The Castles in Fussen

The castles in Fussen are located in the beutiful country side of southern Germany. The castles built by King Ludwig were small compared to Versailles yet still magnificent. The day was rainy once again, but we still had a chance to put the top down on the drive to the castle. The rooms were elaborate, small and cozy, some gilded in 14kt/24kt gold. About 5kg's of gold were used to decorate in one of the castles. Above are a few pic's.....

Junfraujoch & Kleine Scheidegg-Mannlichen Hike

Day 15

Today was a very long day, so the post will be short.

We were up at 6, eating breakfast by 7:30, and by 8 we boarded the Lauterbrunnen train at the station heading for the Jungfraujoch at 11,333 feet. The trip took 2 hours--one transfer at Kleine Scheidegg and two stops near the top for viewing. The day was clear and crisp, but not too terribly uncomfortable considering the height of the mountain and the time. We marveled at the spectacle before us--never had we seen anything like this. Not only nature, but what the Swiss had created for tourists to experience. There was an ice palace and several restaurants. It's a good thing their food is no indication of the quality of their trains and lifts--the food up their was expensive and poor. But then again, everything in Switzerland is expensive. After a meager lunch (for me at least), we began our descent, but this time we got off in Kleine Scheidegg. After a little vascillation, we decided to do the hike from Kleine Scheidegg to Mannlichen, a supposedly 1.5 hour jaunt. It took us considerably longer, since, guess what?, we went the direction of altitude increase. Kleine Scheidegg is at 6762 and Mannlichen is 7687 feet. However, for the most part, it was not that arduous, and it was spectacular. The trail was wide (see the pics), well maintained and followed the edge of the mountainside where we saw meadows filled with wildflowers (and one of those was the dandelion), deep valleys with towns far in the distance (Grindelwald, I think), a few streams, and mountains all around us--some with snow, some without. As we approached Mannlichen, we began to hear the clanging from the bells on the cows foraging on the hillside. Soon they were right there with us on the trail! I must say that was a little unnerving, but they seemed quite oblivious to our being there. At Mannlichen, we boarded the gondola for our 3000 foot descent into Wengen. This would have been really fun, except that I think after being at 11,333, then hiking for 2 hours at high altitude and not having a very substantial meal, I was having a bit of exhaustion and altitude issues. By the time we got back into Lauterbrunnen from Wengen on the train and hiked back through town to our hotel, I could barely function. Time for rest. Still need it. So, I will sign off and say good night. I'm not sure when the next post will be since we leave tomorrow morning for Pingswang, Austria near Fussen, Germany, where we will visit King Ludwig's castle--the big one with the long name that I am too tired to spell tonight. :)

Gimmelwald and the Schilthorn

Day 14

Well, it's raining today again. We decide to go ahead and go up to Gimmelwald and the Schilthorn anyway, even though the visibility is probably not good at the top of the Schilthorn. We pack up the umbrellas and the ponchos and dress for snow. We took the lift up to Gimmelwald--very fun! Here we get out and explore this tiny, but certainly not from the looks of it, sleepy, town with a population of about 130. Judging by the equipment and silos, there is a lot of hard work done here farming, tending animals, and making cheese. The little building in the picture above is a cottage where cheese is stored and fermented. The man in the photo is a regular visitor in Gimmelwald--he came one summer years ago, got to know one of the family's up here, began working for them, and returns just about every summer, now with his wife and son. He told us about the cheese cottage.

From Gimmelwald, we head out to Murren, which we were told was a "fairly level" road/trail. Well, that road was not in any way level--uphill all the way. I guess, relative to the rest of the alps it's level. Spectacular views all the way. Cows and goats on the hillside, too. Houses and gardens close to the towns but none in between. By the way, when you are staying in Gimmelwald, the only way to get there is by the lift. :)

In Murren, we catch the first lift up to Birg, which takes about 7 minutes or so, much of it in the clouds with no visibility. It feels like we are ascending into heaven. At Birg, we transfer to another lift for the last 1000 feet up. At the Schilthorn, it's snowing. After a few snowball tosses and a few pictures, we go inside to warm up, have dessert and cappuchinos, hoping the clouds would clear for us. Unfortunately, they did not, and we left after about an hour heading back to Murren. The ride down was just as exciting as the ride up, this time popping out of the clouds to see the valley below.

For the ride down from Murren to Grutschalp, we take the train, a very cute little train that stops for cows on the tracks as they make their way down from the mountain, Swiss neck bells clanging at each step. The last leg from Gruschalp to Lauterbrunnen by lift completes the circle, and we are back.

The pics above, by the way, are not in chron order except maybe in reverse. The snow pics are from the Schilthorn, most of the rest are from the gondola/lift and at Gimmelwald. The pic through the window was taken at a "restaurant" where we had lunch. The Gimmelwald Hostel is in the background. Stepping into the restaurant was like stepping back in time about 50 years or more. We were the only ones there. The pic of Rick was on the trail to Murren.

All in all a great day, but I definitely want to come back and do this when the weather is clear.

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

Day 13

First may I say that we have had internet issues for the last week since leaving Munich, so this is our first post since then. :( Will have to backtrack to cover the time in Salzburg, Verona, and La Cinque Terra. And I have now edited the previous posts, so check those out, too!

Second, last night was the first night since Salzburg on 7/22 that we got a great night's sleep on a bed that wasn't as hard as a rock. Score 2 points for Austria and Swizterland, 0 for Italy when it comes to mattresses!

Now for Lauterbrunnen. It took 12 hours to get here--we planned 6-7 (we did stop briefly 4 times). Lots of traffic around Milano and then leading to the 17 km tunnel just before the Sustenpass. Yes, Ryan, we took the alpine pass--you would be proud! Nobody else turned off there--that should have been a clue. But the scenery was beyond description, and I wouldn't have missed it even though I had white knuckles the whole 30+ miles. Rain, fog-shrouded and snowcapped mountains, valleys, cliffs, switchbacks, waterfalls, tunnels, and a mountaintop restaurant offering delicious cappuchino. Not to be missed!

Today, it's raining here, but no matter. It's so stunningly gorgeous we don't even notice. Waterfalls are everywhere--you can hear them throughout the town of 930 inhabitants-- and the green countryside is dotted with houses. Whoever coined the phrase "God's Country" was talking about Lauterbrunnen and the alps around it. I have never seen a place so beautiful. The air is clean and clear, the pace of life peaceful. This was the way life was meant to be lived.

We visited Trummelbach Falls today, which is a series of waterfalls inside the mountain. We took the lift to the 6th "story" then walked from there to the 10th, where every staircase offered a new view, some illuminated by electric lights, some by natural light, but all amazing. We could feel the ground under us vibrating with the power of the water surging and crashing as it carves the rock it tumbles upon.

On the way to the falls, we passed a cemetary that was without question the most beautiful and unusual I have ever seen. The graves were planted with begonias, hydrangeas, even fuschias, and some were even decorated with gnomes and the like while the headstones were carved with flowers and swiss houses, even tractors. It was charming.

Tomorrow we are going to Murren and then hiking Gimmelwald. Afterward we'll take the lift to the 10000 ft. Schilthorn peak. The lift takes 1/2 hour to reach the top.

Our New Ride

Day 3

Marienplatz

Our first day in Munich, and we spent the day exploring the Marienplatz, which we could walk to from our hotel. Great fun! Lots of shops--all the famous designers and then some. On the platz were artists and musicians and thousands of people, probably mostly tourists like us! We shopped a little but spent most of our time in the churches (St. Michael's, St. Peter's, and the small church where Rupert Mayer is buried) and palace. Both large churches have been almost totally reconstructed after the damage they sustained in WW2. They are just gorgeous--amazing what human beings are capable of and churches like these are a testament to it! We lunched at Rishart Cafe--I had a roasted veggie sandwich, which was very good, and Rick had a turkey sandwich--not too German, I have to admit. We visited Rathous, which I think is a palace, but I'm not sure. Today, it's mostly offices, but visitors can roam the halls and get a feel for what it was like back in the day: huge, austere with all its marble and granite, and impressive. Rick had his first bier, a weissbier, and pretzel at a little cafe, called Ratskeller, in the courtyard of the palace. After that, we climbed the 14 story staircase to the top of St. Peter's clocktower, which offered a breathtakingly spectacular view of Munich. We got our exercise today for sure.


By the way, our hotel totally redeemed itself this morning with a breakfast spread that was outstanding...3 stars just went to 4!

Hallo von Deutschland!

We're here! Our flight was great, non-stop, 11 or so hours from SF to Munich. Don't get me wrong-- it was still cramped with no leg room and the food was less than mediocre, but where it counts it was great. Smooth take-off and landing, very quiet flight with hardly any turbulence. We really like Lufthansa air bus. After arrival, we were driven to our hotel Ecklemann by Rolf, our BMW host. He drove us through downtown Munich on the way and then spent a little time with us to help with maps, trains, and sights of interest. He was wonderful! Our hotel is okay. Not the "Ritz", but not the "Prince" either! (The Prince in Paris, for those who haven't heard the story, was a 1 or 2 star hotel with peeling wallpaper, crumbling plaster, dilapidated white lattice decor on the stairway, no air, and a washing machine in the window--it was, however, very clean, just no frills).

Haven't taken any pics yet, and too tired to do so now. Tomorrow we will do a walking tour of Munich and post some pics after. Gute nacht!

Count Down to Top Down

Officially 6 days before we leave on our "top down" adventure, which includes blogging our experience. Here's a brief outline of the places we'll visit:

Munich, Germany -Days 1-3
Salzburg, Austria - Days 4-5
Verona, Italy - Days 6-7
Cinque Terra, Italy - Days 8-10
Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland - Days 11-14
Pingsway, Austria - Days 15-16
Munich, Germany - Days 17-18