Day Five (December 27)

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Happy Birthday Gail! Getting out of bed we found it a bit nippy in the room. Steaming hot showers and donning our warmest clothes took the chill off. We trotted down to Frühstück at 8:15. Once again we were treated to an awesome German breakfast buffet. I was a bit disappointed in not getting soft-boiled eggs, but I filled up quite nicely with hard rolls topped with salami, ham, and cheese. The girls concentrated on the cereal, yogurt and bread with jelly or honey. We washed it all down with orange juice and farm fresh milk.

With it being Gail’s birthday she was in charge of our itinerary for the day. We had already booked the sleigh ride so as soon as we finished eating we found Herr Schmid. He hopped in the hotel van and he led us out of Oberammergau. Overnight the snow had covered the roads with about 2 inches of fine powder. Herr Schmid seemed intent on losing us as we tried to keep up with him. Like I said, I think I’m pretty adept at driving in the snow, but these Germans are nuts. He had built up nearly a quarter mile lead on us until a slower car in front of him allowed us to catch up. He led us on a merry chase through a long low valley populated with scores of cross country skiers. Although the temperature was a mere 16 degrees Fahrenheit, the sun was bright and intense. We pulled into a tiny village called “Graswang” and then turned into a small farm courtyard. Sitting right in front of us was a two horse open sleigh pulled by two tiny, hairy horses or were they two hairy, big ponies? Herr Schmid and our silent driver helped us into the wooden sleigh. We sat facing each other, three to a side. The seats were lined with thick sheepskins with a thick blanket on top of that. That blanket was folded back over us at each end of the bench then another heavier blanket went over us from our legs up to our necks. We were bundled up feeling as cozy as a newborn.

Our driver wasted no time and we slowly moved out of the courtyard on to a tiny road heading toward Linderhof. The ponies/horses seemed to move effortlessly as we began to parallel a little creek. We wound our way past piles upon piles of cut firewood. I couldn’t imagine how anybody could burn that much wood. I wondered how they got to it being so far from the nearest house and surrounded by at least a foot of snow. We drove through some sort of lumber yard where planks for house building were hand hewn. We saw a brand new wooden Alpine style house going up. Right away Gail and I decided that’s what we wanted when we retired.

Just past the lumber yard the path began to climb. And climb. It wasn’t particularly steep but the ascent seemed to go on and on. I was sitting with my back to the driver and didn’t realize until later that the driver had gotten off the sled and walked beside the horses as we went up the hill. The route we took was absolutely serene. The snow was fresh and bright white, the sky was so clear we could see three or four jet contrails at a time, there was no one else on the path and big pine trees lined the route. We didn’t see any wildlife other than a few birds, but this natural experience was breath-taking. A couple times I looked to see how Gail, Cassie and Grandma were doing as they sat in front of me. They are naturally a bit thin-blooded but they seemed to be having a great time despite the freezing temperature. We must have traveled uphill for close to 45 minutes. When we reached the top of the incline we passed a gate and were suddenly on the Linderhof property. The horses got a breather as we zipped downhill past stone walls and pine trees toward the castle. As we pulled-up in front of the building a busload of Japanese tourists hurried over to take pictures of the VIPs arriving from the distant forest. The driver gave the horses a rest, put blankets on them and strapped on their feedbags. Herr Schmid warned us not to dawdle too long when we stopped at Linderhof because it wasn’t good for the horses to work up a sweat then stand around in the cold. We took a few pictures and stretched for a few minutes. It was after I got out from beneath the blanket that I realized how awfully cold it was outside. I had actually sweated under the blankets.

After about a 15 minute break we reboarded the sleigh. The horses/ponies struggled a bit going back up the shorter but steeper hill leading into Linderhof but once we reached the crest they flew back down that long stretch back to Graswang. Going back things suddenly felt much, much colder. The blankets kept us warm everywhere but on our feet. All of us started complaining about numbing toes. Cassie then began to ask about the symptoms of frostbite. I knew we were far from that type of danger but it was still pretty darn uncomfortable. When the road flattened out the horses slowed to a walk. Behind us a cross country skier slowly caught up to us. Whether it was intentional or not, every time the skier tried to pass, our horses/ponies sped up. The skier was getting increasingly angry. He finally dug in deep with his poles and skis then ran past us.

When we got back to the farm at 11:30 the farmer started unhooking his horses/ponies from the sleigh even before we got out. They were covered in sweat. I never knew horses sweated that profusely. We quickly paid the driver 75€ for the ride and with nothing more than a smile he led them into the barn. We had traveled close to 13 kilometers round trip.

Being Gail’s day she decided that she wanted to go to Innsbrück, Austria. We headed South back through Ettal and through the hairpin turns down into Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Helga’s directions agreed with my recollection of the path through the Alps. I caught a brief glimpse of the huge ski jumps built for the 1936 Winter Olympics and still used today. A short time later we passed the huge hospital with two landing spots on the roof for helicopters. Was it a coincidence that it was built so close to the ski jumps? The sun was extremely bright reflecting off the snow. I saw cross-country skiers almost everywhere we passed. I was hoping to make a brief stop in the village of Mittenwald, famous for its violin making, but I was expecting the road to take us through the downtown, but it never came close. By the time I saw the Mittenwald exit we were past it. Besides, Gail really wanted to get some shopping done in Swarovski’s and I knew that could take hours. I wanted to be out of Innsbrück before dark and the rush hour.

The ride through the mountain pass was uneventful. I suppose it closes often in heavy snows. The descent into the Innsbrück valley was exhilarating. The road wound back and forth on itself with a 10% gradient in places. It would be very nasty if it started snowing on our return. And I would assume you could be tied up for hours on a summer weekend when the campers and caravans tried to negotiate their way through.

Helga the GPS did another great job in taking us into Innsbrück. I had simply requested directions to Innsbrück not mentioning any specific streets or landmarks and the directions she gave took us two blocks from the Annasäule. This is the beautiful column smack in the middle of Maria-Theresien-Strasse. It commemorates the day in 1703 when the Tyroleans finally kicked the Bavarians out of town. It also represents the dividing line between Old Innsbrück and New. We found an underground garage, appropriately named the “Touristengarage”, that listed an overhead clearance of 2 meters. I know 2 meters is about 6’6” but I wasn’t sure how tall our van stood. Since I didn’t hear any scraping as we drove in, I used this as our magic number whenever we sought underground parking during the rest of the trip. We paused 5 minutes to send everyone into the nearby Hilton to use their rest rooms.

Innsbrück seemed so alive compared to everywhere else we had been so far. It was a bustling town. This was not due to its being a major metropolis or anything. It was simply because the Christmas holidays had finally ended. The air was pretty nippy but with a bright sun and shoveled sidewalks (finally) we made our way past the Annasäule. I carefully hurried the group past way too many shoe and clothing stores. Gail aided me immensely in this task because she could hear the far-off tinkling of Swarovski crystal in the distance. Tyler and I walked into the first jewelry shop in the pedestrians only zone in order to get his watchband resized. The woman at the counter took Tyler’s watch and walked up a few steps to a balcony extending above us in the small shop. She conferred with the jeweler then walked back down to tell us it would take about 10 minutes. Meanwhile the ladies stood in line to use the open air ATM. (Days later Gail told me she felt a little suspicious of someone standing behind them in line who continually fumbled with their cell phone yet never spoke into it. We thought they might have been making a video of our pin number or cards but nothing weird ever showed-up on our charges). The girls were just itching to get to the crystal shop but they patiently waited for Tyler’s watch to be finished. We were amazed that the charge was a mere 3€.

I tried to go into Swarovski’s with an open mind and not be my usual impatient, bored to death self, but this was my third visit in the past two years to this particular Innsbrück store. About the only thing that changed was the little exhibit in the basement. Instead of a tribute to Shirley Bassey (who?) it was some kind of goofy presentation depicting a beautiful New World where everyone wears Swarovski crystal. That entertained me for all of 5 minutes. Poor Tyler had to pacify Gen by feigning interest in the stuff she was looking at. I don’t miss those days of young love. Now Gail knows that she’s better off letting me run off on my own just so she doesn’t have to listen to my whining. I swear they were in there at least an hour. I took time to head outside the store and explore some of the Old Town. The Christkindlmarkt was still going despite the fact that the Innsbrück website said it would close before Christmas. My reconnoitering of the area revealed two outdoor stalls dispensing far too many delicious culinary choices. Now that it was after 2:00 my stomach was growling.

After an eternity in which Gail not only returned two defective bracelets that she had purchased during in the Summer on a similar shopping binge, she seemed ready to go. She then proceeded to spend an additional $400 on whatever she does in there. What the heck. It’s her birthday. Out in the Fussgängerzone we mad our way toward the scent of Glühwein. Everyone was hungry. While I showed Gail the two stalls I had discovered, Gen and Tyler wasted no time in ordering big plates of Raclette Brot, bread with melted cheese over it, and sodas. I ordered something that was a cross between gnocchi and Spätzle topped with melted cheese while Cassie got Spinach Spätzle. Gail got us Sprites and hot chocolate. The six of us stood in the frigid cold at outdoor tables sharing our delights. Whatever that gnocchi/Spätzle hybrid was called it was the prizewinner. I don’t think our two dogs could clean the gooey cheese off that plate as well as we did.

Not being part of a big tour group this time, we actually got to saunter through the Old Town and enjoy the ambience. There were plenty of souvenir stands open. As much as we try to be cool and act like we aren’t tourists, we can’t resist the junk shops. Cassie bought me my Tyrolean hat with an Innsbrück hat pin as an early birthday present. Gail and her mother added to their growing collection of postcards.

There was only one thing I had to do in Innsbrück - to stop in the Schnapps shop at Hofgasse 5. The Drinks Company became my favorite Innsbrück indulgence last summer when I made myself woozy tasting the many free samples of Schnapps available at no charge. As you walk in you see before you scores of large flasks hanging from the wall. A young lady comes by and asks if you want a sample. Duhhhhh… The problem is making a choice. I bought the Russian Chocolate cream liquor last Summer so I tried that first. Your hostess takes a little plastic communion cup out of a holster around her waist. Then deftly grabbing a tiny hose coming out of the bottle, she gives you a generous thimbleful of the elixir. Tyler joined me while the others appeared shy about drinking for free. That was followed by Cappuccino Cream, Strawberry, Roast Apple and Williams (?) brandy. Certainly not enough to get you soused, but I could feel a little buzz coming on. Gail finally tried the Amaretto. Of course after that one feels guilty drinking up their product so we felt we had to buy something. The booze isn’t expensive. It’s only about 3 or 4€ per 100 ML, but then they charge you for the bottle which is another 4€ for 100ML. As the bottles get bigger and more ornate so does the price. Some bottles are shaped like angels, or bells, or perfume bottles, or witches or even naked girls. Tyler got 200ML of the Russian Chocolate. Gail permitted me to get a pre-bottled strawberry Schnapps and had them prepare a bottle of the Cappuccino Cream for a co-worker. Looking back now I could kick myself for not buying more but this just means I have to go back again.

With our purchases wrapped and bagged (no charge for the shopping bag!) we continued our walk in the Altstadt. We really didn’t wander far from the Goldenes Dachl, or Golden Roof. This is the symbol of Innsbrück. Emperor Maximilian I had this built in order to display his power and wealth back in 1500. It was intended to be built with close to 3000 gold tiles but the project nearly bankrupted the Emperor so he borrowed money and used copper instead. It was in this immediate area that the thriving Christmas Market was situated. We walked a short distance to the Dom or cathedral of Innsbrück. I had been trying to keep our Cathedral/church/abbey visits down to no more than one per day because I knew that even to me they all start to look the same after awhile. We must have had our fill at this point because we only spent 15 minutes inside. These cathedrals are all beautiful and impressive but with every town having at least one, seeing them gets old. Note to myself: On future tours limit these visits to one every other day.

Even though I have continually whined and moaned about being dragged into shoe stores, women’s clothing places and jewelry shops, somehow I don’t mind the Christmas markets at all. I could walk around all day. We never buy anything but I love the way the booths are decorated and the craftwork they display. And as you can see, I have low resistance around the food. I was also drawn by the Christmas pyramids - those unique wooden propellers driven by the heat rising from candles situated below the paddles. They are supposedly based on the same machinery German miners used to pump water out of the mines. I miss the days when the kids had to have an Advent Calendar from Germany or Austria. I used to get almost as excited as they did opening the little windows each day.

As darkness began to fall the already cold day became even more miserable. Cassie was freezing. Being a teenager she hadn’t really brought the proper warm clothes on this trip. Now she was asking about buying a warmer coat. She and Gail had seen a coat sale somewhere on the walk into town. We headed back to the parking lot just as many businesses seemed to be closing. Workers were scurrying past and through us. About a block from the parking lot the girls found the store they were looking for. Twenty minutes of milling about resulted in nothing being purchased and the last rays of daylight disappearing.

When we got to the parking lot I saw a grey sweatshirt way up on the roof of the van. Thinking it was something someone dropped on the ground and someone else had assumed was ours, I figured we might have a free souvenir. When I retrieved it I saw it was my sweatshirt that must have fallen out when I was looking in the trunk. Thank God some people are honest.

We programmed Helga to get us to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Years ago Gail and I had eaten at a great restaurant in Partenkirchen which featured entertainment. Even though the scheduled entertainment consisted of Bavarian music and dancing, what entertained us the most was the innkeeper bringing Schnapps to the tables of the customers. He would carry a long board with cut-out holes in it. Into these holes would go the glasses of Schnapps. He then made big production of holding the long board across the huge table to the awaiting drinker. Each time he did this the last glass on the board went down the proprietor’s throat. We couldn’t believe the guy could stand up after a night of doing this. We never knew the name of the place but know it was near a little church and across the street from the Posthotel Partenkirchen. Over the years I had been a frequent visitor to www.fodors.com and had read how everyone loved the Gasthof Fraundorfer and their Bavarian entertainment. Checking www.mappy.com I saw that it was on the same street as the Posthotel Partenkirchen. It had to be the same place. For her birthday this was where I wanted to take Gail.

Poor Helga must’ve been frozen or unfamiliar with Austria. She had been so dependable up until now. We got out of Innsbrück just fine. We got back on the Autobahn we had come in on and which led to the road over the mountain pass at Zirl. We were running low on diesel so I decided to get off and top off the tank. The first exit I tried didn’t have a gas station even though there was every kind of store and fast food place you could ask for. We called on Helga to get us back on track but she was having a lot of problems with the traffic circles. At one circle we tried each of the 5 directions leading from it and each time she yelled at us for going the wrong way. I did succeed in finding a petrol station. Being super-duper careful to make sure I used diesel fuel I put in 39.27€ worth. I was impressed with the mileage we were getting between fill-ups. It was over 23 miles per gallon and this was big vehicle.

The GPS totally screwed-up as we pulled out of the gas station. We could see the mountain we had to cross as a silhouette to our right but we kept going parallel to it. We seemed to be gradually moving farther and farther from the Autobahn too. When I finally decided to do a U-turn, a red idiot light came on saying something was wrong. It looked like an oil can pictogram but who could tell in this wacky van. I pulled into the first gas station I saw. Two Arab-looking guys totally ignored me as I walked up to the office. When I asked for help they pretended not to understand anything I tried to say. They didn’t even come over to the van to take a look. I got back in and drove a short distance to a Shell station. When I walked into their little store I was almost asphyxiated by the smoke cloud. But they took pity on my attempts at pigeon German and spoke in English. A high school age mechanic came out, saw the red light and said I just needed oil. He graciously put it in for me. It only took half the bottle. I was more than a bit surprised when they charged me 16€ for the oil. I vowed to turn this in to Alamo/National and have them reimburse me.

Our Odyssey continued. At one point we got real close to getting somewhere. We pulled into a village on the side of the mountain. There was a sign for Garmisch pointing to the right. We followed it up an incline and Helga told us to go right. This led to a dead-end street. We reversed and almost went up the wrong way on a highway ramp. We could see a divided highway above us but couldn’t find a way to get on. When we got back to the Garmisch sign, the GPS sent us in the opposite direction. After driving 5 kilometers into what looked to be farmers’ fields, we turned around again. We went back, followed the sign, then saw another tiny one pointing right again. We followed it down the dead end street once again. We inched our way back hoping to find a side street leading to an entrance on to the highway. For the third time we drove back down to the Garmisch road sign. I shut off the damned GPS at this point because I was about to strangle Helga. We started back up the hillside with another car in front of us. She had an Italian license plate and looked lost too as she proceeded at about 5 mph. I almost passed her but decided to see if she could solve the puzzle. She stopped where we had turned right twice before but then decided to continue straight on a road that looked like it led into Austria’s only ghetto. Just past this, behind a parked panel truck, we saw an arrow indicating a right bend, rather than turn, to get to Garmisch. Our Italian friend saw it too and led us on to the ramp heading in the correct direction. I think Helga breathed a sigh of relief too as I stopped cursing the stupid b@#$.

We followed the Italian girl all the way back to Garmisch. She was dancing in her car, yakking on the cell phone, checking her make-up in the mirror but not letting me pass. Since it started snowing when we ascended through the mountain pass I was content to just follow her at a distance. I had no problem finding the Ludwigstrasse once we arrived in Partenkirchen. We did have to park a few blocks away, but once again everything was beautifully decorated for Christmas so the walk was pleasant.

We found the Fraundorfer as soon as we walked on to Ludwigstrasse. It looked a little different than I remembered, but the place was obviously hopping. We walked into a full house. We wandered around a bit looking for seats but could see nothing. A waiter offered to help but he came back shaking his head. But then a waitress motioned us over to a table for 5 back in the corner. Somehow six of us squeezed in. The place didn’t look much like what I remembered. I recalled lots more room and a banquet room back behind where we were sitting. Gail said she didn’t think this was the place. I said it had to be and pointed at pictures on the wall of a chubby-faced mustachioed guy who looked to be the owner. “That has to be the same guy” I said. Gail wasn’t sure. We placed our drink orders but only Gail and I got beer - she got a Helles and I got another Weissbier. Everybody else went for Coke. Grandma Phoebe had the Wienerschnitzel (12.80€), Gail had Gulaschsuppe (3.40€) and Speckpfannkuchen or bacon pancake which was more omelet than pancake (10.80€), Gen orederd the Biergulasch (8.80€), Cassie had the Rahmschnitzel (12.80€) and Tyler and I had our Jägerschnitzel (10.80€ each). This was our most expensive place to date but the bill was only 88€ for six. From time to time two teenage German lads would come out and do a slap dance for the diners. Being in the back it wasn’t easy to catch their act but I was too busy stuffing my face to care.

Gail struck up a conversation with the German family sitting at the next table. They were from Hannover, Germany and in the area to ski. The father was a German but the mother was Columbian. She and Gail conversed in Spanish. The Dad has led an interesting life living at times in Brazil, Columbia, South Africa, the U.S. and for five years in Iraq. We had an interesting talk about the Iraq War and hopefully didn’t ruffle anyone’s feathers. Thinking back on it most of the people in this touristy restaurant seemed to be U.S. servicemen so maybe our German friend was being more diplomatic than usual. At Fodor’s I had read a few accounts of Germans getting quite animated in their condemnation of American foreign policy. I really didn’t want to get into it with anyone anyway. One of the nicest things about this vacation was not having any access to news and World events. Ignorance can be bliss and I’m just sick of hearing all the whining on both sides of the issues. Even after our tables were cleared we talked. The teenage kids spoke excellent English. The boy appeared to be 18 and really wanted to move back to California where the family lived for awhile.

Once the German family left we were able to summon our waiter to pay the bill. Even though it was after 9:00 the place was still packed. We strolled up and down the Ludwigstrasse until we came to the Posthotel Partenkirchen. It was much further down the street from the restaurant than I remembered. Gen, Tyler, Cassie and I were almost 100 yards ahead of Gail and her Mom who were busy window shopping at a leisurely pace. Then across the street I saw the Werdenfelserhof. Uh-oh. Across the street from the Posthotel Partenkirchen. A church just to the right. Music coming from inside. The menu outside with prices at least 3€ cheaper than comparable items at the Fraundorfer. Even if it is Gail’s birthday, I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of proving me wrong. But it was too late. Before I could steer Her Pokiness away she spotted the Werdenfelserhof. She went inside then reported back that this was the place we used to eat at. Oh well. I can’t be right all the time.

When we got tired of freezing our already frostbitten toes we hopped back in the car then headed back to Oberammergau. Taking the B2 bypass around Garmisch-Partenkirchen we exited at the first exit, Oberau. Up the winding, twisting road outside with more snow falling as we climbed toward Ettal. Then continuing on the B23 to Oberammeragu. Since we hadn’t spent a single minute in the town of Oberammergau and we were leaving in the morning, we cruised around enjoying the Christmas lights and decorations. When we got back to the hotel I was ready for bed, but Cassie wanted to go into the lobby to use the free Internet. Had this been back in the States one of us would’ve gone with her, but we had no such concerns here in Germany.

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Photos

Leaving Graswang
It was an absolutely gorgeous day with plenty of sunshine and more snow on everything.

The backside of the Kofel
This mountain was to the right of us as we headed toward Linderhof. On the opposite side was a dense pine forest.

Hunter's/hiker's cabin
These little huts can be found throughout the alpine region. They are available to anyone hiking through or hunting in the area.

And while we enjoyed the scenery...
...Cassie sat in her thin jacket reading Sinclair Lewis

Japanese tourists were all over the place.
We felt like celebrities arriving in front of the Schloss upon our sleigh.

The gardens of Linderhof
Somewhere under all that snow and ice are the beautiful plants and fountains that adorn the grounds of Linderhof.

Pit stop
The driver had to give the horses a break when we got to Linderhof. While the rest of us got out fo a minute to stretch our legs, Grandma was frozen to her seat. We weren't sure how long we had to look around at Linderhof. We wanted the horses to catch their breath but we didn't want them to get too cooled down and get sick.

Cross-country skier
This guy was getting very frustrated trying to pass us on the very narrow path.

Two horsepower engine
The girls got a real workout hauling our butts back and forth. Look at the steam coming off them. The driver covered them with blankets immediately and then led them into thir barn.

Shopping for Schnapps
I couldn't make up my mind with all the choices in the Schnapps Shop. Taking a few free samples didn't help either.

Rush hour in Innsbruck
When we were ready to leave Innsbruck at nightfall it seemed like everyone suddenly showed-up on the street.

Back in the corner in the Fraundorfer
Even though we were tucked into the back corner of the restaurant, we actually had one of the best spots for watching these Bavarian boys performing the slap dance. Maybe because it wasn't the tourist season yet they only danced for a minute or two.

Dinner at the Fraundorfer in Partenkirchen
Our German "friends" took this photo for us. Check out the size of the portions. It wasn't cheap but we did get our money's worth.