Best of...last week

It's been a slow day at the castle--foggy and rainy, so we took turns working (student papers, research) and playing (reading books about Maisy Mouse, playing cars, drawing). The camera never left the backpack, so here are some pictures from around town (on nicer days) from the last week. The first is Meinhard, Count of Tyrol (not sure if he's I or II, but both are from the 1200s).

The second is the Green Mountain sign at the croft (GMC Italy campus, as I like to think of it).







Then there's the long view of the valley, with Brunnenburg at the bottom and Schloss Tirol at the top. I take this picture almost every time we walk into the village--this is from the top of the hill as we hit the first gelato shop. The snowy mountains center and right are part of the Texel Group national park. It looks like amazing hiking, and a lot of people come to Dorf Tirol because of its proximity to this area. There's a Seilbahn (gondola) from the village up to some high guesthouses, mountain huts, and a trail system (and, of course, a cafe/beer garden). We can see the gondola several times a day from our kitchen window, and finally rode it on Friday. The ride was scary (very high!), but short (only 5 minutes), and the view was spectacular. And no, I don't have any pictures. Yes, next time I'll take the spare camera battery.


Then there's the church in the village. On Sunday mornings, the bells at this church join about a gazillion other church bells in the valley at 9, 10, and 11. Last week, we went to the roof of the castle to listen to them at 10.