This morning our schedule consists of getting coffee. We head down to the hotel restaurant and enjoy a wonderful breakfast. All types of sausages, cheese, fruits and pastries available for our pleasure. We eat a bit too much but can't really help ourselves.
Next it's time to pack up the car and head south. Our ultimate destination is Graz, Austria but one of Jim's co-workers told us we should visit Eagle's Nest outside of Salzburg. This was a private getaway built for Hitler's 50th birthday for his own personal use. This retreat was built waaayyyy up on a mountain with breathtaking views. We arrive at the Eagle's Nest not knowing what to expect. We park our car and follow everyone to the ticket line. The ticket covers a 20 minute bus ride up to the top of the road (no cars are allowed on this road). From there, you take a 3 minute elevator ride to the very top of the mountain where the retreat is.
We step out of the elevator, go through a stone room and out a small door. There, we are met by a view that so pretty it literally takes your breath away (in addition to the fact that you are at an elevation of over 6,000 ft.). We hike around the area for about an hour, climbing even higher on some of the paths that surround the building. After we are done hiking, we decide to have a light lunch before we head back down. It is quite an experience to sit outside on a mountain this high and have lunch!
Next stop..... Graz. Unfortunately, the weather did not hold out. The drive from Salzburg to Graz was an experience itself. We ran through some heavy storms with the rain pounding down, the Lightning flashing through the sky and the thunder roaring. This lasts for probably a half an hour. The good news is some of this time was spent going through tunnels. Austria has wonderful tunnels. We went through one tunnel that I'm sure took over 10 minutes to drive through. When we came out the other side it had stopped raining. The rest of the drive was dry and uneventful.
Just driving on the Austrian version of the autobahn...
We reach Graz and begin to look for the AirBnB we have reserved. It begins to rain again. Jim gets us in the right area and we find the right street. We find the right building. The pouring rain begins again. We look at each other and both realize neither of us wants to stay here. The neighborhood looks questionable, the people look questionable and the street is crazy busy and LOUD. We find a good ole Best Western and make a reservation. Because of the F1 race, prices and availability are not great but we manage to get the last room they have. Thank goodness.
We get checked in and settled and head down to get a glass of wine. We spend a wonderful evening talking with people in the hotel bar. Most of them heading to the race in the morning just like us. We meet and talk to a very nice man from Wilhelmina, Sweden. We talk about our travels, our families and the upcoming race.
We also talk to the 2 bartenders. Both from Hungary. As we leave one of the bartenders teaches us how to say Goodnight in Hungarian. Jo ejszakat! (Joo ays-ak-aaht) . It was an enjoyable evening and we agreed we had made the right decision to go there.
Tomorrow - THE FORMULA 1 RACE!
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