The church bells were ringing like crazy at 7 AM. They went on and on, and began again at 8 AM and beyond. What could this signify? After consulting "Google", yes it was another Catholic holiday, which meant a public holiday in many parts of Germany, and all the shops were closed. This was Corpus Christi.
A nice breakfast was included in our room rate - there were even scrambled eggs (thoroughly cooked unlike the French) and bacon close to "American-style", and a chilled bottle of Prosecco from which to help yourself. Not to mention the good German brötchen, cheeses, meats, and fruit.
Ron went for a walk afterward, and I went up to the room. Shortly I heard him calling to me from below. He asked if I'd come down, as he wanted to take me on a very short, interesting walk. I went down and we slowly traversed the equivalent of about six blocks. We walked to the opposite shore of the Peninsula and along the water. Many beautiful flowers and sculptures.
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| Ron near ferry stop in Wasserburg am Bodensee |
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| One of many sculptures along lake shore |
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| In an ancient cemetary |
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| Another sculpture near lake |
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| Mary near ferry dock |
The walk really tired me out from the pain. When I finally managed to limp back to the hotel, I lay on the bed with a cold cloth to recover. Love to walk and explore, and these physical limitations are depressing right now. Hopefully there will be a solution at some point.
We left the hotel about 10 AM. Ron had programmed a city on the "tourist route" to Garmisch. I wondered why the GPS was taking us above the lake and north. Because of the holiday, the roads were filled with bicyclists, motorcycles, three-wheel scooters, pedestrians - everyone out enjoying the beautiful weather. But, made for many "obstacles" to dodge around!
We drove on small roads right through the beautiful fruit orchards that are everywhere throughout the area - apples, peaches, pears, cherries, and strawberry fields. This is the largest fruit-growing area in Germany with about 18,500 acres under cultivation. There are over 16,000 growers, and many of them have small stands or larger shops, and there are many fields of "pick-your-own" strawberries. The houses are all bedecked with flowers in the boxes in every window. So beautiful. It turned out the wrong Sonthofen was in the GPS. I kept saying, "I'm not sure why it is taking us that way." Finally, when we came to the town of Isnay, we realized it was not going where we wanted. I saw on the good old-fashioned map that from Isnay we could take a "short-cut" to Kempten. Thankfully, the GPS did not take us too far out of the way.
These roads were twisty, narrow, and speed limits are too high for the conditions. We were following a car that drifted WAY over the center line on a blind curve, traveling about 50 mph. We were saying "what in the world is he doing?" Just at that moment, a motorcycle (going even faster than the car) came around the curve from the opposite direction. The car swerved in the nick of time. We both gasped and it literally took our breath away. That motorcyclist was lucky to be alive - it was a matter of a few seconds. It was a very scary reminder of how something terrible can happen in the blink of an eye.
After that, I thought I might prefer going on the better roads than through a mountain pass. So, we re-programmed, and went on an autobahn a short way (which are almost as bad beause maniacs are flying past you at 100+ mph). We had programmed a gasthof in Plach, but found the town totally charmless, and the gasthof filled with motorcycles. We continued on to Reutte, the first town across the border in Austria, and nothing there appealed either. We continued to our original lunch destination, Hotel Post in Lermoos. Lermoos is on the "back side" (Austrian side) of the Zugspitze (highest mountain in Germany reached from Garmisch). The scenery is spectacular, beyond description. We always visit this hotel when we are in the area.
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| Austrian side of Zugspitze |
There was a private party going on and there was quite a lot of noise. Because of the beautiful scenery I wanted to sit on the terrace amongst all the party folks - member of a Tyrolean band, all dressed in their traditional garb. Ron was pleased to find his gulashsuppe on the menu. In many places we had visited they told him it is only served in winter. After he finished his soup, I asked if we should move inside.
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| Some of the Tyrolian band group on the terrace |
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| View from Terrace |
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| Overlooking pool at Hotel Post in Lermoos |
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| Ron with Zugspitze in background |
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| The "rare" gulash suppe |
We did so, and it was cooler and quieter - except for the baby at a nearby table. We both had backhendl (fried chicken). Chicken is seldom on a menu in Europe - except for the rotisserie chickens at fests and beer gardens OR the Austrian fried chicken.
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| Traditional Kachelofen (tiled heating oven) in dining room |
An English fellow (probably in his 60's) was at the table next to us. The waiters all greeted him and welcomed him back. Part of the conversation I overheard was that he had been hiking in the Pyrenees, and had covered over 2,700 KM (1,600 miles) walking about 20 miles a day for 82 days. He was raving about how wonderful it was, and that he met people of all ages doing the same trek. He developed issues with his knees and had come to the Hotel Post to swim and use the spa facilities in hope of recovering.
Leaving Lermoos, it was a quick drive to Garmisch. We had to go into town for Ron to access an ATM at a bank (which required a walk). No drive-through banks like in the US. He called our contact lady, and she said she would meet us at the apartment in a few minutes. We drove there, and she glided in on her bike. She and her husband explained the workings of the apartment, TV, garage, etc.
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| Great kitchen with Siemens appliances, including dish washer |
We love our little apartment. It is so modern and clean. The Germans tend to keep things so pristine you would never know anyone has stayed here before. The floors are sleek, beautiful laminate wood. The appliances are all modern, and there is a washer AND dryer (unusual) within the apartment (not shared with other residents). There are screens on the doors, so it is nice to be able to leave doors open and not be invaded by flies or little creatures. Screens are EXTREMELY unusual in Europe. There are two bedrooms and two full baths both with walk-in, level showers. There is an underground parking space and an elevator. The main bedroom is small, but has a nice king bed, and TONS of hanging space and shelves to get all our "stuff" put away out of sight. We can see the peak of the Zugspitze over the rooftops.
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| Zugspitze from our terrace |
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| Our own Roomba lawn mower |
We also are happy to have BBC and another English-language channel.
Ron says he could live here forever!
One of the best Italian restaurants in Garmisch is nearby, but Ron was certain it was too far for me to walk, so we went there in the car. But, it appeared there were lots of people waiting, and it was already 8 PM. So, we went to look at another great Italian place, but it was also full. Our third stop was empty and had a limited menu - no to that one. We finally settled into Renzo, near the Rathaus, in an area of town that seems to be off our radar. It was crowded and lively, and most importantly, they had a table for us. The waiter was friendly and joking, and service was quick. Too quick, in my opinion, as if things had been cooked in advance. Ron had his usual pizza Quattro stagione (Four Seasons), and I had rigatoni with gorgonzola sauce.
We returned to our little abode, and retired by 11 PM. A long day.
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