Apartments for rent????
 

It looks like I'll have an opportunity to get away to Germany for 4 to 6 weeks next summer.

I am thinking that it'll make good sense to rent an efficiency apartment for me and my black lab.

Does anyone out there have any info on renting apartments for 6 weeks. Any webpages?

Thanks for the help.

Mark

The black lab gets to go too? I'm jealous.
Try www.vacationvillas.net
or even better, type in the name of the town (or german state) that you will be visiting, followed by .de click on the tourism links, Unterkuenfte (for accomodations), then Ferienwohnungen (for vacation apartment rentals).
You should be able to navigate these websites without any problem if you can speak some german.
I have frequently stayed in apartments while in Germany or Switzerland for 2 or 3 week vacations, and I highly recommend it.
Good luck!

To Rach,

I would prefer to take Bismarck with me. I can't imagine leaving him in a kennel for 6 weeks. I have a hard time leaving him in a kennel for 7 days, let alone 42 days.

Anyway, I just checked the vacation villas and found a bunch of good information. Thanks. Most of the apartments consider pets. Some don't allow pets at all.

Anyway, I sent inquires to 5 apartments in Southern Germany.

I like Switzerland as well. Where did you saty?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Mark

Mark:
I have stayed in Brienz (most highly recommended), Lungern and Kandersteg (also highly recommended) in Switzerland. Brienz/Interlaken/Berner Oberland apartments can be found at
www.alpenregion.ch. Spiez or Thun accomodations at www.thunersee.ch/en.

In Germany, I have stayed along the Rhein in Bacharach (great) and St. Goar (worthy of a visit, wouldn't recommend it as a home base). I plan to rent two apartments next Spring or Fall in the Black Forest (Gengenbach or Staufen) and along the Mosel River (?Winningen).

As I said before, the best direct-to-host method is to look up the city with .de for Germany or .ch for Switzerland. Can you speak German? Even if not, the tourist office for most geographic locations can handle bookings for you, in English.

What are the rules about pets? I have two dogs of my own, though I would never subject the older of the two (11 yrs) to the stress of plane travel.
Will your time be spent at work or play?
If you've been there before, you know how delightful it is that pets are permitted on most trains and buses, though often for a small fee. I wish public transportation allowed that here!

Anything else that I can help with? I envy your six-week trip!

Hey Rach,

Thanks for the additional info.

Here is a very short summary of what I am planning.
I just sold my house in South Jersey and will be moving to Tampa Florida sometime next year.

I thought I had my clients sold to another advisor, but now I find out that I can't sell them until August.

To some that may be a problem, but not to me. This has allowed me to make a few decisions for a few months next year.

I have been to Europe just over 30 times. Lost count, the last few years. All of the trips have been for pleasure. Both my parents were born in Germany and I have all my relatives in Germany and England. None, other than the parents, sisters and brothers, live in America.

I speak German as fluently as anyone who didn't get formal training. I learned everything I know by wandering through the countryside and talking with anyone that would listen.

I absolutely love the Southern Germany, Austrian and Swiss Alps. Have always wanted to spend an extended period of time there but, away from the tourists. Because of my house being sold and my clients being sold, it appears that I can take a few months off and do something like renting an apartment for 8 to 10 weeks.

I was on the phone with Lufthansa and they have quoted me a price of $300 for Bismarck. As I said before, I'd absolutely hate leaving him in a kennel for 2 months. He'd have to go with me.
I do know that Germans have a different respect for their pets than some of our fellow Americans. They are almost like a part of their immediate family. That is certainly something we could learn from the Germasns.

I am wondering if there are as many kennels in Germany as there are here. I can't imagine taking Bismarck with me on all of the 3 day trips I'd be doing while in Germany during June and July.

I think I will be staying in Germany. Somewhere around Berchtesgaden or around Garmisch. That'll give all my relatives an opportunity to drive down and visit. There won't be any excuses this time.

Thanks again. Have a great time in Germany, or where ever you end up.

Mark:
For dog boarding try searching under "hundepension" or "tierheim", although the latter often can often be more sites to find homes for homeless pets.
http://www.grenzenlos-tierisch.de/ti...im/bayern.html looks pretty useful.
www.zuechtvermittlung.de also lists dog hotels and boarding for geographic locations in Germany.
www.hundepension-palm-kufner.de/
is a specific site
also useful info on importing dogs can be found at a site for military personnel: www.militaryliving.com/petpress.html
Best wishes for you and Bismarck!