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Ingo's short trips to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Hamburg

Ingo's short trips to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Hamburg

Old Aug 1st, 2006, 12:14 PM
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Ingo's short trips to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Hamburg

Here are some thoughts, observations and comments on two short trips inside Germany I did recently and which I'd like to share. Maybe this is of help for some of you, maybe a few of you are just interested in my adventures. I travelled to completely different destinations within two weeks: Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GAP) and Hamburg.

First chapter: Accommodation.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen:

Posthotel Partenkirchen - as the name indicates it is located in Partenkirchen, in the historical (almost car-free) Ludwigstrasse. It's a 3star hotel with a long tradition. The facade to the Ludwigstrasse is decorated with beautiful Baroque frescos, the interior of the Posthotel is antique, walls and ceilings in the lobby, salons, restaurant are panelled with (partly carved) wood. We got rooms in the dependancy in the backyard. Rooms were quite large, had a balcony, shower/WC, cable TV, phone - what you expect from a 3star. The view was partly nice - some mountains and the backyard which was used as parking lot. While the rooms were clean I thought they would need a renovation - the dependancy was for sure built in the 1970s and has probably never seen a renovation.

Breakfast buffet was very good. Staff was friendly, but not of much help. The restaurant was closed for renovation, but there were many in the Ludwigstrasse offering Bavarian food. Parking in the backyard was free, but I doubt that there was enough space for all the cars of the guests.

I had booked through a travel agency and got a deal: double room for 76 Euro per night incl. breakfast - stay 4 nights, pay 3. An additonal tax of 2 Euro per person and night (Kurtaxe) was charged at the hotel.

All in all I would stay there again, but not for the official rate, which was much higher.


Hamburg:

5star Hotel Kempinski Atlantic - one of Hamburg's leading hotels with a lot of charm and patina. Impressive lobby and salons. The service was excellent. My single room at the 4th floor had a decent size and was luckily airconditioned. Bed was 1,40 x 2,00 m, the high ceiling added to the feeling of more than enough space (for a single room). The bathroom was relatively small and had no tub, only shower (no complaint, fine for me). No particular view (window to the beautiful courtyard), but thus quiet. The breakfast buffet was outstanding (included in the room rate, otherwise they charge 28.50 Euro for it). Several sorts of rolls, croissants, bread, cakes, müesli (cereals), cornflakes etc. Several sorts of salmon (smoked, graved), other fish, ham (parma, serrano etc.), salami, a variety of cheese, fruits ... you could order freshly prepared dishes with eggs, pancakes ... They had at least 6 sorts of freshly squeezed juice everyday (orange, grapefruit, strawberry, mango, kiwi etc.), excellent black tea (I had 1st flush Darjeeling), of course coffee, but also very good German champagne.

The location of the hotel is excellent - only a five minutes walk from the central railway station, right at the Aussenalster lake with a boat stop right in front of the hotel and only a 10 minutes walk from the shopping streets/arcades in the city centre.

There is a pool/sauna at the 3rd floor. Don't expect one of those extensive "spa worlds", but the pool was large enough for swimming some laps, they had some comfy beach-chairs, the staff provided mineral water, fruits, towels for free. There was even a small terrace attached to the pool area where you cold sit in one of those typical German beach chairs which you find on the Baltic/North Sea and catch a glimpse of the Aussenalster lake. Great!

I had booked through Hamburg Tourism and got an excellent deal: 3 nights single room, incl. that outstanding breakfast, plus Hamburg Card, which was good for public transportation and reductions for museums for 258 Euro. They also offered a special fare for the train ride Dresden - Hamburg: 84 Euro round trip ticket.

All in all - I would stay there again, but I hope the hotel has undergone a renovation till then, especially the facade. A bit too much patina IMO.
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Old Aug 1st, 2006, 01:53 PM
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Hi Ingo
Thanks for your always useful information. We are planning a trip to Bavarian Alps in early September. Your stay in Garmisch-Partenkirchen was very useful, as I am looking into various hotels. We are planning on taking the Alpen Strasse east to Berchtgaden, haven't decided on a western starting place yet. Can you recommend some towns to stio at and possibly hotels, guesthouses along the way. Thank you.
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Old Aug 2nd, 2006, 03:42 AM
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Hi aeiger,

there is yet more to come in this thread about Garmisch, Bad Tölz and Benediktbeuern (not about hotels, though). I thought Bad Tölz is a cute town where I would like to stay one or two nights.

In the Garmisch area I would recommend Grainau, a quiet little village near Garmisch with plenty of nice inns and B&B's and also Mittenwald, which has definitely more charm than Garmisch. Heading east towards Berchtesgaden you might break up the trip (drive) somewhere near Kufstein (which is Austria, but a nice town). I am sorry that I am not of much help in that area - I prefer the "real" Alps over the Bavarian Alps.

More chapters about GAP and Hamburg to come soon ...
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Old Aug 2nd, 2006, 03:56 AM
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Hi Ingo
Thanks again. I have been to the Swiss Alps and gone up Mt. Blanc in a cable car, so I know you're right about the mountains, but we are looking for a quiet, scenic vacation this year away from large cities. I always appreciate your postings.
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Old Aug 2nd, 2006, 07:11 AM
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Oh, there had *better* be more chapters!!! I'm waiting anxiously for the food!!!

Ha! Seriously, though, so glad to have you back and looking forward to hearing lots more!

s
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Old Aug 2nd, 2006, 09:57 AM
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Anxiously waiting to read more about Bad Tolz and Grainau, and dying to know if Mittenwald is as enchanting as I remember. And! Benediktbeuern! Carmina Burana! Ingo, you are so cool! My friends and I stopped there one year when we did a car trip, and we were on our way from St. Gilgen to Fussen. A lovely spot. Oh Fortuna never fails to thrill me. J.
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Old Aug 2nd, 2006, 10:27 AM
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Thanks fellows for the appreciative words! Here is the next chapter, more coming tomorrow (or tonight, if I can make it ;-) )

Comments on Driving vs. Trains in Germany:

I drove to GAP. Excluded the detour to Bad Tölz it took less than 5 hours, compared to about 9 hours from Dresden by train. The drive on the Autobahn was uneventful and FAST. Not too much traffic, just around Munich it was a bit busier. The car was parked at the hotel and never used during the stay. We used public transportation - bus and train - in GAP, but were somewhat disappointed. The buses did not run frequently, the schedule of bus and train was not co-ordinated. For example, to and from Eibsee lake bus and train run almost parallel, but you have to wait an hour to catch the next one. Ditto the co-ordination between cable cars and train/bus: when we came down by Alpspitz cable car we saw the train leaving the station, and the bus had just left 3 minutes earlier. A result is that there is a lot of car traffic in GAP. I felt like in a big city. Fortunately the traffic concentrated on Garmisch, while Partenkirchen and the Ludwigstrasse were relatively quiet.

For the trip to Hamburg I took the train. 84 Euro RT ticket is a steal. The ride to Hamburg turned out to be a disaster. The train came from Prague, ran via Dresden and Berlin to Hamburg. At the platform in Dresden we were told that one car was left out due to technical problems. Reservations in that car were transferred to other cars. Hmm. Other travellers and I never figured out where the reservated seats were located. I ended up in a smoker compartment, which smelled awfully, but at least no smoker was currently travelling with us. The worst thing happened a few miles beyond Dresden: the aircondition broke down. Outside it was about 35 C / 95 F and the sun heated up the car. Urrrrgghhh. I cannot recall how we survived these 4 hours.

The ride back from Hamburg was enjoyable. I took the ICE to Berlin where I changed to the EC to Dresden (-Prague). The ICE is very comfortable and fast, but was a few minutes late. Luckily the EC waited at the platform vis-a-vis. Be prepared that the interior of the EC is quite shabby. Anyway, I arrived right in time in Dresden.

In general I'd say take the trains if you travel between cities. A car is of no use in cities. But if you plan to visit rural areas (and surprisingly GAP figures in that category regarding public transportation) stick to the car. If you're travelling alone the train is less expensive, with two persons it is maybe even, from three persons onwards it is more economic to drive.
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Old Aug 2nd, 2006, 10:37 AM
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Many thanks for sharing the reports, looking forward to the rest, as I plan th visit these areas this coming winter.
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Old Aug 3rd, 2006, 01:03 PM
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What to see and do:

On the drive to GAP - Bad Tölz:

A very short detour took us to Bad Tölz. It's quite famous in Germany as setting for a popular crime story TV production. But that's not the reason for a visit - it is simply a cute town. It has a well preserved old town on the right bank of the Isar river and a nice spa and garden district on the left bank ("Bad" = spa, recreation centre). The main street called Marktstrasse (pedestrian zone) stretches from the Isar river bridge up towards the city gate and Mühlfeld church and is lined with beautiful old townhouses. Quite a sight and definitely one of the most picturesque streets in Bavaria. The most townhouses were built in the 18th century and their facades are richly decorated with frescos/seccos. There are nice cafés, restaurants (also outdoor), funny shops etc. We had a good late breakfast in the lower part of the street, sitting outdoor and enjoyed some people watching.

The main parish church was under reconstruction, but there are more churches to see in B.T. ... we visited the Mühlfeld church first. A fine example of Bavarian Baroque. However, I must confess I am not a big fan of South German Baroque (read: catholic Baroque) - often overly decorated, dark colours - it is simply too much IMO. Well, the Mühlfeld church was nice (maybe because it was the first of the many churches on this trip?). From there we went up to the so called Kalvarienberg, a pilgrim church on a hill above the river. It was a 15 minutes walk - but well worth it, even in the almost unbearable heat. Walking up you pass several small chapels (the way of the passion) and finally reach the top of the hill, greeted by the Kreuzkirche (church of the cross) and more chapels. But what caught my eye first was the gorgeous view of Bad Tölz, the Isar river and the Bavarian Alps. Wow! The view alone was worth the effort.

The Kreuzkirche is gorgeous. Built 1720 - 26 it is not overly decorated, doesn't house outstanding works of art, but is an excellent, moving example for folk art and devotion to god. The church is separated into three rooms. The first room looks like a typical church: wooden benches, altar with painting (1880) and large, impressive fresco from 1785 on the ceiling. Below the altar the holy sepulchre. All in all a bright and friendly ambience.

To both sides of the altar some steps lead down to the next room. Wow - the holy staircase (where Jesus was led up to Pontius Pilatus) with 28 stairs like in Rome is built here. In the middle of the staircase the pilgrims get up on their knees, to the right and left you can walk up and down. On the top another chapel with Ecce home scene. On the ceiling another large fresco (Assumption) by two locals from 1813.

From the second room lead another few steps down to the so called Friedrichskapelle, which is the buriel place of Friedrich Nockher (died in 1754), the founder of this church. Good luck I had brought my tripod, so I could take a lot of photos ...

The small chapel west of the Kreuzkirche is dedicated to St. Leonhard. Every year on 6 Nov this chapel is the locals celebrate the "Tölzer Leonardifahrt" (St. Leonhard pilgrimage). A long festive procession with horses and carriages (beautifully decorated) winds its way up to this chapel, then circles the St. Leonhard chapel and then they celebrate a mass. Must be very impressive.

Anyway, the direct path down to the river was steep, but fortunately in the shadow of the trees. About 10 minutes later we arrived at the Isar river bridge and walked over to the "spa" district. Since time was a bit tight we just had a quick look into the Franciscan convent church (nice, but nothing special - a gothic structure again turned into a Baroque church) and walked through the nearby beautiful garden. I regret there was no time to explore the other gardens and the spa and recreation centre. Back to the other bank, crossing the river and admiring the view from the bridge of the previously visited pilgrim church on top of the Kalvarienberg, strolling through the small cobblestone paved streets south of the Marktgasse with tiny squares, old houses, fountains with figures (reminded me of Bern!) and back to the car. Off to Benediktbeuern for touring the Benedictine monastery there.
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Old Aug 3rd, 2006, 08:24 PM
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Hi Ingo,

Sounds like you had two good trips into the former West in one year!
Waiting to read your experiences in Hamburg. I am tentatively planning to revisit Hamburg on my way to a meeting in Berlin this coming October.

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Old Aug 4th, 2006, 03:29 AM
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Regarding Garmisch I would recommend a great place we stayed during the World Cup - an apartment which was great value and overall we regard it as one of the best places we stayed. It was walking distance to the town centre and really spacious, having a balcony as well. Here is the website:

http://www.jocher-luise.de

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Old Aug 4th, 2006, 07:26 AM
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DAX, yes, I enjoyed both trips. I am sure I'll finish the Hamburg portion of this report before you depart for Hamburg but it will take some more time ... please be patient!

Folks, if you're interested - I posted pictures on worldisround.com to illustrate this trip report. Here is the link:
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/308135/index.html
The part on Bad Tölz and Benediktbeuern is completed, the rest follows as soon as possible.
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Old Aug 4th, 2006, 08:11 AM
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Ingo: what is the cost of petrol now in Germany? I agree 100% with your opinion on when to train and when to drive! Thanks for the report.
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Old Aug 4th, 2006, 02:46 PM
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PalQ - When I was in GAP the price for gas went up steeply. Finally it was 1.439 Euro per litre (Super/95). I drove the few miles to Austria (right beyond the border) and paid only 1.194 Euro per litre.

It is now between 1.3339 and 1.379 Euro per litre, depending where you live.
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Old Aug 5th, 2006, 03:26 AM
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Former Benedictine monastery Benediktbeuern:

After only 15 minutes driving from Bad Tölz we approached the monastery. It's a large complex, well preserved with some museums, youth hostel, restaurant, a centre for ecology and culture etc. Really a lively place, luckily not overrun with tourists (at least when we were there). We arrived right in time for the guided tour 2.30 pm as planned. Fee was 3 Euro per person. I was surprised that many parts of the monastery were accessible w/o guided tour too: cloisters, chapter house e.g. Anyway, a student of the theological school in the monastery was our tour guide and told us about the history and architecture/art works of Benediktbeuern but also about the life in the monastery. The Benedictine monastery was secularised in 1803, but since 1930 it is home of the order of the "Salesianer Don Boscos" - unlike the Benedictines they don't know the rule of monastic seclusion and they also don't wear monastic clothes (he actually wore t-shirt and short pants).

The tour included cloisters, chapter house, the gothic hall, several festival halls, the abbey church which is parish church since 1803 and the Anastasia chapel. Although the monastery was founded in the 8th century most of the buildings you see today were constructed 1669-1732. It is definitely one of the most beautiful example of early Baroque architecture in Bavaria. The abbey church is marvellous - bright, festive, richly decorated. The fantastic stucco works are works of Italian masters, influenced by the Theatiner church in Munich. The beautiful paintings on the ceilings by famous Georg Asam are mostly seccos, but the one next to the main altar is a fresco - Georg Asam's first. The many altars are all made of marble. Very impressive also the organ from 1682/86. In the northwest corner of the abbey church, accessible from the cemetery, is the Anastasia chapel located. It is a gorgeous example of Bavarian Rococo, built 1751-53 by the some of the best masters of their time: Johann Michael Fischer (architect), J. M. Feuchtmayr (stucco works) and J. J. Zeiller (frescos), Ignaz Günther (carvings).

The cloisters are beautiful too. I liked the precious stucco works at the gothic vaulted ceiling in particular. From the cloisters you get to the Gothic hall, the former refectory, which has a very beautiful wooden carved ceiling. The highlight in that room, however, is a facsimile of the Carmina Burana, which is on display. The original from the 13th century was found in the library of the monastery in 1803 and brought to the Bavarian State Library in Munich. Another magnificent room is the chapter house - more stucco works and frescos. We were also shown the festival hall, Elector Duke's hall, Duke's staircase etc. More frescos, stuccos etc.

After the tour we were a bit tight of time so we skipped the museums. We stuck to the original plan to drive the scenic route to GAP - via the lakes Kochelsee and Walchensee and with a short detour to Mittenwald. The lakes did not disappoint. Beautiful scenery with pre-alpine (read: relatively low) mountains. We quickly drove through Mittenwald to see if it is still the beautiful small town which it had been 1990 - and yes, it still is. I was pleasantly surprised that the centre (at least some little alleys) are now car-free. Mittenwald is still quite unspoiled and looking back I somehow regret we stayed in GAP and not in Mittenwald.

Next: GAP.
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Old Aug 5th, 2006, 04:49 AM
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Such good news about Mittenwald, Ingo. I'm so happy to read it. I was there in the late '70's I think, and it was enchanting. Good news for S', too, yes? J.
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Old Aug 5th, 2006, 05:01 AM
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YAHOO!! Mittenwald!! I guess I can start my countdown soon . . .

s
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Old Aug 5th, 2006, 07:47 PM
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I love Mittenwald! I go there every time I'm in Germany. The town is getting new side walks around the train station and on the way down to the pedestrian area. Everything looks really nice. No seedy district here! Pretty paintings on many of the old buildings. AND the best part...delicious ice cream sundaes at the Italian ice cream shop on the main street going to the pedestrian area.
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Old Aug 6th, 2006, 05:00 AM
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ssshhhhh, maybe we shouldn't promote it too much.
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Old Aug 6th, 2006, 05:09 AM
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Ingo, great report! Were they filming for Der Bulle while you were in BT? How did the town compare in real life to the small screen?
Sympathies for the broken down airco on the train. We had to deal with that on an ICE in the heatwave summer of 2003. Second class had no airco and with no windows that could be opened, it was a nightmare. After just five minutes, we upgraded to first, where they had *some* airco (the system was whacked and they were fixing first class but hadn't gotten to second class). Cost us an extra 90€ for a three hour ride, but it was worth it. Within 30 minutes of leaving Basel, they'd sold out every first class seat to overheated second class pax.
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