Travel / 2007: Germany and Austria

We landed in Munich at 11:00 and took the train to the Haufbahnfof near our hotel (Kings Cemter Hotel). Our room is small but comfortable, with great comforters but terrible pillows. After taking a nap, we took the subway to Marienplatz where everyone seemed to have gathered

After a cup of coffee we walked at random until we found a great farmers market. There were dozens of sausage shops followed by a like number of cheese and vegetable stands. Everything looked fresh and the market was full of locals.

I discovered that my Canon camera was kaput, however Gloria brought hers, so we will not be without pictures. Also I took this picture with her snap-and-shoot Canon, so I cannot complain.

Finally we walked back to the hotel. The streets were vibrant and full of folks of every stripe and color. It feels safe, and it is amazingly clean. But it is not cheap

Today being Sunday our “regular” breakfast place was closed so we ended up at a coffee shop in the train station. We managed to get down to Marienplatz right at 10am to join the “Hitler Tour” of Munich. This was a walking tour that took 2 ½ hours and traced Hitler’s rise to power from humble beginnings. The guide was very well informed, and took us to famous places such as the beer halls where Hitler staged many of his meetings. We also saw the place where Nevil Chamberline agreed to let Hitler invade Sudenland. This was when Chamberline stated that he had achieved “peace in our time”.

A visit to the Transportation division of the Deutsches Museum was next. This museum has a wonderful collection of all types of transportation modes. I took many pictures of cars and scooters, but Gloria particularly like the display of bicycles, which started with one of the first bicycles without pedals progressing to modern bicycles with many gears.

After returning to our hotel and taking a nap, we headed back to Marienplatz to find a place for Arne’s birthday dinner. We ended up back at the Hofbrau House where there was a live oom-pah band and crowds of noisy (and drunken) people. We sat at a table and enjoyed the ambiance and the excitement while a group of drunk young people at the table next to us managed to get so rowdy that they were asked to leave (however, not before one managed to spill beer all over.) We enjoyed the evening, even though the waiter overcharged us by E10 (which we caught in time and made a fuss over.)

Since the hotel charges E12 each for breakfast, we decided to walk down the street until we found another option. At a bakery we chose Large Pretzels topped with Melted Cheese, coffee and orange soda for E7.70 total. Conveniently, the meeting place for the bus tour of Munich was just across the street and we spent the next hour on the top of a double-decker bus, which had a canopy roof. This was a good thing, considering that it was raining. The city has thousands of Chestnut Trees in full bloom. Mostly there are white blooms, but some have a deep red or pink. At Nymphenberg Palace we took a tour of King Ludwigs “Gallery of Beauties” which was not very impressive. I think we have seen so many palaces that it is hard to get excited about the any more.

Meanwhile, the rain stopped and we walked back to the Marienplatz where we encountered a parade/demonstration of hundreds of handicapped people in wheelchairs. They were demonstrating for improved handicap facilities in the trains. Many booths were set up in the plaza offering products and services for the handicapped. On a stage, handicapped musicians were providing entertainment. We stopped to enjoy the saxophone playing of a musician from the “Blind Muscians of Munich.”

Today we returned to the airport and picked up our rental car. We were given an upgrade, and now we are driving a very nice VW Golf. With all the fancy electronics, I am embarrassed to admit to the fact that it took us six hours before we figured how to open the trunk. (It is simple once you know how!). The highlight of our drive from Munich to Berchtesgaden was a stop at WalMart after lunch. The store was large, but in our minds poorly organized. However the prices were even lower than in the US. We bought four small pillows to supplement the gigantic pillows we get in the hotels. Arne also bought a small backpack and we both have new umbrellas (E2-9 each). The landscape gradually changed from flat to mountainous as we got closer to Birchtesgaden. The mountain peaks are spectacular and covered with snow.

We arrived at Berchtesgaden in the late afternoon and found a room with a view for E80 (includes full breakfast) at the Hotel Grunberger. The town is in a very steep valley with good views of snow-covered mountains. Hitler’s Eagles Nest sitting on the top of the closest mountain top is clearly visible from the town. However, he was a fairly recent resident. There are several residents of dead princes and kings here, not to mention a number of spas. All in all, it is a pleasant city that probably will be way overcrowded when the tourists come here later in the season. We ate dinner outdoors at one of the touristy restaurants. Arne had Wiennersnitzel and Gloria had trout.

It is raining this morning but the clouds are high enough that we can still see the peaks. We lingered over breakfast, which was in a pleasantly pink flowered dining room with many windows facing the scenery. After checking out we drove through the rain to the Konigsee and then crossed the border into Austria. Meanwhile, the scenery is beautiful and Arne is enjoying using a stick-shift car on these curvy mountain roads. We planned on eating lunch at a Michelin recommended restaurant in Zell, but found out it was closed till the end of May. We settled for mediocre food at the railway station

Soon we entered a National Park (entry fee: E28) and headed over the Grossglockner Mountain Range. If we thought the scenery was pretty before, it was downright spectacular through this park. We had left the rain behind and the sky was blue with white puffy clouds. We encountered snow on the ground at 2000 meters and actually drove up to 2540 meters before starting down the other side. This was a memorable couple of hours. We reached Lienz around 5pm and immediately found a room at the Goldener Fisch for E80. This room is about triple the size of the one we had in Munich. Lienz is a lovely little town with lots of open-air restaurants and lots of flowers. On one side of this valley we can see the Dolomites rising forbiddingly into the sky. The weather is so warm and balmy that it is hard to go inside to our room

After another leisurely breakfast we headed towards Forolach/Gortschach. This is the small village that Gloria’s grandfather came from. He was the 4th child of Andreas & Ursula Wernigsnig and, not being the oldest son, could not expect any property inheritance when his father died. Therefore, in 1907, at the age of 14 he emigrated to the United States where he lived the rest of his life.

The village is so small it only had a restaurant (which was closed) and a hair dresser. Presumably the only livelihood is farming. The streets are very narrow and often ended without warning. Arne found himself having to back down several times. We found the Catholic church with the cemetery where Gloria’s great-grandparents are buried.

A little further down the road we stopped at a restaurant for lunch. It was in a very old building that had been bought and was being restored by a young couple from Nottingham, England. The wife told us they just came to this area because they thought they could have a better life.

We flew to Munich. Rened a car and drove throughOn the road again, this time planning to stop in Hallstatt, south-east of Salzburg. This is a village Arne read about in our Rick Steve’s book that sounded interesting. We found a room at the Braugasthof with a view of the Hallstattsee. After a quick tour of the town (in pouring rain) we went into a restaurant for a beer. There we met a couple from Kentucky and were soon joined by a couple from Colorado Springs. We all ended up having dinner together.

Back to our room for a nap and a couple of crossword puzzles, then another trek around town. For dinner we went to a place that several other tourists had recommended: Zaunner Gasthof. This restaurant looked exactly like what you would expect an old family-run business to look like. Decorated with vines winding over ceiling and walls, beer steins, antlers, it is very Austrian. Gloria ordered their Spicy Soup, which was REALLY spicy-hot and Arne ordered a pasta dish with veggies & cream sauce from the children’s (and grandparents menu) which he loved. Since we’d eaten lightly, we had Apfelstrudel and eis for dessert.

We proceeded to the Salt Mine Tour (E20 each including round trip funicular) where we were required to don pants & jacket over our clothes before entering the mine. We walked deep into the mine as our tour guide informed us of the history and workings of this salt mine. Supposedly, it is the oldest salt mine in Europe. The miners used to use wooden slides to rapidly get deeper into the mine more quickly. Our special pants had suede patches on the butt so we could experience the slide as the miners did. We learned about the progression of the salt mining industry from ancient times (around 800 B.C.) to the present and the changes that have been made. It was a great tour and 2 ½ hours after setting out we were back down in the village. Lunch was Gulashe Suppe and Mixed Salad (one of Gloria’s favorite meals) & Beer at a table on the edge of the lake. There are high clouds today but the temperature is mild and the water is shiny and still. I imagine this town is terribly crowded in the summer months but now there are just a few tourists. Lovely………

It took us about 3 hours to get to Melk from Hallstat. This village is right on the Danube and one reason for coming here is to take a boat ride down the River to Krem and back to experience the beauty of the Wachau Valley. We used Rick Steve’s Guidebook and found a room right in the old part of town at the Goldener Stern (date on the building is 1876). After lunch we walked through the Benedictiner Stift (Melk Abbey) it was established in the 11th century. However the current 1,000 room building was constructed in the 18th century and restored for 20 million dollars in 1996. Needless to say, it is in good shape for that much money but is way to opulent for my taste. Dinner we had at Tom’s which is a ‘2 Fork’ listing in the Michelin Guide. We considered this our Birthday Treat. We shared appetizers of Ham and Melon, and White Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce. For an entre, Arne had Homemade Brats and Gloria had Duck Breast with Knoedles. We shared a dessert of Apfelstrudel & eis (again).

The boat trip up the Blue Danube took 1 ½ hours and the scenery was quite lovely, passing villages, old castles, churches and vineyards (this is the Wine region of Austria) This castle was first mentioned in records from the 11th century..

The ruins on top of this hill once were the castle where Richard Lionheart was held prisoner in the 11th century.

We arrived in Krem around 12:30 and took a 20 minute walk into the center of town. Krem seems quite a bit larger than Melk and also a little shabbier. There is a large downtown shopping district and we strolled past many stores, window shopping. Lunch was a GREAT pizza covered with ham, bacon, and a whole egg. A leisurely stroll took us back to the boat dock in time to catch the last boat back to Melk. The trip back took 3 hours as we were going upstream and into a head wind.

After leaving our hotel in Melk it was a short one hour drive to Mauthausen, the supposed location of an infamous Nazi Concentration Camp. After another 30 minutes of confusion we finally found the place way on the other side of town, far away from the city. We paid the (E1) senior entrance fee and were issued free audio guides in English. Initially I was not very impressed. There were a few barracks remaining, but the place was clean, orderly and well maintained. In other words we saw none of the horrible images I had expected. Combine this with the fact that this was not an extermination camp, but rather a camp for slave workers and political prisoners, life did not seem too bad there. Then our audio guide started to explain how life was in the camp. The cruelty of the SS guards permeated everything. There were constant beatings, very limited food and minimal clothing. Barracks designed for 300 inmates could hold several thousands. Deaths from torture were frequent. There was no heath care, and sick inmates were housed in special barracks with even less food and heat then elsewhere. Perhaps the most moving to me was the stories told by surviving residents. Tears were rolling down my cheeks by the time we came to the death chambers and the furnaces. Unfortunately we will probably have learned nothing from this terrible experience.

Arriving in Salzburg on Sunday afternoon, we parked the car in a huge, triple-storied parking lot in the center of the mountain. An elevator and tunnel had us soon walking the platz’s of old Salzburg. After checking a couple hotels and not finding what we wanted we went to the TI (Tourist Information building) where a nice young woman (English speaking) offered us several options. The one we picked was a guest house back on the other side of the mountain. The reason we picked this one was the free parking, as well as a reasonable price. The guest house (Eva Maria) looks like a mountain cabin in pine trees, a view of the Tyrolian Alps visible though the glass doors and balcony of our room. Very pleasant and comfortable. A rather strenuous 20 minute walk over the mountain and we were back in the old town. The weather is balmy so walking was pleasant and eventually we had a dinner of curried chicken at Sarah Essbar, a restaurant recommended by Rick Steve’s.

The next day rode the Funicular up to the Fortress and the Fortress museum. The views of the City of Salzberg were great. Back down we met up with a group Walking Tour of the Old Town which took about 45 minutes By that time our feet were tired and we were ready for lunch. We enjoyed Goulashe Suppe at an outdoor restaurant. The weather was warm but the sky was slightly overcast, which kept the sun from being too intense. We then visited the Salzberg Panorama and topped off the day with a 1 hour cruise on the river. For dinner we used Rick Steves guide and chose an old local tavern/restaurant off of a backstreet, which Steves recommended because of it’s good pasta dishes.

It took about 3 hours to get to Regensburg from Saltzberg partly because we chose to take side roads rather than the Expressway. The weather has gotten much colder and by the time we found a place to park the car it was drizzling. The TI office helped us to find a hotel (The St. Peter) but since the reception area was closed from 1 to 4pm we couldn’t take our bags in. We used the time to take an orientation bus tour of the city. This hotel is the least expensive of any we have stayed in on this trip (E56). It is in an old building right in the historic district, but the rooms have been newly remodeled. Our room is rather stark but very clean, comfortable and efficient. There is not one piece of art on the walls. We had a great pizza for dinner in a very noisy restaurant.

The next morning after breakfast we took a long walk through Old Town and across the Donau on an old Roman stone bridge. However, we were anxious to get on the road and to find a room early as close as possible to the Munich Airport. Arne was sick on driving on the Expressway so we took side roads. At one point we rounded a corner and there was another Walmart. We decided to stop, and as we pulled into the parking lot, Arne said “We’ve been here before.” Unwittingly, we had somehow gotten on the same road we had taken out of Munich 2 weeks ago, and yes, it was the same Walmart we’d stopped at before! The 4 small pillows we’d bought here at the beginning of our trip served us well, but we decided we needed covers for them so we could take them with us on future travels.

Arne wanted to make certain we knew exactly how to get to the airport in the morning, so we went there and then backtracked to Freising, just a few kilometers away, and obtained a room at a Michelin hotel (at E103 with parking it was our most expensive room on this trip). We arrived at the airport and returned the car without any problems. By 8:50am we were third in line at the US Airways ticket counter, only to wait until they opened at 9:45. However, our flight wasn’t to start boarding until 11:30 so there was still plenty of time for Gloria to buy chocolates. Our flight was to leave at 12:30 but we sat on the tarmac for an hour so it was actually 1:30 when we left. Subsequently we arrived in Philadelphia an hour late and had to run to make our Orlando Flight. It was supposed to leave at 5:50pm, but didn’t take off until nearly 7. That put us into Orlando barely in time to catch the shuttle to The Villages. Whew! We still ended up getting home at the time we’d planned. It was a great trip but, as always, it’s nice to be home. Our friends, Carolyn and Dick, stayed here and took care of Willie for us. He is relaxed and happy and obviously well cared for. However, not nearly so happy to see US as he usually is after staying in a kennel. He is one fickle dog………