We were in three countries today and we're feeling it. We started in Slovenia with breakfast along the river in Ljubljana. I had warm milk rice pudding which was topped with berries and edible flowers. It was delicious and should be available in America. It definitely beats oatmeal. (We loved Ljubljana)

From Slovenia we headed north to Austria on our way to the Dolomites in Italy. The drive was beautiful. We drove through a cloud at one point as we were going through the Alps. I thought it was fog at first and later realized it was a cloud. The Slovenian countryside is incredible as is the countryside in Austria and northern Italy. The mountains are snow capped and the landscape is rolling hills covered with trees or green grass. Along the way we passed many sheep and cows and a few horses. 

We stopped in Lienz,  Austria which is an interesting mix of a medieval town with many modern amenities. I found a place for lunch that had a 5.0 rating online. I was a little surprised when we walked in. The place had room to sit @11 people. We found 2 stools at the counter and were greeted by a lovely woman who probably owned the place. She asked if we were from Italy or America and gave us the appropriate menu. She immediately knew we weren't local.  We ordered the pumpkin soup and variations on grilled cheese. My was camembert cheese with sliced pears and it was delicious. I guess this is the Austrian equivalent to tomato soup and grilled cheese. The kitchen was so small that the chef had a panini press and salad fixings on the counter by the customers. She ran back and forth between the kitchen and the counter putting orders together. A couple of people came in for take out and they put the food in containers that previously held other food items. The chef looked exactly like you would imagine. She was a young woman with a huge chef's hat. We definitely felt like we got our money's worth between the tasty food and the experience of watching this place operate and seeing how the locals interacted with each other. We briefly explored the area which included interesting old buildings and modern shopping experiences. We purchased additional warm socks based on the snow we passed on the side of the road as we drove into town. 

Lienz is very close to the Italian border. We were surprised that there wasn't a border crossing. We passed through a small one entering Austria from Slovenia. Jack held up our passports and the guard waved us through. As we got closer to the hotel we saw the Dolomites. They are different in appearance from the Julian Alps which we had been seeing since Slovenia. Our hotel is on Lake Braies and surrounded by the Dolomites. The hotel was built in the late 1800s. It has a lot of character but it shows it's age in some areas. The view and convenience make it worth every penny. This is an upgrade that I decided upon after agreeing to work a few days during the summer. The view from our balcony is unreal. We tried to walk around the lake but decided we weren't up to climbing the 100+ stairs it would have required to complete the route. We ended up walking further by turning around and backtracking but I think we made a wise decision. I am going to post pictures in reverse order of today's journey starting with Lake Braies. It's hard to capture the beauty of the lake and the mountains but I think you'll get the idea.

hotel shots from across the lake

from the balcony

beach shots

Italy road shots

Austrian road shots

                                                

                                                                Lienz

                                        

                                                Slovenian road shots

                                                   

                                                                 Ljubljana breakfast