Five If By Sea

Were we crazy to set off on an extended European tour with our two small boys? Those who thought so were undoubtedly unaware of our secret weapon: Xannie the Nanny.

Dean's cousin, a newly minted high school graduate, joined us at Venice-Marco Polo airport for a short tour of duty minding Miles and Leo.  Talk about a shakedown cruise!

We decided to leave the car at the airport (insert knocks on wood here) and travel to Venice in style via water taxi.

It's a way to start getting used to a world where everything is a little topsy-turvy, but almost always wonderfully so.

Crossing the lagoon, we saw the fabled city rise up from the waves like a particularly realistic mirage.

Soon enough we were gliding through channels and canals that were real enough.

 

Our Venice-Fan-In-Chief was enraptured.

As were we all as we approached Piazza San Marco.

It was time to get our bearings....

... and let the adventure begin.

Cortina, Cortina

Our next stop was Cortina d'Ampezzo, host of the 1956 Winter Olympics and the heart of the Dolomites.

Even among the Alps, the Dolomite range stands out for its dramatic vistas.   We had even more dramatic weather during our stay, with alternating bursts of sunshine and thunderous gatherings of black clouds.   The deluge didn't reach us until a few minutes before we escaped safely and not too soggily into our hotel, which fortunately had a good roof.  But by nightfall it had cleared again, and the mountains were back out for an encore.

 

 

In the Shadow of the Dolomites

Saturday took us over the Brenner Pass and into the Sudtirol (if you ask the Austrians) and the Alto Adige (according to the Italians).  The international border backs up the Italian claim, but bilingual signs and the cemeteries adjacent to World War I battlefields provide ample reminders today that this was long contested ground.  It was hard to believe that massive modern armies once tried to wage war among these awe-inspiring peaks.  

The boys' own great-grandfather was severely wounded on the Italian front in WWI.  Though he survived, it was poignant to see many other Hungarians among the thousands of soldiers of many nationalities buried in the shadow of these mountains.

  

Hall Pass

OK, gentle readers, we realize we're way behind on the blog.    Blame it on a dodgy wi-fi connection in Venice.  We're going to take advantage of a moment of connectivity to try to bring you up to date on the sights and sounds of the trip, without the usual commentary on the local orthography.

Our first day with the new wheels brought us across the Austrian border, fiddling with the audio system but otherwise enjoying the ride.   We stopped in Hall-in-Tyrol, a charming (aren't they all) town just outside of Innsbruck.   Speaking of the Inn, it was still raging at high levels several weeks after contributing more than its share to the flooding in Central Europe.

Fortunately, our resourceful adventures found a wooden bridge across the river and slipped through the fortified walls into the town.

 

 

Calling an Audible

After three amazing (if sleep-deprived) days in Iceland, it wasn't clear how we could maintain the same level of excitement on the rest of our trip as we boarded the plane for Munich.  

Well, as they used to say on '70s game shows, "How about a NEW CAR?"

So we thought we'd try that.



So the next thing we knew, we were in scenic Ingolstadt, about 45 minutes north of Munich and, more importantly, the home of the "Audi World Forum".

Ingolstadt has about 130,000 inhabitants, over 35,000 of whom work for Audi, including Tom, our friendly driver.   Everyone else apparently makes parts.

European Delivery Day finally arrived.  But first, there was some paperwork to fill out.

And a cup of coffee.

Finally, the hour approached.

And we were off to the races!

Certain people made themselves right at home in the driver's seat....

...while others looked forward to the Autobahn.

But first it was time for a tour of the factory.   We can't show you the photos we took with our secret shoe cameras, but if you want to set up a state-of-the-art auto manufacturing facility without all fuss of designing your own, get in touch with us!