Zell am See

We spent a three day weekend in an absurdly beautiful Austrian town.  It's called Zell am See.  It's a ski resort in the winter, but it has loads to do when it's not snow covered as well.  On the way I snapped a shot of an all too common site in Europe.  People put hitches on tiny cars and USE them.  It can't be very safe or good for the car, but there you go.

Right after we checked into our hotel, we walked down to the lake.  The kids voted to rent a boat first thing, so we did.  It was electric and slow, but everyone took turns driving.  When not driving, everyone took turns splashing.

Yes those are pretty cows with bells coming down from the hills for a drink before milking time.  

 Isaac has been working on collecting more pins for his hat.  Jess chose a less conventional souvenier, but she LOVES it.  As I type this more than 6 months later, I can confirm she still loves it.  It's a motorcycle hat with attached goggles.  What an outfit!

We forced Makenna to pick something and she chose a scarf.  She is a fashion girl, but does not like to spend money. 

We went on a couple of gorgeous hikes up gorges.  Some very determined people built wooden staircases up and up.

We think it's perfect for mermaids who don't mind cold water.  

Snack break

We went into a few caves, but the kids weren't happy about the squelching noises our feet were making in the pitch blackness.  Matt would use the camera flash to light the way every 10 seconds or so.  

It all looks like this!  

An old church that caught my eye.  

We found a place that was like an Alpine Slide, but not always built into the hill.  You could still control your speed around turns and bumps.  We went a few times.  Instead of riding a ski lift up, you sat on your "sled" and rode a conveyer belt up to the top.  It was a slow ride up, but sooooo beautiful.  There was also a petting zoo there.  

We tried 4 wheeling.  It was a big hit. 

Isaac

Makenna

Jess wore her OWN helmet.  

A hotel we rode by.  

We rented bikes for a couple hours to ride around the lake.  We made the whole circuit.

Matt remembered playing with these thorns from when he was Jessica's age and living in Germany.

This was another gorge.  This one started out by a really old saw mill. 

Do you see the witch carved in wood on the left?

Jess LOVED that people had left rock stacks and added a few of her own.  

The water was COLD.

So we need some practice using the camera timer.  I promise this is the best one.