🚢 Leg 1: The Adriatic Cruise & Venice
Our annual summer excursion kicked off by teaming up with our long-time traveling crew, Sandra and John Lopez, continuing our tradition of many consecutive summers exploring together. We boarded the Norwegian Pearl out of Athens enjoying daily port calls
debarking in the iconic city of Venice Italy. After spending two wonderful days exploring the historic island city, we picked up our rental car to begin the land portion of our adventure.
🏔️ Leg 2: Into the Austrian Alps
Driving inland, we traveled north through Verona and Trento, crossing the scenic Brenner Pass into Austria to reach Innsbruck. Nestled beautifully in a valley between two towering mountain ranges, the city offered dramatic landscapes. We took the tram straight up to Nordkette (the "Top of Tyrol"), located directly north of the city, which treated us to spectacular, dizzying views.
Heading east, we found a charming local pension in the popular resort town of Zell am See-Kaprun. Our host was a lovely Dutch lady who had relocated to Austria to manage the property. Our stay included regional tourist cards, which covered our train trip into Salzburg and a journey up the Kitzsteinhorn glacier to the Top of Salzburg viewing platform.
📊 Altitude Check: The Top of Salzburg sits at an impressive 3,029 meters above sea level. Using your conversion rate (\(1 \text{ meter} = 3.3 \text{ feet}\)), that puts you at a breathtaking 9,995.7 feet high!
🇦🇹 Leg 3: Capital Culture & Alpine Drives
Vienna: Next on the itinerary was Vienna, easily one of my all-time favorite cities. We spent two vibrant nights exploring its grand pedestrian zones, a visit to the Jewish Quarter and its iconic museum and taking in the culture, and indulging in authentic, world-class Wiener Schnitzel.
The Großglockner: Leaving Vienna, we pointed our car south to conquer the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. As one of the most famous, iconic mountain drives in the Alps, the winding roads and jagged peaks did not disappoint.
🇸🇮 Leg 4: Exploring Slovenia & Croatia
- The Lakes & Capitals: We crossed into Slovenia and overnighted at Velden am Wörthersee (a beautiful Austrian resort right on the doorstep of the Slovenian border area). From there, we pushed on to Slovenia's capital, Ljubljana. Though the surrounding countryside was absolutely gorgeous, the capital itself was a bit of a disappointment compared to the heavy travel industry marketing it receives; it lacked the refined finish I expected from a nation that emerged from the independent dissolution of Yugoslavia.
- Zagreb & The Coast: By comparison, Zagreb Croatia felt much more developed and vibrant. We spent the next several nights driving along the Adriatic Coast, weaving through Croatia and Slovenia while stopping to enjoy quaint, ancient fishing seaports.
🛫 Leg 5: The Journey Home
Our grand loop concluded right where our land journey began: back in Venice. From there, we caught a quick flight over to Spain. This allowed the Lopez family to easily catch their Royal Caribbean cruise back home to the United States, while I boarded my flight back home, wrapping up another unforgettable summer trip.
