~ Part 2 ~
Ramsau - Mösern - Hopferau
Without a good German breakfast to look forward to we opt for coffee, toast, picnic leftovers (pay our bill of
38 € per day) and we are off and running early. We work our way southeast along B299 via Landshut, Altötting
to A94
and then south along B20 and the Austrian border to Burghausen where we take an hour break to walk the six courtyards of the longest
castle in Germany (over 1 km long).
The Schloß has been situated high on an elongated hill above the village of Burghausen for almost a thousand years (in one form or another). Burghausen castle (or most of it) has survived the reign of various Dukes and Counts and Wittelsbachs and is now owned by the Free State of Bavaria. The castle ruins are also home to about 150 residents as they occupy the many houses built into the outer walls throughout. There is a Tourist Office near the parking area at the north wall where you can pick up a map for self-guided tours.
We enjoyed a nice walk in a rainy mist
with great views of the valleys below and the Salzach river.
We continue south along B20 via Oberndorf, skirting Salzburg and Bad Reichenhall, transfer to the B21 and B305 entering
the Berchtesgaden area from the west. I always look forward to entering the Alpine regions and this piece of heaven
is one of my favorites. Definitely worthy of Jodler and Tiroler sounds - I pop in my newly purchased Zillertaler
CD - and we cruise through the beautiful snow-capped mountains with the perfect background music.
We approach from the west and turn north on to Schwarzecker Straße which is one of those wonderfully winding
country roads leading up into the mountains overlooking the little town of Ramsau. Dee Dee cringes at the mere
thought of these roller coaster - Sommerrodelbahn type cow paths (especially in the heavy rain that has once again
found us) but I can't get enough of them. At an altitude of 1054 meters, we are soon approaching our home for the
next two days
Bergbauernhof Vorderloiplsau
Lorenz und Silvia Köppl
Loiplsau 20
83486 Ramsau-Berchtesgaden
Tel - 08657/625
Here we have a nice double room with shower and balcony (private toilet located just next door) and a separate Kinder room (with two twin beds, shower and toilet) just across the hall (total for all, with breakfast - 51 € per day). After settling in and the rain slows down - Amy and I scout out the farm and a nearby mountain cafe. Soon afterwards we all head for the
Gaststätte Schwarzeck
Inh. Sandra Laube
Schwarzecker Straße 58
83486 Ramsau-Berchtesgaden
(just down the road a few hundred meters) for Spargelsuppe (2 €), Schwein Bratwurstl mit Sauerkraut (6.20 €), and Kasespätzle (6.60 €) (und Asbach for Ben - 2.10 €) - 'schmeckt sehr gut'.
- - -
The weather puts a damper on the rest of the day but not before we drive a bit further down the mountain to the
beautiful little
Berggasthof und Pension Zipfhäusl
Schwarzeckerweg 8
83486 Ramsau-Berchtesgaden
Looks like a very nice place to stay if you love the mountains and might prefer something other than a farm. We are only here for Kaffee and heise Schokoladen and dessert (Apfelstrudel mit Eis und Sahne for the girls and a huge helping of Schwarzwalder Kirchtorte mit Sahne for me - all to die for). We call it a night and hope for clearer skies come morning.
Day Six 
Rain, rain and more rain. After a delicious typical farm breakfast in a cute little Frühstück zimmer we drive around the Hintersee, past the famous Ramsauer church and head for the booming metropolis of Berchtesgaden.
Full of tourists armed with umbrellas so we use the time to search familiar shops for souvenirs and check off our shopping lists. For anyone looking for internet cafes there is a small one just around the corner from the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (Maximilianstraße 20) on the main street. All terminals are busy so I pass on my first internet opportunity and we drive the slick roads back up to the Bauernhof. The steady rain puts everyone in an afternoon nap mode as another day escapes with little sightseeing done. We end the night with another trip to the Zipfhäusl for a delicious meal of Schnitzel Paniert mit Bratkartoffeln (4.60 €) for Amy, Gulaschsuppe mit Brot und gemischter Salat (5.10 €) for Dee Dee, and Rindsgulasch mit Nudeln (7.60 €) for Ben, topped off with large Helles Biers and Cola. The weather does not spoil our appetites. :-)
Up at 0530 for a morning stroll about the farm and early coffee on our balcony overlooking the cows already grazing lazily nearby. Breakfast at 0730 - sign the Gästebuch - load the wagon. NO rain - but we are leaving this morning for new territories and the Eagle's Nest and Königssee boat ride for Amy will have to wait for another trip.
It's a beautiful day as we head northwest on B305, turn southwest on B21/178 as we enter Austria and enjoy the magnificent vistas of the Alps. We work our way over to A12, still moving southwest, via Innsbruck. Construction work and too many Umleitungs (detours) kill my motivation to stop in the little town of Hall in Tirol for a walkthru. We continue past Innsbruck and take the 177 towards Mittenwald, turnoff at Seefeld heading southwest to the tiny village of Mösern (altitude 1,250 meters) where our next farm awaits.
Sterzingerhof
Familie Bacher
Hausnummer 28a
A-6100 Mösern bei Seefeld, Austria
The Sterzingerhof is your typical Tirolian style structure with flower covered balconies around most of the house. Our accommodations here consist of a large doubleroom with shower, toilet, balcony, satellite TV, and a rollaway bed for Amy (price - 43.60 € per day including breakfast).
With the rain behind us and the promise of warmer weather ahead we change into our summer walking clothes and hike down to the "Peace Bell".
In 1997 the Friedensglocke was
installed on a nearby hill overlooking a beautiful valley and the town of Telfs in the distance. This is the Tirol's
largest, freely suspended bell (more than 12 tons) and strikes daily at 5 pm in the name of peace for the Alpine
region. I have no doubt that the ringing can be heard throughout the valley all the way to Telfs.
After a quick picnic lunch on the balcony, we load up and drive north to the village of Leutasch. I had found a
pamphlet at the Mösern Tourist Info Office indicating that the Spielpark in Leutasch
had a nice looking Sommerrodelbahn so with the good weather in the mountains I thought it would be a perfect day
for a nice luge ride. I am hesitant to drive to a kiddy-park in search of a good luge run but the pictures of this
1.2 km Rolba-Run made it look like an interesting one (even for adults). We arrive at the large park only to find
that the Sommerrodelbahn will not be in full operation until the next weekend. Drats! Oh well - they serve beer
and Amy finds several games and rides that are working. Not a total loss - but very disappointing. Back to the
farm for a few afternoon hours relaxing, enjoying the scenery from the balcony
- another walk back to the Peace Bell for the daily ringing (very impressive) - and a drive into Seefeld (larger city, more tourists, plenty of lodging for winter ski crowds). We opt for dinner at a nice looking place beside a ski-lift -
Cafe-Restaurant Seewald-Alm
Harald Neuner
A-6100 Mösern
Another excellent meal - this time - Würzige Gulaschsuppe mit Brot (4 €) - Wiener Schnitzel mit Pommes Frites und Preiselbeeren (8.50 €) - Hühnerfilet (Wiener Art) mit Kartoffelsalat und Preiselbeeren (8.50 €) and the always good Kaiser Bier vom Faß to wash it down. Es war ein wunderbarer Tag.
Day Eight 
Another early morning solo walk about town - it's a beautiful day and the mountains are spectacular.
Breakfast at 0815 and it is an especially good one - lots of meat and cheese, jams and jellies, cold milk, strong coffee and eggs.
Back in Ramsau Dee Dee picked up on the
fact that the German guests where we have been staying were bringing foil and plastic bags to breakfast with them.
Anything they didn't eat at breakfast or feed to their dogs (which also came to breakfast) was wrapped in the foil
for later. There were three other tables of guests and we witnessed all of them saving food for later. I have on
occasion brought a ziplock bag to Frühstück to save a sandwich in for later but I never really felt comfortable
taking ALL the meat, cheese and spreads with us when we left. I'll never feel bad about it again - lunch made easier.
This is a great day to drive thru the mountains so we set off for Mittenwald and a nice scenic loop via Garmisch-Partenkirchen,
Erhwald, Lermoos and Telfs. We explore Mittenwald for a few hours and although teeming with other tourists it is
such a pleasant little village to walk through and do some shopping.
Continuing along B2 we find that Garmisch is even more crowded so we take the B23/187 southwest via Ehrwald to the little village of Biberwier. All week I have been looking forward to making several runs on our favorite Sommerrodelbahn. The weather is great and Amy and I are ready to roll - only to be disappointed once again in finding nothing working. The luge is closed except for weekends until the end of the month. No luck lately!
Oh well - it's still a nice day so we enjoy a picnic lunch and make our way back to Mösern. We relax the rest of the afternoon and make plans to attend a music concert at a local hotel that evening - a Volksmusikabend at
Hotel-Restaurant Habhof
Familie Decristoforo
A-6100 Mösern bei Seefeld/Tirol
We arrive a bit early - find a nice table on the terrace (what a view) (click here for Hotel & Overview (360° Panorama view) - and enjoy a dinner of Schweinerrückensteak mit Pfefferrrahm sauce, Röstinchen und Broccoli (9.30 €), Kleines Wiener Schnitzel mit Salat und Pommes (6.30 €), and Wiener Schnitzel vom Kalb mit Preiselbeeren und Salat (13.40 €) - a little more expensive than I would normally select but we take into consideration that we were about to enjoy an evening of live music. As we are eating we notice that the tables next to us are being set up in preparation for the musicians. As it turns out we have the best seats in the house and are soon joined by a group of pretty young ladies armed with various wooden flutes and zither type instruments (Hackbrett), one young man (very good on Hackbrett), along with a beautiful female guitarist (older leader) - all in their finest Tirolian outfits.
They entertain us for several hours while we enjoy the Bier, the awesome view of the mountains and the best weather of the trip. A great day!
Up early for a walk around the farm and a leisurely stroll down to the peace bell area. Beautiful morning for a trip north to the Füssen area so after breakfast we load up and prepare for a travel day. Before we leave however, Amy and I take the opportunity to enjoy a horse carriage ride around the Mösern area with Arnold (son of the very nice owners - Bacher family).
- - 
Dee Dee hasn't experienced any motion sickness problems this trip but old fears die slowly and she still passes up the chance to ride in any vehicle that she is not in control of. If we could drive to Europe, that would be her choice. :-)
This will be a short travel day (less than 100 km) so we are in no hurry and can enjoy the mountain roads and several
stops via the Fernpaß, Ehrwald, and Reutte. Driving past Füssen we travel northwest through the village
of Hopferau for a few kilometers to the small farming community of Heimen. We find our farm (the Popplerhof) in
short order and are warmly greeted by the owners (Poppler family). We are quickly impressed by our gracious hosts
and the overall atmosphere of our accommodations and location.
- - - 
We are shown to a large, immaculate apartment
with enough beds to sleep 4-6 adults and several children. Nice kitchen, large tiled bath with shower, TV, and
a large balcony with a nice view of the mountains and if you look closely, Neuschwanstein just off to the east.
If I rated our accommodations for this trip - the Popplerhof would be at the top of the list.
We spend the afternoon shopping and walking the Fußgängerzone in Füssen. Woolworth's (just down
from the Tourist Info Office and the Hotel Sonne) always seems to have good bargains and this day is no exception.
We leave with several bags of goodies and lots of chocolate. As we are making our way back to the parking area
I spot a shop that appears to be a travel agency with several computers set up for internet use (½ hour
= 3 €; 1 hour = 5 €). I send the girls window shopping, try to sift through almost 200 messages, and eventually
send off an email to our Stammtisch group. The girls finally drag me away and just in time as we spot a parking
meter ticket-writer a few cars away making his way in our direction. A narrow escape - as our time had just expired.
After a lazy afternoon enjoying our new apartment, we drive over to Hopfen am See and have dinner at one of the
many lakeside restaurants. Our choice, the
Fischerhütte
Uferstraße 16
87629 Hopfen am See
turns out to be a good one. I enjoy a large plate of Schwäbische Maultaschen mit Röstzwiebeln an gemischtem Salat (8.50 €), Dee Dee has the large crab and shrimp salad (Salatplatte Christine - Gartenfrische Salate der Saison mit frischen Krabben und einer Riesengarnele, italienischem mariniertem Gemüse - 12.90 €), Frankfurters and Pommes for Amy (5 €). Good food - great location on the lake - outstanding view. Amy has a good time feeding bread to the small birds who are seasoned and trusting enough to sit on the railing next to our table. Perfect day in the Allgäu for our group.
- - -
Day Ten 
Today I'm up at 0500 and with the breaking dawn I am out for my morning stroll. Heimen is a very small and obviously close-knit community with a circular road and path that can be covered in about ten minutes.
-
Watching the farmers herd their cows to
morning pasture is one of my favorite pastimes. In this small village they have a system of moveable ropes stretched
between buildings that keep the cows headed in the right direction. A strange tourist in town with a camera causes
a few of them to lose their way but the farmer on his bicycle quickly reminds them where they should be going.
After another large excellent farm breakfast
we head via Füssen to some of our favorite castles. I am a longtime fan of King Ludwig II (one of my favorite characters in Bavarian history) and a visit to Germany is just not complete without a visit to at least one of his homes. Neuschwanstein (interior tours) has undergone several changes in recent years in an attempt to herd as many tourists through it's gates as humanly possible. Gone are the long lines and queues of the past - changed by the fact that you can now order your tickets well ahead of time (either over the internet or by purchasing your tickets for a specific time at the ticket office now located in the small village that sits at the foot of the castles - Hohenschwangau).
We opt not to take the interior tour this year but we arrive relatively early to avoid any crowds that might show up later. With the great weather and needing the exercise we decide to walk from the parking lot up to Neuschwanstein and then on up to the Marienbrücke for the standard photo shots of the castle from that side.
- - - 
There always seems to be some restoration work going on each year and this time the Keep and several other areas are covered with tarps. Makes it a challenge to get a good clean picture of the castle the way you would hope it would look - uncluttered. On the way down I put the girls in a horse carriage and walk ahead taking pictures.
After a while the carriage driver tells
me to hop on for a free ride. Early morning rides down the hill are fairly empty as the drivers don't wait around
long at the top. The ride up the hill costs more and they know they can get a full load of passengers very quickly.
After a quick stop by the TI office in Hohenschwangau for a Zimmer Frei catalog we take the now very familiar Romantic
Road north to Steingaden, east to the Eichelbacherbrücke (bypassing the Wieskirche), and south to the famous
old village of Oberammergau. This village of woodcarvers and the home of the Passion Play has always been a favorite
stop mainly because of the painted frescoes (Lüftl Malerei) which brighten the exteriors of most of the buildings
in town. Years ago we enjoyed shopping here but now it seems the prices have outgrown our budget. It's almost as
if Käthe Wohlfahrt owns every other shop in town and the woodcarvers' prices (even for the small pieces) are
more than I'm comfortable paying. So we enjoy the best bargain in town (large waffle cones of Eis) and head back
to the farm via an alternate route (Rosshaupten and Seeg).
We spend some time with the Poppler family
and Amy enjoys watching and playing with the house cats. The Poppler's have a teenage son and a daughter Amy's
age but they are all too shy to make a connection even though the daughter's English seems very good. At one point
when Frau Poppler was making a phone call to a restaurant for me and getting a wrong number the daughter (Sandra)
noticed that her mother was dialing a 1 instead of the 7 which I had written on a piece of paper. To the mother
my 7 looked like a 1 because of the way I wrote it (no line across the middle). The German 1 has an upsweep and
looks similar to the English 7. We didn't catch it but the eleven yr. old daughter did. I'm constantly fascinated
by the fact that so many European children study foreign languages early in their schooling. It's not unusual to
find young pre-teens who are well versed in several languages or at least have a grasp of the basics. If you find
yourself lost in the streets of a large town or check-in to a small hotel where the staff speaks no English - the
odds are if you find a local youngster you have found a good translator. Many of the rural farms we have stayed
at are without adults who can speak even a little English but the children are usually eager to practice their
language skills. I enjoy the challenge of trying to communicate in German only but sometimes the frustration of
not being understood puts me in search of the family Kinder for help.
On the way into Hopferau for dinner we pass a wedding party walking from the town church to what we assume to be
a reception hall. Very entertaining group having a noisy good time harassing the bride and groom. We settle on
Gasthof Hirsch
Hauptstraße 37
87695 Hopferau
for frische Spargelcremesuppe mit Sahnehäubchen (2.60 €), a child's chicken plate for Amy (Kinderteller Chicken Crossis mit Pommes - 3.40 €), Rostbraten mit Pommes und Salat (11 €) for me, and Hirschkalbsgulash mit Champignon, Spätzle, Salat und Preiselbeer (8.70 €) for Dee Dee. She enjoys the goulasch so much I don't have the heart to tell her what she is eating (and still haven't). We have an outside table, the weather is nice, the Helles Bier is smooth - all is right with the world tonight.
~ Part 3 ~
Shuttertal - Mosel - Rhein
