Beautiful Germany & Austria by train, bus, and on foot!
Jul 27th, 2011, 03:04 AM
#41
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I went through your Regensberg, Salzburg and St. Gilgen pictures today. Really enjoyed them. I loved looking at all the houses with their flowerboxes and painting on them. My favorite was the Regensberg picture first in the group, with the place framed by the trees. Nice of them to plant those trees for photographers (and of course, good phtographer's eye to catch the view!).
Jul 27th, 2011, 03:04 AM
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I went through your Regensberg, Salzburg and St. Gilgen pictures today. Really enjoyed them. I loved looking at all the houses with their flowerboxes and painting on them. My favorite was the Regensberg picture first in the group, with the place framed by the trees. Nice of them to plant those trees for photographers (and of course, good phtographer's eye to catch the view!).
Jul 27th, 2011, 09:08 PM
#43
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Irishface: Thank you for taking the time to view my photo galleries and the kind feedback.
I was out of town today -- no time to work on loading more galleries. Hallstatt, Mittenwald, Meersburg, Zurich and Stein am Rhein yet to be uploaded (takes time).
Day 21 Meersburg -- Took the ferry to Uberlingen (though it was raining), and the rain only let up for a few moments. I photographed the market square area (on market day) and some streets, and then walked back to the promenade when it started pouring. So I ducked inside a cafe and ordered something. I didn't stay long in Uberlingen mostly due to the weather, and in looking at the ferry schedule, realized that I could see Mainau on my way back to Meersburg. Mainau was beautiful, despite the rain. I actually managed to get one or two decent photos there even though the rain was relentless. There is forest of trees there with a pathway, located in one area of the island, I that I found particularly beautiful and peaceful.
I took the ferry back to Meersburg... still raining, but managed to look in a few of the shops on my way back to the hotel. Forgot to mention: the night before I had walked down to the waterfront area shops; It was hot, MUGGY and the place was just swarming with mosquitos (I've never seen so many). I finally left - but ended up with a few bites. By day 21 it had cooled down significantly, so there were no insects flying about.
That night at my hotel I had a delicious meal of baked fish with almonds. I sat at a table with 3 German women, roughly my age. Their husbands were scheduled to meet them in a few days because the men were bicycling there. I had a lovely conversation with these ladies, who refused to carry on in German, as not to be rude to me. Their English was limited but we got by. I learned much from them, about the language and the culture. They told me about an outdoor museum nearby (houses on stilts) that I "must see," so went there the next day.
More on that, later.... now to work on sorting through more photos!
I was out of town today -- no time to work on loading more galleries. Hallstatt, Mittenwald, Meersburg, Zurich and Stein am Rhein yet to be uploaded (takes time).
Day 21 Meersburg -- Took the ferry to Uberlingen (though it was raining), and the rain only let up for a few moments. I photographed the market square area (on market day) and some streets, and then walked back to the promenade when it started pouring. So I ducked inside a cafe and ordered something. I didn't stay long in Uberlingen mostly due to the weather, and in looking at the ferry schedule, realized that I could see Mainau on my way back to Meersburg. Mainau was beautiful, despite the rain. I actually managed to get one or two decent photos there even though the rain was relentless. There is forest of trees there with a pathway, located in one area of the island, I that I found particularly beautiful and peaceful.
I took the ferry back to Meersburg... still raining, but managed to look in a few of the shops on my way back to the hotel. Forgot to mention: the night before I had walked down to the waterfront area shops; It was hot, MUGGY and the place was just swarming with mosquitos (I've never seen so many). I finally left - but ended up with a few bites. By day 21 it had cooled down significantly, so there were no insects flying about.
That night at my hotel I had a delicious meal of baked fish with almonds. I sat at a table with 3 German women, roughly my age. Their husbands were scheduled to meet them in a few days because the men were bicycling there. I had a lovely conversation with these ladies, who refused to carry on in German, as not to be rude to me. Their English was limited but we got by. I learned much from them, about the language and the culture. They told me about an outdoor museum nearby (houses on stilts) that I "must see," so went there the next day.
More on that, later.... now to work on sorting through more photos!
Jul 28th, 2011, 07:13 AM
#44
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I really wish you'd had better weather for Uberlingen. We enjoyed it so much when we visited. Hard to imagine "hot and muggy" since it's always been cool when we were there.
Looking forward to more photos!
Looking forward to more photos!
Jul 28th, 2011, 07:50 AM
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Hi Betty,
Better weather on day 21 would have been nice, but I had such wonderful weather in Austria, I decided I was pretty fortunate, overall. I will be uploading more photos over the next couple of days. Thanks for reading and commenting. S
2 more days to go in the trip report.
Better weather on day 21 would have been nice, but I had such wonderful weather in Austria, I decided I was pretty fortunate, overall. I will be uploading more photos over the next couple of days. Thanks for reading and commenting. S
2 more days to go in the trip report.
Jul 28th, 2011, 08:58 AM
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Great pictures, thanks for the effort. I got a kick out of one of the Rothenburg pics, it had the lodging we stayed at in June pictured.
Schneeballen: I told my 2 daughters to avoid them as I hadn't liked them 20 years earlier. Of course they only half listened, and blamed me when they hated them. When Dad is talking about food, pay attention.
If you get a chance to go back, stay in Wurzburg, many beautiful things to take photos of and not too big a city.
Schneeballen: I told my 2 daughters to avoid them as I hadn't liked them 20 years earlier. Of course they only half listened, and blamed me when they hated them. When Dad is talking about food, pay attention.
If you get a chance to go back, stay in Wurzburg, many beautiful things to take photos of and not too big a city.
Jul 28th, 2011, 12:50 PM
#47
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Hey, I live in Koblenz, if you want me to take a few pictures of Burg Elz, let me know, I'll be glad to do it. You are correct, Cochem is a tourist town, and a lot of the establishments charge too much. But it is clean.
Fred
Fred
Jul 28th, 2011, 01:52 PM
#48
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Fred -- What a nice person you are to offer that. I'll let you know. How lucky you are to live in that part of the world! Thanks so much for your offer and for taking the time to read and comment. S
Jul 28th, 2011, 04:16 PM
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Hallstatt photo gallery is now posted and my goal is to have Mittenwald posted tomorrow.
http://www.pbase.com/scbowen/hallstatt
http://www.pbase.com/scbowen/hallstatt
Jul 28th, 2011, 05:18 PM
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Wow. Thanks so much, Betty, for the kind words! It means a lot coming from you due to your husband's photographic work, and your familiarity with the area. Thanks, again!
Day 22: Meersburg.
I had decided I would try to take the ferry to Stein am Rhein, Switzerland, from Meersburg, even though it is a 3 hour trip one way. I’ve stayed in Stein am Rhein twice, but never seem to tire of it, and wanted to at least see it this trip. When I got to the ticket office, the woman behind the counter seemed to discourage the idea. The look in her eyes said, “You want to spend 6 hours on ferries to spend 1.5 hours in SAR?” She went on to say (discouragingly), “It will cost 41 euro.” And then I did something I rarely do: I changed plans in a split second. I decided instead to visit the reconstruction of ancient dwellings (Pfahlbaumuseum) in the town of Unterulhldngen on the Bodensee that the 3 German women at my table the night before told me I “must see.” I enjoyed this recreated village that so many archeologists have worked on for decades (based on actual findings below the sea and through escavations). Hopefully, in the next few days, you will see my photos of these houses on stilts. It was quite interesting (and also photographic). There were also many school children there on field trips. The tour was in German, but I had a pamphlet to read. (a note: I didn’t give up on the idea of seeing Stein am Rhein before returning to California. I managed to get there on day 23).
When I got back to Meersburg, I went through the shops I had looked at brriefly a couple nights before (but was too muggy and buggy then). Thankfully, I didn’t see anything I couldn’t live without. I didn’t have any more room in my bags -- really full! I forgot to mention I had bought an Austrian rag doll for a friend’s 3-year-old daughter, so between that and a couple tops & scarves I bought in Mittenwald, there was absolutely no more room! Next time I will plan differently.
Day 22: Meersburg.
I had decided I would try to take the ferry to Stein am Rhein, Switzerland, from Meersburg, even though it is a 3 hour trip one way. I’ve stayed in Stein am Rhein twice, but never seem to tire of it, and wanted to at least see it this trip. When I got to the ticket office, the woman behind the counter seemed to discourage the idea. The look in her eyes said, “You want to spend 6 hours on ferries to spend 1.5 hours in SAR?” She went on to say (discouragingly), “It will cost 41 euro.” And then I did something I rarely do: I changed plans in a split second. I decided instead to visit the reconstruction of ancient dwellings (Pfahlbaumuseum) in the town of Unterulhldngen on the Bodensee that the 3 German women at my table the night before told me I “must see.” I enjoyed this recreated village that so many archeologists have worked on for decades (based on actual findings below the sea and through escavations). Hopefully, in the next few days, you will see my photos of these houses on stilts. It was quite interesting (and also photographic). There were also many school children there on field trips. The tour was in German, but I had a pamphlet to read. (a note: I didn’t give up on the idea of seeing Stein am Rhein before returning to California. I managed to get there on day 23).
When I got back to Meersburg, I went through the shops I had looked at brriefly a couple nights before (but was too muggy and buggy then). Thankfully, I didn’t see anything I couldn’t live without. I didn’t have any more room in my bags -- really full! I forgot to mention I had bought an Austrian rag doll for a friend’s 3-year-old daughter, so between that and a couple tops & scarves I bought in Mittenwald, there was absolutely no more room! Next time I will plan differently.
Jul 29th, 2011, 08:46 AM
#52
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Day 23: On to Zurich for my last night in Europe.
This was an unusual travel day in that I had to board a bus at Meersburg church bus stop, and within minutes that bus drove onto a ferry to Konstanz. I actually had a heads up from hotel reception that this was the quickest way (because the ferry dock in Konstanz is far from the train station. Once the ferry docked, the bus drove to several stops and then dropped passengers at the train station, where I easily bought my ticket to Zurich from a machine and boarded an SBB Swiss train. Fortunately this was a direct train... no changes.
I left early enough to arrive at my next hotel by noon. I was so glad I did this because my room was ready! And what a charming room it was! The Kindli was one of my favorite hotels of my trip (also the most expensive).
After changing and getting my camera gear in order, I set off to the train station again (about a 15 minute walk from the hotel) and purchased a round trip ticket to Stein am Rhein, which was 40 SF. I met an interesting young woman at the station (when asking about my train) who said I could tag along with her as she was going the same direction. She had worked in Glasgow, Scotland for 12 years, so was fluent in English. I was able to ask her many questions about language and Swiss life aboard the first and second trains before she disembarked.
At last, I was back in Stein am Rhein. It was overcast but warm, and such a lovely visage from that bridge that crosses over the Rhine. When I turned the corner into the pedestrian square, again, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of this preserved medieval town.
After a little over an hour of photographing and just soaking in the beauty, I was back on the train. This time my destination was Baden, which I had wanted to visit. (I purchased a ticket from Zurich to Baden/ return, so I wouldn't have to get off the train in Zurich).
This was the side trip I wish I had skipped. Baden is nice but I think I was just too tired to try to squeeze in yet another town, and it's not even half as charming as Stein am Rhein.
I got back to my hotel around 7:15 (that's a late return for me), freshened up, changed, and then set off to find this wonderful Italian restaurant in Zurich I had been to before. It turns out it was a 5 minute walk from my hotel through narrow pedestrian streets... yet I got lost! But finally managed to find it. Once at Cantinetta Antinori, I ordered the same dish I had had last time, the home made Cappelacci (a bowl of 4"inch round homemade ravioli), and it was probably the most delicious meal I've had since the last time I ate there in '08.
Thoroughly satisfied with how my last day had gone, I rambled around looking at shop displays before walking back to my lovely little hotel.
Day 24:
I got up fairly early, packed, got ready, had a very good breakfast at the hotel, and set off to walk around Niederdorf (the old section of Zurich across the lake), which I had never explored. After an hour of wandering around there taking pictures (it was very quiet and vacant -- Saturday morning 9 am), I walked back to my hotel, got my things together, checked out, and my taxi driver was waiting to take me to the airport. I decided to splurge at this point. No lugging all my gear back to the train station (on foot) and standing in line to buy a ticket to the airport. This was quite the way to do it in my mind.
After my painless journey to the Swiss Air terminal, and check in.... I had about an hour and half to reflect on my trip. Even from the terminal, there are some beautiful views of green, rolling hills (so unlike Los Angeles).
In the end, I would say all the stops proved worthwhile. Places I would return to in a heartbeat: Hallstat and the Rhine/Mosel area (maybe different towns next time).
My photo gallery is coming along (I still need to add to Meersburg and Stein am Rhein/Zurich)
http://www.pbase.com/scbowen/germany__austria_2011
This was an unusual travel day in that I had to board a bus at Meersburg church bus stop, and within minutes that bus drove onto a ferry to Konstanz. I actually had a heads up from hotel reception that this was the quickest way (because the ferry dock in Konstanz is far from the train station. Once the ferry docked, the bus drove to several stops and then dropped passengers at the train station, where I easily bought my ticket to Zurich from a machine and boarded an SBB Swiss train. Fortunately this was a direct train... no changes.
I left early enough to arrive at my next hotel by noon. I was so glad I did this because my room was ready! And what a charming room it was! The Kindli was one of my favorite hotels of my trip (also the most expensive).
After changing and getting my camera gear in order, I set off to the train station again (about a 15 minute walk from the hotel) and purchased a round trip ticket to Stein am Rhein, which was 40 SF. I met an interesting young woman at the station (when asking about my train) who said I could tag along with her as she was going the same direction. She had worked in Glasgow, Scotland for 12 years, so was fluent in English. I was able to ask her many questions about language and Swiss life aboard the first and second trains before she disembarked.
At last, I was back in Stein am Rhein. It was overcast but warm, and such a lovely visage from that bridge that crosses over the Rhine. When I turned the corner into the pedestrian square, again, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of this preserved medieval town.
After a little over an hour of photographing and just soaking in the beauty, I was back on the train. This time my destination was Baden, which I had wanted to visit. (I purchased a ticket from Zurich to Baden/ return, so I wouldn't have to get off the train in Zurich).
This was the side trip I wish I had skipped. Baden is nice but I think I was just too tired to try to squeeze in yet another town, and it's not even half as charming as Stein am Rhein.
I got back to my hotel around 7:15 (that's a late return for me), freshened up, changed, and then set off to find this wonderful Italian restaurant in Zurich I had been to before. It turns out it was a 5 minute walk from my hotel through narrow pedestrian streets... yet I got lost! But finally managed to find it. Once at Cantinetta Antinori, I ordered the same dish I had had last time, the home made Cappelacci (a bowl of 4"inch round homemade ravioli), and it was probably the most delicious meal I've had since the last time I ate there in '08.
Thoroughly satisfied with how my last day had gone, I rambled around looking at shop displays before walking back to my lovely little hotel.
Day 24:
I got up fairly early, packed, got ready, had a very good breakfast at the hotel, and set off to walk around Niederdorf (the old section of Zurich across the lake), which I had never explored. After an hour of wandering around there taking pictures (it was very quiet and vacant -- Saturday morning 9 am), I walked back to my hotel, got my things together, checked out, and my taxi driver was waiting to take me to the airport. I decided to splurge at this point. No lugging all my gear back to the train station (on foot) and standing in line to buy a ticket to the airport. This was quite the way to do it in my mind.
After my painless journey to the Swiss Air terminal, and check in.... I had about an hour and half to reflect on my trip. Even from the terminal, there are some beautiful views of green, rolling hills (so unlike Los Angeles).
In the end, I would say all the stops proved worthwhile. Places I would return to in a heartbeat: Hallstat and the Rhine/Mosel area (maybe different towns next time).
My photo gallery is coming along (I still need to add to Meersburg and Stein am Rhein/Zurich)
http://www.pbase.com/scbowen/germany__austria_2011
Jul 29th, 2011, 10:03 AM
#53
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To bdokeefe: I meant to thank you for taking the time to read and view the photos, and also for the kind remarks.
Yeah, the schneeballen may look appealing, but it's all show and no substance. I'm wondering which hotel that was which you stayed at... the Goldener Hirsch? Would love to stay there!
Yeah, the schneeballen may look appealing, but it's all show and no substance. I'm wondering which hotel that was which you stayed at... the Goldener Hirsch? Would love to stay there!
Jul 29th, 2011, 03:07 PM
#54
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I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your accounts (so well remembered!) of your recent trip through Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. I've traveled quite a bit in Germany and always find it satisfying. I agree with others about the pastries. German pastries look enticing, but have no taste. Your photos are postcard perfect! I've not been to Hallstadt ~ better put that on my list! Thanks for your effort in sharing your trip and photos!
Jul 30th, 2011, 07:06 AM
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This is a lovely report but the best part are your photos! Almost each one could be a poster or screen wallpaper. Hallstatt appears to be even lovelier than my memories of it! Again, thanks for sharing!
Jul 30th, 2011, 08:03 AM
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Thanks so much for the kind words about my photos, easytraveler, and thanks for stopping by, PalenQ.
Meersburg photos are now posted. In a day or two I hope to have the last gallery up (Stein am Rhein / Zurich).
Meersburg photos are now posted. In a day or two I hope to have the last gallery up (Stein am Rhein / Zurich).
