Europe Travel Diary 1987 36

We were up early at 5:30am this morning as Di’s back was too sore for her to remain in bed. The bonus was that we were all able to witness the sunrise over the mountains that surrounded us.

We were sad to leave the beautiful scenery of Mittenwald, but we did so at about 9:00am in beautiful, clear weather. It would have been a glorious day for walking in the vicinity if we had the time.

We headed south, back into Austria to Zirl (at the edge of Innsbruck), and then we headed west through Telfs, Karres and the Austrian Alps along Route 171, preferring the slower more scenic route to the fast autobahn. We drove through Landeck (being a very busy town, we decided not to stop), and then through Pettneu am Arlberg (where we filled our water bottle from a community well), St Anton am Arlberg, and the Arlberg Pass – a very pretty drive with beautiful villages and rural scenery, although a slow trip because of roadworks.

We continued on to Feldkirch where we looked at the old town and posted some letters, after which we diverted south to see Liechtenstein. Being a tiny country of just 160 square kilometres, this didn’t take long, but we had a quick look at Vaduz, the capital city/village and the Prince’s castle overlooking the town and valley below.

Leaving Liechtenstein, we drove fairly quickly back into Austria to Bregenz (which we dismissed as a tourist trap) and then across the German border at Weidach and on to Lindau, a little less than ten kilometres from the border crossing.

We found some beautiful accommodation, where we had dinner, and then drove into the old town of Lindau to walk around the park, the port and the lovely streets. The historic part of Lindau is located on an island in the Bodensee (Lake Constance), and the atmosphere beside the lake near the breakwater of the historic port was magical in the warmth of the clear summer evening. The buildings nearby were ornate and colourful, often being covered in colourful, intricately painted frescoes, with the Rathaus (Town Hall) being especially noteworthy. And to make it a perfect walk, Liesl and Phillip found a children’s playground (well, a very tiny one that consisted of a single see-saw), which they subjected to a thorough workout with big smiles all round.

Day 36

Mittenwald to Lindau

Monday 17 August 1987