To Austria!

On Thursday we took Rick's advice and went to a monkery called Andech, which supposedly had the best beer in all of Europe. But, we got there after a beautiful hike (1 hr there, 45 min return) and enjoyed some Bolvarian food and ice (what they call ice cream). It was a beautiful view and the church was gorgeous.Then we went back into the city and for 1 euro got to climb 12+ flights of stairs up St. Peter's church to see an amazing view of Munich! Then we rushed back to our couch hosts and drove (on the autobahn!!!!) to Rosenheim, which is their home town. We stayed at Momo's parents' home and they took us out on a lovely tour of Rosenheim. Then we went out to play BINGO at a local student bar with Momo's brother and sister. SO MUCH FUN! Michelle learned how to count to 100 in German!
*Michelle at the top of St. Peter's church

Today we took off for....with Regina and Momo for a wonderful hike! We had an incredible view of the Austrian alps and a crystal clear lake. The hike took about 2 hours and then we went out for a quaint and delicious Bovarian lunch. We sat out in the sun and now Amy has tons of freckles! So wonderful :) After lunch we drove to a...wait for it...SALT MINE!!! We took a tour which included a train ride, 2 giant wooden slides, a boat ride with...I quote..."dancing ornaments" AKA a light show on the water, salt water tasting, and a fun elevator ride. SO much fun! Oh, and we got to wear mining attire.

*At the end of our hike!*Ready for some salt mining!

After the mining experience we went to the lake and walked to a location called Artist's point. It was a beautiful view of the lake and there was an incredible echo! Michelle met a new friend that demonstrated the echo for us :)

*View of the lake...breathtaking!

*Michelle's friend who commented on her 5 finger shoes!


*Amy taking a wack at the creating an echo

Then our wonderful hosts drove us to Salzburg, where we are staying at the YOHO hostel (YOuth HOstel) and meeting a bunch of fun US friends who are also traveling about Europe. And we got to do laundry, which is always a bonus! Tomorrow we will be pulling a tourist card and doing the Sound of Music tour!