A lovely day of cycling - first downriver back to the Inn, and then further downriver along the Inn - brought us to Kufstein, a pretty little riverside town with a small castle-capped hill at its center.  We didn’t immediately spot suitable lodging, so we stopped at the information center to inquire about that and hopefully also to find a bookstore with titles in English.  Rachael has gotten anxious that we’ll run out of reading material, since we’ve had more than the usual amount of time to read so far.

We were directed toward a hotel two blocks away with a bookstore right across the street, which Rachael visited immediately and with success.  We acquired Charming Billy, by Ann McDermott, as well as some mystery.  Also, a map of the Chiemsee region.

After Rachael returned from the bookstore she discovered that her glasses were missing - a serious loss, since they affect her distance vision and her ability to enjoy sights.  Unable to believe that they are really gone, we spent a half hour retracing our steps - searching the streets and revisiting the bookstore twice - before finally concluding that they must have been turned in at the visitor center, which had closed for the day.

Distressed by the loss but at a dead end for the day, we checked in to a very pleasant, modern hotel (the stylishly dressed, trim proprietress brought us schnapps), took a tour of the town, and then had an Italian meal at a sidewalk restaurant.

Our visit to Kufstein was further marred on our walk up the stairwell to the castle when I dropped the camera while mounting the parapet for a shot and then watched helplessly as it bounced down half a dozen stone stairs and sprang open, exposing the end of its roll of film.  Fortunately it still functioned normally, so the only loss was of the most recent shots - hopefully not including the best views of the Spitzhorne feom the Hintertux hike.

(I don’t have a photo from the castle of course, but I have a very clear mental image of the camera bouncing down the stairs.  Amazing that it still worked.)