Germany: From the Mosel to Munich - A Detailed Trip Report
Apr 2nd, 2008, 07:13 PM
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artstuff, I cannot remember our room number (which is kind of ridiculous, as we were there just 9 days ago!) but I think we were just one flight up - maybe room 13 or 15? The building is kind of square doughnut, and our room was on the far side from the stairs, if that makes any sense. The computer was pretty much next door to us, in a wide part of the hall (not far from the fire escape). There were also some shelves with games and puzzles and some random items that seemed to be a lost and found (skates, weights, shoes, etc.) We never saw anyone else use the computer, so I think it was kind of a hidden asset. It's in a spot that nobody would pass on the way to their rooms. We knew that there was supposed to be a computer and just walked around until we found it.
Apr 3rd, 2008, 11:01 AM
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We also had our first half-board experience in Austria and naturally because it was our first and nothing to compare it with, we raved about it.(It was very good though not great). As Robyn said, it is a set menu. We can eat anything but my son, though not a picky eater, was hesitant on trying a whole trout with its head served on his plate.
Since then however, we've kind of learned how to filter out which gasthof or pension or hotel that offers half-board, we wanted to try.Sometimes the menu offered in the restaurant of the same place is much better than the half-board and the price does not differ much from the half-board (maybe ~€5-7 more).
Just my experience.
Since then however, we've kind of learned how to filter out which gasthof or pension or hotel that offers half-board, we wanted to try.Sometimes the menu offered in the restaurant of the same place is much better than the half-board and the price does not differ much from the half-board (maybe ~€5-7 more).
Just my experience.
Apr 4th, 2008, 03:34 AM
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<b>Day Fourteen</b> (22 Oct, Monday, Bayern Länder Pass) – LINDERHOF, ETTAL, MITTENWALD
We spent the last three days of our German journey exploring the southern Bavaria region. Peter was kind enough to allow us to store three pieces of our luggage at his pension while we traveled with just a small carry-on and my day pack. So after breakfast we had to spend some time deciding what we wanted to take with us, and what we felt we could leave behind. I made sure I had my moleskin, folding scissors and bandages packed in a little cosmetic bag, as they have become part of my morning ritual of preparing my feet for another day of walking. My husband insisted that we also carry the corkscrew, in case of emergency.
Armed with our minimal provisions, we walked to the Goethe Platz, where we took the U-line to the Marienplatz, and then transferred to the S-line to the Bahnhof. We bought our Bayern Pass (Euro 27,00) for the day, and boarded the 9:32 to Murnau, with 5 minutes to spare. Whew!
There was a frosty coating of ice on the trees and cars as we left <b>Munich</b>, but as we made our way south on the train, everything began to turn white. At first it was just a light coating on the trees, and patches of snow here and there on the fields. But by the time we arrived in <b>Murnau</b>, an hour later, there were several inches of snow on the ground! Most of the snow must have been from our rain yesterday, as we were only having passing snow showers this morning.
We were concerned because the train arrived 10 minutes late in Murnau (I don’t know why, but we’ll blame it on the rail strike), but no need to worry, the connection to Oberammergau was sitting on the platform, waiting for us and a handful of other passengers.
The 40-minute train ride into <b>Oberammergau</b> was beautiful, with the rolling hills turning into larger mountains, and everything basked in white. As the train snaked its way through the valleys, we both thought how much the landscape reminded us of back home, in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Only we don’t have the excellent rail system (we did, at one time, but they tore it all out).
We were the only ones to board Bus #9622 to Linderhof, which was waiting for us at the train station when we arrived, late. It was like having our own personal shuttle, as the driver whipped us through the quaint little streets of Oberammergau, with its beautifully painted houses, then on to Ettal, where he had to backtrack to finally end up at <b>Linderhof</b> (1870-1878). It was now just after noon.
We used our Bavarian Castle Pass to book us onto the 12:20 English tour, and then walked the pathway up to the palace. It was like walking into a fairytale land. The majestic evergreens towered above us, despite their boughs drooping from the weight of the heavy snow, which covered everything, and sparkled like diamonds from the sun’s reflection. I felt giddy when I finally saw the castle, sitting there, glistening, as white as the snow enveloping it. For a moment, I truly felt like Queen Frostine from my Candy Land board game days.
Our tour guide quickly shuffled us through several magnificently decorated rooms, including Ludwig’s bed chamber with it’s 108-candle crystal candelabra, his dining room with the “self setting table” which can be lowered to the kitchen below, the music room with the life size painted porcelain peacock, and the elaborate Hall of Mirrors, with the endless reflections of gold gilt on white with splashes of blue. The tour lasted about 25 minutes.
Between visiting late in the season, and the six inches of snow covering the trails and gardens, everything else in the park was closed. While we were walking around the perimeter of the castle, admiring the snowy landscape, we struck up a conversation with a gentleman from Southern California, who had spent the last four weeks driving through Europe, but was heading home on Thursday.
We informed him that the evening before, when we were watching the all-German news, there was a report of wildfires in California. We couldn’t give him many details, except descriptions of the news videos, and the few words we could make out from the report – Los Angeles, Barbra Streisand, Brad Pitt. He seemed to think if the fire was near these two celebrities’ homes, it wouldn’t affect him – he lived further south from there. Of course, we would later learn that much of southern California was on fire. I often think of that guy, and what was waiting for him when he finally arrived home.
We boarded the 13:54 bus to <b>Ettal</b>, where we had lunch in the <b>Klosterhof</b> at the <b>Hotel-Restaurant Ludwig der Bayer</b>, which is located directly across from the Monastery. We had a relaxing meal of Schwein Schnitzel with a salad, washed down by some delicious Helles-Weizen. To warm up, we enjoyed an herb-flavored Ettaler Kloster Liqueur. Euro 27,10 total.
After lunch we walked across the street to the <b>Ettal Monastery</b> (c.1330). The whiteness of the buildings on the abbey grounds, topped by the green domes and spires, looked beautiful nestled among the snow and evergreens. Everything was white and green. Until we walked into the <b>Basilica</b>… which seemed to be glowing gold from the inside out. We lit a candle for Karen, and then found a seat in a pew to just sit and admire the artisanship. After our necks began to feel strained from looking upward, we decided to leave, but not before checking out the Ettal Madonna on the high altar.
We walked back across the street, where we checked the route schedule posted at the bus stop. We had a few minutes to spare before the 16:24 Bus #9606 would arrive to take us to <b>Garmisch-Partenkirchen</b>. So we bopped into a nearby wine & cheese store, where we bought a couple of 5-pack sampler bottles of Ettaler. Back at the bus stop, we waited, and waited, and waited, but there was no bus in sight. Our next option was the 16:56, so we waited some more, past the scheduled departure time, until some local kids walked by, read the schedule for us and said we would have to wait for the 17:21, the 16:56 wasn’t running today, it’s not a school day. Good!! Enough time to walk the 50 feet to the restaurant to warm up, have a beer, and use their WC. Well, don’t you know by the time we made it to the front door, the 16:56 arrived. I tried to flag him down, but he continued on his way. Oh well, I guess we were meant to have that beer.
Finally aboard the 17:21, we enjoyed the 25 minute ride through the mountains, again reflecting how similar the landscape was to Pennsylvania, until we arrived in the G-P valley, at the bahnhof. By now the sun was setting, the fog had rolled in, and it was beginning to get very cold outside. We made our way to the platform, thinking we would have to wait 15 minutes for the train, but it turned into 35 - delayed because of the rail strike.
After a 20 minute train ride, we arrived in <b>Mittenwald</b> just after 19:00, cold and tired. It was snowing as we made the quick walk to the <b>Hotel Alpenrose</b> (Euro 73,00/night), where we checked into room #6, a typical Bavarian decorated room, with dark wooden ceiling beams, ornately painted wooden headboards, and dead animal antlers hanging on the wall.
Since we didn’t feel like venturing outside again this evening, we went downstairs to the hotel restaurant, which also was decked out with all things Bavarian, including a little oom-pah band. Okay, it was two guys, one with an accordion, the other one with a guitar. But they were quite good and certainly added to the ambiance of the evening. We both enjoyed a savory meal of weinerschnitzel over noodles, smothered with mushrooms, cheese and fried onions – and of course… beer. Euro 32,00 total.
After spending too much time outside in the cold today, just waiting, we were more than happy to finally put on our pajamas and climb into our wonderfully warm bed.
Ettal Monastery - http://www.kloster-ettal.de/index-uk.html
Hotel Alpenrose - http://www.hotel-alpenrose-mittenwal...x_english.html
We spent the last three days of our German journey exploring the southern Bavaria region. Peter was kind enough to allow us to store three pieces of our luggage at his pension while we traveled with just a small carry-on and my day pack. So after breakfast we had to spend some time deciding what we wanted to take with us, and what we felt we could leave behind. I made sure I had my moleskin, folding scissors and bandages packed in a little cosmetic bag, as they have become part of my morning ritual of preparing my feet for another day of walking. My husband insisted that we also carry the corkscrew, in case of emergency.
Armed with our minimal provisions, we walked to the Goethe Platz, where we took the U-line to the Marienplatz, and then transferred to the S-line to the Bahnhof. We bought our Bayern Pass (Euro 27,00) for the day, and boarded the 9:32 to Murnau, with 5 minutes to spare. Whew!
There was a frosty coating of ice on the trees and cars as we left <b>Munich</b>, but as we made our way south on the train, everything began to turn white. At first it was just a light coating on the trees, and patches of snow here and there on the fields. But by the time we arrived in <b>Murnau</b>, an hour later, there were several inches of snow on the ground! Most of the snow must have been from our rain yesterday, as we were only having passing snow showers this morning.
We were concerned because the train arrived 10 minutes late in Murnau (I don’t know why, but we’ll blame it on the rail strike), but no need to worry, the connection to Oberammergau was sitting on the platform, waiting for us and a handful of other passengers.
The 40-minute train ride into <b>Oberammergau</b> was beautiful, with the rolling hills turning into larger mountains, and everything basked in white. As the train snaked its way through the valleys, we both thought how much the landscape reminded us of back home, in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Only we don’t have the excellent rail system (we did, at one time, but they tore it all out).
We were the only ones to board Bus #9622 to Linderhof, which was waiting for us at the train station when we arrived, late. It was like having our own personal shuttle, as the driver whipped us through the quaint little streets of Oberammergau, with its beautifully painted houses, then on to Ettal, where he had to backtrack to finally end up at <b>Linderhof</b> (1870-1878). It was now just after noon.
We used our Bavarian Castle Pass to book us onto the 12:20 English tour, and then walked the pathway up to the palace. It was like walking into a fairytale land. The majestic evergreens towered above us, despite their boughs drooping from the weight of the heavy snow, which covered everything, and sparkled like diamonds from the sun’s reflection. I felt giddy when I finally saw the castle, sitting there, glistening, as white as the snow enveloping it. For a moment, I truly felt like Queen Frostine from my Candy Land board game days.
Our tour guide quickly shuffled us through several magnificently decorated rooms, including Ludwig’s bed chamber with it’s 108-candle crystal candelabra, his dining room with the “self setting table” which can be lowered to the kitchen below, the music room with the life size painted porcelain peacock, and the elaborate Hall of Mirrors, with the endless reflections of gold gilt on white with splashes of blue. The tour lasted about 25 minutes.
Between visiting late in the season, and the six inches of snow covering the trails and gardens, everything else in the park was closed. While we were walking around the perimeter of the castle, admiring the snowy landscape, we struck up a conversation with a gentleman from Southern California, who had spent the last four weeks driving through Europe, but was heading home on Thursday.
We informed him that the evening before, when we were watching the all-German news, there was a report of wildfires in California. We couldn’t give him many details, except descriptions of the news videos, and the few words we could make out from the report – Los Angeles, Barbra Streisand, Brad Pitt. He seemed to think if the fire was near these two celebrities’ homes, it wouldn’t affect him – he lived further south from there. Of course, we would later learn that much of southern California was on fire. I often think of that guy, and what was waiting for him when he finally arrived home.
We boarded the 13:54 bus to <b>Ettal</b>, where we had lunch in the <b>Klosterhof</b> at the <b>Hotel-Restaurant Ludwig der Bayer</b>, which is located directly across from the Monastery. We had a relaxing meal of Schwein Schnitzel with a salad, washed down by some delicious Helles-Weizen. To warm up, we enjoyed an herb-flavored Ettaler Kloster Liqueur. Euro 27,10 total.
After lunch we walked across the street to the <b>Ettal Monastery</b> (c.1330). The whiteness of the buildings on the abbey grounds, topped by the green domes and spires, looked beautiful nestled among the snow and evergreens. Everything was white and green. Until we walked into the <b>Basilica</b>… which seemed to be glowing gold from the inside out. We lit a candle for Karen, and then found a seat in a pew to just sit and admire the artisanship. After our necks began to feel strained from looking upward, we decided to leave, but not before checking out the Ettal Madonna on the high altar.
We walked back across the street, where we checked the route schedule posted at the bus stop. We had a few minutes to spare before the 16:24 Bus #9606 would arrive to take us to <b>Garmisch-Partenkirchen</b>. So we bopped into a nearby wine & cheese store, where we bought a couple of 5-pack sampler bottles of Ettaler. Back at the bus stop, we waited, and waited, and waited, but there was no bus in sight. Our next option was the 16:56, so we waited some more, past the scheduled departure time, until some local kids walked by, read the schedule for us and said we would have to wait for the 17:21, the 16:56 wasn’t running today, it’s not a school day. Good!! Enough time to walk the 50 feet to the restaurant to warm up, have a beer, and use their WC. Well, don’t you know by the time we made it to the front door, the 16:56 arrived. I tried to flag him down, but he continued on his way. Oh well, I guess we were meant to have that beer.
Finally aboard the 17:21, we enjoyed the 25 minute ride through the mountains, again reflecting how similar the landscape was to Pennsylvania, until we arrived in the G-P valley, at the bahnhof. By now the sun was setting, the fog had rolled in, and it was beginning to get very cold outside. We made our way to the platform, thinking we would have to wait 15 minutes for the train, but it turned into 35 - delayed because of the rail strike.
After a 20 minute train ride, we arrived in <b>Mittenwald</b> just after 19:00, cold and tired. It was snowing as we made the quick walk to the <b>Hotel Alpenrose</b> (Euro 73,00/night), where we checked into room #6, a typical Bavarian decorated room, with dark wooden ceiling beams, ornately painted wooden headboards, and dead animal antlers hanging on the wall.
Since we didn’t feel like venturing outside again this evening, we went downstairs to the hotel restaurant, which also was decked out with all things Bavarian, including a little oom-pah band. Okay, it was two guys, one with an accordion, the other one with a guitar. But they were quite good and certainly added to the ambiance of the evening. We both enjoyed a savory meal of weinerschnitzel over noodles, smothered with mushrooms, cheese and fried onions – and of course… beer. Euro 32,00 total.
After spending too much time outside in the cold today, just waiting, we were more than happy to finally put on our pajamas and climb into our wonderfully warm bed.
Ettal Monastery - http://www.kloster-ettal.de/index-uk.html
Hotel Alpenrose - http://www.hotel-alpenrose-mittenwal...x_english.html
Apr 4th, 2008, 03:47 PM
#66
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I am so looking forward to hearing of your time in Mittenwald and if you were happy with the Alpenrose.
I felt cold just reading your last couple of paragraphs, bed that night must have been heaven.
Maudie
I felt cold just reading your last couple of paragraphs, bed that night must have been heaven.
Maudie
Apr 5th, 2008, 11:30 AM
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Hi Robyn - I was watching a TV show called "The Thirsty Traveler" last night. Not sure if you're familiar w/the show but the host travels all over the world to learn about different alcoholic drinks. Last night's show was about beer in Germany, and he dedicated about 10 minutes at the Schlenkerla brewery in Bamberg. He had a behind the scenes tour of the brewery to learn the secret of the smoky beer; then he went to the kitchen and cooked the Bamberg Onion. Anyway, quite entertaining and I thought of you!
Apr 11th, 2008, 07:37 AM
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Due to your recommendation, we looked at the Alpenrose; we ended up reserving its sister hotel, the Bichlerhof instead. I am worried about heat in July and I thought it would be better to have rooms with a terrace or balcony (more venitilation) than possible small windows. Looking forward to it!
Apr 14th, 2008, 06:55 AM
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Hi Robyn-
Still waiting for the rest of the TR!
BTW, I'm very impressed that you were able to do this trip by public transportation. A lot of people on this board would say one has to rent a car in order to visit smaller towns, but you obviously proved them wrong. Granted, you didn't have as much flexibility but it certainly is doable.
What I'm wondering is about the bus schedules. I understand one can easily find out about train schedules on Die Bahn's website, but did you check out all the bus schedules online ahead of time? Can you tell me how to find the bus schedules?
Still waiting for the rest of the TR!
BTW, I'm very impressed that you were able to do this trip by public transportation. A lot of people on this board would say one has to rent a car in order to visit smaller towns, but you obviously proved them wrong. Granted, you didn't have as much flexibility but it certainly is doable.
What I'm wondering is about the bus schedules. I understand one can easily find out about train schedules on Die Bahn's website, but did you check out all the bus schedules online ahead of time? Can you tell me how to find the bus schedules?
Apr 14th, 2008, 08:24 AM
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> I understand one can easily find out about train schedules on Die Bahn's website,
Not quite correct. You can easily find out about the public transport schedules of any kind on bahn.de - the tricky part is to find the right bus stop to enter
Not quite correct. You can easily find out about the public transport schedules of any kind on bahn.de - the tricky part is to find the right bus stop to enter
Apr 14th, 2008, 08:33 AM
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I don't know that I've ever read a post that said "one HAS to rent a car in order to visit smaller towns." But, as pointed out, a car can be more convenient and a time saver depending on where and when you are travelling. So it's a matter of time/money/convenience and personal likes and dislikes.
Apr 15th, 2008, 06:39 PM
#72
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First of all... I must apologize for being away from Fodor's and not responding to your posts, or finishing my trip report. I can't believe it's been over 10 days!! Since the beginning of April I started working full-time (was working 3 days/wk), I had the carpets in three rooms of my house shampooed (moved lots of furniture), and I had a house full of guests this past weekend who journeyed to my town for the annual beer-tasting fundraiser for our local theatre ensemble. I'm exhausted! It feels good to sit down at my computer, and finally get to relax and travel.
<b>yk</b> - I found the bus schedules, thanks to Larryincolorado, who provided me with links to the RVO bus line.
www.rvo-bus.de
Check out my thread "Munich, Germany train questions" for a tinyURL link to the Bus 9606 schedule, as well as other public transportation info that may be useful. Link below:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35073547
I must admit, there were times when we were planning our trip to Germany that we considered renting a car - primarily because most every poster here on Fodor's said that a car was <i>the only way</i> to tour through southern Bavaria.
We decided not to succumb to the pressure, but found a public transportation route instead, thanks to the help from people like Larry.
In all my research here at Fodor's, I can't remember reading a trip report where the posters used public transport to get through Bavaria, so I hope my report will show travelers that there is another way.
Yes, public transportation is less flexible than taking a car, but we would never have met so many of the wonderful folks on our journey if we were sitting in a car by ourselves, driving from point to point, probably taking the same roads that the bus took.
By the way, <b>yk</b>, that's so cool that you saw the segment about the Schlenkerla Brewery. Unfortunately, we don't have access to cable where we live, and I'm too cheap to pay for satellite (I'd rather save it for travelling), so I've never heard of the Thirsty Traveler. It sounds like a fun and interesting show (lucky host).
<b>missypie & Maudie</b> - We really enjoyed our stay at the Alpenrose in Mittenwald. The breakfast buffet was one of the best that we had on our trip. I had read a word of caution while planning our trip, that sometimes the Alpenrose will take your reservation, then book you into the Bichlerhof instead (their sister hotel). Since we really wanted to stay in the colorfully painted Alpenrose, we specifically asked not to be switched. However, the Bichlerhof sounded like it was just as nice a hotel, with perhaps a few extra amenities.
Anyway... keep posted - I hope to have my trip report completed in the next week (there, I set a goal, now I have to keep it).
Auf Wiedersehen -
Robyn
>-
<b>yk</b> - I found the bus schedules, thanks to Larryincolorado, who provided me with links to the RVO bus line.
www.rvo-bus.de
Check out my thread "Munich, Germany train questions" for a tinyURL link to the Bus 9606 schedule, as well as other public transportation info that may be useful. Link below:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35073547
I must admit, there were times when we were planning our trip to Germany that we considered renting a car - primarily because most every poster here on Fodor's said that a car was <i>the only way</i> to tour through southern Bavaria.
We decided not to succumb to the pressure, but found a public transportation route instead, thanks to the help from people like Larry.
In all my research here at Fodor's, I can't remember reading a trip report where the posters used public transport to get through Bavaria, so I hope my report will show travelers that there is another way.
Yes, public transportation is less flexible than taking a car, but we would never have met so many of the wonderful folks on our journey if we were sitting in a car by ourselves, driving from point to point, probably taking the same roads that the bus took.
By the way, <b>yk</b>, that's so cool that you saw the segment about the Schlenkerla Brewery. Unfortunately, we don't have access to cable where we live, and I'm too cheap to pay for satellite (I'd rather save it for travelling), so I've never heard of the Thirsty Traveler. It sounds like a fun and interesting show (lucky host).
<b>missypie & Maudie</b> - We really enjoyed our stay at the Alpenrose in Mittenwald. The breakfast buffet was one of the best that we had on our trip. I had read a word of caution while planning our trip, that sometimes the Alpenrose will take your reservation, then book you into the Bichlerhof instead (their sister hotel). Since we really wanted to stay in the colorfully painted Alpenrose, we specifically asked not to be switched. However, the Bichlerhof sounded like it was just as nice a hotel, with perhaps a few extra amenities.
Anyway... keep posted - I hope to have my trip report completed in the next week (there, I set a goal, now I have to keep it).
Auf Wiedersehen -
Robyn
>-
Apr 15th, 2008, 07:18 PM
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Hi Robyn - I wasn't trying to be pushy! Sounds like you've got lots going on right now, so no worries, take your time.
I'm not planning any trip to Bavaria anytime soon (though I'd love to fly over now just to eat the spargel), but it's just great to know public transporation is doable. My husband is not very keen on driving in Europe (he doesn't even have a car here in the US), and I don't drive stick; so if we do plan to go there in the future, I know we don't <i>have</i> to rent a car.
I'm not planning any trip to Bavaria anytime soon (though I'd love to fly over now just to eat the spargel), but it's just great to know public transporation is doable. My husband is not very keen on driving in Europe (he doesn't even have a car here in the US), and I don't drive stick; so if we do plan to go there in the future, I know we don't <i>have</i> to rent a car.
Apr 16th, 2008, 12:55 AM
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Hi artstuff, hope life settles down for you soon and its great to see you back. Thanks for the info on Alpenrose , I shall keep that in mind.
It is also great to hear about you enjoying public transport, we too are debating the use of a car around the St Gilgen, Berchtesgaden and Mittenwald area's. We have never driven in Europe and it is the opposite side of the road for us as well.
It is also great to hear about you enjoying public transport, we too are debating the use of a car around the St Gilgen, Berchtesgaden and Mittenwald area's. We have never driven in Europe and it is the opposite side of the road for us as well.
Apr 16th, 2008, 08:16 AM
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It just goes to show that there is no right way or wrong way. No better way or worse way. It depends on what you are looking for from your travel experience; time of year; where you are going; your time budget and your money budget; your personality; and probabley a few dozen other factors.
There is no "only" way to travel.
There is no "only" way to travel.
Apr 16th, 2008, 11:48 AM
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Hi Artstuff,
My wife and I just found your interesting trip report and got to the part where you and B.J. went to Oberoewisheim – which about blew us away! We are leaving for Germany the first week in May, and one of our prime reasons for going is to see that exact same tiny village! My ancestors came from there, which we discovered in recent months after thinking for many years that they came from Baden-Baden. What a coincidence that your ancestors came from the same little place. May I ask you some questions?
We will be going there by train from Stuttgart; is there just one stop for the village? Or at which stop should we get off? Do you know if they “recycle” burial plots there, the way you described they do in other places? Thanks in advance.
We really are enjoying your trip report. Thanks for sharing it.
Gary Todd
My wife and I just found your interesting trip report and got to the part where you and B.J. went to Oberoewisheim – which about blew us away! We are leaving for Germany the first week in May, and one of our prime reasons for going is to see that exact same tiny village! My ancestors came from there, which we discovered in recent months after thinking for many years that they came from Baden-Baden. What a coincidence that your ancestors came from the same little place. May I ask you some questions?
We will be going there by train from Stuttgart; is there just one stop for the village? Or at which stop should we get off? Do you know if they “recycle” burial plots there, the way you described they do in other places? Thanks in advance.
We really are enjoying your trip report. Thanks for sharing it.
Gary Todd
Apr 16th, 2008, 02:08 PM
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Gary -
WOW! That is so weird that our ancestors come from the same tiny little town, Oberöwisheim. The family names that I can trace back to Oberöwisheim are Schropp (Schrope), Kessler, Trautwein, Schibel & Hockner. Any chance we are distant cousins?
The only way to get to Oberöwisheim by train is through Karlsruhe, so you would need to take the train from Stuttgart to Karlsruhe first. Check out the link below for the Karlsruhe rail map - look for the green line S-32, in the northeast corner, ending in Menzingen.
http://www.kvv.de/kvv/documentpool/l.../lnetz_j07.pdf
Here's a link for a Baden-Würrtemburg rail map. The website is in German, but the map is universal.
http://www.rail-and-relax.de/home.htm
We were going to take the train to Oberöwisheim, but we also wanted to go to Eppingen, where the Kessler's were originally from. Although the towns are just a few miles apart, you can't get to each of them easily by train. That's where Barbara came in. She's from Eppingen, and generously agreed to tour us through the region in her car (for a fee).
Although we didn't go past the train station in Oberöwisheim, there is only one in town. If you go to mapquest.com and zoom in, you'll see there are only three main streets running through the tiny village.
From what Barbara explained to us, they recycle burial plots throughout Germany, or at least in the Mosel, Rhine & Baden regions, where we visited cemeteries.
That's all I can add for now. I have 6:30 reservations for Wednesday night all-you-can-eat fish fry. I'll try to check back this evening - if you have any other questions.
Robyn>-
WOW! That is so weird that our ancestors come from the same tiny little town, Oberöwisheim. The family names that I can trace back to Oberöwisheim are Schropp (Schrope), Kessler, Trautwein, Schibel & Hockner. Any chance we are distant cousins?
The only way to get to Oberöwisheim by train is through Karlsruhe, so you would need to take the train from Stuttgart to Karlsruhe first. Check out the link below for the Karlsruhe rail map - look for the green line S-32, in the northeast corner, ending in Menzingen.
http://www.kvv.de/kvv/documentpool/l.../lnetz_j07.pdf
Here's a link for a Baden-Würrtemburg rail map. The website is in German, but the map is universal.
http://www.rail-and-relax.de/home.htm
We were going to take the train to Oberöwisheim, but we also wanted to go to Eppingen, where the Kessler's were originally from. Although the towns are just a few miles apart, you can't get to each of them easily by train. That's where Barbara came in. She's from Eppingen, and generously agreed to tour us through the region in her car (for a fee).
Although we didn't go past the train station in Oberöwisheim, there is only one in town. If you go to mapquest.com and zoom in, you'll see there are only three main streets running through the tiny village.
From what Barbara explained to us, they recycle burial plots throughout Germany, or at least in the Mosel, Rhine & Baden regions, where we visited cemeteries.
That's all I can add for now. I have 6:30 reservations for Wednesday night all-you-can-eat fish fry. I'll try to check back this evening - if you have any other questions.
Robyn
>-
Apr 17th, 2008, 08:20 AM
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Hi Robyn,
Many thanks for your prompt reply. None of the surnames that you mentioned match mine, although we could still be very distant cousins, since women’s maiden names stop going forward when they marry and adopt their husbands’ surnames. I am a case in point, with the Anglo surname Todd, but with Oberoewisheim ancestors named Banscher, Schorle, and Winter (which may not sound German but is). In going back through various family lines, I find many other surnames belonging to women, so we are all kin to a lot of people whose surnames we don’t recognize. None of this was easy before computers, so we are lucky.
My gg grandfather, Franz Joseph Winter, arrived in San Antonio, Texas, from Oberoewisheim in 1867, and we have been able to trace the line back into the 1700s. Very few people know it, but the dominant language in San Antonio from the 1840s to the 1870s was not English or Spanish, but German. After that, all three were spoken widely by many people in the various ethnic groups, until German began fading in the bad days of the World Wars. Today, only a few people are left around here who speak German. I regret that loss, because German-Americans were not to blame for what the Nazis did (nor were many Germans who are alive today, for that matter). Anyway, I am glad that our two countries have good relations today and, like you, I am really looking forward to walking the ground walked by my ancestors for so many generations. Your travel report was so well written and so interesting, that it really makes somebody want to go. Like B.J., I like my beer and will make my contributions to the local economies and gemutlichtkeit.
My wife, Carol, is on our other computer checking out the links you were kind enough to provide, and so our planning is going forward.
If you think of any advice and want to email us direct, I’ll give you our email address in this format so it cannot be “harvested” by spammers: gctodd at yahoo dot com. The “at” and “dot” are @ and . of course. We once got so flooded by spam and porn that we had to change our email address and then learned the technique I just described.
Robyn, again, many thanks for your advice and your interesting trip report.
Possible distant cousin,
Gary
Many thanks for your prompt reply. None of the surnames that you mentioned match mine, although we could still be very distant cousins, since women’s maiden names stop going forward when they marry and adopt their husbands’ surnames. I am a case in point, with the Anglo surname Todd, but with Oberoewisheim ancestors named Banscher, Schorle, and Winter (which may not sound German but is). In going back through various family lines, I find many other surnames belonging to women, so we are all kin to a lot of people whose surnames we don’t recognize. None of this was easy before computers, so we are lucky.
My gg grandfather, Franz Joseph Winter, arrived in San Antonio, Texas, from Oberoewisheim in 1867, and we have been able to trace the line back into the 1700s. Very few people know it, but the dominant language in San Antonio from the 1840s to the 1870s was not English or Spanish, but German. After that, all three were spoken widely by many people in the various ethnic groups, until German began fading in the bad days of the World Wars. Today, only a few people are left around here who speak German. I regret that loss, because German-Americans were not to blame for what the Nazis did (nor were many Germans who are alive today, for that matter). Anyway, I am glad that our two countries have good relations today and, like you, I am really looking forward to walking the ground walked by my ancestors for so many generations. Your travel report was so well written and so interesting, that it really makes somebody want to go. Like B.J., I like my beer and will make my contributions to the local economies and gemutlichtkeit.
My wife, Carol, is on our other computer checking out the links you were kind enough to provide, and so our planning is going forward.
If you think of any advice and want to email us direct, I’ll give you our email address in this format so it cannot be “harvested” by spammers: gctodd at yahoo dot com. The “at” and “dot” are @ and . of course. We once got so flooded by spam and porn that we had to change our email address and then learned the technique I just described.
Robyn, again, many thanks for your advice and your interesting trip report.
Possible distant cousin,
Gary
Apr 26th, 2008, 07:51 AM
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<b>Day Fifteen</b> (23 Oct, Tuesday, Bayern Länder Pass) - MITTENWALD, WIESKIRCHE & HOHENSCHWANGAU
“Holy sh*t!! Look at that big-ass mountain,” I exclaimed to my husband when I pulled open the hotel window curtain. “We sure don’t have mountains like that in Pennsylvania.”
I was looking at the <b>Karwendel Mountain</b> range, covered in snow, as it towered 2300-2400 meters above us (<b>Mittenwald</b> sits at 920 m). But by the time B.J. dragged him self out of bed to look out the window, the mountain was gone; disappeared behind the clouds that rolled in. No, wait…. there it was again. Oh, - now it’s gone… But, now it’s back…
It was dark, snowing and foggy when we arrived in Mittenwald last evening, so we had no idea of the picturesque surroundings that we had fallen into. Our room was at the back of the hotel, and even though it overlooked the parking area, it still had a great view… when the clouds weren’t in the way.
I was surprised to find a washcloth-mitt in the bathroom, with the towels. I’ve stayed in dozens of hotels in Europe during the last decade, and the <b>Hotel Alpenrose</b> was the first that provided a wash cloth. And not just a wash cloth… it was a wash cloth mitt! Since I travel with my old, ratty wash cloths, which I use and then throw out, the wash mitt was one of those small, yet significant little extras that made our stay at the Alpenrose memorable.
After bulking up on one of our most favorite breakfast buffets on our trip, we left our luggage at the hotel while we went out to explore Mittenwald. We exited through the hotel’s front door into a proverbial winter fairytale land – the snow was softly falling all around us as we made our way down the <b>Obermarkt</b>, being careful not to trip and fall into the little stream that winds it’s way along the street, while gazing in amazement at the wonderful <b>trompe l’oeil</b> paintings covering the buildings. It was like walking into a storybook, with the larger-than-life illustrations of scenes from the Bible and Bavarian life, history and culture plastered all around us.
We visited the peachy-pink colored <b>Sts. Peter and Paul Kirche</b>, with its ornately painted church tower, where we lit a candle for Karen. Although the church looks somewhat plain on the outside, the inside is overflowing with all things roccoco.
After doing a lot of window shopping, we decided to venture into one of the many <b>woodcarving</b> shops found throughout Mittenwald, for a little sticker shock. There were so many beautiful pieces of woodcarving to choose from, all worth every penny that the artist was asking, but most way out of our budget. I wanted the cute tiny little pig – B.J. wanted the dachshund. Since we couldn’t make up our minds which one to buy, we ended up buying both of them, and probably spent more euros than we should have.
It was almost 11:00, so we made our way over to the <b>Geigenbaumuseum</b> – the Violin Museum – which was one of the main reasons we wanted to visit Mittenwald (my husband and I have a background in making musical instruments and sound sculptures). We paid Euro 4,00 each, and spent the next hour wandering through this magnificent museum dedicated to the stringed instrument.
We grabbed our luggage from the hotel and made it to the train station in time to buy a Bayern-Ticket (Euro 27,00) and catch the 12:37 to <b>Garmisch-Partenkirchen</b>. We were sadly disappointed to leave Mittenwald, as this was the one town we absolutely did not allow enough time for. We could easily have stayed an additional day/night in any of the many towns we visited, but we truly regret not having scheduled an extra night in this beautiful painted valley village, cradled by the majestic mountains.
Our adventure today was to take Bus 9606, which runs from G-P to Füssen, stopping at the Wieskirche along the way. We boarded the 13:05 and were shocked to find the bus completely full. There was barely room to stand in the aisle, so finding a seat was out of the question. Except for B.J. and me, and 6-8 other adults, the rest of the passengers on the bus were school age. In fact, we would later learn, we were on the school bus. It seems that certain scheduled runs on the public transportation line also double as the school run.
The bus made several stops as we snaked our way through G-P, dropping off a couple of students here and there, including two young girls whose seats we grabbed as soon as they disembarked. We were so glad that we had seats for the hour-and-a-half bus ride, particularly when we stopped at the Ettal Monastery and another group of at least 20-25 kids got on board!!
Even despite all the kids, the bus ride was actually very enjoyable, taking us over the mountainous roads, through many small towns along the way, including Ettal, Oberammergau, Unterammergau, Saulgrub, Bad Kohlgrub, Bad Bayersoin, Rottenbuch, Wildsteig and Steingaden. At each bus stop (and there were many of them) we would lose a couple more kids, until, by the time we got to the Wieskirche, B.J. and I were the only passengers left on the bus. It was kind of nice having our own personal coach. The bus dropped us in the parking lot at 14:31.
The <b>Wieskirche</b> (c.1740’s) blended in with the snowy landscape, and looked very unassuming and out of place, sitting in a white meadow, in the middle of nowhere. We made the short walk to the church entrance, where we stepped through the doorway, under the architects name (Dominikus Zimmermann), and stood in awe at one of the loveliest rococo churches we have ever seen, with splashes of gold gilt on plastered white walls, beneath a lightly frescoed ceiling. Because of the ingenious use of windows by the architect, the Wieskirche is known for the “movement of light” within the church – during the course of the day a different section of the church is illuminated by the light of the sun. Throughout the church there are no dark corners, except in the area that surrounds the Scourged Saviour.
The statue of the <b>“Scourged Saviour of the Wies”</b>, and the <b>“Miracle of Tears”</b> which took place in 1738, was the catalyst for the construction of the Wieskirche and the beginning of the pilgrimage of a countless number of people from around the world to this isolated little spot in Germany. And now, here we were, among those numbers of people. However, our desire to view the statue was not a religious one, but instead, a weird fixation for religious relics. And this was perhaps the most out of the way pilgrimage we have taken so far to see a reliquary.
After lighting a candle for Karen, we took a seat in one of the pews so we could just gaze in amazement at the beautiful artwork. We were giddy with delight when a small school group started singing a German folk song. There voices sounded so lovely and light echoing throughout the church. Then their tour guide started playing the organ, which sounded deep and resonated through our bodies. The whole experience was really cool, and well worth the bus journey to get there.
It was lightly snowing when we exited the Wieskirche, and we had a few minutes to kill, so we stopped in the original little Wieskirche, which sits near the bus stop, lit another candle, and waited for Bus #73 to arrive.
We boarded an empty bus at 15:50, and enjoyed our private motor coach as we rolled our way through the scenic, snowy Bavarian countryside towards <b>Hohenschwangau</b>. After a relaxing 50 minute ride, we were dropped in the middle of town by the visitor’s kiosk. We were glad to see a Money Access machine, as we were getting low on Euros (we spent it all on our little woodcarvings in Mittenwald) and we needed to pay cash for our hotel room, but we kept getting a system failure when we tried both of our cards. Oh well. We’ll try again later.
It was an easy five minute walk to our hotel, the <b>Romantic-Pension Albrecht</b> (Euro 67,00), which sits at the foot of Schloss Neuschwanstein, although we couldn’t see the castle through the lightly falling snow and clouds. We checked in to room #2, which has a tiny terrace with a view of the castle in nice weather. We relaxed for a brief period, and then realized we were famished, and needed to go in search of food and money.
By now it had stopped snowing, and the lights had come on illuminating both the castles. <b>Schloss Hohenschwangau</b> was ablaze in yellow against the freshly fallen snowy landscape. And looking at <b>Schloss Neuschwanstein</b>, perched up in the hills, we could truly see where Walt Disney found the inspiration to build his fairy tale castle. I felt like Snow White walking down the road with my Prince Charming beside me.
We tried the money machine again, with no success, so we had to resort to Plan B. We both carry a couple one-hundred dollar US bills in our neck pouches in case of emergency, so we walked to the <b>Hotel Müller</b> where we were able to exchange a $100.00 bill for 69 Euros – not a bad rate, we thought.
We checked the menu at the Hotel, but it was a bit out of our price range, so we stopped at the little café/restaurant, <b>Alpenstuben</b>, where we had a delicious meal of Weisnerschnitzel with Pomme Frites for me, and the “Farmers Special” for B.J., which was pork, sausages, sauerkraut and boiled potatoes. We had several Hefe-Weizens and shared an Apfelstrudel for desert (total Euro 39,30), and then waddled our way back to our very comfortable and warm hotel room.
As we caught occasional glimpses of Neuschwanstein from our terraced window, we were feeling pretty proud of ourselves for having made the journey through the Bavarian Alps by public transportation, despite most everyone’s advice to rent a car. We were glad we took on this challenge, and feel we were able to see most of the highlights of the area, but from a different perspective than most tourists do when they visit.
Mittenwald - http://www.mittenwald.de/
Violin Museum - http://www.matthias-klotz.de/
Wieskirche - http://www.wieskirche.de/
Romantic Pension Albrecht - http://www.albrecht-neuschwanstein.de/
“Holy sh*t!! Look at that big-ass mountain,” I exclaimed to my husband when I pulled open the hotel window curtain. “We sure don’t have mountains like that in Pennsylvania.”
I was looking at the <b>Karwendel Mountain</b> range, covered in snow, as it towered 2300-2400 meters above us (<b>Mittenwald</b> sits at 920 m). But by the time B.J. dragged him self out of bed to look out the window, the mountain was gone; disappeared behind the clouds that rolled in. No, wait…. there it was again. Oh, - now it’s gone… But, now it’s back…
It was dark, snowing and foggy when we arrived in Mittenwald last evening, so we had no idea of the picturesque surroundings that we had fallen into. Our room was at the back of the hotel, and even though it overlooked the parking area, it still had a great view… when the clouds weren’t in the way.
I was surprised to find a washcloth-mitt in the bathroom, with the towels. I’ve stayed in dozens of hotels in Europe during the last decade, and the <b>Hotel Alpenrose</b> was the first that provided a wash cloth. And not just a wash cloth… it was a wash cloth mitt! Since I travel with my old, ratty wash cloths, which I use and then throw out, the wash mitt was one of those small, yet significant little extras that made our stay at the Alpenrose memorable.
After bulking up on one of our most favorite breakfast buffets on our trip, we left our luggage at the hotel while we went out to explore Mittenwald. We exited through the hotel’s front door into a proverbial winter fairytale land – the snow was softly falling all around us as we made our way down the <b>Obermarkt</b>, being careful not to trip and fall into the little stream that winds it’s way along the street, while gazing in amazement at the wonderful <b>trompe l’oeil</b> paintings covering the buildings. It was like walking into a storybook, with the larger-than-life illustrations of scenes from the Bible and Bavarian life, history and culture plastered all around us.
We visited the peachy-pink colored <b>Sts. Peter and Paul Kirche</b>, with its ornately painted church tower, where we lit a candle for Karen. Although the church looks somewhat plain on the outside, the inside is overflowing with all things roccoco.
After doing a lot of window shopping, we decided to venture into one of the many <b>woodcarving</b> shops found throughout Mittenwald, for a little sticker shock. There were so many beautiful pieces of woodcarving to choose from, all worth every penny that the artist was asking, but most way out of our budget. I wanted the cute tiny little pig – B.J. wanted the dachshund. Since we couldn’t make up our minds which one to buy, we ended up buying both of them, and probably spent more euros than we should have.
It was almost 11:00, so we made our way over to the <b>Geigenbaumuseum</b> – the Violin Museum – which was one of the main reasons we wanted to visit Mittenwald (my husband and I have a background in making musical instruments and sound sculptures). We paid Euro 4,00 each, and spent the next hour wandering through this magnificent museum dedicated to the stringed instrument.
We grabbed our luggage from the hotel and made it to the train station in time to buy a Bayern-Ticket (Euro 27,00) and catch the 12:37 to <b>Garmisch-Partenkirchen</b>. We were sadly disappointed to leave Mittenwald, as this was the one town we absolutely did not allow enough time for. We could easily have stayed an additional day/night in any of the many towns we visited, but we truly regret not having scheduled an extra night in this beautiful painted valley village, cradled by the majestic mountains.
Our adventure today was to take Bus 9606, which runs from G-P to Füssen, stopping at the Wieskirche along the way. We boarded the 13:05 and were shocked to find the bus completely full. There was barely room to stand in the aisle, so finding a seat was out of the question. Except for B.J. and me, and 6-8 other adults, the rest of the passengers on the bus were school age. In fact, we would later learn, we were on the school bus. It seems that certain scheduled runs on the public transportation line also double as the school run.
The bus made several stops as we snaked our way through G-P, dropping off a couple of students here and there, including two young girls whose seats we grabbed as soon as they disembarked. We were so glad that we had seats for the hour-and-a-half bus ride, particularly when we stopped at the Ettal Monastery and another group of at least 20-25 kids got on board!!
Even despite all the kids, the bus ride was actually very enjoyable, taking us over the mountainous roads, through many small towns along the way, including Ettal, Oberammergau, Unterammergau, Saulgrub, Bad Kohlgrub, Bad Bayersoin, Rottenbuch, Wildsteig and Steingaden. At each bus stop (and there were many of them) we would lose a couple more kids, until, by the time we got to the Wieskirche, B.J. and I were the only passengers left on the bus. It was kind of nice having our own personal coach. The bus dropped us in the parking lot at 14:31.
The <b>Wieskirche</b> (c.1740’s) blended in with the snowy landscape, and looked very unassuming and out of place, sitting in a white meadow, in the middle of nowhere. We made the short walk to the church entrance, where we stepped through the doorway, under the architects name (Dominikus Zimmermann), and stood in awe at one of the loveliest rococo churches we have ever seen, with splashes of gold gilt on plastered white walls, beneath a lightly frescoed ceiling. Because of the ingenious use of windows by the architect, the Wieskirche is known for the “movement of light” within the church – during the course of the day a different section of the church is illuminated by the light of the sun. Throughout the church there are no dark corners, except in the area that surrounds the Scourged Saviour.
The statue of the <b>“Scourged Saviour of the Wies”</b>, and the <b>“Miracle of Tears”</b> which took place in 1738, was the catalyst for the construction of the Wieskirche and the beginning of the pilgrimage of a countless number of people from around the world to this isolated little spot in Germany. And now, here we were, among those numbers of people. However, our desire to view the statue was not a religious one, but instead, a weird fixation for religious relics. And this was perhaps the most out of the way pilgrimage we have taken so far to see a reliquary.
After lighting a candle for Karen, we took a seat in one of the pews so we could just gaze in amazement at the beautiful artwork. We were giddy with delight when a small school group started singing a German folk song. There voices sounded so lovely and light echoing throughout the church. Then their tour guide started playing the organ, which sounded deep and resonated through our bodies. The whole experience was really cool, and well worth the bus journey to get there.
It was lightly snowing when we exited the Wieskirche, and we had a few minutes to kill, so we stopped in the original little Wieskirche, which sits near the bus stop, lit another candle, and waited for Bus #73 to arrive.
We boarded an empty bus at 15:50, and enjoyed our private motor coach as we rolled our way through the scenic, snowy Bavarian countryside towards <b>Hohenschwangau</b>. After a relaxing 50 minute ride, we were dropped in the middle of town by the visitor’s kiosk. We were glad to see a Money Access machine, as we were getting low on Euros (we spent it all on our little woodcarvings in Mittenwald) and we needed to pay cash for our hotel room, but we kept getting a system failure when we tried both of our cards. Oh well. We’ll try again later.
It was an easy five minute walk to our hotel, the <b>Romantic-Pension Albrecht</b> (Euro 67,00), which sits at the foot of Schloss Neuschwanstein, although we couldn’t see the castle through the lightly falling snow and clouds. We checked in to room #2, which has a tiny terrace with a view of the castle in nice weather. We relaxed for a brief period, and then realized we were famished, and needed to go in search of food and money.
By now it had stopped snowing, and the lights had come on illuminating both the castles. <b>Schloss Hohenschwangau</b> was ablaze in yellow against the freshly fallen snowy landscape. And looking at <b>Schloss Neuschwanstein</b>, perched up in the hills, we could truly see where Walt Disney found the inspiration to build his fairy tale castle. I felt like Snow White walking down the road with my Prince Charming beside me.
We tried the money machine again, with no success, so we had to resort to Plan B. We both carry a couple one-hundred dollar US bills in our neck pouches in case of emergency, so we walked to the <b>Hotel Müller</b> where we were able to exchange a $100.00 bill for 69 Euros – not a bad rate, we thought.
We checked the menu at the Hotel, but it was a bit out of our price range, so we stopped at the little café/restaurant, <b>Alpenstuben</b>, where we had a delicious meal of Weisnerschnitzel with Pomme Frites for me, and the “Farmers Special” for B.J., which was pork, sausages, sauerkraut and boiled potatoes. We had several Hefe-Weizens and shared an Apfelstrudel for desert (total Euro 39,30), and then waddled our way back to our very comfortable and warm hotel room.
As we caught occasional glimpses of Neuschwanstein from our terraced window, we were feeling pretty proud of ourselves for having made the journey through the Bavarian Alps by public transportation, despite most everyone’s advice to rent a car. We were glad we took on this challenge, and feel we were able to see most of the highlights of the area, but from a different perspective than most tourists do when they visit.
Mittenwald - http://www.mittenwald.de/
Violin Museum - http://www.matthias-klotz.de/
Wieskirche - http://www.wieskirche.de/
Romantic Pension Albrecht - http://www.albrecht-neuschwanstein.de/
