Our Sensational September Trip to Germany & Austria
Oct 4th, 2009, 06:59 PM
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Our Sensational September Trip to Germany & Austria
BACKGROUND: DH and I are 60 yrs old and retired. This was our 6th trip to Germany since 1999. We lived in Vienna for a couple of years back in the 1980’s so we know a little German. Although many of the places we visit aren’t frequented much by Americans, we found many locals who spoke at least some English and quite a few who spoke it quite well. Communication was never a problem.
We left Houston on 6 September and returned on 29 September. We paid $660 per person for our tickets and were able to upgrade the return portion to Biz Class with award miles and $$ through American Airlines. The flight over was through Chicago and was extremely uncomfortable even though the plane wasn’t full. My back was killing me when we got to Frankfurt! Our return Biz Class flight was through DFW and was wonderful. The food was even good.
I went to the cities own websites to glean as much info as I could about sights and accommodations, as well as finding some info on Fodor’s. All of our hotels were well located, just minutes from the Old Town center, had elevators and onsite parking. Costs ranged from 78E to 116E. We would certainly have no hesitation in staying at any of these hotels again and some we would gladly recommend.
We aren’t that concerned with food, but we enjoyed pretty much everything we had. Most days, we shared an entree and with a side salad or soup, drinks and tip usually spent between 20E – 25E per meal. On a few occasions, I went to the local grocery store and bought freshly made sandwiches with ham and cheese to take back to the hotel. This certainly helped with our budget.
Every destination met or exceeded our expectations. I can’t even begin to describe how picturesque these places were. Hopefully, our photos will let you see what we experienced . My husband took around 2300 photos plus I took another 500! (I will post a link to photos when DH has finished with them.) We had amazing weather over the 3 week trip with just a bit of rain in Mittenwald.
Because I had knee surgery less than 1 month before our departure, we tried to pace ourselves when possible to allow me to rest my knee. I still had days when I was in pain but was determined not to let it stop me from enjoying myself.
We encountered so many nice people on this trip. On several different occasions, people would start talking to us (in German) when they would see us taking photos or looking at our maps. Even if they didn’t speak English, we were able to make ourselves understood with our limited German.
THE TRIP: We left on Sunday, 6 Sept, from Houston Bush to Chicago. All flights were early or on time. We arrived in Frankfurt about 11 AM and it seemed like we had to walk forever to get to the Avis desk just for the paperwork for our rental car and then what seemed like another couple of miles to actually reach the car. We brought our Garmin Nuvi from home and had already input all of our hotel addresses. Selected the one for Rudesheim and took off.
RÜDESHEIM (2 nights): Arrived in about 45 minutes at the Ringhotel Central (111E for a double), a small 3* hotel just 500m to Drosselgasse. A half block from our hotel put us at the Jakobus Kirche, a very old Catholic Church whose bells could be heard every quarter hour. We wandered down to Drosselgasse, a popular street lined with shops, bars and restaurants. Lush grape vines and colorful flowers were everywhere, making this area very appealing, even if a little touristy.
http://www.centralhotel.net/en/das-hotel.html
http://www.ruedesheim.de/cms/index.php?lang=english
We had dinner at Da Toni Italian restaurant. Asparagus cream soup, Spaghetti Carbonara and some Riesling wine that is so plentiful in this area. Our first meal in Germany! We sat outside and enjoyed the wonderful weather.
The next day we awoke to more great weather. A walk down the street alongside our hotel took us to the Adler Turm on Rheinstrasse where we found a bank ATM and got some Euro. We took the Rudesheim Seilbahn (6.50 E pp) that goes up over the vineyards to the Niederwald Monument. This very large monument of Germania was completed in 1883 and commemorates the Franco-German War of 1870-1871. Nice views of the vineyards and river.
http://www.seilbahn-ruedesheim.de/
Had a late lunch at the Stadt Frankfurt restaurant and then slowly made our way back to our hotel. On the way, we passed an internet café with a 1956 turquoise Vespa in the window. It was customized with whitewall tires, Cadillac wheel covers, an Oldsmobile hood ornament on the front fender as well as two chrome horns. DH thought it was very cool!
We left Houston on 6 September and returned on 29 September. We paid $660 per person for our tickets and were able to upgrade the return portion to Biz Class with award miles and $$ through American Airlines. The flight over was through Chicago and was extremely uncomfortable even though the plane wasn’t full. My back was killing me when we got to Frankfurt! Our return Biz Class flight was through DFW and was wonderful. The food was even good.
I went to the cities own websites to glean as much info as I could about sights and accommodations, as well as finding some info on Fodor’s. All of our hotels were well located, just minutes from the Old Town center, had elevators and onsite parking. Costs ranged from 78E to 116E. We would certainly have no hesitation in staying at any of these hotels again and some we would gladly recommend.
We aren’t that concerned with food, but we enjoyed pretty much everything we had. Most days, we shared an entree and with a side salad or soup, drinks and tip usually spent between 20E – 25E per meal. On a few occasions, I went to the local grocery store and bought freshly made sandwiches with ham and cheese to take back to the hotel. This certainly helped with our budget.
Every destination met or exceeded our expectations. I can’t even begin to describe how picturesque these places were. Hopefully, our photos will let you see what we experienced . My husband took around 2300 photos plus I took another 500! (I will post a link to photos when DH has finished with them.) We had amazing weather over the 3 week trip with just a bit of rain in Mittenwald.
Because I had knee surgery less than 1 month before our departure, we tried to pace ourselves when possible to allow me to rest my knee. I still had days when I was in pain but was determined not to let it stop me from enjoying myself.
We encountered so many nice people on this trip. On several different occasions, people would start talking to us (in German) when they would see us taking photos or looking at our maps. Even if they didn’t speak English, we were able to make ourselves understood with our limited German.
THE TRIP: We left on Sunday, 6 Sept, from Houston Bush to Chicago. All flights were early or on time. We arrived in Frankfurt about 11 AM and it seemed like we had to walk forever to get to the Avis desk just for the paperwork for our rental car and then what seemed like another couple of miles to actually reach the car. We brought our Garmin Nuvi from home and had already input all of our hotel addresses. Selected the one for Rudesheim and took off.
RÜDESHEIM (2 nights): Arrived in about 45 minutes at the Ringhotel Central (111E for a double), a small 3* hotel just 500m to Drosselgasse. A half block from our hotel put us at the Jakobus Kirche, a very old Catholic Church whose bells could be heard every quarter hour. We wandered down to Drosselgasse, a popular street lined with shops, bars and restaurants. Lush grape vines and colorful flowers were everywhere, making this area very appealing, even if a little touristy.
http://www.centralhotel.net/en/das-hotel.html
http://www.ruedesheim.de/cms/index.php?lang=english
We had dinner at Da Toni Italian restaurant. Asparagus cream soup, Spaghetti Carbonara and some Riesling wine that is so plentiful in this area. Our first meal in Germany! We sat outside and enjoyed the wonderful weather.
The next day we awoke to more great weather. A walk down the street alongside our hotel took us to the Adler Turm on Rheinstrasse where we found a bank ATM and got some Euro. We took the Rudesheim Seilbahn (6.50 E pp) that goes up over the vineyards to the Niederwald Monument. This very large monument of Germania was completed in 1883 and commemorates the Franco-German War of 1870-1871. Nice views of the vineyards and river.
http://www.seilbahn-ruedesheim.de/
Had a late lunch at the Stadt Frankfurt restaurant and then slowly made our way back to our hotel. On the way, we passed an internet café with a 1956 turquoise Vespa in the window. It was customized with whitewall tires, Cadillac wheel covers, an Oldsmobile hood ornament on the front fender as well as two chrome horns. DH thought it was very cool!
Oct 5th, 2009, 05:58 AM
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Peg, I think once you see our photos, you might change your mind about Rudesheim. I, too, was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I can imagine that during the peak tourist season, it might be very crowded but this wasn't a problem during our stay. We found it a very pleasant place to spend a couple of nights and recover from jetlag.
Oct 5th, 2009, 07:38 AM
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STAUFEN (2 nights): Arrived in Staufen in the Black Forest around lunchtime and found our way to the Hirschen Hotel (85E). Our room was on the 2nd floor with a little balcony overlooking the side street next to the hotel with a partial view of the 12th century Staufen Castle ruin amid the vineyards on the hill overlooking the town.
Staufen is a delightful little town with tidy pastel colored buildings, famous for its link to Dr. Johann Faust, who according to legend made a pact with the Devil in exchange for knowledge. Some of the more prominent sites are the Marktplatz with the Rathaus and a 16th century fountain, the Gasthaus zum Löwen, and St. Martin’s Church as well as other hotels, restaurants and shops dotting the pedestrian only main street.
We decide to have lunch at our hotel before exploring the town. David totally enjoyed his bratwurst with sauerkraut and my potato soup was tasty. As we walked around town, we realized that much of Staufen’s old town suffered damage during WW2 (1945). There are plaques with before and after photos in several locations around town.
http://www.hirschen-staufen.de/index_gb.htm
http://www.staufen-im-breisgau.de/staufen-en.html
The next day, we drove to Frieburg less than an hour from Staufen. The weather is glorious and maybe a little cooler. With the assistance of our GPS, we made our way to a parking garage near the heart of old town Freiburg, the towering Münster or Cathedral of Our Dear Lady, a huge Gothic Church begun in the early 13th century. Today there is a large market set up in the square surrounding the Church with many vendors selling wurst, breads, flowers – just about anything you can think of!
We managed to find our way to the Old and New Rathaus then wandered past a number of 15th century buildings as well as the old city gates of Martinstor and Schwabentor. The main shopping street, Kaiser Joseph Strasse, was buzzing with activity. After a couple of hours, we are both starting to feel the affects of too much walking on cobblestones and decide to head back to Staufen. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Freiburg and felt it was time well spent.
http://www.historicgermany.com/freiburg.html
For dinner, we thought we’d try the restaurant at the Hotel Sonne. I had read some good things about the hotel and restaurant and figured we would try it out. We each had a green salad and split a pizza. With a large beer for David and a small wine for me, it all came to around 22 E. It was all good.
http://www.sonne-staufen.de/restaurant.html
Tomorrow -- Überlingen on Bodensee.
Staufen is a delightful little town with tidy pastel colored buildings, famous for its link to Dr. Johann Faust, who according to legend made a pact with the Devil in exchange for knowledge. Some of the more prominent sites are the Marktplatz with the Rathaus and a 16th century fountain, the Gasthaus zum Löwen, and St. Martin’s Church as well as other hotels, restaurants and shops dotting the pedestrian only main street.
We decide to have lunch at our hotel before exploring the town. David totally enjoyed his bratwurst with sauerkraut and my potato soup was tasty. As we walked around town, we realized that much of Staufen’s old town suffered damage during WW2 (1945). There are plaques with before and after photos in several locations around town.
http://www.hirschen-staufen.de/index_gb.htm
http://www.staufen-im-breisgau.de/staufen-en.html
The next day, we drove to Frieburg less than an hour from Staufen. The weather is glorious and maybe a little cooler. With the assistance of our GPS, we made our way to a parking garage near the heart of old town Freiburg, the towering Münster or Cathedral of Our Dear Lady, a huge Gothic Church begun in the early 13th century. Today there is a large market set up in the square surrounding the Church with many vendors selling wurst, breads, flowers – just about anything you can think of!
We managed to find our way to the Old and New Rathaus then wandered past a number of 15th century buildings as well as the old city gates of Martinstor and Schwabentor. The main shopping street, Kaiser Joseph Strasse, was buzzing with activity. After a couple of hours, we are both starting to feel the affects of too much walking on cobblestones and decide to head back to Staufen. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Freiburg and felt it was time well spent.
http://www.historicgermany.com/freiburg.html
For dinner, we thought we’d try the restaurant at the Hotel Sonne. I had read some good things about the hotel and restaurant and figured we would try it out. We each had a green salad and split a pizza. With a large beer for David and a small wine for me, it all came to around 22 E. It was all good.
http://www.sonne-staufen.de/restaurant.html
Tomorrow -- Überlingen on Bodensee.
Oct 5th, 2009, 08:13 AM
#5
hi betty,
I'm already enjoying your report, though I do so with gritted teeth every time you mention the good weather, as you may remember that our trip to Vienna and beyond in June, with the planning of which you were so helpful, was plagued by rain.
Have pity on me and don't mention it toooo often.
regards, ann
I'm already enjoying your report, though I do so with gritted teeth every time you mention the good weather, as you may remember that our trip to Vienna and beyond in June, with the planning of which you were so helpful, was plagued by rain.
Have pity on me and don't mention it toooo often.
regards, ann
Oct 5th, 2009, 09:21 AM
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Ann, I'm not trying to rub it in -- really! It's just the luck of the draw, isn't it?
One year, many years ago, we took our second trip to London with my husband's parents. It rained every single day we were there! Another time, we took a wonderful 2 week tour through Germany, Austria, Belgium and Switzerland. It rained at least half the time.
We've had our share of rain over the years and feel we deserve some good weather once in awhile!!
One year, many years ago, we took our second trip to London with my husband's parents. It rained every single day we were there! Another time, we took a wonderful 2 week tour through Germany, Austria, Belgium and Switzerland. It rained at least half the time.
We've had our share of rain over the years and feel we deserve some good weather once in awhile!!
Oct 5th, 2009, 09:24 AM
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crefloors, I don't know why more people don't travel to Germany. We've found it to be an amazingly beautiful country with good food, wine, beer, history, etc. Everything you could wish for.
DH says that next time we need to go someplace different but he always says that and then he's always drawn back to Germany just like I am!
DH says that next time we need to go someplace different but he always says that and then he's always drawn back to Germany just like I am!
Oct 5th, 2009, 11:43 AM
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ÜBERLINGEN (2 nights): We check out of the Hirschen Hotel and make our way to Überlingen on Bodensee. It’s only about a 2 hr drive so we should be there a little after 11 AM. Before long, the scenery changed to rock walls and twisty roads and we made our way through parts of the Black Forest. Our GPS led us through the streets of Überlingen to the Hotel Ochsen (108E lakeview double), a charming hotel just a block from the lake promenade. We were too early to check in but Herr Waldschütz, the owner, showed us where we could park our car while we walked around town. Überlingen was founded by Emperor Barbarosa in 1180. Seven of its original city gates and towers remain as well as some of the old city walls. It also has a very long and lively lake promenade with lots of hotels, cafes and restaurants.
http://www.hotel-ochsen-ueberlingen.de/en/home/
http://www.ueberlingen.de/startseite.phtml
We found the Tourist Information Office where we got a guide to the main sites which we used to make our way to St. Nicholas Cathedral, a large Gothic church in the center of old town Überlingen, and a city landmark. We also saw the Franciscan Gate, said to be one of the finest Gothic gates in the region, the Franciscan Church and the Rathaus among others.
We shared a great lunch of Schnitzel, soup, salad and frites at the Fauler Pelz restaurant on the lake. Our waiter, Dobrin, who was Bulgarian, spoke excellent English and had a good sense of humor as well. Everyone was enjoying the wonderful weather and the great view overlooking the lake. There were a number of sailboats out today as well as the larger passenger boats that travel the lake.
Before dinner, we took another walk that led us up Sandbergweg which had a nice view overlooking the lake and the imposing north tower of St. Nicholas Cathedral. We walked back down to the far end of the lake promenade, hung out for awhile in the colorful city park and made our way back to the hotel for dinner.
On our last full day in Überlingen, we drove a couple of miles east to the Pilgrimage Church in Birnau, a wonderful example of Baroque architecture right on the lake shore. Built in the 1740’s for the Cistercians monastery of Salem (Germany) by Austrian architect Peter Thumb, the church interior features notable frescoes by Gottfried Bernhard Göz as well as altars and stucco ornaments in rococo style by Joseph Anton Feuchtmayer. There appeared to be a wedding going on inside the church.
We had a delicious late lunch at the Mykonos Greek restaurant on the lake then took an electric boat ride. The sun had been shining brightly while we were eating, but by the time we got out on the boat, the sun was hiding behind some clouds and it was rather windy. It was still a lot of fun, however, taking photos and waiving to the people on shore. We saw our first swans of the trip while out on the lake.
Überlingen was a very pleasant surprise. We have previously visited Lindau and Meersburg which are both very impressive. But Old Town Überlingen is full of many lovely old buildings and beautiful flowers set against the blue waters of Bodensee.
http://www.hotel-ochsen-ueberlingen.de/en/home/
http://www.ueberlingen.de/startseite.phtml
We found the Tourist Information Office where we got a guide to the main sites which we used to make our way to St. Nicholas Cathedral, a large Gothic church in the center of old town Überlingen, and a city landmark. We also saw the Franciscan Gate, said to be one of the finest Gothic gates in the region, the Franciscan Church and the Rathaus among others.
We shared a great lunch of Schnitzel, soup, salad and frites at the Fauler Pelz restaurant on the lake. Our waiter, Dobrin, who was Bulgarian, spoke excellent English and had a good sense of humor as well. Everyone was enjoying the wonderful weather and the great view overlooking the lake. There were a number of sailboats out today as well as the larger passenger boats that travel the lake.
Before dinner, we took another walk that led us up Sandbergweg which had a nice view overlooking the lake and the imposing north tower of St. Nicholas Cathedral. We walked back down to the far end of the lake promenade, hung out for awhile in the colorful city park and made our way back to the hotel for dinner.
On our last full day in Überlingen, we drove a couple of miles east to the Pilgrimage Church in Birnau, a wonderful example of Baroque architecture right on the lake shore. Built in the 1740’s for the Cistercians monastery of Salem (Germany) by Austrian architect Peter Thumb, the church interior features notable frescoes by Gottfried Bernhard Göz as well as altars and stucco ornaments in rococo style by Joseph Anton Feuchtmayer. There appeared to be a wedding going on inside the church.
We had a delicious late lunch at the Mykonos Greek restaurant on the lake then took an electric boat ride. The sun had been shining brightly while we were eating, but by the time we got out on the boat, the sun was hiding behind some clouds and it was rather windy. It was still a lot of fun, however, taking photos and waiving to the people on shore. We saw our first swans of the trip while out on the lake.
Überlingen was a very pleasant surprise. We have previously visited Lindau and Meersburg which are both very impressive. But Old Town Überlingen is full of many lovely old buildings and beautiful flowers set against the blue waters of Bodensee.
Oct 5th, 2009, 01:01 PM
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Thanks, Tracy! My feeble attempt to describe what we saw pales next to DH's photos! He's feverishly working on them -- not easy to weed through over 2,000 photos -- and I hope we'll have them ready to look at soon.
Oct 5th, 2009, 03:59 PM
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Betty: I'm amazed to learn that Staufen suffered damage during the war. I guess I didn't look very carefully, because I didn't see the photos you mention. I can't imagine why it would have been a target.
Oct 5th, 2009, 07:46 PM
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Peg, I don't know why it was bombed either. Maybe somebody out there can tell us. We saw at least 4 or 5 signs at different locations around town showing the damage on that street or particular building before and after the bombing.
Oct 5th, 2009, 09:00 PM
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bettyk, enjoyed reading your trip report. Hopefully there's more to come. Btw, did you see the recent damages of the houses in Staufen? It was big in the media in Germany. The ground is raising and houses get cracks. I heard that more than 200 of them must be repaired (expensive!).
Oct 5th, 2009, 11:03 PM
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betty,
I am enjoying reading your trip report. I have only been to Germany three times and I am hoping to see more of the country. Paris, London and Hong Kong keeps getting in the way.
How is your knee?
I am enjoying reading your trip report. I have only been to Germany three times and I am hoping to see more of the country. Paris, London and Hong Kong keeps getting in the way.
How is your knee?
Oct 6th, 2009, 04:29 AM
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>>>I can't imagine why it would have been a target.<<<
The British and American Forces had called it "area bombing" or "moral bombing". Churchill wrote that he had ordered the bombing of German cities "simply for the sake of increasing the terror" (on 28 March 1945 in a memo for the British Chiefs of Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff). The bombings were targeted at civilian population to undermine the morale of the enemy.
The British and American Forces had called it "area bombing" or "moral bombing". Churchill wrote that he had ordered the bombing of German cities "simply for the sake of increasing the terror" (on 28 March 1945 in a memo for the British Chiefs of Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff). The bombings were targeted at civilian population to undermine the morale of the enemy.
Oct 6th, 2009, 05:45 AM
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Ingo, I did see that article just since we've returned home and, no, we saw no sign of it while we were there. Of course, it isn't unusual to see sagging houses over there but we saw nothing with any big cracks that were noticeable.
cafegoddess, it was pretty sore after a 9 hr overseas flight and our marathon journey through Frankfurt Airport! The cobbled streets didn't do it much good either. There were days when it hurt quite a bit but would usually feel better after resting it awhile. Since I've been home, it is definitely feeling better.
Thanks, traveler1959. I thought that might be the case.
cafegoddess, it was pretty sore after a 9 hr overseas flight and our marathon journey through Frankfurt Airport! The cobbled streets didn't do it much good either. There were days when it hurt quite a bit but would usually feel better after resting it awhile. Since I've been home, it is definitely feeling better.
Thanks, traveler1959. I thought that might be the case.
