Trip Report: Germany & Austria
Jun 8th, 2006, 12:30 PM
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Trip Report: Germany & Austria
Mu husband and I arrived in FRA on May 5. Our British Airways flight from BOS was rather miserable, as we sat next to two 60-ish ladies who were very LOUD throughout the whole flight. I had noise cancelling headphones, but they weren't up to the task of drowning out these ladies.
We drove to directly to Beilstein. We never really got lost, as we were always heading in the right direction. However, we couldn't find the turnoffs we had planned to take, and the drive took waaaaay longer than it should have. We ended up seeing quite a bit of the Rhine.
We finally arrived at Haus Lipmann. We were staying 4 nights, so we got a room with a balcony overlooking the Mosel. I believe it was the only balcony room they rented out, as the one next to us didn't have a number and appeared to be occupied by a worker or relative of the owner.
The room was clean and pleasant, furnished with antiques and scatter rugs. The shower was tiny but fine. The bed was comfortable, but the lighting at night was poor, as often is the case in hotels. The restaurant where they served breakfast has stained glass windows and was lovely.
We only ate dinner at Haus Lipmann once, and it was a very good value and well prepared but a bit too "heavy" for my taste.
We went to Burg Eltz the next day, which is one of the most charming, homiest castles I've ever seen. We also walked around Cochem, which was quite crowded. The castle overlooking the town was picturesque, but the town was just "okay" in my book. We then stopped at town called Ediger-Eller. This was one of our favorite towns, as it was peaceful with lovely buildings, and didn't seem as touristy as many of the other towns.
The next day, we went to Trier. The town square was beautiful, but unfortunately, it was rather crowded with temporary exhibits for some kind of street fair. I enjoyed seeing the Roman ruins, although the Basilica was a bit of a disappointment. It is basically just an empty shell, which I did know in advance.
We also saw Bernkastel, which is a truly beautiful town with wonderful architecture. If I was going to live in Germany, this would be the place.
On Monday, we drove to the Rhine and did a self-guided walk of Bacharach (compliments of the ever-contriversial Rick Steves) which was a lot of fun. Then we went to Rheinfels Castle in St Goar. We love ruins, so we had a lot of fun poking around. It was huge!
We drove to directly to Beilstein. We never really got lost, as we were always heading in the right direction. However, we couldn't find the turnoffs we had planned to take, and the drive took waaaaay longer than it should have. We ended up seeing quite a bit of the Rhine.
We finally arrived at Haus Lipmann. We were staying 4 nights, so we got a room with a balcony overlooking the Mosel. I believe it was the only balcony room they rented out, as the one next to us didn't have a number and appeared to be occupied by a worker or relative of the owner.
The room was clean and pleasant, furnished with antiques and scatter rugs. The shower was tiny but fine. The bed was comfortable, but the lighting at night was poor, as often is the case in hotels. The restaurant where they served breakfast has stained glass windows and was lovely.
We only ate dinner at Haus Lipmann once, and it was a very good value and well prepared but a bit too "heavy" for my taste.
We went to Burg Eltz the next day, which is one of the most charming, homiest castles I've ever seen. We also walked around Cochem, which was quite crowded. The castle overlooking the town was picturesque, but the town was just "okay" in my book. We then stopped at town called Ediger-Eller. This was one of our favorite towns, as it was peaceful with lovely buildings, and didn't seem as touristy as many of the other towns.
The next day, we went to Trier. The town square was beautiful, but unfortunately, it was rather crowded with temporary exhibits for some kind of street fair. I enjoyed seeing the Roman ruins, although the Basilica was a bit of a disappointment. It is basically just an empty shell, which I did know in advance.
We also saw Bernkastel, which is a truly beautiful town with wonderful architecture. If I was going to live in Germany, this would be the place.
On Monday, we drove to the Rhine and did a self-guided walk of Bacharach (compliments of the ever-contriversial Rick Steves) which was a lot of fun. Then we went to Rheinfels Castle in St Goar. We love ruins, so we had a lot of fun poking around. It was huge!
Jun 8th, 2006, 01:03 PM
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Part two: We headed for Wurzburg the next day. Once again, the trip took far longer than anticipated, although we were never really lost. By the time we arrived, we only had time to see the Residenz, the garden, and the Hofkirche chapel. Work had just been completed on the Tiepolo Fresco in the Residenz. We took an english tour, and the guide was enthusiastic and informative. He was very excited to hear we were from New England, his dream destination.
We headed for Rothenburg, where we spent two nights at Haus Karin and one at Gerberhaus.
As many have mentioned, Karin is a wonderful hostess. Our room was huge, with a private bath located in a small hallway outside the room. (The hallway had a door which we could close for more privacy.)
We really enjoyed her hospitality, and it was the cheapest and largest room we had on the trip. On our last day, she was rather frantic about being ready before some new guests arrived. Although we went to breakfast long before checkout time, Karin stripped our bed and removed our towels while we were eating! Ordinarily, we would have been annoyed, but she was so nice and such a character that we just laughed it off.
We took a daytip to Bamberg the next day. The drive went smoothly this time, and Bamberg turned out to be a highlight of our trip. We never found the TI, but there were enough signs to find our way. We took a German tour of the Residenz, and it was quite spectacular even though we couldn't understand the guide. The town itself was lovely, especially the architecture and the colorful houses along the river.
We headed for Rothenburg, where we spent two nights at Haus Karin and one at Gerberhaus.
As many have mentioned, Karin is a wonderful hostess. Our room was huge, with a private bath located in a small hallway outside the room. (The hallway had a door which we could close for more privacy.)
We really enjoyed her hospitality, and it was the cheapest and largest room we had on the trip. On our last day, she was rather frantic about being ready before some new guests arrived. Although we went to breakfast long before checkout time, Karin stripped our bed and removed our towels while we were eating! Ordinarily, we would have been annoyed, but she was so nice and such a character that we just laughed it off.
We took a daytip to Bamberg the next day. The drive went smoothly this time, and Bamberg turned out to be a highlight of our trip. We never found the TI, but there were enough signs to find our way. We took a German tour of the Residenz, and it was quite spectacular even though we couldn't understand the guide. The town itself was lovely, especially the architecture and the colorful houses along the river.
Jun 8th, 2006, 01:12 PM
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I am planning a trip to Germany for the fall & was planning to stay in Cochem since we will travel by trains. So, I was interested in why you preferred Beilstein over Cochem. Maybe Beilstein is nicer if you have a car.
Jun 8th, 2006, 01:18 PM
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Hi, Marsh. Yes, it would be difficult to impossible to stay in Beilstein without a car. We liked the quiet, and we usually tour until the early evening so we're not looking for much in the way of night life.
Jun 8th, 2006, 01:27 PM
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Part three: My husband's gout started acting up, and he didn't have his medication. Walking was tough by this point. We did look around Rothenburg and take the Night Watchman's tour. I would agree with those who said the latter is the only real "must" in Rothenburg--that, and walking the wall. The town is pretty enough though.
The next day we drove the Romantic Road, but our stops were brief because of my husband's foot. When we got to Fussen, we headed for the hospital. That was an adventure in itself, as we only speak a few words of German. We finally got the problem across to the doctor, and she wanted to just give us enough meds to last for the 3 nights we were staying in the area. We were then supposed to go to the hospital to get more in each subsequent town! We finally got her to write a prescription, and things got better after that.
Our area hotel was the Gusthof zum Schluxen in Pinswang, Austria. I have to disagree with the majority on this one. This hotel was our biggest disappointment on the trip. Our room had plumbing issues, and the owner wasn't very helpful. The room was clean though, with a parking lot view. There seemed to be a lot of tour groups coming in to stay for just one night.
Over the next few days, we visited:
1. Ettal monastery, which was more like a palace than a church.
2.Oberammergau, which was pretty but in our opinion, worth only a brief stop.
3. Mittenwald, another highlight of the trip. It was almost empty on a Saturday afternoon, and between the houses and the Bavarian Alps in the background, ever few steps provided another photo opportunity.
4.Hohenschwanga, which was an informative tour in a small group with a great guide, and Neuschwanstein which was almost a total waste. In the latter, they herded us through in a huge group, the tour guide didn't speak loudly enough, and we could barely see anything.
5. Linderhof castle, which has to be seen to be believed. Be sure to tour the grotto!
The next day we drove the Romantic Road, but our stops were brief because of my husband's foot. When we got to Fussen, we headed for the hospital. That was an adventure in itself, as we only speak a few words of German. We finally got the problem across to the doctor, and she wanted to just give us enough meds to last for the 3 nights we were staying in the area. We were then supposed to go to the hospital to get more in each subsequent town! We finally got her to write a prescription, and things got better after that.
Our area hotel was the Gusthof zum Schluxen in Pinswang, Austria. I have to disagree with the majority on this one. This hotel was our biggest disappointment on the trip. Our room had plumbing issues, and the owner wasn't very helpful. The room was clean though, with a parking lot view. There seemed to be a lot of tour groups coming in to stay for just one night.
Over the next few days, we visited:
1. Ettal monastery, which was more like a palace than a church.
2.Oberammergau, which was pretty but in our opinion, worth only a brief stop.
3. Mittenwald, another highlight of the trip. It was almost empty on a Saturday afternoon, and between the houses and the Bavarian Alps in the background, ever few steps provided another photo opportunity.
4.Hohenschwanga, which was an informative tour in a small group with a great guide, and Neuschwanstein which was almost a total waste. In the latter, they herded us through in a huge group, the tour guide didn't speak loudly enough, and we could barely see anything.
5. Linderhof castle, which has to be seen to be believed. Be sure to tour the grotto!
Jul 6th, 2006, 06:32 PM
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MareW, I missed your report when originally posted as I was on vacation in Honduras. I am interesed in reading about how the rest of your trip went. Will you continue your trip report please. My girlfriend and I are going to Germany and Austria next October. Thanks Barb
Jul 7th, 2006, 05:01 PM
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The silence was kind of deafening there, LOL, but sure.
We continued on to Berchtesgaden. The ride was long but much of it was beautiful. Even the autobahn had a view of the alps some of the time. We stayed at the Hotel Brumberger, which was somewhat smoky, but our room was cheerful with farmhouse type furniture. There was road construction going on outside the hotel, so there wasn’t a lot of use for our balcony right then. A sign said a Chinese acupuncturist and herabalist was in residence at the hotel. Fortunately, we didn’t feel the need as my husband’s foot was a lot better by then.
The next day, we cruised Lake Konisgee. The scenery reminded us of Norway. There was no outside deck and the boat was packed so it was a bit hard to see much on the first leg to St Bartholoma. We were the only English speakers, and the narration was, of course, all in German.
St. Bartholoma was very pretty, and we saw the chapel and walked around for a bit despite some rain. The boat was almost empty on the next segment to Salet. That stop was a must see! We took the 15 minute walk to Lake Obersee and were really stunned by how pretty and peaceful it was. We sat watching a lone duck play in the water for an hour or so. Right as we got up to leave, several groups of people finally showed up.
(To be continued...)
We continued on to Berchtesgaden. The ride was long but much of it was beautiful. Even the autobahn had a view of the alps some of the time. We stayed at the Hotel Brumberger, which was somewhat smoky, but our room was cheerful with farmhouse type furniture. There was road construction going on outside the hotel, so there wasn’t a lot of use for our balcony right then. A sign said a Chinese acupuncturist and herabalist was in residence at the hotel. Fortunately, we didn’t feel the need as my husband’s foot was a lot better by then.
The next day, we cruised Lake Konisgee. The scenery reminded us of Norway. There was no outside deck and the boat was packed so it was a bit hard to see much on the first leg to St Bartholoma. We were the only English speakers, and the narration was, of course, all in German.
St. Bartholoma was very pretty, and we saw the chapel and walked around for a bit despite some rain. The boat was almost empty on the next segment to Salet. That stop was a must see! We took the 15 minute walk to Lake Obersee and were really stunned by how pretty and peaceful it was. We sat watching a lone duck play in the water for an hour or so. Right as we got up to leave, several groups of people finally showed up.
(To be continued...)
Jul 8th, 2006, 06:49 PM
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Did they stop and play the trumpet on your boat trip across Konigsee? The echoes off the sheer rock walls of the surrounding mountains are really impressive.They may not do it on all the boat trips, however.
The boats are electric and very quiet.It is one of the cleanest lakes in the world ,and the Germans want to keep it that way.The Obersee is just as sparkling and scenic.
You can walk through the woods around to the far shore of the Obersee to a meadow/ cow pasture.
The boats are electric and very quiet.It is one of the cleanest lakes in the world ,and the Germans want to keep it that way.The Obersee is just as sparkling and scenic.
You can walk through the woods around to the far shore of the Obersee to a meadow/ cow pasture.
Jul 8th, 2006, 08:16 PM
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They did play the trumpet. My husband used to play, and he remarked that the playing wasn’t very good, but it somehow sounded much improved in the echo. By the way, the captain
rather blatantly panhandled the passengers afterwards!
I posted the end of my report earlier, but it isn't showing up, so hopefully this won't end up a double post:
We moved on to the Salzgammercut in Austria, where we stayed for four nights in a room with a balcony at the Hotel-Garni Schernthaner in Saint Gilgen. Our room was spotless–even the balcony furniture was squeaky clean!
St Gilgen was a pleasant town, and confession time, we ate at the Chinese restaurant across from our hotel three times! They had a very nice staff, and also did takeout. We are “semi-vegetarian”, and found German/Austrian food to be a challenge at times.
We had quite a bit of rain, but there were enough breaks in the clouds to make things manageable. St Wolfgang was very picturesque and our favorite town in the area. We walked the promenade and bought pasties at Zauner’s in Bad Ischl. We collect pottery, so we had to go to Gmunden for the ceramics store there. We spent part of one day in Salzburg, and it was very crowded despite some heavy downpours. We did some window shopping, visited the cathedral and St Peter’s church, and took two of the self guided walking tours from our guidebook.
The area as a whole, although beautiful, was more built up than we expected. For example, a beautiful lake would have a walkway around it that ran alongside a highway. Fortunately, it became more peaceful when we went further off the beaten path.
Hallstatt, of course, has a lovely setting, and was not very crowded so early in the season. Going inside the bone chapel was a very odd experience. It was just us, some candles, and the sculls, since the attendant sits outside.
While in the area, we went to the Dachstein ice caves. We were the only English speakers on a tour that was mostly school groups. (By the way, those kids were impressively well behaved!) The ice formations in the caves were really fascinating. It was a cold, slippery walk that required a lot of stairs, but it was well worth it.
Our best day in the lakes area, even though it was rainy, was spent wallking around the lake at Altausse, visiting the town of Bad Aussee, and best of all, walking around the first Gosau lake, called Vorderer Gosausee. The latter was just spectacular, one of the highlights of our trip. If you go, try to make it fairly early in the day. It gets shadowy by mid-afternoon because of the mountains.
On our way back to Munich to catch or plane home, we visited Schloss Herrenchiemse. It was another of Ludwig II castles, this one modeled after Versailles. The walk to the castle after the ferry ride was quite wet, but we managed to get an English tour so we were happy. The tour was large, but not ridiculously so, and the pace was reasonable.
Our last night was spent at the airport Marriott on hotel points.
Just want to thank all those who answered my questions while I was planning the trip, particularly all those who mentioned that Bamberg was a “don’t miss”. I’m not sure who originally recommended Haus Karin, as it has been reviewed by a lot of people, but staying there was a really fun experience.
rather blatantly panhandled the passengers afterwards!
I posted the end of my report earlier, but it isn't showing up, so hopefully this won't end up a double post:
We moved on to the Salzgammercut in Austria, where we stayed for four nights in a room with a balcony at the Hotel-Garni Schernthaner in Saint Gilgen. Our room was spotless–even the balcony furniture was squeaky clean!
St Gilgen was a pleasant town, and confession time, we ate at the Chinese restaurant across from our hotel three times! They had a very nice staff, and also did takeout. We are “semi-vegetarian”, and found German/Austrian food to be a challenge at times.
We had quite a bit of rain, but there were enough breaks in the clouds to make things manageable. St Wolfgang was very picturesque and our favorite town in the area. We walked the promenade and bought pasties at Zauner’s in Bad Ischl. We collect pottery, so we had to go to Gmunden for the ceramics store there. We spent part of one day in Salzburg, and it was very crowded despite some heavy downpours. We did some window shopping, visited the cathedral and St Peter’s church, and took two of the self guided walking tours from our guidebook.
The area as a whole, although beautiful, was more built up than we expected. For example, a beautiful lake would have a walkway around it that ran alongside a highway. Fortunately, it became more peaceful when we went further off the beaten path.
Hallstatt, of course, has a lovely setting, and was not very crowded so early in the season. Going inside the bone chapel was a very odd experience. It was just us, some candles, and the sculls, since the attendant sits outside.
While in the area, we went to the Dachstein ice caves. We were the only English speakers on a tour that was mostly school groups. (By the way, those kids were impressively well behaved!) The ice formations in the caves were really fascinating. It was a cold, slippery walk that required a lot of stairs, but it was well worth it.
Our best day in the lakes area, even though it was rainy, was spent wallking around the lake at Altausse, visiting the town of Bad Aussee, and best of all, walking around the first Gosau lake, called Vorderer Gosausee. The latter was just spectacular, one of the highlights of our trip. If you go, try to make it fairly early in the day. It gets shadowy by mid-afternoon because of the mountains.
On our way back to Munich to catch or plane home, we visited Schloss Herrenchiemse. It was another of Ludwig II castles, this one modeled after Versailles. The walk to the castle after the ferry ride was quite wet, but we managed to get an English tour so we were happy. The tour was large, but not ridiculously so, and the pace was reasonable.
Our last night was spent at the airport Marriott on hotel points.
Just want to thank all those who answered my questions while I was planning the trip, particularly all those who mentioned that Bamberg was a “don’t miss”. I’m not sure who originally recommended Haus Karin, as it has been reviewed by a lot of people, but staying there was a really fun experience.
Jul 9th, 2006, 12:46 PM
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It is traditional to tip the trumpet player. Not much, just a few coins. I used to play the trumpet too, and I agree with your assessment of the trumpet playing.
Did you go to the restaurant next to St Peters church in Salzburg? It's called St Peter's Stiffskeller. It was very good when we were there 5 years ago. I was wondering if it is still a good place to eat.
Thanks for the tips on the places you went in Austria. We will check them out when we go next time. Great trip report.
Did you go to the restaurant next to St Peters church in Salzburg? It's called St Peter's Stiffskeller. It was very good when we were there 5 years ago. I was wondering if it is still a good place to eat.
Thanks for the tips on the places you went in Austria. We will check them out when we go next time. Great trip report.
Jul 10th, 2006, 09:19 AM
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Thank you! Unfortunately, we missed that restaurant, clee2c. We just grabbed shrimp,avocado and egg sandwiches from a little shop. Sounds like a strange combination, but it was really good.
BabsB, our car was from National, but we rented through Gemut because their rates were so good. They were very easy to work with over the phone.
National has a very convenient location in the FRA terminal, but their service was mediocre. It took them quite a while to find us a car, even though they told us it would be 10 minutes. We did not get any of the requests that Gemut asked them for, such as a sedan instead of a wagon, diesel instead of gas powered, etc. That wasn't a huge deal, but something to be aware of.
Just be sure you make them write down every scratch or scrape you find, no matter how minor, when you pick your car up. They will go over it with a fine tooth comb at the end.
Thank you for your encouragement on finishing the report. I hope you have a great trip!
BabsB, our car was from National, but we rented through Gemut because their rates were so good. They were very easy to work with over the phone.
National has a very convenient location in the FRA terminal, but their service was mediocre. It took them quite a while to find us a car, even though they told us it would be 10 minutes. We did not get any of the requests that Gemut asked them for, such as a sedan instead of a wagon, diesel instead of gas powered, etc. That wasn't a huge deal, but something to be aware of.
Just be sure you make them write down every scratch or scrape you find, no matter how minor, when you pick your car up. They will go over it with a fine tooth comb at the end.
Thank you for your encouragement on finishing the report. I hope you have a great trip!
Jul 10th, 2006, 09:27 AM
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I am in the process of planning a Germany/Austria trip for early June 2007 and I just wanted to let you know I greatly appreciate the detail in your trip report 
DH and I rented a car in Germany in February 2005 and all of our drives seemed to take longer than they should have too, even though we never did really get lost.
DH and I rented a car in Germany in February 2005 and all of our drives seemed to take longer than they should have too, even though we never did really get lost.
Jul 11th, 2006, 04:18 PM
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Thanks MareW, I enjoyed your report. I called Gemut and tey advise that I can't pick up a rental care in Rothenburg, that I will need to get it at Wurzburg. I deleted Wurzburg from the trip and now looks like we are going there anyway! I am definitely going to do more checking around.
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