! So pretty. Although we enjoyed exploring the cave- it was bone chilling cold! Our fingers and toes were frozen. Well worth it, though.

Interesting tidbit: Salzburg means salt fortress.

We woke up in Salzburg and decided to drive to Munich and then over to the Dachau Concentration Camp. We soon hit a traffic jam that lasted almost four hours. We could not figure out what was happening. Mystery solved when we got to the end of the line and saw that the river had overflowed. We weren’t going anywhere! So we headed to Allie’s house, knocked on her door and said, “We’re baaaaaack!!!!”

Allie devised a scavenger hunt for us that also taught us about the history of Salzburg (everything on the list is somehow tied into the city’s story.) It was boys against the girls. Here was the list:
– red bull can – prayer card for Franzikanerkirche – a Swarovski crystal (or picture) – a picture of Mozart – a pretzel – a Mozart chocolate ball – edelweiss – Von Trapp family memorabilia – a beer coaster – salt – a love lock to put on a bridge – lederhosen/dirndl – a napkin form the Nordsee cafe – Austrian bottle of coke – a photo of the city’s old horse bath – something from the Apotheke.
So much fun!!! Incidentally, boys won. Lame! Girls probably had more fun, though!

The last photo is of us with all our stuff. Girls only lost by one thing!!!!
The first photo is of Allie giving us a history lesson. We learned a lot. She is a great teacher.

You can’t really see that well in the photo- but underneath the grate, is an old dungeon!

Torture devices. What weirdos think this stuff up!?!?