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  • TravelerGermany/Switzerland/Wedding
    Day 18

    Kayaking on Alz river (Chiemsee)

    August 13, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Last day in Germany! We went kayaking with Robin. It was a lot of fun. It was another hot day so it felt good to cool off in the river. Quite a few people out there enjoying the water but it is a wide river so there's plenty of room. We didn't make a reservation ahead so we were lucky that when we got to the rental place Kajakverleih) They had a two-person kayak and a paddle board available. So we started out where the river flows out of Chiemsee lake just by the bridge and floated for about 3 hours. A little paddling but mostly we went with the gentle flow of the river. It was stronger than it looked because it one point we got out to swim and we had to walk up the bank and float down because you could not swim against the current and make any progress or it would take you down stream. At the end of our route the rental place has bicycles and we planned to ride bikes back but Jay, Dan, Annie and Tim showed up. They did a bit of swimming and we hung out for a few and then headed back to Unterneukirchin and we all ate dinner at Raspels. Good thing we got a big table because we kept gathering family members around it which was fun. It was the last hurrah in Westin and Marina showed up for a bit so it was nice to have one last hug with them before leaving.Read more

  • TravelerGermany/Switzerland/Wedding
    Day 17

    Wedding Day!

    August 12, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    We made a quick trip back to the long Castle because Luke and Devan had not seen it yet. This time we went down into Bergenhausen and walked around a bit. I was enamored once again with all of the cool doors and and these pastel colored buildings.
    The castle was less crowded this morning so it was nice to see it that way. We came back and got ready and jumped on the shuttle at 1:00 sharp to head to the wedding..
    What a beautiful and fun celebration it was!
    It was a gorgeous, sunny and very hot day.. The wedding was held in a very cool old barn. The bride and the groom both looked radiant and it was a thrill to be there with all of the Bavarian neighbors, friends and relatives who came to their celebration. There was a good representation of those of us from the US as well! Dan officiated the ceremony and it was very touching. Westin gave his vows to Marina in German, and Marina gave her vows to Westin in English. It was the most romantic wedding I've seen. After the official ceremony there were party games and guessing games with facts about the bride and the groom. We all enjoyed a great dinner in the barn with fire roasted trout, wienerschnitzel and German spatzle. And sides. One of Westin's neighbors made a wedding cake that was chocolate apricot and it took her 2 days to make it. It was probably the best tasting cake I've ever had. There was also a potpourri of homemade cakes in addition to the wedding cake that filled a table. German beer and merriment were had by all. Then the band, two brothers and three others took the stage and played a variety of Austrian rock, American rock, hard rock,nd German folk songs . We danced as much as we could given the heat in the barn. Marina's mother dance the whole night, I don't think she ever sat down. It got so hot that Kristy jumped into the kids pool and drank beer from a snorkel. The band loved the wedding guests and had to be asked to stop playing at 1:30 in the morning.    Read more

  • TravelerGermany/Switzerland/Wedding
    Day 16

    Burghausen Worlds Longest Castle

    August 11, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    About 20 minutes from Unterneukirchin is a very cool castle that we toured twice and today was the first day. We went with our nephew Trevor and Rachel. This castle dates all the way back to 200 BC as a Celtic fortification In the 1100's Henry the Lion was in possession of the Castle and starting in the 13th century the Dukes of lower Bavaria had control of it. The reason it is so long is the castle was built to protect travel of salt boats coming down the Salzatch River which runs through Salzburg. Salt was money in the Roman empire.
    Fun fact! George the Rich married a Polish princess in 1475 and the town below, Berghausen has celebrated this wedding every year since. Westin has attended this celebration and he said it is quite a crazy party... The party goers all dance on the tables and eventually end up falling off. I took many pictures of this town...It is beautiful with its pastel colored buildings and you go through a tunnel under buildings on either end of the town.
    That night all of the family and friends gathered and we were treated to a pre wedding Bavarian dinner. I finally ordered Schnitzel that night and it was excellent..
    Luke and Devan arrived from the US just in time for the dinner.    Read more

  • TravelerGermany/Switzerland/Wedding
    Day 15

    Eagles nest and dinner - Westin & Marina

    August 10, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F

    We headed out to Eagle's nest since we had most of the day free. Eagle's Nest sits atop the Obersalzberg mountains in one of the most beautiful parts of Bavaria, overlooking the small town of Berchtesgaden. Unfortunately, there was some weather that day and the tops of the German Alps were partly covered in clouds. They would clear briefly and peak through. We found that this is a very popular site & was quite crowded. You buy a bus ticket and they take you up the mountain and drop you off where you walk through a long underground tunnel to an elevator used by the Nazi staff. The elevator takes you up into the Eagle's nest which was Hitler's mountain retreat. Adolf Hitler didn't really spend too much time there, but he did meet with other heads of state from other countries there.
    After our tour of Eagles Nest, we headed back to have dinner with other family and close friends that had arrived and we all met up at Westin and Marinas home about 45 minutes from the place we stayed in Unterneukirchin. They have 6 bee hives and they are growing their own veges! The honey is the best I've ever tasted.    Read more

  • TravelerGermany/Switzerland/Wedding
    Day 14

    Unterneukirchin

    August 9, 2023 in Germany ⋅ 🌧 59 °F

    We arrived in Unterneukirchin (about 1 hr from Salzburg) which is where the wedding will be held. Gorgeous green farm country all the way from Salzburg.
    Many crops are being grown so there are lots of tractors, cows and chickens. Today was rainy (again!) This was a prep day for Westin and Marina. I rode around with Marina and Robin in the morning. Marina had a lot of errands to run... pick up her dress, the rings, etc... In the afternoon we helped at the barn with some set up details for the wedding and we met Alex, Marinas sister. We ate dinner at Raspl's which we found out quickly is excellent so you better have a reservation! We loved the dark beer served very cold. I also love that Germans live their gin and there is an entirr Gin cocktail menu here with all kinds of different Gin. The Hotel Traumschmiede was great! Comfortable, stylish, super accommodating, price is right. It was so convenient to stay there and the restaurant is right there as well. We loved what was on the walls in the bathrooms at the restaurant and funniest part is the guy I got in one of the photos. lol!Read more

  • TravelerGermany/Switzerland/Wedding
    Day 13

    Fortress Hohensalzburg, St Peters Square

    August 8, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    We got up and had breakfast in the room, and then walked down to the central part of Salzburg hugging the castle wall. We went up to Hohensalzburg Castle. It was a very long steep climb up from the city, especially right where you enter the castle. When we got there we noticed there was a cog railway that ran up and down the hill that would have been a good idea to take because by the time we walked from our hotel through the city up to the castle and the steep entrance. Then we walked all around the castle inside and walked around for the afternoon. Our feet were beat. Purchase the full tour ticket to see all areas of the castle, it is only €4 more.
    You can also buy these tickets online and it is less expensive online. We then toured the castle and went into the museum. Impressive collection of medieval armor weapons and WW I Austrian military uniforms and weapons. There are portions of the castle where they show restoration work and expose the old walls which is very cool. The interior chamber for the archbishop is amazingly decorated, and there is a tile stove for heating. Heating one of the two rooms was heated by the most ornate stove in Europe. All in all it takes about 3 or 4 hours to see everything in the castle and there are lots of stairs. Given that this was a castle and grounds that was occupied since about 700 AD by various archbishops it is very impressive and was our favorite site. We then went down from the castle and had a nice lunch at an Austrian restaurant with bratwurst and sauerkraut. The restaurant was on the horse carriage tour so we heard the clip clop of horse hooves while we dined. We then went over to St. Peters cathedral, cemetary and atrium and looked at the sepulchres and the catacombs. In the sound of music film, this is where Maria and the children hid from the Nazis. The catacombs are quite small with only two large rooms, but the view down is cool. We then went back to the entrance of the downtown area and thankfully grabbed the number 10 bus, and rode it back to our hotel area. We left town and got some oil for the rental caryes, leaks...😡33 euros per quart for the car and headed towards Unterneukirken. The highway follows the German Austrian border and goes through some of the most lovely fertile farm fields and forests glens I've ever seen. The corn is six feet tall. The grain has been mowed in most places and the fields are full of green luscious grass with an occasional pasture of cows grazing contentedly. The Raspl restaurant was completely full, and the hotel is lovely. We had a late dinner with some delicious dark beer and bruchetta salmon and tomato toast.    Read more

  • TravelerGermany/Switzerland/Wedding
    Day 12

    Salzburg

    August 7, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    We lucked out on our hotel and ended up with a very cool apartment on the top floor at Das Grune. It was about 20 min walk to the platz. We first went to Mirabelle gardens where they filmed the Do-Re-Mi scene for the Sound of Music. Inside the palace it is decorated extravagantly with many marble statues on a staircase, and a very nice music room with gold embellishments on the ceiling and walls. We found the Pegasus fountain outside Mirabelle gardens. Next we went to St. Andra church. We then went to Kapuziner Koster, which was on top of a hill and started by a monk monastery. Quite a climb. Next we went to Saint Sebastian Church which was also impressive. We had a good lunch at Alter Fuchs which means old fox. Greg had the farmer's soup and Kristy had cordon bleu...both very good.. after lunch we went to St. Johannes Church and the Residence Platz where there is a very large impressive fountain We then went into the Dom Salzburg Church. You have to pay €5 to get in, but it's worth every cent. It is a baroque architecture. Highly decorated and impressive church. Next to it is the Franciscan church that was started around 1100 AD. We then walked back to our hotel room. Greg walked across the street and got a couple of pizzas at a place called Pizza Joy. Lol...It was joyful for the owner because they gave us a tablespoon of tomato sauce and three shreds of cheese. It's true. It was a good day. Tired feet. Slept well!Read more

  • TravelerGermany/Switzerland/Wedding
    Day 11

    Neuswanstien castle, Garmisch

    August 6, 2023 in Germany ⋅ 🌧 57 °F

    We stayed at Hotel Garni Brunnthaler. We had a larger room because we accidentally ordered a baby bed when we thought we were reserving parking lol! Got up early and left the hotel before breakfast so we could get to Neuschwanstein Castle for our tour reservation. It was pouring cats and dogs pretty much all morning and continued through the day and it had also rained all night. Now we know why everything is so intensely green. King Ludwig never completed this castle and only lived there for 170 days. He was arrested in his bed chamber and found dead in the lake the next day. Apparently at that point in time he was not a popular King! Most likely this was due to his excessive expenditures on this castle and his plans for future extravagant spending on this castle as well as others he had planned to build. The parts of the castle that we saw were quite fantastic and over the top. Interesting blend of different styles. We enjoyed the tour and especially seeing the huge kitchen area.. location is fantastic and the castle has its very own private view of a massive waterfall.
    We enjoyed walking through a historic part of Garmisch with many murals and beautiful and historic homes. We took the rest of the day to drive to Salzburg and stopped at a McDonald's about halfway there. McDonald's is at a whole different level here. They had a whole barista coffee bar with pastries and the restaurant was two story... Very fancy McDonalds!    Read more

  • TravelerGermany/Switzerland/Wedding
    Day 9

    Ehrenberg castle on our way to Garmisch!

    August 4, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    We happened upon this delightful castle in Austria on our way to Garmisch. There are two castles now connected by suspension bridge. Dates back to 1200s and 1482. We hiked up to the castle then the bridge,,. Bridge is the world's longest pedestrian suspension bridge, 360 ft up from HYW. We just HAD to walk across it and man did it make my butt pucker! I can go all kinds of speed on the ground but that kind of a drop is a different story! In the middle it was shaking from the foot traffic and I was really wondering what I had done to myself...kept saying just keep walking! Lol, going back was better. Made it to Garmish, checked in to hotel Garmi Brunnthaler, at suggestion of the front desk we went to Floberstube restaurant for dinner, Greg had Wenerschnitzel and I had venison and it was excellent.Read more

  • TravelerGermany/Switzerland/Wedding
    Day 8

    Grindelwald Swiss Alps hike

    August 3, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    We drove back up to Grindelwald and took the tram up to Mannlichen. Unbelievably beautiful views of the Swiss Alps! Really, it does not even look real! We hiked for about 3 and 1/2 hours from the tram over to the cog rail station. The pictures are the best way to describe the amazing scenery. Towards the end it was a steep down to the tram but otherwise a pretty easy hike and we just took our time and enjoyed sack lunch on the trail.. Greg helped motor us along by bringing Lindt chocolate. Swiss chocolate in the Swiss Alps!!
    Found our pizza for dinner in interlachen and then we headed over to Lucerne, about 1 hr drive through a beautiful mountain pass with hair pin turns and switch backs. I got a laugh out of one of them. I will post the Google map. We figured it was too far to drive back to Garmisch at that point and we were too pooped. Good call, it was 9 PM and dark by the time we arrived at Lucerne and we grabbed a hotel downtown that is 186 years old!. It's right across from the old city wall.    Read more

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