Our Sensational September Trip to Germany & Austria

I'm really looking forward to reading your report, Betty. I've never been to Rudesheim, mainly because it is so wine-oriented, and I'm a non-drinker nowadays. Maybe I'm missing something, though.

Peg, I think once you see our photos, you might change your mind about Rudesheim. I, too, was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I can imagine that during the peak tourist season, it might be very crowded but this wasn't a problem during our stay. We found it a very pleasant place to spend a couple of nights and recover from jetlag.

STAUFEN (2 nights): Arrived in Staufen in the Black Forest around lunchtime and found our way to the Hirschen Hotel (85E). Our room was on the 2nd floor with a little balcony overlooking the side street next to the hotel with a partial view of the 12th century Staufen Castle ruin amid the vineyards on the hill overlooking the town.

Staufen is a delightful little town with tidy pastel colored buildings, famous for its link to Dr. Johann Faust, who according to legend made a pact with the Devil in exchange for knowledge. Some of the more prominent sites are the Marktplatz with the Rathaus and a 16th century fountain, the Gasthaus zum Löwen, and St. Martin’s Church as well as other hotels, restaurants and shops dotting the pedestrian only main street.

We decide to have lunch at our hotel before exploring the town. David totally enjoyed his bratwurst with sauerkraut and my potato soup was tasty. As we walked around town, we realized that much of Staufen’s old town suffered damage during WW2 (1945). There are plaques with before and after photos in several locations around town.

http://www.hirschen-staufen.de/index_gb.htm
http://www.staufen-im-breisgau.de/staufen-en.html

The next day, we drove to Frieburg less than an hour from Staufen. The weather is glorious and maybe a little cooler. With the assistance of our GPS, we made our way to a parking garage near the heart of old town Freiburg, the towering Münster or Cathedral of Our Dear Lady, a huge Gothic Church begun in the early 13th century. Today there is a large market set up in the square surrounding the Church with many vendors selling wurst, breads, flowers – just about anything you can think of!

We managed to find our way to the Old and New Rathaus then wandered past a number of 15th century buildings as well as the old city gates of Martinstor and Schwabentor. The main shopping street, Kaiser Joseph Strasse, was buzzing with activity. After a couple of hours, we are both starting to feel the affects of too much walking on cobblestones and decide to head back to Staufen. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Freiburg and felt it was time well spent.

http://www.historicgermany.com/freiburg.html

For dinner, we thought we’d try the restaurant at the Hotel Sonne. I had read some good things about the hotel and restaurant and figured we would try it out. We each had a green salad and split a pizza. With a large beer for David and a small wine for me, it all came to around 22 E. It was all good.

http://www.sonne-staufen.de/restaurant.html

Tomorrow -- Überlingen on Bodensee.

hi betty,

I'm already enjoying your report, though I do so with gritted teeth every time you mention the good weather, as you may remember that our trip to Vienna and beyond in June, with the planning of which you were so helpful, was plagued by rain.

Have pity on me and don't mention it toooo often.

regards, ann

Hi Betty,

Thanks for writing. Glad your trip was good. Looking forward to the rest.

Paul

I'm enjoying reading your report Betty. There seems not to be as many reports about Germany as other areas. Since I'm not traveling these days, I'm enjoying everyones reports.

Ann, I'm not trying to rub it in -- really! It's just the luck of the draw, isn't it?

One year, many years ago, we took our second trip to London with my husband's parents. It rained every single day we were there! Another time, we took a wonderful 2 week tour through Germany, Austria, Belgium and Switzerland. It rained at least half the time.

We've had our share of rain over the years and feel we deserve some good weather once in awhile!!

crefloors, I don't know why more people don't travel to Germany. We've found it to be an amazingly beautiful country with good food, wine, beer, history, etc. Everything you could wish for.

DH says that next time we need to go someplace different but he always says that and then he's always drawn back to Germany just like I am!

ÜBERLINGEN (2 nights): We check out of the Hirschen Hotel and make our way to Überlingen on Bodensee. It’s only about a 2 hr drive so we should be there a little after 11 AM. Before long, the scenery changed to rock walls and twisty roads and we made our way through parts of the Black Forest. Our GPS led us through the streets of Überlingen to the Hotel Ochsen (108E lakeview double), a charming hotel just a block from the lake promenade. We were too early to check in but Herr Waldschütz, the owner, showed us where we could park our car while we walked around town. Überlingen was founded by Emperor Barbarosa in 1180. Seven of its original city gates and towers remain as well as some of the old city walls. It also has a very long and lively lake promenade with lots of hotels, cafes and restaurants.

http://www.hotel-ochsen-ueberlingen.de/en/home/
http://www.ueberlingen.de/startseite.phtml

We found the Tourist Information Office where we got a guide to the main sites which we used to make our way to St. Nicholas Cathedral, a large Gothic church in the center of old town Überlingen, and a city landmark. We also saw the Franciscan Gate, said to be one of the finest Gothic gates in the region, the Franciscan Church and the Rathaus among others.

We shared a great lunch of Schnitzel, soup, salad and frites at the Fauler Pelz restaurant on the lake. Our waiter, Dobrin, who was Bulgarian, spoke excellent English and had a good sense of humor as well. Everyone was enjoying the wonderful weather and the great view overlooking the lake. There were a number of sailboats out today as well as the larger passenger boats that travel the lake.

Before dinner, we took another walk that led us up Sandbergweg which had a nice view overlooking the lake and the imposing north tower of St. Nicholas Cathedral. We walked back down to the far end of the lake promenade, hung out for awhile in the colorful city park and made our way back to the hotel for dinner.

On our last full day in Überlingen, we drove a couple of miles east to the Pilgrimage Church in Birnau, a wonderful example of Baroque architecture right on the lake shore. Built in the 1740’s for the Cistercians monastery of Salem (Germany) by Austrian architect Peter Thumb, the church interior features notable frescoes by Gottfried Bernhard Göz as well as altars and stucco ornaments in rococo style by Joseph Anton Feuchtmayer. There appeared to be a wedding going on inside the church.

We had a delicious late lunch at the Mykonos Greek restaurant on the lake then took an electric boat ride. The sun had been shining brightly while we were eating, but by the time we got out on the boat, the sun was hiding behind some clouds and it was rather windy. It was still a lot of fun, however, taking photos and waiving to the people on shore. We saw our first swans of the trip while out on the lake.

Überlingen was a very pleasant surprise. We have previously visited Lindau and Meersburg which are both very impressive. But Old Town Überlingen is full of many lovely old buildings and beautiful flowers set against the blue waters of Bodensee.

I'm enjoying your report, especially since we visited Germany and Austria for the first time last year during the Christmas holiday. Looking forward to reading about the rest of your travels!

Welcome back Betty! I have been anxiously awaiting your trip report. I'm so happy you had a great time despite your knee surgery. I can't wait to see the pictures and read more!

Tracy

Thanks, Tracy! My feeble attempt to describe what we saw pales next to DH's photos! He's feverishly working on them -- not easy to weed through over 2,000 photos -- and I hope we'll have them ready to look at soon.

Betty: I'm amazed to learn that Staufen suffered damage during the war. I guess I didn't look very carefully, because I didn't see the photos you mention. I can't imagine why it would have been a target.

Peg, I don't know why it was bombed either. Maybe somebody out there can tell us. We saw at least 4 or 5 signs at different locations around town showing the damage on that street or particular building before and after the bombing.

bettyk, enjoyed reading your trip report. Hopefully there's more to come. Btw, did you see the recent damages of the houses in Staufen? It was big in the media in Germany. The ground is raising and houses get cracks. I heard that more than 200 of them must be repaired (expensive!).

betty,

I am enjoying reading your trip report. I have only been to Germany three times and I am hoping to see more of the country. Paris, London and Hong Kong keeps getting in the way.

How is your knee?

>>>I can't imagine why it would have been a target.<<<

The British and American Forces had called it "area bombing" or "moral bombing". Churchill wrote that he had ordered the bombing of German cities "simply for the sake of increasing the terror" (on 28 March 1945 in a memo for the British Chiefs of Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff). The bombings were targeted at civilian population to undermine the morale of the enemy.

Ingo, I did see that article just since we've returned home and, no, we saw no sign of it while we were there. Of course, it isn't unusual to see sagging houses over there but we saw nothing with any big cracks that were noticeable.

cafegoddess, it was pretty sore after a 9 hr overseas flight and our marathon journey through Frankfurt Airport! The cobbled streets didn't do it much good either. There were days when it hurt quite a bit but would usually feel better after resting it awhile. Since I've been home, it is definitely feeling better.

Thanks, traveler1959. I thought that might be the case.

So glad to see this! Seems like thus far you had an amazing trip Glad you are feeling okay as well.

Looking forward to reading more,
Dawn

MITTENWALD (2 nights): It was about a 3 hour drive to Mittenwald. We traveled along the Bodensee thru Friedrichshafen toward Lindau and then we headed into Austria towards Innsbruck. The scenery was starting to get dramatic. The landscape is so green and lush with those high stoney mountain peaks that you see in the Austrian Alps. Another thing about Austria – tunnels! We must have gone thru a dozen tunnels -- some long, some short -- in the few hours it took us to get here. We also went thru a little rain, but saw some blue sky peeking through too.

We checked into the 4* Hotel Rieger (116E) and were given a large double room with a balcony overlooking the Karwendel mountain. Of course, today the top of the mountain is covered in clouds. The Hotel Rieger is just steps from the main street in Mittenwald, the Obermarkt.

http://www.hotel-rieger.de/hotel.htm

Mittenwald is famous for its Luftmalerei (literally ‘air paintings’), a local Bavarian version of trompe l’oeil painting which became popular in the 18th century. We walked along Obermarkt to the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, a stunning building with a beautifully painted tower. Every building we passed had some type of lovely painting on it. It was just one of those times when your jaw drops in awe.

In front of the Church is a statue of Mathias Klotz, who introduced violin making to Mittenwald in 1684. The town is a major center for this highly specialized craft and there is a Violin Museum just behind the Church as well as a 15+ ft high Violin “monument” carved from a single large piece of wood.

Later we had a wonderful dinner at our hotel.

The next day we awoke to rain. Hopefully, it will clear a little later. We had breakfast and came back up to the room to get our coats and umbrellas. Walked along Obermarkt where I bought a couple of post cards and lace for a kitchen curtain. The weather just got worse so we stayed in the room most of the afternoon. A little past 6 PM, we walked to the Osteria Italian Restaurant on Obermarkt for dinner and I finally had my first Apfel Strudel with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Everything was good.

Tomorrow we head to Zell am See. The weather here is suppose to clear up – of course, now that we are leaving! But David felt like he got some good pictures the first day we were here so he’s not too disappointed. I hope the weather in Zell is decent.

Thanks, Dawn. Hope all is OK with you?

How nice. We leave in about 3 weeks! I can't wait to get back to Germany! I wish I had tried harder when I was younger to live there.

ZELL AM SEE (3 nights): Today we awoke to sunshine and blue skies. We can actually see the top of the Karwendal Mtn. It’s quite windy and cool however. After breakfast, we check out of the hotel but decide to take advantage of the sunshine and walk down Obermarkt toward the Church for a few more photos.

We hit the road around 10:30 for Zell am See. Once we get on the other side of Innsbruck, past Hall in Tirol, I recognize the town name of Rattenburg on the map. I had done some research on Rattenburg when we were planning our trip to Achensee a couple of years ago. It looked like a beautiful little town for a day trip but we never got the chance to go there. We have some time to kill so we decide to stop. Rattenburg is called the smallest “town” in Austria and it is charming. Located on the Inn River, it is known for its hand blown glass and there are glass shops everywhere. We stopped for a hot chocolate, walked around a little more and then decided we’d better make our way to Zell.

The countryside here is typically alpine – lush and green with chalet style houses and overflowing flower boxes. Everything looks so clean too. Even the fields look like they have been mowed.

Finally we arrive at the Hotel Eder, our home for the next 3 nights. The hotel is just a few blocks from the Zellersee and practically across the street from the TI office. This is a family owned hotel and we are welcomed by Victoria Eder who speaks excellent English. There is free parking right in front of the hotel which is very convenient. Our room is light and spacious with a balcony (84E).

http://www.parkhotel-eder.at/en/index.html

We settle in and then make our way to the lake. As you look out over the water towards the Grossglockner, the view is breathtaking. There are many flowers along the Seepromenade and lots of benches for sitting and absorbing the gorgeousness of it all. We made our way to the Grand Hotel, which is indeed grand. Going up the wide white staircase from their outdoor Café, the views over the lake are to die for. We are so lucky because the weather is warm and sunny today. There is a small park on the other side of the Grand Hotel where we sit and stare at the mountains and feed the ducks. What a life!

The next morning we had a treat -- scrambled eggs and bacon! The weather isn’t as nice as yesterday. It’s cloudy but still a little blue sky peeking through. After breakfast, we walked a few blocks from our hotel to the 12th century Catholic Pfarrkirche, along the lake promenade and back to the park. The view over the lake and the mountains is just so beautiful. We walked past many nice shops and restaurants in the pedestrian zone that lead us to the Marktplatz and eventually back to our hotel for the evening.

Drove over to Kitzbühl the the next morning. We could only find a 30 minute parking spot near the Rathaus so we got out and walked around, quickly taking a few photos of the many colorful buildings before our time was up. It's a very busy place. You can tell that this is a popular (and expensive) resort by the high end shops and just the feel of the place.

We returned to Zell and since it was our last day here and the weather was so pleasant, we rented an electric boat. I started throwing bread to a few of the ducks in the lake and caught the attention of a lone swan a short distance away. He began to follow us and would swim up right next to me in the boat like he was ready to jump in! Nice way to end our time in Zell.

>>>I can't imagine why it would have been a target.<<<

The British and American Forces had called it "area bombing" or "moral bombing". Churchill wrote that he had ordered the bombing of German cities "simply for the sake of increasing the terror" (on 28 March 1945 in a memo for the British Chiefs of Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff). The bombings were targeted at civilian population to undermine the morale of the enemy.

traveller - BBC2 showed a programme tonight about the bombing of Coventry, which was the first target during WW2 for this type of carpet bombing, due to its prominence in munitions and aircraft manufacture. the allied bombing of targets such as Staufen came after this. I have a particular interest as I was born and raised in Coventry and grew up with tales of that awful night.

i have no doubt that it was equally awful for the unfortunate citizens of staufen.

Betty - what a lovely trip. we spent an hour or so in Zell, but guess what? it was raining so we didn't get to see many of its beauties.

Ann, you can live vicariously through our photos as soon as DH finishes with them!!

Hi Betty,

Sorry the weather wasn't better but glad you liked Mittenwald. One of our favorites. We also loved Zell am See and the electric boats. Must have missed you by a couple of days!

Paul

Paul, we certainly can't complain about the weather. We only had rain in Mittenwald on that one day but it was nice the day before and the morning after.

Both Zell and Mittenwald were definite winners.

Hi Betty,

What a great trip report, and I've gone into most of the links you provide, too! You paint a lovely picture of these unique towns, and I look forward to future installments. Like others, I also eagerly await those photos, but I certainly understand what a daunting task it is to process them.

Susan

I love that area but haven't been to Zell am See or Mittenwald. I'll have to add them to my must-see-before-I-get-too-old-to-travel list. You're describing them in such a way as to make them irresistible.

In Staufen, did anyone point out to you the mural on the side of a hotel (I forget the name) from which the devil is supposed to have taken Faust to hell. I think the room is number 15.

Thanks, Susan. David's whittled the photos down to a little over 300 and should be close to uploading them on the internet.

Peg, it's the Hotel zum Loewen and it was just a few steps from our hotel.

Betty, Thanks so much for this enjoyable read. Sounds like you had a great time. Germany is a great place no matter the weather but I'm glad you were fortunate this time.
Now, I'm yearning to go back and I'm really looking forward to the photos.

Thanks, LSky.

ST. GILGEN (3 nights): It wasn’t a long drive to St. Gilgen, only about 2 hrs through some lovely countryside. September seems to be a good time to travel in this area as it’s not as crowded, the weather is mostly warm, and many of the fall festivities have started. When we arrived at the Hotel Schernthaner (78E), the owner, Frau Eisl, helped me with the suitcases while David parked the car. Our room was on the 3rd floor and had a balcony with a lovely view to the lake. The Schernthaner is a well maintained, family owned hotel with many of the little touches that make a hotel stay memorable. Frau Eisl is the kind of owner who takes much pride in her little “haus” and treats everyone like an old friend.

http://www.hotel-schernthaner.at/seiten_english/index_e.htm

We had lunch at the Café Stern around the corner from the hotel and then walked down to the lake, stopping at a few of the souvenir shops along the way. We got an ice cream cone and found a bench in front of the lake. It’s a beautiful day, very warm, with a nice blue sky.

The next day, we drove to Bad Ischl to meet our friend, Liselotte, who had taken the train from Vienna. We decided to walk over to the Café Zauner for a late lunch. We had a nice, leisurely meal then coffee and strudel. There was a lovely older couple sitting next to us from Attersee who we started talking to. They gave us directions to the Kaiservilla, a summer home of Emperor Franz Josef and one of the reasons that Bad Ischl is so well known. Since the interior of the Villa closes at 5 PM and it was already after 4 PM, we decided to just walk around the park.

http://www.zauner.at/rtc-zauner/115?sL=EN
http://www.kaiservilla.at/

When we returned to the Bahnhof carpark, we heard music and saw a parade of locals dressed in traditional costumes. Lise asked what the parade was about and was told it was a celebration for the people who died during WW2. Since this is the 70th anniversary of the start of the war in Europe, we assume there are probably a lot of these activities scheduled this year.

Later in St. Gilgen, we walked over to the Fischer Wirt restaurant for a light dinner. There had been a couple of weddings in St. Gilgen’s lovely church today and one of the receptions was being held at the Fischer Wirt. All the guests were dressed in the traditional lederhosen and dirndls and seemed to be having a very good time.

The next day we drove to Salzburg to do some sightseeing, have lunch and then take our friend to the Bahnhof for her train back to Vienna. We set the GPS for the Mirabell Garden Parking Garage and off we went. It was still early, maybe 10:30 AM, and since it was Sunday, there was no traffic to speak of. The skies were hazy so it wasn’t best for photos, but the garden was lovely.

We walked down Getreidegasse then continued walking toward the Mönchsberg. We took the elevator inside the Mönchsberg to the top where there is a restaurant, a modern art museum and lovely views across the city of Salzburg. We have only ever seen Salzburg from the Hohensalzburg Fortress so this would provide a different perspective. We walked back down to the old town and there were many more people milling around than when we arrived. I'm glad we came early.

We dropped our friend off around 3 PM and then headed to Mondsee. It is only about 20 minutes from Salzburg on the A1. Once we arrived in Mondsee, it was very crowded and we could not find a place to park. We made our way to the lake where we found a parking place and walked around for a bit. I was too tired and my knee hurt too much to walk over to the church, so we decided to head back to St. Gilgen. Tomorrow we have a long drive to Bamberg.

ah, so many memories. some of them happy.

we did hit the odd day when it didn't rain while we stayed in St. Wolfgang, and the day we went to St. Gilgen was one of them. we did the Pilgerweg walk back, by the end of which it miht as well have been raining as the sun was so hot I was wet through!

it rained again at night though.

keep it coming, betty.

regards, ann

Annhig, just for historical correctness:

The area bombing was begun by the Royal Air Force on 12 May 1940 with an air raid on Mönchengladbach, followed by 8 raids on Berlin. The first German air raid on a British target was on 7 September 1940 (London) and the second on Coventry on 15 November.

BAMBERG (3 nights): Looks like it is going to be another warm and sunny day on Wolfgangsee and we are sorry to leave. After a few traffic snags on the Autobahn, we arrived in Bamberg mid afternoon and made our way to the Hotel Molitor (89E plus parking) with the help of our GPS but I don’t think it would have been easy at all without it. Our small hotel is located on Obere Muhlstrasse by the Klosterbräu Brewery and next to the St. Nepomuk Hotel. Our room was spacious and clean and the staff was very accommodating and helpful.

http://www.altstadthotel-molitor.de/index.php

Once we unloaded the car and parked in the hotel garage, we walked to the TI office and then to one of the most photographed landmarks in all of Bamberg, the Altes Rathaus, which sits in the middle of the River Regnitz, between the Obere and Untere Brucken. The oldest part of the Rathaus juts out perilously over the water's edge. The 15th century half-timbered building seems as if it is sitting almost in the river itself. The newer part of the Rathaus, built in the 18th century in a garish Baroque style, has colorful frescoes on the sides of the building, making this one of the most unusual and most picturesque town halls in all of Germany, if not Europe.

Bamberg is a place filled with picturesque corners, charming waterfront houses and narrow, winding streets, as well as magnificent churches whose spires cap the seven hills on which it is built.

We wandered around for a couple of hours when we started to run out of steam. Found ourselves at the Klosterbräu and decided to have an early dinner. Both of us are hurting from so much walking in Salzburg yesterday and decide to call it a day. We have internet in our room which is a treat so we will surf the net a bit tonight.

http://www.klosterbraeu.de/Bamberg/index_micro.htm

The next day after breakfast, we left the hotel and walked by the Böttinger House on Judenstrasse (completed in 1713), considered the most decorative of Bamberg’s bourgeois palaces. Next we arrived at the Bamberg Cathedral or Dom, one of the most impressive medieval buildings in Germany, which was consecrated in 1237. The Cathedral contains the tomb of Pope Clemens II, the only Pope buried in Germany, as well as the tombs of Emperor Henry II and his wife, Empress Kunigunde, created by the famous sculptor, Tilman Riemenschneider in 1513. The Bamberg Horseman or “Bamberger Reiter,” created by an unknown sculptor, is considered the most significant work of art in the Cathedral. There are many notable statues and a wooden altar carved by Veit Stoss. This is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen. I hope our photos give you some idea of how impressive it is.

Next to the Cathedral is the Old Imperial Court, which was the former palace of Emperor Henry II. The immense inner courtyard is surrounded by half-timbered buildings and the remains of the old Diet Hall, which was used as the seat of local government for over 500 years after 1085. One wing now houses the Historisches Museum. Across from the Dom is the New Residence of the Prince Bishop, a massive Baroque palace which was built in the 17th century. Makes you wonder why they needed all those rooms!

David stopped in the TI office to see if there was a vantage point from which to shoot pictures of Bamberg. They told him that we could go up into the Tower in Geyerswörth Castle right next to the TI office. The views from up there were stunning and we got some great photos.

We had a light lunch at the Brüdermühle Hotel and visited the Kathy Wolhfart shop where we bought a few gifts. It was a struggle to control myself as they have so many really cute Christmas items! We then walked over to the Grüner Markt, a large open square, dominated by the Baroque St. Martin's Church and the 17th-century Neptune Fountain. We went inside St. Martin’s Catholic Church, which was begun in 1686, and were again impressed by its Trompe-l'oeil paintings and high altar.

Since the food and beer were so good the day before, we again had dinner at the Klosterbräu.

The next day, we decided to stop into the large church we passed yesterday on our way to the Cathedral. This is the Obere Pfarrkirche or Upper Parish Church, considered by many to be Bamberg's finest Gothic structure. This is another absolutely beautiful church in a city full of beautiful churches. We then walked back over to the Domplatz to the Rose Garden behind the New Residence. The views from here look out over the city and up to St. Michael’s Abbey. The roses had mostly passed their best blooming but it was still nice to see all the sculptures and the amazing views.

From here, it was a short walk up to St. Jacob’s Church. The only (almost) completely Romanesque church in Bamberg is a pillared basilica from the 11th and 12th centuries. The Baroque façade was created in 1771. The interior was much more restrained, a very different style from the other churches we have seen here.

We stopped at the Hofbrau for lunch of Coq au Vin and potato soup. The chicken was very good but the potato soup was a little tasteless. We wandered back towards the bridge overlooking Little Venice, fed a few ducks and then made our way to our hotel.

Next stop -- Quedlinburg.

betty
I tremendously enjoy reading your trip report with all these bits and pieces and also the links provided!

Of course I knew Germany is a beautiful country and the Germans mostly are nice folks. But a German I have not as much experience as you travelling Germany.
Somehow one appreciates not really what one has got. Sadly true.

So I might most probably make use of some of the tips you posted. Thanks for that!

I am also very pleased to learn that you encountered many people who spoke at least a little English.

SV

traveller - I, [and the BBC] stand corrected.

Bettyk - as usual, you remind me how many lovely places there are that I have yet to see.

spassvogel, I know what you mean. There is much of the US that I have not seen, even in my home state of Texas! I guess the saying "the grass is always greener..." is true.

We are finding that more and more people in Germany speak at least some English, especially those who come in direct contact with tourists. But it definitely helps if you know some German.

An absolutely excellent report (as usual!) and thanks very much for taking the time to write and post it.

Staufen bombing WWII: I did find references stating that the main targets in Staufen were the railway bridge and motorized columns as German forces were retreating through the area in early 1945.

Thanks, Dukey.

QUEDLINBURG (3 nights): Had breakfast and then packed up for our drive to the medievel town of Quedlinburg, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. This is the furthest north we have ever been in Germany and were looking forward to all the fachwerk (or half timbered) architecture this area is famous for. We arrived in less than 4 hours at the Quedlinburger Stadtschloss (108E). This is a nice 4* hotel that was originally built in 1564 as the “Hagen’sches Freihaus”. The central part of the hotel dates from the 16th century but there are two newer wings that were added later. We were in the old Castle part which retains many of the original wooden beams and characteristics. It is just a few blocks from the Marktplatz.

http://www.precisehotels.com/en/hotels/quedlinburger-stadtschloss

Once we checked in, we wandered down to the Marktplatz for our first look at Quedlinburg. Immediately you are struck by the sheer number of fachwerk buildings. There are 1300 in all, more than any other town in Germany. Some buildings immediately stand out like the Renaissance Rathaus with its 14th century statue of Roland (signifying the town’s independence) on the front and the baroque 1701 Haus Grünhagen. We wandered down a number of small side streets – oohing and ahing as we went -- before heading back to our hotel for the evening.

http://www.quedlinburg.de/index.php?id=118057000198
http://www3.quedlinburg.de/neu/englisch/Tourismus/default.asp

The next morning we had a good breakfast at the hotel and great coffee. I don’t think we’ve had a bad cup of coffee on this trip! About 11 AM, we left for Wernigerode. As you approach the town from the highway, you see the magnificent Wernigerode Castle high up on a hill.

http://www.wernigerode.de/index.php?id=homepage_en&lang=en

We continued on to a parking garage just a few blocks from the Markplatz and the Rathaus, the town’s most famous landmark. In front of the Rathaus is the Wohltäterbrunnen (Philanthropists’ Fountain), honoring the town’s most influential citizens. We walked down Breitestrasse past the 15th century Gothische Haus and the 400 yr old Café Wien. I think Wernigerode's buildings are more colorfully painted than those in Quedlinburg. Today was market day and, unfortunately, all the vehicles and tents were obstructing some of the buildings and made picture taking a little difficult. The skies were kind of gray today too.

The next day, we decided to go back to Wernigerode and visit the Castle. There is a little shuttle that you can take from in front of the parking garage up to the Castle (4.50E pp). It runs every 25 minutes. We didn’t go inside the Castle but spent quite a bit of time taking in the views overlooking the town and taking photos. After checking out the Castle, we wandered back toward the Marktplatz and there was a wedding taking place right in front of the Rathaus. I imagine this is a very popular backdrop for weddings because it is so picturesque. The skies were blue today so we had to take some more photos before we had lunch and returned to Quedlinburg.

http://www.moving-pictures.com/schloss_wernigerode.html

I continue to enjoy your descriptions of these towns, Betty. Can't wait to see your photos.

Thanks, Susan. Check your email.

Our photos are now online:

Germany

http://travel.webshots.com/album/575000387NPlKyZ

Austria:

http://travel.webshots.com/album/574997901jcmXVZ

Hope you enjoy them.

HANNOVERSCH MÜNDEN (1 night) This morning we walked to the Quedlinburg town square and then found ourselves on a street leading to the Schloss and St. Servatius Church. The weather was great – sunny and blue skies.

We checked out of the hotel and drove to Hannoversch Münden (aka Hann. Münden). I discovered this town while researching places to stay between Quedlinburg and the Frankfurt Airport. WOW, what a surprise! The town center has been left virtually untouched over the centuries and the tiny streets are crammed full of approximately 700 half-timbered medieval houses.

Our hotel, the Alter Packoff, is a 4* hotel located right at the confluence of the Fulda and Werra Rivers which then join to form the River Weser. Our room, which was on the first floor overlooking the two rivers, was nicely decorated and spacious.

http://www.packhof.com/index.html

http://www.hann.muenden.de/index.phtml?mNavID=295.40&sNavID=295.379&La=1

http://www.niedersachsen-tourism.de/en/regionen-staedte/staedte/hann-muenden/index.php

The Rathaus of Gothic origin, with its imposing early 17th century Weser-Renaissance façade designed by master builder Georg Crossman, is adorned with scrollwork, pyramids and statues, Burgstrasse, Ziegelstrasse and Lange Strasse, some of the main streets off the Marktplatz, are lined with colorful half timbered buildings. Lange Strasse leads down to the 14th century stone bridge over the Werra River. The large Lutheran church of St Blasius (13th-15th centuries) contains the sarcophagus of Duke Eric I of Brunswick-Calenberg (d. 1540). The town’s local cultural center and history museum is housed in the former Welfenschloss (Castle of the Welfs) completed in 1501.

Hann. Münden was a total delight. One of the most beautiful little towns we have seen on all our visits to Germany and a great place to wind down our vacation.

ALSFELD & FRANKFURT AIRPORT: We awoke to cloudy skies and cooler weather. Had a good breakfast of cooked to order eggs and bacon then went out for another walk around. We continued walking and ended up on the narrow little streets leading up to the Castle where we saw more charming old houses. I would highly recommend a visit to this delightful little town.

We left Hann. Münden around 10:30 for our hotel near the Frankfurt Airport. We knew we couldn’t check in until 2 PM, so we had some time to kill. I had done a little research on the town of Alsfeld, which was on the way to Frankfurt, so we decided to stop. We saw the signs for Altstadt Parking and easily made our way to a parkplatz. We then followed the sign to the Altstadt and ended up on Obergasse which lead right to the Marktplatz. We found the TI office and were given a map and some helpful information in English.

Alsfeld was first mentioned in an official document in 1069. Excavations in the Walpurgis Church discovered that a Roman church existed here already in the 9th and 10th centuries. Due to its favorable geographical location, Alsfeld developed into a wealthy city. For a time, it was the residence of the Landgrave Hermann II of Hesse, who built a castle here around 1395. The citizens and government of Alsfeld have done a remarkable job of preserving the historical city center.

There are many attractively painted fachwerk buildings, mostly from the 16th and 17th centuries. The Rathaus was constructed in medieval, Rähmbau style timber framing from 1512 through 1516. Its ground floor, constructed from solid rock, was once used as a market hall. There is the 16th century Hochzeitshaus or Wedding House, one of the few stone buildings in the city, originally a civic dance and feast building. Particularly attractive were the Bücking House, built around 1515 in the same style of the Rathaus, probably by the same carpenter, and the Neurath House, a 4 story Patrician’s house built in 1688, both on Rittergasse.

I had read that Alsfeld was “picturesque” but I must say that it exceeded all my expectations.

http://www.alsfeld.de/

We arrived at the Holiday Inn Express in Moerfelden around 3:30. This is a typical HI Express but the non refundable price of 76E was good and it’s only a 15 minute drive to the Airport.

THE TRIP HOME: We had a decent buffet breakfast at the HI and checked out around 7:30 AM. The traffic to the airport wasn’t bad and we managed to follow the signs to the Avis Car Rental Return without much difficulty. Check in at the American Airlines counter was a breeze. In previous years, the lines have been ridiculously long for Coach passengers. We had upgraded to Biz Class so I knew we wouldn’t have much problem but there were very few people at the counter for either class. In fact, the Frankfurt Airport seemed eerily empty when compared to past trips.

We decided to spend a little time relaxing in the Admiral’s Club since our flight didn’t board until 10:10 AM. The Admiral’s Club in Frankfurt was a great place to hang out for an hour or so before heading to Immigration and Security. Again, there were no long lines and we breezed through Security. The flight boarded on time and we settled into our very comfortable seats. This flight would be close to 10 hrs long so we were glad we’d been able to upgrade on this segment. I watched 3 movies -- Star Trek for the 2nd time, The Proposal and Angels & Demons -- as well as an episode of Mad Men. The time passed quickly.

The food was good and the service was even better. All of the flight attendants and other AA staff on this trip were very polite and professional.

We had a 3 hr layover at DFW so we spent some of that time in the Admiral’s Club, phoning our family to let them know we had made it back to the US. As with the Frankfurt Airport, DFW seemed much less busy when compared to past trips. Our flight left on time and we actually arrived in Houston a little early. After 3+ weeks, it was great to get back home to my own bed and shower.

This was probably one of the BEST trips we have had. There were no major hassles, the weather was amazingly good, all the people we came in contact with were cordial, and every destination was enchanting in its own unique way.

I’ll be happy to answer any questions.

I enjoyed your trip report and photos very much, especially those of Mittenwald, Bamberg and Salzburg which we will be visiting within the next two weeks. Although we likely won't be getting to Freiburg and Staufen this time, we know them well having visited many times.

I just hope that the mid to end October weather can be half as good as you had in September!

Thanks, laverenndrye. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the good weather continues!

Be prepared for cold weather starting monday. If you've ever been to Canada, it's the day you get out of bed in the morning and know that's it, now it's a different tune for the next "few" months. It's the same in Germany, just like someone turned off the switch last night.

"Dear lord, would you please turn on the heat again."
"Have some christmas gingerbread instead".

Betty,

Sensational pictures (as always)!!!

Paul

Bettyk, your photos are beautiful. It has been 8 years since I've been to Germany and your pictures of Mittenwald and Rudesheim are helping to refresh my memory. When I took the train in Austria last year, the weather was cool and cloudy, but the scenery was still so striking that I felt like I had dropped into a fairy tale. Your photos make me want to get back there and hopefully experience Austria (& Germany) with bright blue skies. What kind of camera do you and your husband use? Your tip about pre-loading your GPS with addresses is a great idea and one I'll file away for a future trip. Thanks for taking the time to write your report.

Thanks so much for your kind words, wtm003!

My husband uses a Cannon EOS 30D Digital SLR. He just bought a new Canon 17-40 lens for this trip which he really loves. He also has a Canon EF 28-135 IS lens.

I have a small Casio Exilim that I just got this year and hadn't really used much until this trip. It's certainly not as versatile as my husband's camera but I don't like having to carry around all the gear. I thought I got some pretty decent photos with it however.

I hope you'll be able to return to Germany & Austria and have those blue skies. We didn't have them every day, but it was certainly nice when we did. When we first got to Salzburg, it was hazy and very difficult to get a good picture. However, by the time we left several hours later, things had definitely improved. BUT, every place had become much more crowded too as the day progressed. Sometimes you just have to take what's given to you and be happy for it! At least it wasn't raining!

betty, I can only echo what others say, beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing them. I've enjoyed your whole trip report and I read few of them. The photos were the perfect topping.

I enjoyed your fantastic pictures and interesting report. You were wonderfully helpful when I planned our trip to Germany and Austria two years ago. I hope to return and maybe do almost the same trip since I only saw the sights through rain and snow. It was pouring snow when we were in Mittenwald. We have had a tough time with weather on several trips despite going when statistically it should have been nice. Nonetheless, I loved every trip. Thanks for posting the pic's and the report. PJK

Thanks so much, LSky. DH does such a good job with the photos. It's so much fun to go back and look at all the places we've been over the past few years.

PJK, I'm certainly glad I could be of help. While I'm glad we didn't have any snow on this trip, I would imagine Mittenwald is beautiful in the snow! Sounds like you are due some good weather!

Your pictures are great. In June I took your recommendation of Hotel Schernthaner in St. Gilgen. I lucked out and got a very nice double room because their single was already taken. I am returning in June 2010. Last month I stayed at Hallstatt instead of St. Gilgen. I alternate between the two since I love both places.

I am checking out some of the towns that you visited that are serviced by train. You always find the best places to visit.

scatcat, we too love Hallstatt and only decided to give St. Gilgen a try because we felt we need to get out of our rut!! Now we find ourselves going back to St. Gilgen! But Frau Eisl is such a wonderful hostess, it's hard to imagine staying anywhere else.

I've never been disappointed in any of the towns we've visited over the years. Each one has been wonderful in it's own way and some have been treasures.

Now those are some beautiful photographs, I want to look at them all more closely later but wanted to say I am really enjoying your trip report too. It brings back memories of such a beautiful country and the good times I have had in some of the same places you have visited. Thanks for sharing with us. I have bookmarked this for another trip too with all of your helpful details. I can't wait to look at the photos again!!

Thanks so much, SeaUrchin. DH will be happy to hear that so many people like his photos.

Betty, I have just now finished this lovely report and viewing all your photos in the slideshow. What a terrific way for me to start my Sunday morning!

We have traveled thru parts of Germany a number of times, and each trip seems to surpass the other. Your photos and writing have given me much research to do, however, especially Quedlinburg.

I remember your thread about having surgery just weeks before the trip. So glad it all worked out for you. As you said, one of your best trips.

Please tell your husband I really enjoyed his pictures. Whenever I see your name on a trip report, I know there is a treat in store!!

Well done!