our rented car

Every year we have a two-week summer holiday. In July 2000 we (Ha Yajun, Chen Fang, Iris and me) traveled Germany, Austria, Italy and France. The trip was almost 4,000km long.

It is always exciting when you drive a car all around Europe. A good car is necessary, so we decided to rent a car. Since there are already four persons in a car, we couldn't bring more things than necessary. We started quite early from Leuven.

our tents

Germany

First day we stopped at München, Germany. Near the city center we found a camping place. It was my first time to camping, so it took me some time to put the tent up. Then we drove to the city center.

München is a very big city. There were many people. It was very hard to find a parking place. However we were always lucky.

At the center we saw many big, nice old building. The palace is also there, but there is no king any more.

Frauenkirche

Frauenkirche

"Just off the pedestrian zone, on Frauenplatz, is the 15th-century cathedral Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). Its twin onion-domed towers are recognized as a symbol of the city, and the church itself is one of the largest in Europe from the late-Gothic period. Not to be missed is the �Devil�s Footprint� (complete with a spur at the heel) cast in the stone floor in the entrance hall beneath the choir. Legend has it that the devil stood on this spot, looked toward the altar and stomped his foot down in glee, thinking that the newly built church had no windows. It turned out to be an optical illusion�the church does have windows, but you can't see them from that particular spot."

eating Chinese noodle

a hotel near a river

buildings near the river

Next day we drove along the "romantic road" to Füssen. The region is so beautiful that you can't miss.

There are also many castles. The most famous is the Neuschwanstein Castle. The king died before it was finished.

Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau

Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau

"The castle of Neuschwanstein (3306 feet above see-level) is built in the style of the late romanesque period of the early 13th century. This style is obvious in the construction of the building as a whole as well in its ornamentation: the round arched portals, the arcade windows and towers, the position of columns and its bay windows and pinnacles. The King's living quarters and representational rooms in the third and fourth floor were more or less completed by 1886. The rooms on the second floor are still in bare brickwork an not accessible."

Austria

Then we came to Salzburg, Austria. You should spend some days there because it is so beautiful.

Salzburg

Mozart was born here

Salzburg

"Capital of the federal state of Salzburg, west Austria, on the River Salzach; population (1995) 142,000. The city is dominated by the Hohensalzburg fortress (founded 1077, present buildings 1465�1519). It is the seat of an archbishopric founded by St Boniface in about 700 and has a 17th-century cathedral. It is also a conference center. There are numerous fine Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque churches. It is the birthplace of the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and an annual music festival in August has been held here since 1920. The Mozart Museum of Sound and Film opened in 1991."

We left Salzberg for Innsbruck which is a ski resort.

city center

Innsbruck

"Beautiful town with Baroque architecture. Music, theater, discos, bars. Skiing from mid-December to mid-March. Free ski bus. Innsbruck Super Ski Pass offers skiing in Arlberg, Kitzbühel and Stubai glacier areas."

Hiking to the mountains.

a country road

a hut up the mountain

Italy

St Mark's Square

From Innsbruck to Venice we passed a lot of high mountains. However finally we were there. Our camping site was on a peninsular, so we had to take a waterbus to the city.

St Mark's Square

"St Mark's Square was memorably described by Napoleon as Europe's finest 'drawing room'. Here, the elegant eighteenth-century coffee houses, Florians and Caffe Quadri, spill their tables into the sunlight from the shadows of the Renaissance colonnades and peer at Europe's most unusual church, the golden Byzantine Basilica of St Mark's.The Basilica was founded in the ninth century as a shrine for the relics of St Mark, whose body was smuggled from Alexandria in a barrel of salted pork. Formerly a private chapel of the Doge, the church was completely rebuilt in the eleventh century, following a fire. Built on a plan of a Greek Cross, its Eastern appearance is enhanced by golden mosaics inside and out, originally by craftsmen from the Byzantine court at Ravenna."

a street in Venice

gondolas

The famous gondolas are one of biggest attractions, but it was too expensive to take a tour with it.

Left venice we went to Geneva. I still remember the pizza there, so delicious.

the king lives there

Monaco

Spent one night in Geneva, we came to Monaco. Everything was brand new there.

"Monaco is second only to the Vatican as the smallest independent state in Europe. Set on the Mediterranean coast of France just a few miles from the Italian border, the principality is a constitutional monarchy and relies largely on foreign currency for an economic base. Its principal industry is tourism."