Heading home

What a wonderful last day in Germany! Had a safe drive into Munich from our lovely little village of Shonau am Konigssee in Berchtesgaden National Park. Our rental car was a fun little BMW SUV. We nicknamed our navi "Frau Biemer," and most of the time she got us where we needed to go. We returned the car to the Sixt station south of the city and took the train in. Smart move!

Munich's Rathaus

Arrived here about 11:30, dropped our luggage at the Hotel am Markt (literally just a few steps off the Marienplatz), and headed out to see the city via a Grayline open-air bus tour. Grayline is absolutely the best! Got to see the major highlights, including Schloss Nymphenberg, the birthplace of crazy King Ludwig. We also saw the Olympic park and BMW museum, as well as numerous beautiful statues and buildings around the city. We returned to the Marienplatz just in time to see the glockenspiel dance at the rathaus (town hall). Then we headed over to the world-famous Hofbrauhaus for a beer & dinner to celebrate our last night in Germany. The beer at the Hofbrauhaus only comes in one size . . . super-duper large!! Good thing my camera battery died and I don't have a picture of that beer! :-)

On the Grayline bus tour

I hope Kathleen & Amie and Pat & Ken has as much fun as we did in our second week. Can't wait to swap stories.

It was a fabulous vacation, and now I'm ready to head home. Signing off from Deutschland.

Schloss Nymphenberg

We came. We saw. We conquered.

Well, we came to Bavaria to hike, and hike we did! Tuesday was a picture-perfect day. Bright sunshine and nice, warm temperatures. They don't get any better.

Lake Konigssee

We started out Tuesday morning with a boat ride on Lake Konigssee (the King's lake). Konigssee is Germany's cleanest lake, thanks in large part to the electric motors on all of the tour boats that run between the village of Konigssee and the lovely church that sits on the bank of the narrow lake nestled in the mountains. The water is a beautiful jade color, and you can nearly see all the way to the bottom (about 200 meters). About half-way to the church, the boat stopped and the tour guide got out his trumpet and played a tune across the lake so we could hear the echo through the mountains. Beautiful!!

The Jennerbahn lift - this was REALLY high!

After a delicious lunch of sausage back in Konigssee, we hopped on the Jennerbahn lift that took us to the top of the mountain - 1800 meters up!! Let's just say it was a VERY steep ride up the lift, and we were VERY, VERY high up. The views were incredibly beautiful. I'll attach a few pictures, but they just don't do justice to the view.

Then we started our hike down the hill. Don't ever assume that a downhill hike is a piece of cake. In some places it was really steep, and very hard on the knees and feet! Something that absolutely amazes me here is the number of older bikers and hikers . . . people well into their 70s and 80s, hiking in the mountains and biking across the country!! I'm totally amazed and impressed. I hope I can still do this at that age.

Along the hike down the mountain, we went from rocky slopes to thick forests to grassy meadows. My favorite part was the tinkling of the cow bells as they wandered the slopes of the mountain. Out in the middle of nowhere you can hear the beautiful alpine bells clinging around the cow's neck. I named them "Frau Cow." :-) So, four hours after we started from the top, we were back in civilization. It was a great hike, but we were beat!

For dinner, we found a nice restaurant right on Lake Konigssee and I enjoyed a great meal of potato pancakes with applesauce. Delicious!!

Here are a few pics from today:





My lunch - check out the fancy "weiner art"



Can't get over the beautiful flowers everywhere

Cows wandering in the alpine meadows - very fun!

At the top of Mount Jenner, overlooking Konigssee . . . it was a VERY long hike down!

Ski lodge near the top of Jenner

Lake Konigssee from the top of Jenner. Breathtaking!

Saw several hang-gliders. Very cool!

OMG, I love Bavaria!!

This is absolutely one of my favorite places on earth! The breathtaking mountains, the warm people, the great food & beer, and the unique culture. I love it all and could see spending two weeks here alone. Maybe next time.

We arrived in Berchtesgaden National Park on Sunday night. The park is nestled in the far southeast corner of Germany, surrounded by Austria on three sides. Just a stone's throw from Salzurg. The little towns within the park are so quaint. Lots of typical Bavarian chalets with beautiful flowers hanging from the windows.

View from my patio of the Watzmann. Fabulous!!

We definitely scored big with our lodging here at the Gasthaus Boehm. Check out the view from my room! Jeff & Leigh are right next door with the same view. It's so beautiful I hate to go to sleep at night.

Today we hiked the Almbachklamm (gorge). I don't know the mileage, but it was a very challenging 4-hour hike from the bottom of the gorge to the top of the mountain, and back down again. BEAUTIFUL!! Worth every aching joint and muscle. I'm very proud of all three of us, and tonight we celebrated with a good German beer and a typical bavarian dinner of schnitzel, potatoes & spatzel (sp?). Mmmmm!!

We earned this beer!!

Tomorrow we're heading out early for a boat trip on Konigsee (the King's lake), then planning to ride the gondola up Mount Jenner and hike back down. It's supposed to be a gorgeous day, so look for some good pics tomorrow night.

Schnitzel with potatoes & dumplings

Waterfalls in Almbachklamm

Hiking the Almblachklamm. I love this stuff!



Jeff & Leigh enjoying the view



The Watzmann, from the top of our hike.

Even saw a few billy goats

Beautiful church in the meadow at Ettenberg, near the top

Fabulous views from the top

Lovely meadows everywhere near the top. Amazing! 

Alamo!!

Over the weekend, Tanja  taught us some new German words: Alamo = awesome, and genau (sp?) = exactly. I'm almost fluent now! :-)





At the winefest at Oberwesel - before the fireworks

The weekend in Wahlbach was definitely Alamo! In addition to the wonderful visit with our German family, we visited Rheinfels Castle in St. Goar, then stopped at a few more villages along the Rhine River. In the evening, we saw the most incredible fireworks EVER!! It's no wonder that the Rhine in Flames draws people from all over Europe. It was so interesting because there weren't actually that many fireworks, but the music and presentation was so dramatic and very well done. Definitely the best that any of us have ever seen. Of course, it didn't hurt that it was a picture-perfect evening. Nice warm weather. GREAT company - 10 of us all together. And a few bottles of good German wine at the winefest. It simply doesn't get any better!

Happy birthday, Guenther. Go Packers!!

At midnight, we gave Guenther our gift to celebrate his 65th birthday on Sunday - a Green Bay Packers jersey. It was a really fun ending to a perfect day!












More photos from the weekend . . .

Burg Eltz (Friday)

Looking down on the Rhine valley - Lovely!!

Rheinfels Castle - St. Goar on the Rhine River

Beautiful buildings everywhere, many 500+ years old

Wine festival in Oberwesel - FUN!

My new fav!

A very special treat!

Just a quick post tonight as we are heading off to the fireworks at Oberwesel soon. We arrived last night at the very beautiful home of my Bast relatives in Wahlbach. They offered us such a warm welcome and very comfortable accomodations. We are having an absolutely fabulous time visiting with our German "cousins."

We have had such a great biking trip, I didn´t think it could get any better. And then we arrived in Wahlbach. Last night I slept in the home of my great great grandfather, Paul Bast, who was born here in 1814. What an incredibly special treat! Guenther and family, thank you for inviting us into your lovely home and your wonderful family.

Must sign off for now as dinner is waiting. Will write more on Sunday eve.

Another great day!



Beilstein

Today we again expected rain, but never saw a drop. There was a very light mist early in the morning, but we never got wet. :-) 

Our first stop was in Senhals for a quick hello to the innkeepers at the hotel where my sister Marcia and I stayed three years ago. They actually remembered me! It was such a nice hotel, and I would strongly recommend the Hotel Weinhaus Halfenstube to anyone in the area.

On the ferry - these people are having fun!

Next stop was Beilstein for a hike up to the castle ruins. It’s a long way down from the top of the turret!! Gorgeous views of the Moselle River valley. Then we hopped on the ferry to cross the river for a quick lunch of beer & brats. Along the way to our next stop, Jeff & Kathleen played a quick game of chess on the super-size board. Check out the picture below!

Our final stop today was at Cochem, where several of our group took in the Reichsburg Castle tour. It’s a very impressive and well-preserved site, and the views are incredible.

Our final dinner together

Tonight we had our final dinner together as a group – a bunch of Americans eating Italian in Germany. Hmmm. Tomorrow we ride our final stretch on bikes; then split up to go our separate ways across Europe. Amie & Kathleen will be heading off to Paris & London. Pat & Ken are going to do more biking in southern France. And Jeff, Leigh and I are going to visit our Bast relatives until Sunday morning, when we head south to Berchtesgaden National Park in the Alps.

More pictures from Thursday:

Kathleen loves round hay bales!

Amie with Reichsburg Castle - Cochem

Jeff & Kathleen playing chess

View from Beilstein castle ruins

Russian musicians in Cochem - gorgeous voices!

Entry to Reichsburg Castle - Cochem

Moselle River from Reichsburg Castle

FANTASTIC trip with a capital FANTASTIC!

We’ve been having a wonderful time! As for the weather, we dodged the bullet!! J Wednesday was supposed to rain all morning, but by the time we got up and moving, the rain had stopped and it was clear sailing all day. Along the route, Kathleen the Adventurer noticed a sign for some monastery ruins, with a steep trail up into the hills. It was an awesome hike. Just when we were ready to give up, there it was. Definitely worth the trek. After burning all those calories, we treated ourselves to a lunch of wine & kuchen (pastry). Delicious!

We rolled into Zell just in time for a quick shower before meeting my relative Guenther Bast for dinner at our hotel. What a pleasant evening! The dining room was lovely, the food was delicious and the company was great. A really fun night. After dinner, we took a nice walk around the town to check out the shops. A quick stop for eis (German ice cream), and we called it a night.

An interesting story about our hotel, Schloss Zell. You’ll see from the picture that the hotel was actually a castle at one time. When we checked in, we were told that the single room (that’s me) was “really special.” It was the top floor of the left turret, which you can see in the photo. But to get to the bathroom, I’d have to use the outdoor balcony on the front of the hotel. Well, I figured that was a small price to pay for the “special” treat of staying in the turret room. I had visions of Rapunzel and Snow White – you get the idea. Well, since all of our rooms were roughly on the same level, we had to climb up 3-4 flights of stairs in a very narrow spiral staircase. It smelled really musty and the lights didn’t work very well. OSHA would have a field day with that one! When I got to my “special room,” the spiders were so thick on the ceiling, it appeared no one had wiped them down since Rapunzel left hundreds of years ago. After a kindly request to the front desk, they moved me into a room 2 floors down – which was probably the room that they gave the prince when he visited. Talk about one extreme to the other! Thanks to the Schloss Zell for making it right. I think they should lock up the turret room and throw away the big long iron key.

Here are a few more pics from Wednesday.

The monastery ruins

View from the monastery ruins