Eastern Austria - Day 40-46

Having gotten a taste of the Alps before in southern Germany, we were eager to reach the mountain town of Hallstatt a couple of hours southeast of Salzburg. The town clung to the mountainside, dwarfed by encircling mountains towering above. Our pension was at the edge of the Hallstattersee Lake with a small lawn and diving board inviting us to take a swim. In our newly remodeled room with a giant balcony offering 180-degree lake views, we felt we had found a relaxing paradise.

Hallstatt is best known not for its beauty and serenity, but for having the oldest salt mine in the world. The mine is 2,500 years old and we took a funicular up the mountain to visit it. The next day we went to the small neighboring town of Obertraun, the gateway to gondolas that took us high into the Alps. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to explore the famed Dachstein Ice Caves at the top. Our breath was taken away not only by the cold, but also by the sheer scale of the delicate ice formations hanging from the cave walls. There were a number of ice waterfalls and even an Ice Chapel, a huge ice formation large enough to contain a small ceremony.

Upon emerging from the ice caves, we set out for a hike in the mountains above the caves. Since this is the land of the Governator, maybe it shouldn't have surprised us to come across truly Schwarzenegger-sized ants, flies, and -- Kaitlin's favorite -- bees. Each was three to four times as big as the varieties back home. However, the awesome views of the snow-capped Alps and microscopic Hallstatt made being stalked by bees on steroids worth it. Sort of.

We moved on to Vienna. This was a city that could wear you out with its endless interesting neighborhoods, palaces, museums, cafes and nightlife. One of the most unforgettable experiences was attending an opera in one of the best venues in the world, the Staatsoper. With a breathtaking interior and perfect acoustics, our seats with slightly limited views were among the best $10 we have ever spent. We also had the luxury of extremely helpful English prompters at each seat. A perfect ending to our evening was indulging in the famous sachertorte, an elegant Austrian chocolate cake, at the Sacher Cafe.

One of the biggest tourist draws of Vienna is the elaborate Schloss Schonbrunn Palace, where we toured the extensive buildings and gardens. There were many other highlights of our time in Vienna, including seeing the world famous Lipizzaner Stallions. We also ventured into the Kunsthistorische Museum. It was a unique experience to witness a couple of artists masterfully duplicating famous paintings.

Hungary - Day 47-53

We had been moving at a fairly rapid pace and were ready for a more relaxing week with Kaitlin's parents in a cabin outside Budapest. Over the next week in Hungary, we came to more fully realize the advantages and disadvantages of visiting a more provincial country. We were glad to find fewer tourists and reasonable prices. However, many things we took for granted, such as clean water, a language we could somewhat understand, and friendly people willing to help us, were suddenly taken away. A lot of people seemed to be dissatisfied with the government and life in general, and we often felt as if there was a giant cloud over the city.

We took a sightseeing tour of the city and were able to glimpse most of the major sights on both sides of the imposing Danube River for only $12. The city is very spread out, since it is a combination of the old cities of Buda and Pest. The striking architecture of the buildings on Castle Hill and the Parliament were some of the highlights. Later, we strolled by the State Opera House to find that the last performance of the season was that night. We were lucky to get seats for only $10 after a wait of a couple of hours, and were rewarded with an engaging performance of "Il Trovatore."

We heard that the famous public baths are a must-do in Budapest. We opted for the more local Szechenyi baths in Varosliget, Budapest's main city park. Upon entering, prepare yourself for a lengthy ritual. Our first challenge was getting past the gantlet of locals and tourists to obtain tickets, towels and a private changing room before heading out to the baths.

We were pleasantly surprised to find dozens of outdoor and indoor pools and saunas of all sizes and temperatures. The awesome architecture and being a part of a local ritual that has existed since 1565 made the experience most enjoyable.

Other highlights of Budapest were Statue Park, a bleak open-air museum that contains many of the old Soviet statues in the city during Communist times. We also wandered the main boulevard of the Vaci Utca and into the Grand Market Hall, an impressive three-story marketplace selling every type of produce and merchandise. The Jewish quarter is filled with history and contains the Great Synagogue, which is the largest in Europe and contains a very moving Holocaust memorial. A boat cruise on the Danube offered good live music and a buffet dinner for only $20.

Central and Northern Austria - Day 54-58

We then headed to the town of Zell am See, on the edge of a crystalline lake in the mountains of Austria. We found a cute pension above the town, which offered us gorgeous views of the lake and rugged snowcapped mountains. It is truly a winter lodge: From the front door, you can ski right onto the slopes.

Our first day in town we headed up a mountain called Kitzsteinhorn, the tallest in the area, which led to some great hiking trails. As we ascended via a series of three chairlifts, we were amazed to find ski schools on a glacier still in session in July!

We had read about a nearby road called the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, which weaves through the Hohe Tauern National Park toward the peak of Grossglockner, 11,800 feet. We rented a car for the day and immediately realized this is one of the world's most scenic drives. We felt as if we were hovering in a helicopter, peering down into the valleys. It is infamous for endlessly windy roads that end at the giant Pasterze Gletescherweg, an awe-inspiring glacier that stretches for miles in front and above you. We were also able to walk onto the glacier and explore some of its deep crevasses and melting rivers.

Our final stop in Austria was Salzburg, famous as the birthplace of Mozart and where "The Sound of Music" was filmed. Arriving on another rainy afternoon, our modest goal was to do laundry and find dinner. After a long wait to do our wash, we went outside, starving, wandered down a medieval alley and glimpsed a small sign for some sort of brewery.

We descended several flights of stairs that finally emptied into a labyrinth of food stands and beer halls, with hundreds of boisterous Austrians in the midst of what was an old monastery.

Although this was the last thing we were prepared for, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to grab some sausages and steins. A couple of hours and a couple of liters later, we realized that we had blindly stumbled on the famous Augustinian Braustubel-Mulln beer garden, founded in 1621. One of the most important things that we have realized on this trip is that traveling is not just about what you expect; it is also about the unexpected, and making the most of the moment.

Many people had told us about "The Sound of Music" tour. One of the most beautiful things about Salzburg is the surrounding mountains and lakes, and if you don't have a car, this is great way to see it. The tour took us around the city and pointed out all the sites where the movie was filmed, including the Von Trapp family home and the famous gazebo. The grand finale was the beautiful gardens of the Mirabell Palace and the "Doe, A Deer" staircase.

Czech Republic - Day 59-63

Our first stop in the Czech Republic was a place called Cesky Krumlov. The town's nicely restored castle is perched atop a stone hill, and from the tower you can see the Vltava River snaking through the village, overlooked by quaint multicolored buildings. We also have to note that Cesky Krumlov was the best budget destination that we have found yet. We ate very well every day, including fresh fish for only $5 at a charming riverside cafe.

We also took a canoe ride down the river through the town and went horseback riding in the nearby mountains. The truly amazing thing was doing all of this for only $25 per person! However, make sure you get there in the next couple of years because the country is expected to change currency to the euro, and that means prices will increase.

While canoeing, we found manmade waterfalls and rapids created on the river to slow it down, and we had some fun going down them. As we went over the last falls, a crowd of tourists on the bridge above cheered us on.

Prague is a beautiful city with much to see, but unfortunately during the busy season it is filled with tourists. We wandered through the city, including Wenceslas Square and the Stare Mesto, or Old Town area. We tried to beat the crowds by seeing things late in the evening or in questionable weather, and we got lost in less-touristy neighborhoods. Our first evening there, we walked across the Charles Bridge and saw one of the most spectacular sunsets imaginable.

Prague Castle is not as lavish inside as many European castles, but had its own unique feel and charm. We wound up the tiny staircase to the top of the Great South Tower of St. Vitus's Cathedral, which gave us a more private view of the city. A very interesting street within the castle walls, the Golden Lane, has throughout its history housed many groups of merchants, and was Franz Kafka's home for a time.

Krakow, Poland - Days 64-66

We feel that it is important as travelers, or students of the world, to have experiences that are not just fun, but challenging and educational. From Krakow, we joined a tour of the nearby Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps, where more than 1.5 million people died during World War II. As the bus took us to our first stop at Auschwitz, a gut-wrenching video was shown. During the tour, the magnitude of the atrocities committed began to come into focus as we saw rooms full of hair cut from prisoners' heads to stuff mattresses, cells for torture, and one of the brutally efficient crematoriums.

We then took the bus to Birkenau, a massive compound of stables that housed tens of thousands of prisoners. Much of the camp was torn down by fleeing Germans, but as you enter and walk over the train tracks leading into the camp, you can immediately imagine the chaos of people exiting the train, families being separated, and more than half of the prisoners being sent to their deaths without warning or question.

We expected present-day Poland to be a poorer, less safe, and possibly dirty city -- and we couldn't have been more wrong. Krakow is beautiful, like a smaller version of Prague and Vienna, but without as many tourists. It boasts a fabulous cafe scene and beautiful architecture, as Krakow was one of the few major cities in Eastern Europe that was not heavily bombed during WWII. Part of what made all of this so enjoyable was that the city was really inexpensive and allowed us to eat very well and stay in the city center. A surprising number of people spoke at least some English. Overall, we were impressed by the city and absolutely loved the main square, the Stare Miasto.

Adrenaline and exhaustion took turns as we took three flights into Moscow. When we began to plan our trip many months ago, Russia had seemed so far in the future and now it was already upon us.

-- For more photos, visit the Gertzes' Web site: www.mytripjournal.com/gertzaroundtheworld.

IF YOU GO

Best Places to Stay:

Pension Sarstein -- Beautiful pension (inn) in Hallstatt, Austria that sits on the edge of the lake. Brand-new rooms and great prices. #00 43 0613 48217; pension.sarstein@aon.at

Haus Ashling -- Beautiful bed and breakfast in Zell am See, Austria. Great views, and you can ski from the door in winter. Eugene & Margaret O' Carroll, # 00 43 6542 74129; e-mail: ashlinghaus@sbg.at; www.aislinghouse-austria.com

Best Opera House:

Staatsoper -- (Vienna Opera House) Performances from September-June; #00 43 5144 42250; www.wiener-staatsoper.at

Best Beer Garden:

Augustinian Braustubel-Mulln -- Huge indoor and outdoor beergarden set in a monastery since 1621; Augustinerg 4, Salzburg; #00 43 0662 1246

Best Local Experiences:

Szechenyi Bath -- Baths in Budapest, Hungary, in the middle of the Varosliget City Park; #00 36 363 3210

Vltava -- Rafting and canoeing company in Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic, from 1 hour to all-day adventures; #00 420 380 711 978; www.ckvltava.cz