What a difference a week makes. We are currently in Munich, and have already visited Florence, Pisa, Venice, Salzburg and Traunstein. The travel has been very hetic, but we've certainly enjoyed our first class tickets on the train system. A big difference from sitting around on the beach for a week!

Yesterday we toured around Salzburg, which is a beautiful city, ringed by the Austrian Alps. We strolled around the old town, ate apple strudel at the river, Mel went on a Sound of Music tour while Dave climbed a nearby hillside and found a mountaintop beer garden. We met a friend, Andi, a German from across the border. He took us to his hometown in the evening, where we drank massive 1 litre beers and ate pretzels with over a thousand Bavarians, many in traditional dress (yes, lederhosen), and singing traditional German songs. Terrific!

Today we visited the Dachau concentration camp outside Munich. Quite a sobering experience, with thousands brutalised and murdered. 'Never again' was the simple message at the memorial. They have retained the sign on the entrance door to the camp which says 'Arbeit machts frei' or 'Work makes free'. It felt a bit trite to walk in and out of the place knowing that when prisoners were taken there, unless they were released, not one single person escaped from the camp in it's 13 year history (unless suicide by electrified fence or being shot by the guards counts as 'escape').

We had a great time in Italy earlier in the week. We spent three days in Florence, which was amazing. I think that it is Mel`s favourite place so far. The accomodation at the camping ground was okay (in tents), but the view was absolutely stunning. We were next to the Piazzale Michelangeolio (sp?), which is where the copper statue of Michelangelo's David is. Our view was of the city of Florence, including the Duomo. Just as beautiful in the middle of the night as it was in the middle of the day.

Venice was an interesting but busy day. We walked for four or five hours, getting lost in the mazy streets alongside the canals.

In Florence we saw first hand how the police approach the problem of fake goods sellers. As we waited in line for the Uffizi Gallery we had the opportunity to watch a shifty looking dude with a large cloth bag full of fake designer handbags slung over his back wander around. Every fifteen minutes or so he would change position on the street so that he wouldn't be found by the police. There were lots of dodgy guys like him selling rip off merchandise, always on the lookout for the fuzz. After 20 minutes a couple of Florence's finest wandered past and watching all the dodgy dudes run was great. The police, however, didn't quite manage to even make it to a trot, but it seemed to have the same effect.

We're off on other adventures in Germany over the next week.

More photos to come.