After Germany, we had the pleasure of galavanting anywhere we wanted with Rachael and Cameron. Cameron suggested Bregenz on Lake Constance, Central Europe’s third largest lake. Apparently, this was a popular destination with no hotel to be found, so we opted for a town called Lustenau located on the bottom of the Rhine Valley. Sounds good! It lies on the Rhine River and just across the river from Switzerland.

We found a swanky, modern hotel on the outskirts of town in a business park. Luckily for us, just a hop, skip and a jump away was a very nice Italian restaurant with a tasty menu. Before we started our adventure for the day, we were delighted to see the best breakfast spread since arriving in Europe. I’m telling you, breakfast in America pales in comparison. The spread included fresh bread of course, the flakiest warmest croissants (best so far), deli meats, cheeses, vegetarian spreads like hummus, roasted pepper, cucumber, veggies, fruits, sweet pastries, yogurt with all sorts of granola toppings, hazelnuts, dried fruit, eggs, sausage, Are you salivating yet? The best was the coffee machine with pictures of cappuccino, espresso, lattes, hot chocolate staring at you waiting for you to select your beverage on the touchscreen. Various cups and spoons all to match your type of beverage. Oh, and fresh coffee beans ground for each one. Unbelievable! With full and very satisfied bellies, we ventured into town via the Rhine River, Lake Constance and eventually, to Bregenz, our desired destination.

This was the first time I experienced walking along a river in one country (Austria) and looking over to the other side to another country (Switzerland). What? We strolled through the streets and footpaths of residential Lustenau which was quaint, quiet and full of beautiful gardens and well kept big houses. We stumbled upon a soccer stadium for one of the Lustenau teams and marveled at the pitch and imagined how much fun it would be to see a game. Next time.

Lake Constance was huge, so beautiful, clean and clear. We walked along the lake, took in the nature and had cocktails lakeside, before our venture to Bregenz. We decided to take the historic stroll through the old town of Bregenz, up and down through cobbled streets, narrow alleys, surrounded by medieval walls, castles, buildings, fountains and modern amenities (chocolate store with truffles and any kind of chocolate).

Reflection

We all fell in love with Lustenau and the Lake Constance area. It was a fairy tale day with loved ones!