After the procession , we headed a 1/2 hour away to meet up with our niece, Brittany!  Here is a picture of she and her host family (so her folks see she arrived safely!).

Anticipate Backup of Cars

Entry into a Blind Curve

No Horns

Pay Attention

Uneven Road

Grandparent and Child Crossing

Here are more signs, but just for fun.  These are also known as “Debbie in Europe.”

….and the obvious ones.

We went to a candlelight dinner and concert of his music: it was brilliant.  The food was excellent, the ambiance was amazing, the other people at our table were delightful, and the program of a 5 piece string quartet and two vocalists was inspired.  They did selections from the operas “Don Giovani” and “Marriage of Figaro” as well as songs from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.  This was all done between courses of the meal.

 And the location was the Stifskeller St. Peter ; the oldest restaurant in central Europe and first mentioned in 803 on the occasion of a visit by Charlemagne, and frequented by the Mozart family in their day. And now Steve and Debbie Morales!

Nancy and Steve Tanner, I thought of you all during this magical evening…we dedicate this evening to you (and I know you can’t have a 5 piece string quartet…just seeing if you were paying attention)!!

I am on the bus.

Yes,the movie came out when I was merely 15, and I had a date to the Loma Theater, Point Loma (where it played for 2 years) with Andy Andeck!  Sigh, to picture his arm around my shoulders, going numb scenario…my first big crush.

Flash ahead 6 years, and I have already been an organist for 8 years and played many a “here comes the bride” at weddings , so I chose the Wedding March from the Sound of Music for mine (to STEVE)!

 So, I got to see the Church they used, and they played the CD on the bus, and I was in  “Nostalgic Land”.  Pure schmaltzzzzzzzzzzz and I loved it!

They have a unique (weird) collection of art, as well as how their crystals were used in that art.  It is really too difficult to explain, but it does all end with an enormous gift shop!!!

Mr. Swarvoski created and patented in 1895,  the way to cut a perfect crystal; two years later he had a factory and 100 employees.  Well, I love Swarvoski Crystals, they are in my ears, on KC’s wedding dress and veil, and I think they are as pretty as diamonds without the worry.  But, they were first used in machinery, and for reflective markers on roads, optics in binoculars, and much, much more.

I still did alot of damage in the gift shop.

We found it, in the middle of no where – the Emmental Cheese Factory!  It is a beautiful alpine factory sitting atop a large green pasture and it was quite an education. 

The cows drop off their milk, some enzymes are added, it curdles and it pressed into molds, and aged, and aged.   Bubbles in the curing process seek to escape, and  wa la….swiss cheese (sounds like Steve)!

We are in Garmisch, Germany now.  Tomorrow we visit King Ludwig II’s crazy castle (think Disneyland on a mountain peak).

Then on to Salzburg.  Mozart, Sound of Music, struedal and beer? We will find out!

Debbie and Steve leave Montalcino today.  First stop:  Milan.

Where did the time go????  From Milan we go to Bern Switzerland , then Interlochen, then  Garmmesh,  back to Venice , then Salzburg , then Munich , Rottenburg, Denmark , Sweden , home.  We have to make calls to book the military bases that will house us when we are in Garmmesh, Venice , Munich and Rottenburg.