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Published: October 25th 2006
After driving through the Alps on our way to Salzburg, I was really eager to actually get into the heart of the mountains and explore an Alpine town. Gabby suggested going to Mittenwald, a town in the Bavarian Alps where she had hiked earlier this semester. It is actually just a few kilometers away from the town where the 1936 Winter Olympics were held.
Even though we were pretty much dead tired from walking through Salzburg for hours and hours the day before, we decided to get up really early to get on the 9:30 train to Mittenwald. We stocked up on supplies because we knew we would be in the middle of the mountains for a good part of the day. I, of course, went straight for the loaf of olive bread at the bakery… Honestly, I never cared that much about olives before I came to Europe, but I am getting almost obsessed with them now for some reason. It is a good thing I had something to gnaw on because we really did end up having a pretty strenuous trek through the Alps. I don’t know why I expected a leisurely stroll, but “hiking up a mountain in the Alps” should have tipped me off that I would actually be doing some hard work.
When we got to Mittenwald, I was so happy because the town was exactly as I had expected a traditional Bavarian town to look. It is a quaint village built in a green valley between hugely tall mountains. The homes look exactly like Hummel houses - white houses with wooden roofs, painted shutters, and flower boxes under every window. I always hate to use the word “cute,” but it is difficult to think of a better word to describe the town. Other places exude grandeur, historical importance, urban cool. This town… if it had cheeks, you would want to pinch them. As in Munich, we saw more than our fair share of men in lederhosen and green felt hats. So freaking random. According to my guide book, Mittenwald is well-known for the frescoes painted on its buildings. They are, in fact, really impressive. On buildings such as the bank, the post office, the local church, the violin builder’s shop, and various homes, there are beautiful frescoes painted in a classic, yet simple, style. I guess they can be compared to Norman Rockwell works, in that they mix masterful execution with some amount of folksy charm.
We decided after strolling through town that we really wanted to hike up a mountain. We walked over to the one that looked the coolest - an extremely tall peak that looked like it was taken straight out of the Rockies. The top was so tall that it was only rock - no plants could grow that high. When we got to the base of it, we read that it was the second highest mountain in Germany and noticed that it would involve actual rock-climbing, like scaling sheer cliff walls. Not the leisurely stroll we had expected.
Since we had left our burros and oxygen supplies back at the base, we looked for an alternate plan. We crossed the Isar River and found a much more manageable summit, called Kranzberg. I don’t want to give the impression that it was some tiny hill or anything, but it definitely did not require prior rock-climbing experience. We took a chairlift halfway up the mountain, which offered us awesome views of the Alps. My feet were pretty much dangling over “Heidi.” Add to the normally amazing views the fact that the leaves are all changing colors, and the mountains really looked like a postcard.
We climbed for about forty-five minutes to the summit. The trek was so strenuous! Gabby had told me to dress in warm clothes because, after all, we were going to be at the top of an Alpine mountain in late October. Turns out it was very unseasonably hot, and I had to strip off layers as we huffed and puffed up the mountain. The trip was definitely worth it, as the peak offered panoramic views you would never expect to actually see in real life.
We ate lunch at the top of the mountain in a cabin filled with weird taxidermy badgers, weasels, and pheasants. Stuffed road kill is always appetizing. I ate this stuff called kasespaetzle, which is essentially a really dense and gooey macaroni and cheese topped with fried onions. Germany can keep its bratwurst and other gross sausages, but America should seriously think about stealing kasespaetzle. I drank this soda called spezi, which is a mix of cola and orange. If you ever tried Mezzo Mix in the Epcot soda place, that is one of the brands of spezi that they serve here. I thought it was really funny that, although we hiked up a random mountain in the middle of the Bavarian Alps, the music playing in the restaurant was still American: “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira, “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” by Rod Stewart, and “Hotel California,” quite possibly my least favorite song ever. I can’t even escape the freaking Eagles in the Bavarian wilderness!
On the way down the mountain, we took a route that went through a forest. You would be shocked at how many old men and women (really old) are hiking through the woods alone with their walking sticks and overstuffed backpacks. It is so impressive. In fact, I noticed that all over Germany, the old people are very, very active. In a clearing, we found a beautiful clear lake surrounded by huge mountains. Next to the lake was a meadow with a flock of sheep wearing really loud cow bells. If it wasn’t already obvious how much we are city kids, our excitement at seeing livestock definitely gave us away. To get back into town, we followed a tiny stream which eventually opened up into a beautiful waterfall. At one point, we found a chapel built into a hole in the mountain filled with candles and a statue of Mary. The Bavarians seem to be really religious, both in Munich and in the countryside.
Our final stop was a Baroque church back in the city of Mittenwald. The wooden pews were carved with intricate decorations, and each seat had a plaque with the name of the townsperson who sat there. Really quaint and very different from what I have been seeing. If the Hummel people decide to make a church for the collection, they should really get to this church…
The trip to Mittenwald was great, but it lacked that one component that makes a trip go from great to amazing: crazy people. Luckily, the train ride home had the psychos I had been so desperately hoping for. Our train compartment was almost completely full. Right before we were about to leave the station, two men ran in and grabbed the last two seats in the compartment. As we pulled away, the first guy got out of his seat and moved into the center aisle, where he proceeded to stretch and do aerobics like a weirdo. He was wearing black spandex and he kept pulling the waist band up really high and cupping his butt inches away from this woman’s face. He had a totally serious look on his face as he went through a routine of swinging his arms, touching his toes, picking up his feet and trying to touch them to his back, and massaging his ass in front of the woman’s face. Everyone behind him started to make eye contact with each other and mouth “WHAT?!” as he continued his stretching. Then the giggling started and about ten people, including me, had to think of creative ways to stop our laughs and keep ourselves from bursting out into hysterics. Finally, the guy sat down, and we thought we were safe. Unfortunately, the other guy who he was sitting with got up and started doing huge dramatic lunges, to the front and to the side, in the center aisle. People had to keep ducking around him as they made their ways to the bathroom or another car. A little girl squeezed by to get to the bathroom, and the kid bust out laughing hysterically. That didn’t stop the freak. The worst part was when the man came through the train to check our tickets, as the guy continued to do lunges even as his ticket was being checked. In silently commiserating with the other passengers on the train, I realized that, even if we speak different languages, we all pretty much have the same idea of what is freaking crazy. Hans and Franz definitely passed the test.
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I love reading your blogs....>Tell Gabby we said Hi! You guys should write a book together.....make sure you get a few pics wearing the BC sweatshirts