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In 1990 we went to Germany, Austria & Switzerland. Our first trip outside of an English-speaking country. We had a great time, though looking back at the slides I can see the weather really sucked. Did not get too many good Alpine photos, but we had a lot of good beer. Click to enlarge. Following Rick Steves’ recommendations, we stayed mostly in mom and pop places, following a loose itinerary across Germany Austria & Switzerland, dipping into Italy and France (and Lichtenstein). Reading the diary now, we were amazed by the lack or border controls (now totally abolished) and the American influence on European pop culture, which we were not expecting. We don’t have the stamina for 21 hotels in 21 days anymore, but it was a great way for a young couple to see Europe, and a real eye-opener.
Day 1 - 5/19/1990 Whew! Today has been a long day and a half. We left Newark last night (Friday) at about 5 p.m. We flew Lufthansa and the service was excellent. Two meals (one of which I slept through), complimentary drinks, unlimited German magazines, newspapers, etc. The dinner was roast pork and smoked fish and was the best airline food I've ever had. Jill had a continental breakfast that was very good; I slept through it. I slept 5 hours out of 7 1/2, which made day 1 a little easier. Our cab ride to the airport had a driver about 17 years old. Made us nervous! We got off the plane in Frankfurt (big airport) with no problem -- they didn't even open our passports or glance at our luggage. After a quick stop at Avis, we were out on the Autobahn in our new Audi 100 -- fully equipped with tape deck and sunroof. Good thing we brought tapes of German / Austrian music, and some Rock n' Roll (and classical.) Drove from Frankfurt to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The first part was on the Autobahn at 140 kph (85-90 mph). We were being passed regularly by Mercedes and BMWs going at least 120 mph! Then we took the Romantiche Strasse (Romantic Road) to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The scenery was great -- tons of wildflowers and birds. Also lots of small towns with typical south German architecture. We arrived in Rothenburg around 11 a.m. Parked on the outskirts of town and walked back into the 16th century. The town is one of the few surviving medieval towns surrounded by a wall. All of the houses are made of post and beam frames with red clay tile roofs. Also lots of planters with flowers hanging from the balconies.
We found our hotel -- the Baren -- in about 45 minutes. It was around 11:35 and we couldn't check in until 14:00, so we toured the town. I climbed up to a tower at the top of the town hall -- Jill chickened out about 3/4 of the way up. The view from the top was great, but the stairs at the top were like ladders! We followed the Michelin tour of the town, and went to the medieval Kriminalmuseum. Lots of horrible instruments of torture and punishment, including shame masks and stocks in which a criminal had his/her feet tickled or in extreme cases was forced to endure having goats lick salt off his/her feet! Then we checked in; our bellman asked "Mr. and Mrs. Siebenheller?" as we approached. Our room is ok -- a little tacky but with a small sitting room with TV. We turned it on and briefly watched the American Country Music Awards with German overdubbing before out 2 hour nap.
Then we were up again in search of dinner. We found a little sidewalk cafe with slow service. Jill had Schweinschnitzel and I had Frankfurter sausages with sauerkraut and potatoes. Not your typical hot dog! Very spicy and good. Then a walk around town and a stop at a cafe/bar where a guy was playing the accordion accompanies by a singing mynah bird. Very romantiche! When he stopped a private party upstairs was singing German songs accompanied by a drum.
Tomorrow morning we'll take a walk around the wall surrounding Rothenburg. Meanwhile, we'll watch a cowboys and Indians movie on T.V. dubbed in German. It's amazing how much American culture is in Germany -- at least on radio and T.V. Day 2 - 5/20 I am writing this one day late since we forgot to bring the diary up to our room last night. We began the day with a walk along the wall around Rothenburg. Jill got up at 7:45 but I slept till 9:30! Jet lag. After our walk around the wall (about 20' up overlooking the town) we went to Kathe Wolfhart's which is a year-round Christmas store. Jill bought a few ornaments. The place was pretty amazing what with all the lights and decorations of Bavarian origin.
Then we hit the road, stopping in Dinkelsbuhl, which is like Rothenburg without tourism. The streets are a little wide too. Picked up a picnic lunch of salami and cheese with fresh sliced bread. Oh yeah, it took about 1/2 hour to leave Rothenburg - we couldn't find the way out of town! Had to go about 5 mph due to tourists who wouldn't get out of the street. Stopped for a picnic lunch at a rest area. We were alone with a few birds and the field of wildflowers across the street. Continued south to Nordlingen and got out briefly but there was too much traffic and construction so we left.
After Augsburg there was more suburbia and traffic and the driving got tiresome. Passed the amazing Neuschwanstein castle and took photos from a distance. Continued south to Fussen, where we spent the night at the Gasthof Hechten. Our room was very nice, mit shower and breakfast of olive loaf, rolls & strawberry jam and coffee/tea. Went to a beer garden in town, walked around, and went to a pizzeria which we walked out of due to extremely slow service. Ended up at a restaurant where I had steak with bacon and onions and French Onion soup. Jill had pork with ham, cheese and mushrooms and spaetzl with cheese - all excellent. Then to bed. Day 3 - 5/21 This morning we awoke, had our previously - described breakfast, ( The local lunatic was muttering to himself, chatting with a couple from Rochester, N.Y., and hitting a chair with his walking stick) and went to Woolworth's supermarket. Then we walked thru the town, where the church bells were pealing for about 1/2 hour straight - must have been a funeral or something. Walked thru a park - then hit the road to Neuschwanstein. We arrived just before most of the other tourists and hiked 25 minutes up a steep mountain to the castle. After catching our breath, we took the tour (in German) but accompanied by our guidebook. The castle, like the others we visited today, was built by "Mad" King Ludwig II in the second half of the 19th century. It was his version of an ancient knights' castle and very Walt Disney-ish. The interior displays amazing craftsmanship; it is unfortunate that Ludwig died before it was completed. We then walked about 1 1/2 miles to Neuschwanstein's sister castle Hohenschwangau - where Ludwig grew up. The castle was much more homey - overlooking a garden and a lake. Nice fountains. Then south - to Austria! We were waved through the border crossing and had a picnic lunch in our car (temp about 60-65). Then proceeded back into Germany (another wave-through) to Garmish Partenkirchen. The whole drive was potentially beautiful, through high alpine meadows and our first glimpse of the Alps. Unfortunately it began to rain and the cloud cover was heavy. It was pouring by the time we got to Garmish-Partenkirchen, so we decided to tour another of Ludwig's castles - Linderhoff. Just as we got to the area - the rain stopped! So we toured yet another castle - this one totally different - in the style of Louis XIV , whom Ludwig greatly admired. The exterior is beautiful, with fountains, statues, etc. We toured the Grotto - which is an artificial cave (huge) Ludwig had built to listen to Wagner operas in and sail around the artificial lake (and impress babes?)
The castle's interior is an example of the worst excesses of the Rococo style - frills and gold. Looks like a Staten Island Italian's dream of riches! By this time we were quite tired, so we stopped in the town of Ettal at the Hotel Ludwig Der Bayer. Ettal is famed for its dark beer brewed by monks - one of which we had (so far.) The waitress also convinced us to have 2 liqueurs brewed by the monks - very different and not bad. It really hit the spot after a strenuous day. I am now sitting in front of the window overlooking the monastery; unfortunately it is raining again. Hope it clears up by tomorrow. Tonight we'll probably have dinner in the hotel and turn in early. Day 4 - 5/22 Last night we had dinner in the hotel. We went to a small room that seemed to have more of a local crowd (or at least German) than the larger room - which had at least one Canadian church group on the way to Oberammergau for the Passion Play - it is 8 hours long and in German with a religious theme. I had smoked trout for dinner, which was excellent, and Jill had schweinbraten (fresh pork.) Jill was in heaven. I had strawberry pie for dessert that was great too. The waitress said the monks across the street made that too. I asked her if between making several types of beer, liqueurs, desserts, and teaching school the monks had time for praying. She just smiled. We went to bed early - around 9:30. When we awoke this morning around 6:30 it had stopped raining but was cloudy. We had breakfast in the hotel of cereal, coffee, tea and rolls. The rolls were out of this world. One had poppy, sesame and salt, and the other had burnt cheese drizzled on top. Yum! We headed back into GP and towards the tram to the top of the Zugsiptze peak (about 10,000 feet.) We had planned to take the tram yesterday but the weather didn't permit. As we approached, all but the summit was free of clouds. Since there were only a handful of cars and the 75 minute ride cost 50dm ( about $30-35) apiece, we decided to forget it. We then drove east along the Deutche-Alpine Strasse, a scenic road along the foot of the Bavarian Alps. The scenery was nice but the best views were hidden by clouds. We had to stop and pay a 4dm toll at one point to 2 old guys in a wooden hut who apparently owned some of the road.
We then headed north to Bad Tölz and up along the Starnberger See to the monastery in the town of Andechs. We were originally planning to take a hike from Starnberg to Andechs based upon a description in the Sierra Club Hiking Guide to the Alps but Jill was feeling a little under the weather with a sore throat so we drove instead. It was just as well - the drive seemed so long that we couldn't imagine hiking back and forth even in the best of health. We climbed up the hill to the monastery - our legs aching from 3 castles worth of climbing yesterday. We stopped at the monastery's beer hall on the way up - reputed to have some of the best beer in Germany. Jill had a Cola-Mix (cola and lemonade) and I had a small (16 oz.) dark beer that was great, along with sausage, cheese, and a pretzel bigger than my head. I went up to the counters and ordered in German - they could tell I was not German but they understood me.
Went up to the monastery, the only part of which is open to the public being the Baroque church. We went in and looked around quickly as mass was currently being said. Lots of ceiling paintings. Jill was feeling a little better so we sat in the sun and had another beer each. The sun felt nice and the view was great. Then back to the Autobahn for the drive to Münich. No problem till the Autobahn ended and all we had was a crappy little map. So, we got lost for about an hour until we found our hotel on a street where the numbers don't run consecutively. The hotel is very nice - the Germania - and part of the Best Western chain. We took a nap upon arrival and it is now 6 p.m. Not two minutes after I finished writing the above, I got to exercise my handyman skills. Jill dropped her earring down the sink and utilizing my Swiss Army knife I was able to disassemble and reassemble the drain mechanism, retrieving the earring. My handyman skills are now internationally renowned! Day 5 - 5/23 Last night we went to Munich's famous Hofbrauhaus - serving beer since the 1500's (though this building is from the late 1800's). Sat down at a picnic table with a few Germans and had 1 liter mugs of beer - light and dark. Then ordered dinner - I had an O'Bayer which is Camembert cheese mixed with onions, egg yolk, and some other stuff. Jill had a mixed plate of Weisswurst, Lieberkase, etc. We then talked to some Swedish guys who were in town for a garbage-toxic waste-recycling convention. They were from Upsala - Sweden's 3rd largest city. I asked what their national drink was - "Absolut Vodka"! We exchanged "Skol", "Prosit" and "Cheers" and I got one guy's business card who said to look him up if we're ever in Sweden. If you told me 6 months ago that I'd be drinking1 liter beers with Swedish toxic waste recyclers among a crowd of 3000 in Munich, I wouldn't have believed it! On the way back we stopped to see some magicians / entertainers. This morning we awoke to excellent weather. We walked to the old town - first we found a pharmacy (Apotheke) for Jill to get some cold medicine. Walked down to the Viktualenmarkt and took some photos of the locals at the fruit and veggie stands. Only in Munich would people be lined up at 8:30 a.m. for beer! Tried to go into several of the old churches, but they were closed - either for renovations or for Mass. So, we stopped at the German Hunting and Fishing Museum - which contained many stuffed birds, fowl, fish and game but was pretty boring. Went to see the Golckenspeil at 11:00; unfortunately half of it was broken. Watching the tourists was fun though. Passed by the oldest house in Munich (1510) and had lunch of 2 cheeses and a baguette in the Viktualenmarkt. Stopped at the Residenz which is the palace of Ludwig I, around 1825. Viewed the crown jewels of the last 1000 years of the German empire.- particularly impressive were some ivory carvings of the Last Supper and some minutely detailed wood carvings of Medieval street scenes. Also impressive was a jewel-encrusted porcelain statue of St. George slaying a dragon. Took a break to write a postcard, then toured the near-deserted state rooms of the Residenz. Also included was a macabre exhibit of the bones of famous saints and apostles encased in gold boxes. Some of the state rooms were magnificent. Particularly the intricate parquet wood floors - different in every room. Jill was feeling kind of tired and sick by this time, so we returned to the hotel and took a nap. I got up after about an hour and took a solo walk around town. Bought some stamps and visited some parks and fountains. Returned at 6 p.m.; we dressed for and headed for dinner at the Mathauser beer hall down the street. I had Westphalian ham; Jill had pork (again). Both ok but not great. I had 2 liters of dark beer; Jill remained sober due to medication. Watched the band and chatted with a Canadian couple from Manitoba. The oom-pah band played "New York, New York". That was our cue to depart. Hopefully, Jill will be better tomorrow........ Day 6 - 5/24 We awoke this morning to a deserted Munchen. Had breakfast in the hotel again and checked out. As we walked the streets, we noticed that all the shops were closed and there was no traffic, although it was 9:30 a.m. Must be some kind of national holiday. (Corpus Christi) We had planned to go to Schloss Nymphenburg in Munich - a summer residence of one of the Wittlesbach kings - but didn't feel like tackling the public transportation system which would have entailed a transfer from the underground line to a trolley. We walked back down to the Hofbrauhaus to pick up some ceramic beer mugs that we had seen - and liked. Although the 'brauhaus was open (with people inside at 10 a.m. drinking liters!) the souvenir stand was not. Maybe we'll find something similar somewhere else. We did get up enough courage to take the S-Bahn (subway) back to our hotel (2 stops). Big stations, neat and clean and quiet. The doors open on both sides of the train simultaneously. The turnstile consists of a box into which you insert your paper ticket so it can be date and time stamped. There is no turnstile per se; no one is watching and you could just walk on without paying if you wanted. (This concept would last about 10 minutes in New York.) Had no trouble getting out of town on the Autobahn - but traffic was heavy. Lots of campers hauling bikes, kayaks, sailboards, etc. Probably lots of folks taking a 4 day weekend. Stopped at the Chiemsee which is Bavaria's largest lake. There we took a 20 minute ferry ride to an island in the lake where Mad King Ludwig built yet another castle - Herrichemsee. The boat and the 1 mile path to the castle were mobbed with German day-trippers. We walked to the castle and had lunch on a bench overlooking the whole scene. The castle is a copy of Versailles - many fountains, statues, paths, etc. After looking at the line for the tour we decided to skip the interior - we are kind of castled- and palaced-out anyway.
Instead we walked along some back paths through the beautiful island back to the dock. Lots of birds, horses, cows, etc. The Chiemsee also is amazingly clear - you can see quite a way down. Took the boat back and headed towards Salzburg. I am now sitting on a balcony of an Austrian chalet overlooking a little valley surrounded by towering peaks - some of them snow covered. We are in a zimmer where we are the only guests. Unfortunately it is still overcast and hazy although the sun is shining brightly enough to cast a distinct shadow on the paper as I write. I hope the view will be clearer in the a.m. We were shown the room by the mother of the owner. Although she spoke no English, I was able to communicate that I wanted a room and I would understand when she asked if I wanted a shower. When I asked "Schilling?" after seeing the room I understood that she doesn't know the price - but it's not very much! We'll see in the a.m. Jill is now almost fully recovered from her cold and when she wakes up we'll walk the 1/4 mile into the cute town for drinks and dinner. P.S. Once again we simply flashed our passports to cross the border! Day 7 - 5/25 Last night's dinner adventure won the award for "Most Authentic Local Experience." We walked into town and browsed the shop windows and stopped in a sidewalk cafe for a beer. Then we went into a half-downstairs restaurant with very country-Austrian flavor. In the cafe, almost all of the patrons knew each other. As people walked by they stopped and chatted, etc. The restaurant was excellent - we had 2 drinks and I had tomato cream soup with Hungarian goulash; Jill had a "schwein cutlet" - total bill about $24! As we were getting ready to leave, we heard the sound of an accordion and followed it down the hall to a separate pub. There were about 50-75 people inside being entertained by a fat red-cheeked guitarist and a skinny accordion player. Apparently about 3/4 of the crowd was some sort of singing group - as we found out when they stood up and sung a few songs for the rest of the place. There were about 30-35 singers and they sang several tunes - very well. One of the tunes had the melody of "I've Been Working on the Railroad", another was "Happy Birthday"! I doubt the words were the same though. The guitar player paused about every 30 minutes to tell several long jokes - either he was very funny or very dirty or both - the crowd was practically in tears! People were getting up and dancing. We stayed for about 2 hours and drank sweet dark beer brewed about 10 miles away at the Kaiser brewery. Overall an excellent evening. We awoke this a.m. and had breakfast of rolls, marmalade, coffee, tea and soft boiled eggs. I held a "conversation" with our landlady - she knows as much English as I know German. Jill was praying I wouldn't go to the bathroom and leave her alone - Jill couldn't understand her at all. We went back into town to buy our lunch of quadruple-seed bread, ham and cheese from the butcher and baker. Everyone was extremely friendly. Then we headed for Hellbrun palace, where I had visited at age 14. It was just as much fun as I remembered - all sorts of water tricks and precision hydraulics. Jill enjoyed it a lot. As we were departing Hellbrun it began to rain. Therefore, instead of going directly to Salzburg, we decided to take a salt mine tour (which we had planned to do the day after Salzburg). After waiting over an hour to buy tickets and get suited up, we headed down into the mines. Wearing our white coveralls - we rode mine cars - walked through tunnels, saw an underground salt lake, exhibits, etc. The tour was in German, but we got most of it with the aid of diagrams. We also crossed over the border back into Germany underground! After that, it was pouring rain. So, we had our picnic in the car and headed into Salzburg where we checked into the Novotel. The hotel is very modern and nice. We went out immediately to change some money. Then we toured Mozart's house (one of many). The exhibit was pretty poor, but they gave us 1/2 price because it was the last 15 minutes. Despite our desire to stay dry, we walked around town - checked out the Salzburg cathedral (beautiful) and St. Paul’s cathedral (old) and St. Paul's churchyard (spooky). We wanted to take the St. Paul's catacomb tour but just missed the last one. Walked around some more, past some "international" stores i.e. Benneton (boring) then took the tour of Mozart's birthplace which was quite interesting. Most interesting was his instruments - his violin, voila, childhood violin, clavichord and pianoforte were all on display. The clavichord had a note from his widow encased in glass stating that he had composed 5 pieces including "The Magic Flute" and the "Requiem" on it within 5 months! The instrument was so unassuming and small that you would pass it up at a garage sale! We then stopped in at the Zipfer, where we drank beer brewed especially for the bar and ate a "hausplatte" for 2 - veal, beef, pork, fries, salad and veggies. Felt great to get a load off the wet feet. About $40 total! Then called Mom & Dad S. before heading back to the hotel. Better weather tomorrow? Day 8 - 5/26 Well, the weather was better today - but still kind of overcast. Had breakfast at the Novotel and then hit the town. We walked into the old town and took some photos. The marketplace was bustling with vendors and customers. Everything resembling fruit, veggies and meat was for sale. I took lots of photos of old Germanic-type women behind the stalls - we'll see how they turn out.
Then we headed to the funicular for the trip up to Hohensalzburg, the medieval fortress overlooking the town. Walked around the fortress and had deja vu of 15 years ago when I was on the Young Columbus trip. Took some of the same photos as 15 years ago, including a sign on a narrow street that read "Steigel Keller" which I immediately recognized. Walked back down to the town and bought lunch in the market - chicken breasts (fried), Swiss cheese, some kind of flat pretzel and some kind of pastry bread (strudel?). Grapes too. Each from a different vendor. Then we headed out of town and drove up to the summit of Gaisberg. The view of Salzburg was nice going up, but at the top too foggy (again). Had our lunch overlooking the Fuchlsee and a blooming field of flowers. Then we took the Michelin scenic routes around "SOM" (Sound of Music) country - the Attersee, Monsee and Traunsee. The first two were rolling hills with chalets bordering on a deep blue lake. The last was more dramatic, with Yosemite-like cliffs plunging down into the water. Stopped and fed the swans, then headed south towards Hallstatt. Hallstatt is a little town wedged between a sheer cliff with a waterfall and the Hallstatter See. It is very picturesque, as the houses are all sort of jumbled together from the cliff to the water with very narrow streets. We parked and walked into town, checking in at the Gasthof Simony. The Simony is a great old place with creaking floors, and the WC and shower down the hall. The unfinished 2x12" floorboards have large gaps.
Our room directly overlooks the Hallstatter See , with balcony and chairs. A million dollar view in a 2 bit hotel (actually about $40). We can see tourists on rented boats on the lake, the ferry, and the train across the lake that the ferry shuttles to (about 2 passengers per trip!).
We ate dinner at the Gasthof Zauner. The Zauner soup was very spicy and good. We had an excellent bottle of Austrian wine; Jill had an ok steak and I had an ok smoked Reimnke, which was caught in the See and smoked in the restaurant. Grand Marnier, pancakes with chocolate syrup & nuts, and apple strudel for dessert. The camera bugged out again this afternoon - in the sun too long. Will take some photos tomorrow morning in town before the tourists arrive (by the busload). Looking forward to the view out the window tomorrow a.m.! Day 9 - 5/27 This morning was fun - we were out of the room at 7 a.m. for a walk around Hallstatt sans tourists. We were almost the only ones stirring around town from 7-8 a.m. I took advantage of the moment to take lots of photos. I hope some of them capture the town as it is when the tourists are absent. We then went back to the Gasthof Simony for breakfast at 8 a.m. When we creaked down the stairs at 7 a.m. the landlady was in her robe stoking the coal furnace! Breakfast was the typical juice, coffee, bread, hard boiled eggs, etc. We left town by a narrow road with a red light on each end - a counter told you how long you had to wait until the light would turn green and you could go. Twentieth century technology in a 15th century town! We headed up towards the Autobahn - blessedly little traffic on Sunday morning. Hit the Autobahn - speeds up to 160 kph - now that's the way to travel (while listening to "Alpensymphonie" and Strauss waltzes!!!) We transferred over to scenic route 3 just after Linz and crossed the Danube. We ate lunch in a park overlooking a small island in the Danube. Lunch was cheese, crackers, leftover pastry, chocolate. We couldn't buy any additional victuals as it was Sunday. We'll have to plan ahead next week. While eating lunch, we watched a pair of swans and their cygnets paddling around. We also noticed some especially active fish jumping around near the island. We continued along the Danube valley, stopping at Melk to see the Abbey - much gold!! The exhibits were all in German, but the marble hall and church were beautiful. The marble hall had much faux marble, which was indistinguishable from the real thing. The church was refinished and reguilded in the last few years - the organ was spectacular! Oh, yeah, right after Linz we stopped in the small town of Perg for a parade that was forming as we drove through. A band preceded a procession of the town's children (quite numerous) and then the adults. took a bunch of photos - it was a fun stop. After Melk, we headed towards Vienna, passing through the Wachau valley with it's many vineyards. As we approached Vienna, we planned out our route into the city. Of course we immediately got off course, but Jill's excellent map reading skills kept us moving forward towards our goal. Just as we were about to pull over, we saw signs for our hotel (Am Stephensplatz). We followed the signs, found our hotel, parked on the street and checked in. Am Stephensplatz is directly overlooking St. Stephen's church, where Mozart was married and the heart of Vienna's old city. Our room is expensive (about $160 per night) but directly overlooks the church and square. Worth it! As soon as we hit the square, we saw a low-budget street opera. The music was taped, but the singers were good and that had a real stage set and stage. What fun! Then we took the Michelin walking tour around the old town. Saw several churches, residences from the 1500's, and a Mozart residence that was under renovation. Stopped at a kaffe for a beer; then had dinner out at Caffe Diglas. We both had white wine and Wiener Schnitzel and spent about 2 hours trying to slow down to the Vienna coffee house pace. We are now back in our room with opera on the TV. The room is very nice - with chandelier, lounge chairs and armoire as big as a house. Also 12 foot ceilings! Day 10 - 5/28 Got up early again this morning - 7:00 am had breakfast, then walked to the Hofburg. The Hofburg is the imperial residence of the Hapsburgs in Vienna. It is a rather unattractive assemblage of buildings of various styles in the old city, bordering on the Ringstrasse. It took us a while, but we found the entrance to the Imperial apartments. We took a tour, but to tell you the truth neither Jill or I remember anything of particular significance. We are a little palaced-out at this point ! We then took even longer to find the Imperial Treasury. We were among the first in the door at 10:00 am. We saw many amazing gold objects from the Hapsburg collections, such as the crown of the Holy Roman Empire (1,000 years old), Charlemagne's sword and many other objects such as cups, swords, religious objects, crosses, etc. the value of the collection is incalculable. Then we took the #2 tram around the Ringstrasse; got a view of City Hall, the Opera Houses, the Danube Canal, Etc. Afterwards, we transferred to the U-4 underground for a trip to Schonbrunn Palace, a Hapsburg summer residence. First we stopped and ate pizza in an Italian restaurant! Pizza was very good and all homemade. Then we entered Schonbrunn, walking around the back of the gardens so as to get the full effect of seeing the Palace from the top of the Glorietta. The Glorietta is a war memorial overlooking the palace, gardens, and the city of Vienna. Quite spectacular! Rococo gardens, I like; its the interiors that get a little overdone.
We then toured the interior - including all of Franz Joseph’s rooms. Its all getting a bit samey at this point, all though the dining table set for 20 and the hall of mirrors and Chinese Lacquer rooms were nice. The hall of mirrors was where Mozart gave his concert for Maria Theresa at the age of six which established his reputation. We then went back on the U-4 to the Statpark, where a Strauss concert is given twice daily in a restaurant/cafe but is easily overheard in the park. We listened for about half an hour, but it was getting cold (60-65 )and the small orchestra wasn't that good. (They weren't no Vienna Philharmonic!) So we walked around the park and watched people feeding sparrows and nuthatches out of their hands before heading back to the hotel for a nap. Got up about 7:00 pm and headed for the Figlmuler, a restaurant famous for its wiennerschnitzel. I can see why - when mine arrived it was larger than my 10" plate ! So was Jill's chicken breast ! It was very good accompanied by mugs of fresh white wine. Then we walked down the Stephensplatz, where we stopped for about half an hour of songs by a German Quartet - Simon & Garfunkel, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, and Creedence Clearwater revival (Rolling on the Ree-ver). German classics. After a stop in the Tram-Bar (the interior contains an old Vienna tram and all of the accessories and signs are from old trams) we headed back to the hotel. Day 11 - 5/29 I am writing this one day late because we got in late last night. We got up fairly late, had breakfast and headed to the prater park. We went to ride the giant Ferris wheel, and at 10:00 am we were the only people in our car and almost the only people on the wheel. With no one clamoring to get on we were able to have a nice long ride and get a nice view of Vienna and the surrounding area. We then went back to the ring and walked along the stretch with the most famous buildings - the opera houses, the Rathaus (City Hall) museums, etc. It was sort of noisy with all of the traffic on the ring but some of the parks were nice. It was getting a little chilly (60 - 65) although the sun was out, so we headed back to the hotel to get jackets. We had planned to take a walk in the Vienna Woods but when we read the description we brought with us, we discovered that the park we wanted to walk in was only open Wednesday through Saturday. But we had photocopied one paragraph describing another walk in the vineyards surrounding the city, so, armed with that and a transit map, we set off. Took the "D" tram out to Nussdorf and walked up some streets named after Beethoven - it was here that he took some of his inspirational walks. Had lunch at the Beethoven statue, as a Japanese camera crew took video footage of it. Then we hiked uphill for about two to three miles to the town of Kahlenburg, which has a beautiful view overlooking the city. We hiked up to this point (Kahlenburg) including one stretch of 163 steps in a row (we counted them on the way back down). We admired the view and spent fifteen minutes waiting to be served in a wine garden before getting our refreshments from a concession stand.
We then hiked back down through the vineyards to the town of Grinzing - famous for its Heurigers - or wine bars. They have special dispensation which allows them to serve their own wine and food. The wine is served by the mug ! We were so thirsty we had two mugs at the first place which had mostly Germans in it. Then we walked up the street to another more touristy place and another mug with some food from the food bar (pork of course) on the way back to the tram we stopped for one more in a place that was all local people. Some 80-year-old was chugging mugs of wine and playing an ancient Hohner accordion. We told him we were from New York - his comment was "Eine grosse stadt" and "Eine machine. Here in Wien we are much more slow." That was about the extent of his English. As we were about to leave we started chatting with two Viennese women about 65 years old. They were very nice, and we showed each other wallet photos. One spoke fairly decent English and had been to the U.S. 25 years ago. They wanted to know how much money we made and why we had no "Babees" after 5 years of marriage !! We ended up exchanging addresses - maybe we'll send a Christmas card. On the way back on the tram I chatted with a very drunk 67 year old from Finland who likes photography - His wife was very embarrassed at his state. By the time we got back, at 11:00 pm , I was in no condition to write and we went straight to bed. Day 12 - 5/30 Today we got up early -- 7 a.m. -- ate breakfast and cleared out of town. The weather is beautiful today - 70° and sunny with cotton ball clouds. All we did today is drive clear across Austria - from Vienna to Innsbruck. Actually we are in the town of Hall in Tirol just outside of Innsbruck. Innsbruck looked much more like a city than a cute little mountain village, so we just drove around and left. We have had enough of cities lately. I am sitting in the cafe behind the hotel with a view of snow-capped mountains that is crystal-clear. Finally the weather we've been waiting for. Tonight we'll just play it mellow at the hotel -- tomorrow Switzerland! Well, it's now 8:45 and we just returned from dinner -- Dave had Peppersteak and Goulash Soup (very good) Jill had Spatzl and French Onion Soup. Before dinner we took a walk of about 2 miles trying to find the river Inn (as in "Innsbruck"). We didn't find the river, but had fun admiring the scenery anyway. Now for a little "Daisy Miller" and an early bed. P.S. There were guys playing 9-pin bowling on 3 lanes in the Hotel Bar! Day 13 - 5/31 Four countries in one day - a new record! Last night we decided to take a side trip to Italy. So this morning after breakfast we first toured through some of the alpine villages near Hall, then took the Autobahn to the Brenner Pass. The Brenner Pass Autobahn is an engineering feat - and costs about 5 bucks to ride through spectacular scenery. Oh yeah, the weather was perfect when we awoke -- blue sky and few clouds.
We were waved through the border once again, and went to the small town of Vipiteno / Sterzing (Italy), where we strolled around the "Old Town" and bought an Italian Ice and a postcard. What big spenders! We spent about an hour, then headed just south of town where there is a medieval castle whose owner gives tours. We were trying to decipher the sign before climbing to the castle, when a group of school kids came down. Their teacher tried to explain the sign to us but it was in Italian and German and she knew no English. The teacher asked the kids if any spoke English, and one said "Good Morning"! With the help of some slurping noises and rubbing of the belly and pointing to the sign, the kids told us that the owner was eating and the next tour wasn't till 2:00. As we were walking to the car, the kids said "bye bye" and "Thank you" to my "Arriverderci"! We headed back out of Italy on the old 512 route through the Brenner Pass that is more scenic and has no toll. We arrived back in Innsbruck in time for a picnic at the Olympic ski jump! I had been there 15 years ago as it was being built for the 1976 Olympics. It was fun to see it again and the view was great. Oh yeah, this morning we passed thorough the town of Igls and I had immediate Deja Vu -- the Young Columbus trip had stayed there. I even remembered what hotel we were in. After Innsbruck we headed west towards Switzerland. Lots of construction on the roads. Before leaving Austria we passed through the 14km (9 mi.) Arlsberg tunnel. Of course we were stuck behind a truck going about 30 mph most of the way! Then country #3 - Liechtenstein! Switzerland actually controls the border - with automatic weapons and very serious faces. We had to buy a $20 Swiss Road Tax sticker. Then we headed into Liechtenstein's capital -- Vaduz -- which is one street about a mile long. We parked at 4:31 and the banks had closed at 4:30, but we were able to change money in a store and have a beer in a cafe. Then country #4 - Switzerland! Tonight we are staying in the ski resort of Flim. We didn't get here till 6 p.m. and were tired. Everything was big hotels. It is off season and our room is about $110 -- more than we wanted to spend but then again I talked her down from around $150 and I got to swim in the pool. Plus, the view is great. We had dinner at another hotel's restaurant, as everyone in our lobby was in suits and ties. This town seems pretty fancy, especially in ski season. Hopefully tomorrow's weather will be as nice as today's -- and the scenery as spectacular. We are in real alpine territory now -- pine trees, snow-capped mountains, chalets, tunnels and waterfalls. Hopefully tomorrow brings more of the same! Day 14 - 6/1 Yesterday was the day for countries; today was the day for mountain passes. We left Flims after breakfast - stuffy English people. Headed southwest to Desentis and changed money. We thought we were headed towards Andermatt, but found ourselves on the top of desolate and spectacularly scenic mountains. We had the feeling, though, that we were on the wrong road. Sure enough, right after we crossed the top of a pass, we saw signs that read "Olivone" written (or etched) in stone by the side of the road. . It turned out that we had just crossed the Lukmanier Pass and were headed towards Italy. Turn around? Nah! We took the twisting, turning 1 and 1/2 lane roads south towards Biascia. On the way we stopped at a small town to confirm our hotel for tonight. The phone was outside the Post Office and I went inside to buy stamps. The Post Office (Bank) was a one-window affair. After the postmaster dispensed large amounts of cash to 2 locals in front of me, I stepped up to but 12 postcard stamps. Easier said than done! He spoke no English or German - only Italian. I tried to ask for what I wanted but was dumbfounded. Finally after some "Pictionary" and assistance from 2 other locals, I emerged victorious with the stamps. Unfortunately I left our indispensable "22 Days in Germany, Austria and Switzerland" by Rick Steves in the phone booth. Oh well, we were going to wing it for the last week anyway! So we headed back north to the St. Gotthard Pass, and went through another amazingly long (15 km) tunnel. We has planned to go via the Sustenpass to Interlaken, but after we emerged from the tunnel the signs said that it was closed. So back south to Andermatt to head over the Furkapass. It was the best detour of my life! The scenery was absolutely spectacular. The roads were quite hairy - 1 1/2 lanes, no guardrail, 2000 foot plunges off the side. But the scenery - amazing! Rocky snow-covered crags, glaciers, twisting, turning roads -- you'll have to see the pictures! Jill's door handle is still intact though. Had lunch of ham and cheese by a rushing river in a valley. We then headed up the Grimselpass which was not as spectacular after the last 2 1/2 hours, but would still put Yosemite to shame. From there it was "all downhill" to Brienz, a quaint village. But by that time it was 3 p.m. and we were tired of driving. So we headed directly to Gimmelwald. Gimmelwald is located above a valley south of Interlaken. We drove down the valley, stopping for tomorrow's lunch in Lauterbrunnen. Also had an ice. Then it was time to board the cable car / tram for the ride up to Gimmelwald! The car was huge, and fast. We rode the 1000 - 2000 feet up to Gimmelwald in about 5 minutes. The view was spectacular (again) passing waterfalls in full view of the Jungfrau and Eiger peaks. Truly an "uplifting" experience. Got off the lift and took the long way around town (about 35 houses) before finding the Hotel Mittaghorn. Had to wait about 10 minutes while our landlord, Walter Mittler, cooked the dinner preparations. Then we were shown our dingy little room which got Jill quite depressed. But the trick here is to enjoy the incredible view, incomparable to anything in the U.S. So we went out front, had a beer, and wrote some postcards. Jill felt much better. Then a walk before dinner of potato-leek soup, and pork stew over spaghetti. Very good and it hit the spot (youth hostel style).
Then another beer while we watched the sun set on the Jungfrau, though it set on this side of the valley 1 1/2 hours ago. Bedtime now - in our funky little room....... Day 15 – 6/2 When we awoke this morning, we saw blue sky out the window. But by the time we reached the tram station for our breakfast trip to the top of the Schilthorn, clouds had begun forming. We rode to the top in 3 stages over a ½ hour or so period. The scenery was spectacular and there were about 25 people plus supplies in the cable car. When we reached the top at 8:15, we proceeded to the restaurant. We had a special reduced ticket – before 9 a.m. you can have breakfast and a reduced fare. Had breakfast in a revolving restaurant with a fabulous view – on a good day you can see Mont Blanc, but it was starting to cloud over. A James Bond flick was filmed in part on the restaurant and cable car, where “Jaws” bites a tram cable in half. We’ll have to rent it when we get home. After breakfast we had planned to tram down to Burg and then hike a couple of hours back down to Gimmelwald. But with the clouds approaching and the fact that snow covered the first mile or so of the trail, we wimped out and trammed down to Murren, then hiked a ½ hour back to Gimmelwald. By this time it looked like rain any minute so we checked out of Gimmelwald (Jill was overjoyed! – the place is a little ratty) and went back down to the valley.
It immediately began to rain as soon as we headed down the road, but we decided to tour Trummelbach falls, which were right nearby and got 3 Michelin stars. So we paid our 7 francs each (about $5.50) and took the tram up a cavern carved out of a solid rock mountain. We then walked around a series of platforms and stairs to view 10 different high velocity waterfalls formed when several glaciers drain into one river. It is part cavern, cauldron, waterfall, all at once – very misty and deafening. Lots of fun and worth it. Stopped in Interlaken and changed money 2 minutes before the last bank in town closed for the holiday weekend (Ascension Day is Monday). Bought lunch and ate it on our way to the next site, sitting in the car in a downpour. Our next site was Ballenburg – a 30 acre exhibit of reconstructed houses representing all of Switzerland’s architectural styles. The houses have been moved from all over the country. Even though it rained all afternoon, we had a fun-filled 3 ½ hours visiting most of the 70 historic buildings. The place was so impressive for several reasons – the timber framing and construction techniques dating back to the 1600’s are still standing and show great craftsmanship; all of the houses and almost all of the rooms are open and furnished – down to knickknacks and shoes, clothing, etc. Nothing locked, bolted, under glass, etc.; and there are many craftspeople at work. We saw in action a potter, baker, wood carver, wool spinner, smokehouse, charcoal making, farming, herb drying, cheese making – very fascinating. We bought homemade bread, cheese, and smoked pork for tomorrow’s lunch. Great fun! We are now checked into the Gasthof Schonegg in the town of Goldswil. The room looks like it was renovated yesterday. Tonite we are going downstairs for fondue for 2! Saw a fox today! Day 16 – 6/3 Unfortunately we did not get too much accomplished today, even though we drove around all day. We left Goldswil under blue skies, and headed towards Montreux. Our goal was to see the Chillon castle in Montreux, dip into France for a moment, and spend the night in French Switzerland. We stopped at Chillon just before noon and toured the castle for about 1 ½ hours. It is on an island separated by a small bridge from the mainland. I had seen pictures of the castle before but never knew it was so old. Major portions were constructed in the 1200’s, 1300’s and 1400’s. It was a lot of fun to walk through the buildings, passageways, stairs, etc. They also had a lot of the old furniture, tapestries, and wall and ceiling art still intact. We then ate a picnic lunch on a bench overlooking the shores of Lake Geneva. We then drove around part of Lake Geneva, but unfortunately it was quite built up and the weather had clouded over. We headed north to Neuchatel but found ourselves out of the Alps in much more modern and crowded surroundings. We decided to head back east – past Bern. We are now about 10 miles north of where we stayed last night – in the town of Langau in the Emmenthal region (Emmenthal as in the cheese). We are in another nice, recently renovated hotel – the Hirschen – which claims to have a 15th century wine keller. Maybe we’ll find it. We walked around town for about an hour after checking in and will go to dinner shortly. Day 17 6/4 Well, the worst thing you can say about today is that it rained all day. Other than that, everything was fine. When we awoke it was raining. I had breakfast but Jill skipped it. We checked out, after seeing several more army vehicles and guys in camouflage with automatic weapons strolling around town. Last night for dinner we had perch fillets (Dave) and Sauerbraten (Jill). Both portions were huge – they were served as two courses – just like tonight (Dave – entrecote, Jill filet de porc.) We drove to Lucerne and got there about 10:30. We went to the transportation museum which was three Michelin stars. It was sort of like the Air & Space museum in Washington, DC. We spent about 3-4 hours seeing trains, cars planes, phones, etc. The train section was my favorite – Jill liked the motorcycles. She says it’s more of a man’s and kid’s museum and is probably right. Since today is Ascension Day, not much was open in town, and since it was raining we too a 2-hour cruise on Lake Lucerne (First Class, mind you). It was fun and the scenery on the lake was constantly changing. The rain let up just in time for us to change boats in Weggis and look around the town. Oh yeah, we also walked across the several-hundred-year-old covered bridge in Lucerne which I had strolled across as a Young Columbus. Took lots of photos even though it was raining. Then headed northeast towards Appenzell. We are lodged for the night in Wattwil at the Gasthof Lowen (Lion). Watched a soccer match on TV when we got in. By the way, last night through an amazing coincidence we saw the James Bond cable car scene on TV in the hotel commons room. Unfortunately it was a cable car in Rio De Janeiro! We’ll have to keep searching for the one in Switzerland. (We did see it in the Transport Museum.) Day 18 6/5 Today we l-left Switzerland and are now back in Germany. Last night we left the window open as we often do and awoke at 3 am to find me covered with mosquito bites. We turned on the light and killed about 25-30 skeeters, most of which had already bitten me. Left this morning around 10 am under gray skies and headed into the appenzell region. We drove through the hilly countryside and stopped in Stein for a tour of a cheese factory. Racks upon racks of aging cheese, and a 6000 liter vat where a new batch was being made. Also bought some at the deli inside. Toured around Appenzell some more and stopped in the town of Appenzell and walked around. Bought lots of Toblerone chocolate to bring home. Then we headed north, stopping at the Rhinefell (Rhine Falls). This is where the Rhine river falls about 60-65 feet in a spectacular series of cascades. When it is running high, which it seemed to be, as much as 1080 cubic meters of water go through per second. We brought our Snoopy insulated picnic sack for a hike down to the base of the falls where we picnicked on a bench amid the deafening roar. Watched a boat take people out to a small rock island in the middle of the falls. Then headed north and were waved through the border into Germany again. We are now in the Black Forest. We drove around dark forests and small towns – as soon as we entered Germany we noticed it to be a lot less built up than Switzerland. We also noticed it starting to rain again, which is beginning to get annoying.
Stopped at a small wood carving shop and bought some small carved birds as souvenirs. Tried to find a room but many places were closed (the day after the holiday weekend). Stopped at 2 other places but didn’t like them before finally settling on our present abode which has a name that we can’t remember. Very nice room with a balcony and breakfast for about $60. Much cheaper than Switzerland here in Germany. Hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow but we will see. Day 19 – 6/6 Last night’s dinner was nice and relaxing. I had fried trout with almonds and Jill had pork cordon bleu. Had a few beers and watched the locals. We were seated at a table with a German couple who spoke no English, so we didn’t have much conversation. The owners spoke no English either.
Tonight we are in the little town of Knebis in the northern Black Forest at a middle class Kurhaus-Bad resort. These types of establishments are popular around here and feature pools, sauna, massage, inhalants, etc., none of which we will do. But the room is only 80 marks, about $55. Pretty lousy weather again today – it rained a little in the morning and was around 50-55 and cloudy the rest of the day. Unfortunately most of this morning’s planned activities were scenic drives and views which were not too impressive due to the weather. We got to the town of Trieberg just before lunch and walked around. Went to the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) museum, the highlight of which was several mechanical one-man bands you could play for a Mark. Piano, accordion, drums, horns, etc. – pretty fun. Then we went back into town and bought a cuckoo clock! Spent around $150-160 and got a nice little model with birds on it. The owners of the store are fighting the “tourist cuckoo clock” image by spending about 15 minutes with everyone who comes in the store explaining what makes their hand-made clocks better than the factory jobs down the street. We went for the quality pitch. The ones I saw in the other stores I wouldn’t want in my house. Then went just outside of town and had yes another picnic lunch before hiking to a waterfall for about an hour. Then cruised through the Black Forest to our current hotel. We just finished watching SesameStrasse on TV! Still can’t understand much though. It’s funny how much American influence there is in the music, TV and movies. We have heard James Brown on TV commercials, seen James Bond on TV, and heard the B-52’s on the radio. We also saw on TV a soap opera called “Schwarzwald Klinik”, or Black Forest Clinic. Sort of like General Hospital I guess. Day 20 6/7 Today we saw more poor weather, but we also saw country #5 – France! We awoke in the Black Forest to gray skies, which quickly turned to fog, clouds and rain as we cruised into the mountains after breakfast. By the time we descended from the mountains into the spa town of Baden-Baden, however, the weather had cleared substantially. So we parked and walked around town for a while. Lots of old, limping people – since the town is known for its hot springs which supposedly cure rheumatism. We walked up and down the promenade, which is a narrow park paralleling the river through town. Passed the public baths but didn’t go in. We wanted to go to the ruins of the Roman baths, but they were closed from 12-1:30 and it was about 11:45 when we got there. So we grabbed 2 sodas at McDonald’s (1) and headed out – next stop France!
We crossed the border into the Alsace region. This time we weren’t waved through, though – there was no guard at all. Must have been lunch hour. Picnicked by the side of the road in the car – it had begun drizzling again. As we were driving through town we noticed many signs for pottery. So we stopped at one and since they took Deutchmarks, we bought a few things – 2 small vases, a wine pitcher and a beer mug – all for about $75 – not bad considering it was all made on the premises. Then headed back north into Deutschland – no one at the border their either. Drove north along the German wine road – noticed in the Michelin Guide that yet another of King Ludwig’s castles was located here so we decided to drop in for a visit. From Jill’s interpretation of the Michelin Guide, we were to ride a ski lift to the summit where the castle was located. So we paid our 12 dm and got on in a drizzle. The view was nice from the top, but we saw no signs for the castle. So we took a path into the woods, and walked, and walked – about 20 minutes. Not much sign of a castle or anything else. So we gave up and took the lift back down. Got out the Michelin Guide and it turns out that the lift was only for the view! We had parked about 50 feet from the castle and didn’t even know it! So we went in the castle, which was pretty unassuming as far as castles go from the outside. Paid our 4 dm and got giant slippers to go over our shoes so we wouldn’t harm the floors. It turned out that all they had open was one wing housing an art exhibit by some unknown (to us) painter from the early 20th century. The rest of the castle was closed! We had fun sliding around the waxed floors in our slippers, though! As we peered into the castle from outside, it looked fully restored, complete with paintings. Wonder why it was closed? A disaster all around, but comical at the time. We are now staying at the Deidesheimer Hof hotel in Deidesheim. It is one of the Romantik Hotel “chain” of family-owned establishments, which so far seems mainly distinguished by its high price – 148 dm. The menu looks expensive, so we’re going to walk around and find a wine bar in town (this is the wine region!) Speaking of dinner last night, I had Mexican fire soup and venison, both of which were very good. Jill had roast beef, which she liked. Day 21 – 6/8 Well it’s the last evening of our vacation and we’re sitting on the balcony of our hotel room watching the sunset. The view is one of the best yet – a pastoral valley with several farmhouses and lots of cows. It’s early, but we’ve already had dinner – the restaurant was only open from 6-8 pm. Jill had some kind of Wildschwein, which we assumed was wild boar, and I had goulash soup with steak and onions – very good. Since it was our last night I had strawberry pie and Jill had vanilla ice cream for dessert. We began the morning with breakfast in our overpriced Romantik hotel. Slept will 8:30 then headed to Heidelberg, where we spent several hours touring the huge old castle which was mostly in ruins. It was the former residence of the rulers of the Palintate, but went downhill after the 30 Years War (1618-1648). The tour was ok, but probably the most interesting was the “Great Vat” which had a wine capacity of 49,000 gallons. It is said that the court consumed 2000 liters a day! No wonder one of the rulers died of alcoholism at the age of 35! Had our usual picnic lunch and then drove down into the town of Heidelberg. We had planned to stay there but everything was pretty booked – we tried 4 paces and then gave up. Had a beer at the market, and then walked along the Hauptstrasse (High Street), had a pastry and tried to find the old Student’s Gaol – where rowdy students were imprisoned until 1914. Couldn’t find it though. Headed northeast and ended up here at Landhaus Lortz in Reichelsheim. Yet another family run hotel. For about $65 the room is great, with couch, balcony, deck chairs, shower, etc. Of course now the sun is shining brilliantly for the first time in a long time! Last night for dinner we went to a wine cellar which was the ultimate in atmosphere. Exposed old beams, old seats, windows, etc. – all salvaged from old barns apparently. Jill had baked cheese and I had a bratwurst pair. Very good with some local wine. Well, right now we’ll watch the sun set on our day and our vacation. It’s been a great 3 weeks. The weather could have been better, but on the whole it didn’t interfere too much. The sights we saw and the things we did will stay with us for a lifetime!
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