pja1

I see no reason why you couldn't see Berchtesgaden/Konigsee during the day and Salzburg in the evening/night. Sounds good to me. We did this, plus on another trip, we went to Hallstatt from Ramsau (about 1:30 min. each way) for the day and went to Salzburg for dinner and spent the the eveing there.

Paul

vibhav

Emily ... Thanks a lot for the detailed insight on the area around Berchtesgaden ... Will definitely take all that into account when planning our daily itineraries ..

BabsNYC .. munich will have to be another time ... with the rest of Bavaria )

Bettyk ... definitely agree ... that area looks so pretty almost feels like we need to visit every year for two weeks .. but will just have to make the best of this trip for now ...

Paul .. Thanks for the confirmation that it can be done on a fast track ... we will probably move Salzburg to the evening after Hallstatt ... so that we can dedicate one full day to berchtesgaden and Konigsee ...

vibhav

And also Emily ... You had me LOL ... "Yipes...you're killing me" ... I love passion around travel ) ... Really appreciate your insight and your taking the time ...

EmilyC

Several years ago, my BIL went to the Konigsee and just "walked around" the waters edge. He was in a hurry to drive down to Italy and he figured he had seen the lake!!

Nearly had a heart attack when he told me this!!

Passion is good!!

vibhav

Hey Paul ... In another of my posts, you had recommended the Ciasa Montanara for staying in the Dolomites ... But I have sent them an email, sent a correspondence through their website and have not received a response ... I tried calling them just now and they seem to not speak any English and keep hanging up on me for that reason .. ... I unfortunately do not know any German either ... I plan to learn a few basic phrases for the trip but will be far from conversational fluent ... DO you have any ideas on how to get through to them ?? I was a little surprised as their website is in English and friendly enough ...

pja1

Hi,
Sorry, I email them in German! They speak German and Italian. Try emailing them in simple German...

Example:

Guten Tag,

Haben Sie 1 Zimmer mit Balkon for 2 personen, 3 Nacht... Juni 16, 17 und 18? Wenn frei, wir möchten eine Reservierung.

The first sentence is basically: Do you have a room with balcony avail. for 2 people, 3 nights and(the dates)
The last sentenece say basically: if a room is avail., we'd like a reservation.

That should be fine.

Paul

You can use:

www.babelfish.yahoo.com

for simple translations.Best to keep the wording simple.

vibhav

Thanks a lot Paul ... will try the yahoo website ... Very helpful ... Thanks once again ...

logos999

If you send them an email translated by Google, you can be sure to get an answer in English, not a bad idea, however. They know, you don't speak any German and may well be able to figure out want you want.

But the lake is still spelled "Königssee" or "Koenigssee".
Just think of "Tennessee" and you'll never ever forget the 2nd "s" again ;-)

vibhav

Awesome thanks for the nugget of advice ... Have never translated before so this is my novice attempt at it .. Thanks to all your guys' patience ..

Also, appreciate your candid correction of my spellings ... you live and learn .. Loving it !!

vibhav

Paul and others ... Any feedback on the quality, location or food of the Garni Ariston in Val gardena? We are thinking about getting their first floor apartment ...

http://www.garniariston.com/english/app.htm

pja1

Hi,

We stayed there in 2006. Didn't have the appt. but had a room. We liked it. The breakfast (only meal) was very good, the location is very good, nice view... didn't have any complaints at all.

Didn't hear from the Montanara?

Paul

vibhav

Nope .. did not hear back from the MOntara ... So exploring all other options ... Would have loved to stay at the Montara .. Loved its location esp. since I have to go to Santa Maddalena for sure ... I am an avid photographer and some of the shots that I have seen from Santa Maddalena are just drop dead grogeous ..

Definitely would like stay in the Val Gardena, Ortisei or Badia region, to be centrally located ...

mdwahoo

>>

This is a good plan for the day- it does take all day, even in the winter! Crowds in summer will even be worse. Buy tickets in advance, coming from Munich I'd make 12 your first start time (Hohenschwangau) then 2ish for Neuschwanstein. If you like hiking, make sure you go up to Mary's Bridge! The view you get of both castles is amazing! Bring snacks for the little one as there isn't a ton in town. We ate big breakfast at Fleming's Munich and didn't eat again until after 8 pm when we got back to Munich. Also bring patience with you to the castles- Fussen is wonderful but the crowds are intense.

Also, Mittenwald was the gem of our Jan 2010 trip to Germany. We stayed at Gastehaus Sonnenbichel and loved it! Every room has patio, even our side room had a wonderful view of the Karwendel range. There is a good amount of hiking. We found taking the Karwendelbahn up the mountain in Mittenwald as fun as Zugspitze- when you live in TX (like we do) just being among the mountains is so refreshing!

Enjoy- sounds like a fantastic trip!!

vibhav

mdwahoo ... Thanks for your detailed reposnse ... I will definitely plan for a long day at the castles ...

We will be staying in Mittenwald too ... Not heading to the castles from Munich ... Just from Mittenwald ... We will head to Munich after the castles ...

I have been trying to get a reservation at the Landhaus Sonnenbichl in Mittenwald for the past few days ... but the email replies have been slow to come ..

Seems like the Gastehaus Sonnenbichl is different from the the one I have been contacting .. Wow .. two of them with the same last name ... Will contact the one you suggested as well ...

So you are in TX too ?! I am ready to get away to the mountains just in anticipation of avoiding the good ol texas heat ..

What did you do for a car/ mini van .. We are 4 adults and a child .. struggling to find a minivan for less than 1100 Euros ... which so much more expensive than what we expect here in the US

pja1

Hi again,

If you'd like our "short list" of places to stay in Alta Badia (just in case we couldn't get a room at the Montanara), just ask. This place is pretty much next door to the Montanara:

www.tamarindo-lavilla.it

paul

vibhav

Paul .. I just booked the Garni Ariston In S. Cristina ... very excited about it ... The Family Nogler was very helpful and delightful to exchange emails with ... We are looking forward to it ..

Now my last accomodation left to be done is MIttenwald / Garmisch ... Do you have a "short list" of places to stay for that region?? ) ... That would be extremely helpful ... I was hoping for a reponse from landhaus Sonnenbichl but none as yet ... Sent a few more emails .. Wait and watch .. any recommendations welcome ... We are looking to stay in the 14-150 Euro oer day mark for us 4 adults ...

vibhav

sorry .. error in my last post ... 140-150 Euro per day ...

PS: Paul ... I really appreciate your suggestions .. Garni Ariston worked out well for us ..

pja1

So glad to hear about the Ariston! Think you'll really like it there (we did!).

Mittenwald... we've stayed twice ('05 and '06) at the Pension Schwalbennestl. Basic place (but nice), good breakfast buffet, nice hosts and simply fantastic views! Oh, the price is VERY reasonable and well below your range.

www.schwalbennestl.de

www.worldisround.com/articles/324763/index.html

Paul

pja1

I meant to add that the Schwalbennestl website is only in German, but you can email in English or if you want, use simple German or maybe both? That's what I generally do.

I always start with:

Es tut Mir Leid, Ich spreche nicht sehr gut Deutsche.

Basically means:
I'm sorry, I don't speak very good German.

Then I write in English and again in simple German.

Paul

vibhav

Yup .. I have done exactly that ... Typed in simple english but then also translated in simple german ...