Innsbruck - home of the Olympics at one time. Skiing Mecca! Unfortunately, due to avalanches and such, we were rather limited on our skiing. Luckily, we managed to get a full day in at a very challenging portion of the Alps (challenging for us, anyway). The town itself was very nice. The large gargoyle fountain pictured above provided a convenient landmark for navigation around the city and helped us find an Italian restaurant that quickly became our favorite.

We actually skied just outside this little town, nestled in the Alps. Renting skis was a bit problematic due to the hours kept - many shops are only open from 10 - noon, the from 2-4 during the winter. This makes it a little tricky to get your equipment in time to hit the slopes.

Only Mike had really skied before, so he kindly gave us all lessons in how to fall down without killing ourselves (this picture must have been taken before the lesson because he's still smiling). That came in very useful, because I spent a lot of time falling down!

Rob picked up skiing right away - look at him go! By the end of the day he was able to master the beginner slopes and start on the intermediate slopes. Go Rob!

After Innsbruck, we drove to Switzerland via Lichtenschtein and caught our plane home from Zurich. They say the public water is so clean in Zurich that you can drink right from the fountains - we tried this out and no one died or even got sick, so we think it's probably true. The prices were outrageous, but the chocolate was divine.

This trip was a wonderful taste of Europe and whetted my appetite for more. I hope to go back soon and see some more of these beautiful countries.