It was time to begin our journey homeward and this started by returning to Germany where we would spend a few more days with friends - both old and new. We decided to take the more scenic route north from Venice through the Dolomites and Kitzbühel, Austria. Although this took about two hours longer than the Autostrada, we were rewarded with wonderful views of Südtirol and the Austrian Alps. Along the way, we stopped for lunch in the picturesque little northern Italian town of San Cimino, where German is spoken by many. As we crossed into Austria, we were met by freezing temperatures and the first snow of our 2013-2014 winter. We were barely ready for Autumn, so we refuse to post pictures of snow!

We arrived back in Böhmfeld by 6:30 and spent the evening reconnecting with Charlotte, Michael, Elisabeth and Jonathan Bauer . It was so good to see them all again!