Side trip to Austria

Since we were so close to Austria when we were in Lake Bled, we figured why not hop over the border and see what Austria is like. So after a quick Internet search for a local castle to visit and fond farewell to Lake Bled, we headed north through a 7900 meter tunnel to the land of "Sound of Music."

Austria is, in a word, rainy. It poured our entire way north to the castle (Burg Hochosterwitz) we were visiting (with very low visibility at times through the mountain roads). It rained as we walked up the steep path to the castle on the large hill. It rained as we toured the castle (much of it outdoors). And it finally slowed down to a lighter sprinkle for the drive back through the lower Alps (Dolomites?) into Italy. It was not coincidence that as we ended our drive through the lovely mountains, the clouds cleared, the sun shined, and temps rose dramatically (from 12.5 c at the castle to 30 c by the time we arrived in Padua).

I'm sure there are times it doesn't rain in Austria (for example, I only remember one rain storm in the entire "Sound of Music" movie), but for now, when I think of Austria, I will think of rain and edelweiss.

(btw, we missed Ritterfest - aka Knights Fest) at the castle by just a few days - boo!)