by

CrStoneLk

(Music control)

Part I: THE JOURNEY

OFF WE GO

Wednesday, May 19: Our trip started rather eventfully…a call from USAir one-half hour before airport departure informing us connecting flight Milwaukee/Pittsburgh was canceled, rerouted through Charlotte, NC on a flight leaving 30 minutes earlier than original. Flight from Charlotte was overbooked, so we could not get adjoining seats which made the trip a little less enjoyable. Flight: $700, Airbus seats are roomy, individual TV, buy and keep headphones, $5.00.

Thursday, May 20: Arrived Frankfurt, terminal one, did necessary line-standing (push down on luggage cart handle to move it), exchanged money, bought phone card and made long walk around construction to car rental (Gemütlichkeit,1-800-521-6722, $470 for 12 nights, great service). Ford Mondeo wagon (manual, air, non-diesel), checked gas cap, windshield wiper, reverse, move steering wheel to turn key, etc., and off we went through a patchwork countryside of green fields and bright yellow mustard (we think) toward Schwäbisch Hall.

Our room overlooked the square, the big steps of St. Peter’s church, the Rathaus and many picturesque buildings. From our window we watched a small theater troupe practice the plays they perform on the massive church steps during the summer. The owner, Frau Ganz, is super helpful and speaks good English. She deciphered the supper menu for us (sliced pork and bread dumplings, pork tenderloin and cheese spaetzle), prepared by her husband, the chef. Bread, accompanied by a local specialty grease spread, was served before the meal. We topped off our evening walk about the town with warm apple kuchen with cream and coffee delivered to the room.

The town is historic and you can walk its many picturesque streets interrupted here and there by the Kocher River and its ancient little covered bridges. The Goldener Adler (96 Euro) http://www.goldener-adler-sha.de/ gets high marks for location, ambiance, atmosphere, host and, of course, the champagne breakfast!

Friday, May 21: Now it was on to the Autobahn and the dash to Salzburg for a two night reservation at Hotel Goldene Ente, www.ente.at, another tip from the board. Reservations were a departure from our standard procedure. We usually watch the weather and head towards the Alps when it is predicted they will bask in sunshine. This time we wanted to take in the sights of Salzburg and followed some very good suggestions for a convenient place to stay. After doing the city sights and area tours the plan was to head east to the Hallstatt/Durnstein regions. But the weather gods mocked us, sending dark clouds to cloak the Alps as we neared Munich and large drops of rain on the windshield as we crossed into Austria (after buying the windshield sticker at the border). We were not to see the sun again for many days.

Part II: WEATHERING AUSTRIA

Saga of Soggy Adventures in Salzburg

Friday, Saturday, May 21, 22: Got quite a ‘tour’ of Salzburg trying to follow the directions to the Altgarage for hotel parking. After several queries we finally found it, parked, and headed the several blocks to the hotel. On check-in the clerk informed us that the much acclaimed restaurant was closed for remodeling. Then she explained that we would have a different room for the two nights, a small room for night one and then move to a larger room the second night (both 100 Euros per night). This was done to accommodate a woman who had difficulty with stairs. We were shown to a room on the fourth floor. There was an elevator but it was more fun to take the old, well-worn stone steps. The room was a gem. It had a sliding wooden door to the bath and a little built-in table and bench. There were three tiny windows each with original hardware. They opened unto some spaces between buildings and we could hear the rain on the slate roofs all night. We thought about requesting the same room for the second night but then thought, if this room was so quaint, the bigger room must really be something. The larger room was not ready yet when we left in the morning so they said they would switch our luggage. What a surprise awaited us when we returned that night! Room number 1 was a long, narrow room with plain white walls adorned with one small picture each. Windows on one end of the room faced the front of the building but the view was into the rooms in the building across the narrow street. The plumbing from the upstairs room ran across the ceiling and every time someone flushed or showered, we cautiously looked up to see if water was coming into our room! The most unexpected part: twin beds! How I envied whomever was in our little fourth floor room.

Sunday, May 23: Heading to Hallstatt we hit heavy wet snow accumulating on the roof tops of St. Gilgen and on the pines high on the hillsides. Temperatures hovered in the low single digits. We parked mid-tunnel, soaked in the scenery from above… boat moving through the still water, church steeple piercing the sky and mountains obscured by clouds… and then headed down the stairs, getting a different kind of soaking! We walked the town in a good downpour, the streets were quiet as everyone seemed to be safe and dry inside somewhere. Browsing one of the shops I discovered a huge basket of the Bad Ischl Krauter Salz. I bought a dozen shakers. At this point the weather was still not cooperating so we sloshed our way up to the parking lot with church bells bidding Auf Wiedersehen. We made another itinerary change and, instead of to the old-world villages along the Austrian Romantic Road to the east, we decided to return to Germany.

Back on the A-bahn and headed west. Decided to try to find a room in the often recommended Reit im Winkl. This is a neat little town, lots of lodging, lots of stores and lots of people. Very clean, very touristy and for some reason did not seem to be what we were looking for. Back to the map to find that on the other side of the pass was the old, familiar, Lofer, Austria, and one of our favorite places, Hotel Lintner. So off we went, over the hills and through the frosty mist to a place that would warm our hearts on this cold day. Arriving there we find it locked up tight, one lonely car in the lot. But not to worry, the door is soon opened by the friendly owner in his lederhosen, the hotel is open but the restaurant is ‘resting’ for the month. The Hotel Lintner www.salzburgerland.com/lintner-lofer is decorated with authentic Austria décor, a combination of hunting lodge and country estate (25 Euro per person with breakfast and balcony).

Part III: TO GERMANY…

Monday, May 24: Merry Monks Making Beer at the Monastery
In the morning we headed west from Lofer in the 4C temperature. The scenery was stupendous, snow covered peaks and green valleys, narrow, winding roads and tall poles topped with petite pine trees. We stopped in some of the small villages and along glacial lakeshores to walk and soak in the ‘atmosphere.’ One of the towns was Bayrischzell, a lovely small place with an interesting cemetery, an inviting main street and a few places to stay. We checked out the little antique shop which seemed to specialize in tools, keys and hardware from old, local buildings. We bought a unique corkscrew as a souvenir. In another little shop I found a key chain with a backpack that yodels when you press it. Wish I’d bought more of those. This place is on the list for next trip.

We ended up at the top of the valley in Sulzberg, where we found a room for the night at the Hotel Engel (66 Euro) http://www.engelwirt.com/ with a great view from the balcony. Actually, a gasthaus was built across the street from the Engel and blocks the view from many of their balconies. I think one of the requirements is that you had to be lost to find this place and since we seemed to be the only wayward travelers to fit that description, we got a room with a view. It was a real charmer with lace-edged curtains, pillows standing on edge, punched in the middle to stand like little jester hats; stiff, line dried towels, CNN and CNBC, and a very good restaurant. We drank in the view on the balcony before supper while drinking several beers and, after supper, indulged in cake from the local bakery with instant coffee and the view for added dessert! Didn’t investigate the town too much, don’t know if there is much else to do here other than ‘gape.’

Part IV: THE BLACK FOREST, THE WEINSTRASSE, THE EIFEL AND MORE

Wednesday, May 26: Back on Track
We continued north from Sulzberg hoping we would find a big enough town to add some liquid to the fumes in our gas tank. After satisfying the car, we continued west along the Bodensee for a leisurely drive towards the Black Forest area.

Took some side roads through narrow, winding valleys, past retired little towns to Allerheiligen, an ancient church ruin. The first big town we came to was Ottenhöfen, where we found the Hotel Restaurant “Pflug”, http://www.hotel-pflug.de/ , a large hotel on the corner with the all important parking lot! Got a room with a small balcony overlooking the back yards of the town. We walked to a nearby market for a 6-pack of beer (2.90 Euro, cheaper than one beer at a beer garden), went back to our balcony and enjoyed a before dinner drink while being entertained by the neighborhood cats, one of which enjoyed sunning himself in the top of a tree. The cats were kept company by the crowing rooster and a family of ducks floating in the farmers pond. There was a conference of some sort going on at the hotel. One long table was set through the middle of the dining room for the group, mostly men. On the table were set several little ‘grills' and plates of something that looked like bacon. Each person cooked his own piece of meat, added salt and pepper and savored the result. I’d never seen this before and I think the waitress described it as a local favorite but I was not able to catch the name of it. We had our standard pork and beef dishes.

Breakfast was accompanied by the Morgenpost, a daily newsletter written by the host, a nice touch. Then we continued west through Achern, across the Rhine and into France. Original plan had been to go to Strasbourg but somehow had ended up too far north on the German side. The new itinerary would be to drive north along the ‘Route d. Potiers et des Villages Pittoresques’ and then cross back into Germany towards the Eifel area.
What a ride through France…so much for a little ‘side trip’…never want to go to Sesselheim again! We were tripping along until we hit some road construction and, without any French translation available, we could understand the signs meant everything from detour, road closed, no entry, men working and probably a lot more. Try as we did, we could not seem to find an alternative route around the construction. After the fourth trip through Sesselheim, we surrendered and headed south toward the first opportunity to return to the German autobahn, ending our back roads experience in France.

Some impressions from our short time in France: The buildings, though neat and colorfully painted, appeared more ‘structurally original,’ being somewhat out of square and sported unrestored shutters, gates and doors. Many gray haired ladies with aprons, baskets and wedgie sandals were riding their bikes to do morning chores and socializing. Here and there were still concrete formations, evidence of past war activity. We’d like to do that route again some day, but with a French dictionary in hand.

Back to the map for another itinerary change only to see we were close to the Deutsche Weinstrasse http://www.tompgalvin.com/places/de/rheinland_pfalz/weinstrasse.htm We headed in that direction with a detour to Dahn, which is supposed to have an interesting ruin. After several roundabouts and even given directions to ‘Alt Dahn’, by the time we saw the sign we were out of the mood and on our way to Trifels. Trifels is another ruin with lots of history. From the parking lot ($), there is an easy-to-miss ‘fussweg’ sign just past the small snack stand. From there it is an uphill trek to the castle where the beautiful views and interesting ruin is accompanied by the ringing of distant church bells and the thunder of jets from nearby Kaiserslautern. Be sure to put a coin in the talking history machine, well worth it.

Then on to the Weinstrasse. That is a great road, winding through tiny little towns with narrow streets draped in grape vines. On every corner were the signposts listing all the wineries and my only thought was ‘so many towns, countless weinstubes, so little time.’ How does one begin to sample all the wine? I guess you start at the beginning and…. We made our way to Freinsheim, a walled town at the northern end of the weinstrasse. Found a place to park in the little city lot and obtained a zimmer nearby at the Pension zum Grünen Baum, http://www.pension-gruener-baum.de/ , (62 Euro), one of the oldest buildings in the town. The inn and little tavern are a family operation for Maria, her family and her in-laws, all watched over by a big German Shepherd. Our windows looked out over the big church and the town rathaus, where we watched a small wedding celebration in the courtyard.

We visited an outdoor table or two to sample the local wine and people watch. After supper and sight seeing we returned to the Gasthaus, whose empty restaurant was now tended by Maria’s 30 year old son. We decided to have a Weiss bier nightcap and conversation. We were soon joined by Maria and ended up talking for several hours. The talk was accompanied by an insistence we sample the wine made by the daughter, who is studying wine making at college. The samples were really glassfulls, it was a tough job but somebody had to do it. The son spoke a little English, the mother none but we talked and gestured about many things that night, from living with the in-laws, the son going to work for the government in Berlin, the history of the town, the wine festivals and, of course, the fine points of tasting wine. It was after 9 p.m. when other people started to wander in for a glass of wine. The town doctor spoke pretty good English and was able to translate for all of us. It seemed the night was just starting for many when we, filled with good spirits and good conversation, finally aimed ourselves at the door trying to maintain a straight line until we got to the stairs, where we could crawl up unobserved.

Part IV: THE MOSEL, THE RHINE, THE NAHE, THE END

Friday, May 28: Beilstein
We picked up the Mosel route at Trier and followed the river past the miles and miles of vineyards. We passed barges, ruins and tiny attractive villages, some of which we noted their names as they looked inviting for another trip. But this time we had a destination in mind….Beilstein and our old, friendly Haus Lipmann (80 Euro) http://www.hotel-haus-lipmann.de/ We arrived sans reservation which has proved disappointing in the past but yes, he had a room, number 4, where we had stayed several times before. It comes complete with balcony and view of the Mosel. We drank the house wine, best wine in all of Germany, ate a great supper, and retired to our balcony to watch the road and river traffic. Then one of those unplanned for events that lucky travelers happen across occurred. When we arrived in town, parking was tight, there were a few parked busses and many people milling around the dock. Soon a ship arrived and the people hurried aboard. We could see that the passengers included some priests and nuns. The boat sailed up the Mosel and returned an hour or so later. A brass band playing a slow march was the first group to disembark down the gangplank. They were followed by young girls dressed in white, tossing flower petals along the path. Next came the priests in their white and red regalia. Then the people started to pour out of ship. There were old ones with canes, young children darting about and every age in between. Last to depart were a huddle of elderly nuns in full habit hobbling along as they trailed the group and the dimming strains of the music. The whole group headed through the narrow, cobblestoned streets and up the steep hill to the church. I thought several of them might have trouble getting up to the church and I ran to get a picture of the procession. All I found was the telltale path of petals and I could see the congregation of singing people clustered in the church yard, everyone had made it. After the service at the church was over they headed back to the boat for more gaiety and celebrating. The echoes of the music and laughter wafted into our room far into the moonlit night. Haus Lipmann has a great breakfast and Beilstein has many candle lit wine cellars and places to walk and hang out. Rick Steves' Travel News: Beilstein Introductory Walk http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/germany/beilstein.htm

Saturday, May 29: AHH, BACHARACH!
We entered Bacharach from the west, a steep winding road heading down to the Rhine. Entering the town was sort of like a circus parade. Vehicles, including tour buses and bicycles, were attempting, emphasize attempting, to navigate the narrow, cobblestone streets, watched in amazement by the many pedestrians. Horns were tooting and bystanders were taking up posts here and there to aid the drivers in their attempt to turn tight corners or thread their bulky conveyance through some unyielding spot. I was sure we were on a one way street but Jim assured me we were just following the car ahead, hoping they knew where they were going. We finally made it to the road that borders the Rhine and found a welcome space outside the wall in a city parking lot. The town was abuzz with people strolling, sitting in the beer gardens, laughing and having fun…we just thought it was a regular Saturday night. We soon discovered it was the middle day of the three day Whitsun Holiday, which we should have gotten a clue about from the procession we watched the night before in Beilstein. True to our usual travel habits, we did not have a room reserved and there did not seem to be any room at any inn. We traipsed up and down the street, ringing doorbells, entering bars and kitchens to enquire about a vacancy. It seems that proprietors did not take down the zimmer frei signs when the place was full, or, I suspect, wanted to hold out for a two night reservation. One place told us to try Pension Lettie, who did have a sign out in front. The Pension had no vacancies but, Lettie, who is extremely gracious, got on the phone and called Hotel Hellen. Lettie even ushered us down the street to the hotel entrance, taking this opportunity to chastise us for not having a reservation and warning us that it probably would be impossible to find a vacant room the next night. The Hotel Hellen (tel. 06743/1287, hotel-hillen@web.de) is an old structure adjoining the wall. The Room (50 Euro) was well worn but clean and a welcome sight to us. From our small window we had a beautiful view of the Stahleck castle on the hill and at night a bright moon and one bright star/planet shone in on us, complimenting the illuminated castle. We decided to have a drink in the little hotel beer garden over-looking the Rhine. It was then that I remembered what has so often been written about hotels in Bacharach…beware the trains! They came whizzing by, obliterating conversation and requiring a cover for our beer. At one point, a train came from each way, passing within spitting distance from us. We jumped about 6 inches out of our chairs. It was quite entertaining as long as we had the option to leave when our beer was done and as long as our room was on the other side of the hotel! Many people came to test the chef’s reputation for preparing an excellent menu, but we went on to explore the city.

Sunday, May 30: Swan Song
After a good breakfast at the Heller, we started our planned tour of some places along the Rhine with a visit to Oberwesel and its castle. There was a festival happening there, an anniversary celebration for the town. There was activity at the castle, small children dressed in the regalia of knighthood complete with cardboard swords, and grownups in various medieval outfits. We did not go into the castle but walked the outer limits, watching the arrival of participants and observers. The streets of the small town were even more interesting as the bells of the church were ringing and the churchgoers were heading there dressed in garb of the day, women in long skirts, lace aprons, cloth purses and head coverings, men in waistcoats and leggings. It was going to be a gala day in Oberwesel but we had ‘miles to go before we sleep’ so opted to drive on. Heading toward Rüdesheim, we decided to skip the towns and drive the back roads for awhile. (Did you note the itinerary change?) Back to the map, I thought we would try Idar Oberstein via the Naheweinstrasse. This turned out to be a back, back road, and Jim gave me the ultimate compliment. He said I really outdid myself this time, as the narrow route went on and on, thru the smallest towns and past very remote countryside. Several times we had to wait or detour around a tiny village that was having a holiday parade. Of course, each detour led to narrower roads and smaller towns and many lost ways. Arriving at the Nahe River, we followed it west toward Heidelberg and accommodations for the night. That’s when Lettie’s words started to ring in our ears. We wandered through every town, following each gasthaus sign only to find every inn locked up tight, no sign of life. It became apparent that this was a very holy day and everyone was out somewhere observing the holiday. We continued to search, passing gatherings in churchyards and parks as we drove and wondering how many innkeepers were there instead of at work, we once again uttered the inevitable phrase: “We can always sleep in the car”. Not to worry, as we drove through Osthofen, we spied a hotel with lights on inside, a sign of habitation! It was the Landhotel zum Schwanen, an ultra modern place on main street. http://www.zum-schwanen-osthofen.de/ 4 star, 90 Euro. It had a small balcony, a ‘choice of flush’ toilet, double sinks and had to put the room key in the electric outlet to get power. When leaving you had to turn the power off to remove your key, a room dedicated to conservation of energy.

We walked the town looking for a place to have a glass of wine but everyplace seemed closed. There were people visiting or playing board games in the bier gardens but they were not being served anything. The signs all said ‘Open at 6 PM.’ We spotted a poster that announced that Weingut Margaritenhof was open. On a side street, we found a large back yard with several cloth covered tables, many of them occupied. Our waiter was a boy of about 10, very formal and polite. He was quite flustered with our English and attempts at German and went to retrieve his mom for assistance. After a glass of good wine, we returned to the Swan for dinner in their courtyard. We had the ‘special of the day’ and it turned out to be the worst meal of the trip. It was served in courses and prepared by a chef, not a cook! The food was tasty but we much prefer the more typical German fare rather than fancy cuisine. All in all, the Schwanen is a modern, friendly place, and, given the circumstances of the day, we were glad to have a spot to hang our hat for the night.

Part VI: JOURNEY’S END

Monday, May 31: Heading for Heidelberg
The destination for the last day was Heidelberg. On our last visit there we had missed a turn somewhere and ended up snaking up to the castle on some steep back road. It was late afternoon and the English tour would not go for another hour so we decided to forego the tour. This time we had no trouble following the line of cars up the hill toward the castle but instead of the parking lot, the road ended in a parking garage. We opted for the walk up the 330 steps over the winding roadway. The English tour was ready to depart so we were in luck. After the very interesting tour, I made an extended stop at the little shops to stock up on key chains and other mementos for the grandkids. Leaving the castle, we decided to walk the winding switchback road rather than the stairs. After making a few twists and turns, we realized we must have twisted when we should have turned and seemed to be lost. Jim told me to wait while he went ahead to see if the garage or something familiar was around the next bend. With that, he struck out at a fast pace and soon disappeared out of sight. It soon became evident that he was not just going to check out what was around the next bend but was in search of the garage. As I stood there the feeling of panic slowly set in alternating with fits of anger at him for heading off without me and at me for agreeing to wait. All sorts of scenarios ran through my head beginning with how do I explain to a German policeman that I lost my husband and my car! After about 20 minutes that seemed more like 2 hours, I heard a ‘whoop’ from a few turns down the hill behind me. I’m sure he located me by spotting the smoke that was coming out of my ears! He had found the way to the car and was proud and happy, oblivious to the worry and suffering he had put me through. :-) I didn’t know whether to be mad or glad, decided to just be relieved that the wait was over, we were together again and had a car to continue on our way!

From Heidelburg it was off to Morfelden-Walldorf for our last night at the Landhotel Mönchbruch Mühle http://www.moenchbruch-muehle.de/moenchbruch/seiten/index.htm, 72 Euro. We discovered this place on a drive by on our second trip to Germany so many years ago. It was part of a vacation ‘schloss’ of some royalty way back when. The main building across the street was a school of some sort for awhile but now seems to have been made into apartments. The complex is located on a well-used hiking/biking/nature trail. The upscale restaurant and grounds are popular locations for weddings and other celebrations but also on the same premise is a neat beer garden with a terrific self-serve deli. We have learned to make a reservation here (room 33) because the hotel is often filled with parties and conferences. We have tried the restaurant but much prefer the bier garden for price, ambiance and ‘comfort’ food (I even tried the gigantic liver balls once, highly recommend the smoked ribchen) and ’hobnobbing’ with the locals. Downside is that the bier garden closes at 6:00 p.m. but you can buy a few bottles of beer to drink in your room after supper. The room price is on the high end of our price scale but we are willing to pay for the convenience of being only 15 minutes from the airport. We lugged all our suitcases upstairs for repacking… wine bottles cushioned in the dirty clothes, ‘borrowed’ glasses wrapped in t-shirts, souvenirs stashed here and there, a prayer or two offered that we won‘t be chosen for a search and repack.

The next morning we enjoyed our last German breakfast buffet and then the dash to the airport. This time we found the car return with no problem (Terminal 1, hard right at the sign that says ‘car rental‘… does not say return, last time we were lost in the bowels of the airport with seemingly no exit to be found). A long line that seemed to represent the United Nations had already formed at check-in. We took our places and were soon approached by a USAir representative looking for volunteers for a possible bump. Compensation would be a night in a hotel and a free ticket or $600 voucher. Since we had no car or hotel waiting at the other end of our journey, we decided to get on the list. The wait at the gate area was interrupted by an evacuation due to some abandoned luggage but after a lot of circling by armed officials the problem was soon solved. The ‘bump volunteers’ clustered together in one area all discussing how we were going to use the anticipated reward, but it soon became evident that there would be room for all of us on the current flight.

Tuesday, June 1: Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety-Jig
We arrived in Charlotte on time, did the required ‘fire drill’ of transferring the suitcases from one belt to another, did the line standing for customs and then off to the departure gate for the next leg of the journey. The sign indicated the plane would depart on time but soon was changed to a ten minute delay and then 30 minute delay and then the attendants started to announce that the plane was here but the crew was late arriving on another flight. After frantic phone calling, they announced they couldn’t locate the crew (the general consensus was ‘Did you check the bar?’) and then, after about two hours, announced that there had been no crew assigned and the flight was canceled. USAir personnel did their best to get people out on flights with other carriers but it was late and the number of flights were diminishing quickly. Many passengers were irate that we would be offered a free night in a motel but not a free ticket. It was explained that a canceled flight was not the same as a bump. Jim and I managed to snag the last two seats on an ATA flight to Midway in Chicago, then a bus ride thru the night to Milwaukee in an atmosphere of jovial togetherness as the travelers bonded in their mutual inconvenience. We arrived at the airport at three in the morning, got our son out of bed to come pick us up and were climbing into our own bed just as dawn was sneaking over Lake Michigan. First thing on the agenda for the following day… start the mental planning for the ‘unfinished business’ left to do on our next trip to Germany!

Post script: An email to USAir detailing the good points of the trip - on board attendants and service, comfort of the plane, extraordinary effort put forth by the gate workers after the cancellation, and the bad points - rescheduled flight and loss of our adjoining seats, canceled flight with no compensation, resulted in a $150 voucher each from USAir. Now let’s hope they don’t go bankrupt before we get a chance to use them!