Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Trip Report A big, fat Greek wedding and off the beaten path in Austria and Slovenia

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I did all the driving after George had his foot problem. I found the drivers in both Austria and Slovenia to be civilized and patient. They willingly let you into the lane if you missed your lane change and all were very polite. They observed the traffic rules and never looked like they were trying to beat the light. I never worried that they wouldn’t stop or run me over. Pedestrians always waited for the green light and the little green man, even if there was not a car in site. So orderly. My kind of people!

I never heard any beeping. Everyone observed the speed limit on the highways. In both countries I believe the maximum speed limit on the parkways was 130 km - 80 mph but it changed frequently and everyone slowed down. Of course, in towns and cities the limit was much lower, sometimes 50 or 70 km/h. (31 - 43 mph). In Germany there was sometimes no speed limit , and that is when you saw some of the cars speed on by , prob doing over 160 km. Everyone in all the countries did their passing and moved right back to the right lane to let the faster people go by. But as soon as a lower speed limit was posted in Germany, even the speed demons slowed down!

I was so happy to be in countries where I could speak the language. I grew up with some German spoken in the house, especially when my parents were trying to talk in secret! I also took 6 yrs of German classes in junior and sr high school.
All my relatives spoke German and my mother still had family in Germany, so I had been there previously with family and by myself for 4 weeks when I was 15. My language skills are extremely rusty and I always appreciate the opportunity to refresh them. The longer we were in Austria and Munich, the better I got. The best compliment anyone could give me is, when getting our room for the last night at a family run Gasthaus, the owner thought I was German! That means I am pretty accent free!!

We were not prepared to get a middle of night text that our early flight was canceled. I was so distraught, probably because George was so angry. He had had enough and wanted to go home, no matter the cost. He wanted me to book any flight, to anywhere and try to get back. I knew if I did it that way we would not be reimbursed. George and I thought that we might got stuck somewhere on the way home, but never thought it would be in Germany. He was hoping it would be in London, if anywhere. A day in London would have been nice.

I tried to rectify the situation in the middle of the night and found out then that neither of our phone were working for outgoing calls. We were getting data but no phone. I called my daughter in US to see if they could call AT&T. No one knew what happened. They said there was no reason why it shouldn’t work. I couldn’t call the airline, the rental site or anything. As I found out in the morning, it is the German telephone company that doesn’t make the international connection with AT&T. I finally gave up around 4 in the morning and went to sleep.

In the morning, when we regrouped and figured out how to get home, I was able to find a flight out of Munich tomorrow, the 4th of July, and a connecting flight home that day. So hopefully we will only be a day late.

If we are staying another night, it won’t be in an airport hotel. We found a nice family owned Gasthaus in the town of Freising, extended our car rental another day and made the best of the situation. Turned out we had a nice day. We went into Munich and walked around and later, went to the Weihenstephaner brewery, in Freising, for some dinner. The only down side was that it was Sunday and every single store in Munich was closed. We walked around the middle of the city. George had some beer at the Viktualien Markt, which was pretty quiet. There were some people at this small beer garden and they did have an oomph band playing. We took a walk to the Hofbrauhaus for some pictures.

Weihenstephener brewery is the oldest in Germany and is located in the town of Freising. We had wanted to eat in the restaurant but it was no longer serving dinner by the time we got there. We had to eat what was left in the take out section. Luckily, they had George’s favorite, Schweinshaxe, roasted pork shin. I had goulash. After looking through all the pictures and dinners, I see a pattern emerging. Apparently, I ate a LOT of goulash! Actually, one of my favorite foods!

They had nonalcoholic Radler so I was set to go and drive back to the hotel afterwards. Turns out this is my brother’s favorite beer so I brought him a nice mug as a gift.

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Established in 1040

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Prosit!
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Pork shin
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The next morning, the car was returned without problems and we made our flight out of Munich by the skin of our teeth. It took us over 2 hrs to check into our flight because there were only 2 agents working at the desks. The plane left late because of this but made up most of the time in the air. No problems at Heathrow and we got home safely. And our luggage made it back too!
The worst part of the trip was the situation at the airports. Makes me think long and hard about another air trip in the near future.
George’s feet are doing better and we didn’t catch Covid so that is a plus!

Hope you enjoyed our story and trip. Bon voyage to all!! I will still be reading about all your trips and answering questions in the future. 🛩 🚞 🗻 🧳 📸

You made the best of a very frustrating situation, Debbielynn.

thank you for sharing your experiences, such a great trip.

Thanks for a great trip report! Doubt I'll be traveling any time soon - I'm not worried so much about the planes, but the airports sound way too crowded.

That was a fabulous TR Debbielynn, I really enjoyed the ride and pictures. My fav part was of course the Slovenia, your family history made it so very special. It would certainly have been an emotional journey, but fulfilling too. Thanks so much for sharing your story with us!

Thank you for all the kind remarks. Glad you all enjoyed.

Thank you for taking the time to write your report and to post your beautiful photos! I really enjoyed every aspect of your trip. Your Munich photos reminded me of our stay there in the 90's. We visited the Hofbrahaus, too! My husband would love all those meat dishes!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Debbielynn (Post 17384126)

Progol, that is the 20 yr old me on my honeymoon in 1978! The 12 yr old me was a chubbo!

Seriously?! Wow, you were a cutie-pie! What a great pic!

Thank you for a great trip report and wonderful photos. I’m glad you made it home safely, despite all the hassles with cancellation.

Thank you for sharing your recent travels with this trip report. These locations are not covered as often as others so are extra appreciated. I especially love Greece and found your travels in these more off the radar locations fascinating.

Thank you, HappyTrvlr, they are different than the usual places in Greece but just as nice. If you ever get to the middle of the country, Meteora is a must see!

What a wonderful travelogue - feels like a virtual vacation!

Thanks for the trip report, Debbielynn!