Blogs from Bavaria, Germany, Europe - page 4

The Bike Lodge Hotel had everything a cyclist staying overnight needed, including washing machines and driers which we were in dire need of. Washing clothes in showers and basins only gets things so clean. As soon as we hit the room we filled a bag with clothes (including the days riding clothes) and took them down to set on a wash cycle and then back to the room to relax. Some time later an alarm went off and persisted. After about 10 minutes there was a knock at our door. The manager was there saying that an alarm on one of our bikes (mine) was going off. With horror I realised I hadn't taken my alarm fob out of my pocket before throwing my shorts into the wash. It must have shorted and set off the ... read more

After a week of relaxation in Bratislava and Graz, I felt sufficiently rested and recuperated to tackle my next multi-day hike through the mountains; and where better to do so than the Bavarian Alps? So after leaving my dear friend Kathi in Graz (where we'd had storms every day) and taking the train to Salzburg, I was up early the next day to take a 45-minute bus ride across the border to Berchtesgaden NP, nestled in the extreme southeastern corner of Germany. The plan was to do a 47km loop hike (known as the Watzmanntour) that starts and finishes at the park's most prominent lake (the Königssee) whilst first climbing - and then circling - its most prominent mountain (the Watzmann). By staying in mountain huts (and one 'Nature Friend House') along the way, I could ... read more

July 27, 2023 – Happy Birthday Kisty!!!!!! You read it correctly, it’s Kirsten’s birthday! Woo Hoo! Caroline went to the bakery across the street from our apartment, both Kirsten and Bea were leaning out the window watching. Why were they watching? I have no idea; except they were both proud aunties watching their niece fly solo. Ok, back to Kirsten’s birthday. When Caroline returned with the goodies, Bea had everything set out and we all sat down for a birthday breakfast. Breakfast was over, birthday wishes said, and the celebration was just beginning. However, it was time to get on the road. Today will be an easy road trip to Munich. We’re all packed and carrying all our suitcases to the car. We wave goodbye to our lovely apartment and off we go. We arrive in ... read more

July 25, 2023 – Cinderella Castle It’s Tuesday morning and its raining. After breakfast we loaded the car and off, we go. Today we are heading to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. On the way we plan on stopping to see the Cinderella Castel, Neuschwanstein Castle. This is the true castle that Disney’s castle was modeled after. It rained all day off and on, we arrived at the Cinderella Castle and started up the mountain. But we were rained out so we turned around and took pictures for a distance. We arrived in Garmisch and found our house Kirsten rented for us and brought all our stuff in. It’s still raining so we ducked into this Italian restaurant for dinner. Once back at the house we were all tired and wet and it was 10 pm. Yea! This was a ... read more

July 22, 2023 – Exploring Berchtesgaden I wake up fresh and roll over, Kirsten is gone. Are you shocked she has already walked to the bakery and returned with breakfast bread. I’m thinking she might be an honorary member of the Elf community. They are still warm from the oven; I can smell them as I’m walking into the kitchen. Kirsten and Bea make us another perfect German breakfast. Bread, meats, cheeses, coffee, and cutup vegetables and most important soft-boiled eggs. A German breakfast isn’t complete without soft-boiled eggs. At breakfast, Kirsten reviews with us today’s agenda, broken down by the hour. Yea, when in Germany everything must be planned and scheduled to the last degree. Ja Vol! First, we are walking through the Klamm, WHAT’S a Klamm you ask? It’s a German gorge but BIGGER. ... read more