This past September, friends and I did a road trip through Germany and Austria over 10 days. We got a good deal with Air Transat, with whom I booked a return flight to Amsterdam in 2006. Three of us would fly into Frankfurt and meet up with two others along the way. Leaving Frankfurt, our itinerary included Würzburg, Rothenburg, Nürnberg, Passau, Vienna, Salzburg, Neuschwanstein castle, Dachau and Munich. We had the fortune of staying with friends in Vienna and Munich, diligent tour guides who balanced our visit with popular tourist attractions, and restaurants, pubs and nightclubs enjoyed by the locals.

The majority of our trip is documented in pictures, a selection of which I've posted on Flickr. It was a very memorable, worthwhile experience, and I hope to return to Germany, Austria and perhaps Prague one day. If you're considering travelling there, I highly recommend Rick Steves' travel guides. He provides valuable insight and is frank about what's worth visiting.

I started a travel journal, but as we were often driving, exploring or spending nights out, I didn't get far . . .

05 Sep 2007

After a field hockey tournament in West Vancouver during Labour Day weekend, Ted, Chris and I headed to the airport for 7 a.m. With only carry-on luggage, we boarded the Air Transat flight to Frankfurt, Germany around 9 a.m., with a stop in Edmonton.

Very uncomfortable flight, with us three tall guys sharing a row, and the people seated in front of us not hesitating to lower the backs of their seats. Arrived in Frankfurt around 5 a.m. local time with a crick in my neck.

At the airport, after arranging for a car rental, we made our way to our assigned parking spot only to find a black Porsche Carrera S2 . . . which wasn't our car unfortunately. What an experience the autobahn could have been though!

After coffee and pastries, we picked up another friend, Ashley, from the hostel near the central train station - in the red light district. Reading in our guide books (including the indispensable Rick Steves) that Frankfurt is a typical big city with skyscrapers and modern architecture, we hit the autobahn.