Tuesday - August 7 - Munich, Germany - New York

Well this is it. It is hard to believe we are going home today. We woke up, had breakfast and were off to the airport by 10:30 AM. We took the S-Bahn train to the airport, which had a station directly across from our hotel. We had everything packed and balanced in the various bags, not to create problems with weight, liquids, or any other potential issues with airport security. By 12 noon, here we were at the Franz Josef Strauss International Airport in Munich. Everything went rather smoothly after checking in our bags and it was time to wait at the gate for our 3:05 departure. By 2:40 PM, everyone began to board the plane, hoping to depart shortly. Unfortunately, after most people were on the plane, we were told we had to wait for a connecting flight from Italy to arrive with several passengers that were scheduled to be on our flight. So, we sat on the plane for another hour and finally took off a few minutes after 4 PM. The flight was uneventful, but long...... approximately 8 1/2 hours in length. When we finally arrived in New York the pilot announced that there was no open gate for us, so we had to wait on the runway for another 1/2 hour before finally pulling into the terminal. We finally picked up our bags, went through customs and were on our way home. We arrived in Rhinebeck by 11 PM, totally exhausted and went to bed.

To see any of the photos in a larger size, just click on the photo to enlarge it.

That is it folks........I hope you all enjoyed following our trip for the past 4 1/2 weeks. It was a wonderful and exciting time for us with many incredible and lasting memories. If you readers were able to share any of the excitement that Gail and I had, then you too had a great time. Thank you and Goodbye!!!

Monday - August 6 Munich, Germany

Wow.....today is our last day of our exciting and remarkable European adventure........and what an interesting and fulfilling adventure it was. Over 4 weeks of extensive traveling, 3,665 kilometers (approx. 2,400 miles) of driving and now the end is sadly here.

As usual, we woke up about 8 AM, showered and headed off for our breakfast. The breakfast at this hotel was unusually extensive: choices of omelets, eggs, smoked fish, bread, rolls, cheeses, meats, jams, cereals, pastries, etc. After breakfast we headed out for the day, with a stop at an internet cafe to check our email (the hotel charged some ridiculous price for internet access). Our first major stop of the day was the Viktualienmarkt, which was quite near our hotel. The Viktualienmarkt is a famous Munich outdoor food market with many stands selling all sorts of fresh fruits, vegetables, spices, cheeses, meats, assorted lunch items and of course a beer garden. After perusing the market, having a wurst, and taking several photos, we decided to head a bit north of the center city, toward the area of the University (Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich). Rather than take public transportation, we decided to walk. Since the University was north of the Viktualienmarkt and was sort of adjacent to the Englischer Garden which we had visited and enjoyed yesterday, we decided to stroll through the park, rather than walk along the streets. Once in the area of the University, we saw the famous "Walking Man" a huge white sculpture (17 meters tall, 16-ton figure) in front of Munich Re, the world's largest reinsurance underwriter. After checking out the area of the University and stopping off at an outside cafe, we walked back to the "Pedestrian Zone" along the local streets. As we walked back along the Ludwigstrasse, we passed many rather interesting buildings that were obviously built hundreds of years ago. Once back in the center of town, we headed back to the Viktualienmarkt beer garden for a bratwurst and beer before going back to the hotel for a bit of rest. After resting up a bit, we were out on the streets again, taking in whatever we could see before departing for New York tomorrow. We had a small dinner and some weissbier at a cafe along the Marienplatz before returning to the hotel for the night. We returned to the hotel rather early because we had a bit of packing to do and knew we had a very long day ahead of us tomorrow.

Sunday - August 5 - Munich, Germany

After a very relaxing breakfast on the veranda of the hotel, we set out to see some of the highlights of Munich. Our first stop of the day was to view and hear the world famous Glockenspiel, located in front of the Rathaus on the Marienplatz. The Glockenspiel is scheduled to start to chime while the life-sized statues rotate around each other in a mock dance at 11 AM. We arrived at the Rathaus at 10:50 AM and there were hoards of tourists staring up, waiting for the spectacle to begin. To every one's disappointment, at 11 AM nothing happened. Finally at 11:05, the bottom row of the statues began to rotate a bit, with no music. After 1 minute, the show was over. Obviously the crowd was very disappointed. After a bit of research I found out that the Rathaus & Glockenspiel are currently under major renovation.....therefore the limited show. We now headed for a walk through the Englischer Garden which is a huge park that stretches alongside the Isar River. The park is one of the largest city parks in Europe and larger than New York City's Central Park. Nude sunbathing is permitted in the park, which actually makes it a large tourist attraction in Munich........and I was not disappointed!! Right in the middle of Munich, were nude people lying on the grass and just walking around. Unfortunately, the majority of them were older men. At first I was quite astonished to see all these nude people, but adjusted to the situation rather quickly. Our prime destination within the park was actually the Chinesischer Turm Bier Garden, where we were headed for lunch. This beer garden is actually the second largest beer garden in Munich with 7,000 seats. Upon our arrival at the beer garden, there were various kiosks selling all types of German food, including chicken, wursts, ribs, grilled fish, salads, etc., and of course various types and sizes of beer. Gail and I split an assortment of dishes as well as a liter of Hofbrau bier. What a great lunch. Since this was a Sunday afternoon, the park and bier garden were packed with people. After leaving the bier garden, we took a leisurely walk back to the hotel for a bit of rest and relaxation. Later in the day we again explored parts of Munich and ended up at the famous Hofbrauhaus for dinner and a few liters of beer. As the evening wore on, we were rather tired from all the walking and beer and finally headed back to the hotel for a solid nights sleep.

Saturday - August 4 Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Munich, Germany

We woke up early this morning, and in a way I was rather depressed........today we were heading to our last and final stop of this wonderful trip.

When we woke up and looked outside, it was a beautiful clear and sunny day, completely unlike yesterday. Within minutes, Gail and I made a quick decision........lets go up to the top of the Zugspitze. We did not have to return the car to the Munich Hauptbahnhof (train station) until 4 PM. Since Munich was less than an hour ride away, we quickly ate our breakfast and headed off to Eibsee-Seilbahn station to get the first aerial cable car to the top of the Zugspitze. By 9 Am we were on our way up the mountain. Within 10 minutes, we were at the top of the Zugspitze (2963 meters above sea level - approx. 9,700 feet). This was the highest mountain peak we had been to on our entire trip throughout the Alps. It was totally amazing. As I had said in earlier posts on the blog, the view was something that cannot be described. One has to actually come here to appreciate it. The woman at the hotel was totally correct yesterday....... most of the walkways and paths up here were covered with fresh snow. Some of the workers at the top were shoveling the walkways! Gail and I spent a few hours up here, just walking around, looking at the ski slopes, taking photos and just totally appreciating where we were and what we were seeing. This was one of the places I was looking very forward to visiting on this trip, and after yesterday's weather, I was not sure we would make it...... so the fact that I was here today made it especially rewarding. After feeling "fulfilled" we decided to take the cog train down the mountain. This trip took about 35 minutes, was interesting, but most of the trip was within tunnels going down the mountain and was not as exciting as was the cable car going up earlier. Once we arrived at the base of the Zugspitze, we got into the car and were off to Munich by 12:30 PM. The drive up to Munich was rather uneventful and the scenery was rather "basic". We arrived at our hotel in plenty of time to unload the luggage and then drop off the car. We returned the car by 3 PM and took a leisurely walk back to the hotel. The reality of the trips conclusion was beginning to set in...... we no longer had the car....... but we were in Munich, Germany and it was time to enjoy the food and beer and celebrate that we had such a wonderful 4 weeks. We ate dinner and enjoyed a few beers at the Augustiner Bierhall along the pedestrian zone before checking out the area near the hotel. After a bit of walking, we came across the famous Hofbrauhaus of Munich. We were going to go in for one final beer of the day, but it was so smoked filled inside, that we decided to go back to the hotel for the night and come back tomorrow and sit at their outside beer garden for dinner and a liter or two of the famous Hofbrau Beer. After taking a few photos and listening to the Umm Pah Band we headed back to hotel for a bit of sleep.

Friday - August 3 Hohenschwangau to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Today our plan was to leave early for Garmisch-Partenkirchen, check into the hotel and take the cog-train and cable car up to the top of the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany (in the Bavarian Alps). When we left the hotel at approximately 9:30 AM, the weather was rather nasty, totally overcast, with many clouds and light rain. This was rather disappointing for us, because being on a fixed daily schedule we knew if the weather was not really suitable to go way up into the mountains, which were totally surrounded by clouds, we might not get our chance to get to the top of the Zugspitze. We arrived before noon in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and checked into our hotel. The woman at the hotel told us it was currently snowing on the top of the Zugspitze and the temperature was below zero degrees centegrade.......and definitely not a day to go up the mountain ...... we would freeze up there and not see anything. She suggested that as an alternative we take a ride to Ludwig II summer palace at Linderhof. Due to the circumstances of the weather, we took her suggestion......unpacked the car and headed for Schloss Linderhof which was only about 1/2 hour car ride. We walked around the grounds of Linderhof, which was quite amazing and reminded us of Peterhof (in St. Petersburg, Russia), the summer palace of Peter the Great, which we visited last summer. After taking many photos (as usual), we headed back to Garmisch. We walked around the town of for awhile, and had a very relaxing dinner in a fine restaurant. The day turned out to be a pleasant day overall, but we were still disappointed we did not make it up the Zugspitze.

Hello From Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

We are currently in Bavaria, and have not had Internet Service for days and days. I have just updated many of the previous postings with some great photos. Please go back to the older posts........ I think you will enjoy them. We hope to update the rest of the days with new posts and photos soon....... no guarantee since Internet Service may not be available. Thanks. By the way, you can view the photos in full size if you click on the photo.

Thursday August 2 - Hohenschwangau, Germany

We woke up early today because our tickets for the Neuschwantein Castle tour were for 10 AM. It was recommended by our hotel concierge to take this early tour, because between the hours of 11 AM and 4 PM the castles are totally inundated with swarms of tourists that arrive by the bus loads. We walked up the hill to the castle which took about a half hour from the hotel. It was a descent hike up to the castle, but nothing compared to many of the hikes we had done over the past several weeks. The tour began promptly, and was thoroughly enjoyable, as we learned the history of King Ludwig II as well as the background to the construction of the castle. I had been here before, in 1982, but had forgotten a lot of the specifics and history of Ludwig and the castle. Gail was quite fascinated and overwhelmed by what we saw here today, since this was her first visit to the area, and a place that she always wanted to visit. Upon completion of the castle tour, we walked around the grounds, took many pictures and eventually headed down the hill and back to our hotel. We relaxed in the area for most of the day and took a short walk to Alpsee which is in the immediate area of both castles. After a relaxing afternoon, by 7:30 PM we went to the dining room for an extremely relaxing and enjoyable six course dinner........ then back to the room for bed.

Wednesday August 1 - Innsbruck, Austria to Hohenschwangau, Germany

After waking up the usual 8:00 AM, we showered, had breakfast and were on our way. Today was going to be a rather short ride from Innsbruck to Hohenschwangau, where the famous Neuschwanstein Castle of King Ludwig II is located. Knowing that the trip today was going to be short, we stopped in the small quaint towns in Germany of Mittenwald and Oberammergau. Both towns were well worth the stop over.....small, and culturally typical of Bavaria. We walked a bit through both towns, picking up a delicious apple strudel in Mittenwald and having a beer and cappucino in Oberammergau. We arrived in Hohenschwangau by about 4 PM and checked into the hotel. We knew all along that this hotel was going to be the highlight of the trip. I had booked our stay here several months ago, which included a two night dinner package. Once we checked into our room, we were not disappointed......a sitting room with sofa, chair and TV, a bedroom area with a king size bed and desk, and a huge bathroom with a large whirlpool bath, shower stall, etc. The windows in the room looked out on the Hohenschwangau Castle where King Ludwig II grew up and lived before beginning the building of his own castle of Neuschwanstein, which was started in 1869 (I am sure that most everyone knows, that this is the castle that Walt Disney used as the model for the main castle in Disney World in Orlando, Florida). As we stepped out the door of our hotel, we could see the Neuschwanstein Castle immediately to our left. Our hotel package included tour tickets to both castles, so we decided to take the tour of Hohenschwangau this evening at 6 PM. After the tour, we returned to the room to shower before having a wonderful four course relaxing dinner in the dining room which looked out on the Neuschwanstein Castle. After dinner we walked around the area a bit before returning to our “suite” before going to bed.

Tuesday July 31 - Innsbruck, Austria

Today was a rather slow and relaxing day in Innsbruck. After having breakfast we headed out explore Innsbruck. We had no definitive plans for the day, so just walked around and browsed into many of the shops. As the morning progressed we walked over to the Hof Garten, one of the famous sites within the city of Innsbruck. After walking around for most of the AM, for lunch we went back to the Theresien Brewery where we had a beer the previous afternoon. I had a delicious wurst platter, with kraut and roast potatoes and of course a huge fresh brewed beer. Gail enjoyed a few skewers of broiled shrimp over homemade noodles, and of course....... a small beer. As I pointed out yesterday, the beer here was one of the best we have had so far on the trip.......cold, fresh and so smooth. For the remainder of the day, we did a bit more window shopping and enjoyed the ambiance, people and scenery of Innsbruck. We ended the day early with a simple dinner and off to bed.

Monday July 30 - Castelrotto, Italy to Innsbruck, Austria

We woke by 8:00, had our typical European breakfast , packed the car and were on our way to Innsbruck by 10 AM. We looked at the map, read a travel sheet I printed on the Internet and were off for the smallest roads and mountain passes. The trip from Castelrotto, by the Italian motorway (Autostrada), would normally take about 1 ½ hours to Innsbruck. Our route took over 6 hours, but was well worth it. The roads we took were extremely narrow and winding, and at the highest point, as we went through the Jaufenpass near the Italian/Austrian border........the elevation was 2094 meters (approx. 6400 feet). The views from this point were spectacular in all directions. The route we took today is said to be “one of the most rewarding drives in the Alps. However it involves steep climbs and descents, hairpin bends and unprotected drops and should not be undertaken by anyone not confident in their mountain driving skills.” This alone made our chosen route mandatory for me! Our rented VW Passat handled it with no problem, but like in the past, I rarely was able to come out of second gear for most of the mountain climbs. We finished the mountain route as we entered into Austria through the Brenner Pass. As with all of the border crossings on this trip, customs was totally transparent and non existent. From the border it was only about 25 miles to Innsbruck. At this point I thought it would be easy to just hop on the motorway to finish the trip to Innsbruck. To our amazement, the toll for this 25 miles was 8 Euro, or approximately $11. I later found out that this part of the Austrian motorway is one of the most expensive in the world, due to the engineering work and construction. We finally reached our hotel in Innsbruck by 4 PM. We walked around a bit and stopped in a local brewery for one of the best beers of the trip. We finished the day with a relaxing dinner, apple strudel and cappucino and then off to bed.

Sunday July 29 - Castelrotto, Italy

When we woke up, we were still a bit tired from yesterday, so we chose to drive around the area, rather than go on an additional hike. We looked at the maps and decided to go on some of the smallest roads on the map......... that went up the mountains and through the smallest towns. Again, I cannot even begin to describe the scenery and views in this area. It was just too much. If anyone reading this blog ever has the opportunity to get to this part of Italy, I highly recommend it.......the sights you will see will be like nothing you have seen before. I am sure that most of the roads in this area must be closed in the winter months. At one point during the day we stopped and took a cable car up to the top of one of the Dolomite mountains in Pardoi. Because of the nature of these limestone mountains, I thought I was walking on what appeared to be the moon. There was no grass, shrubs, trees, etc., just limestone. Very, very strange and weird. Besides being weird and strange up here, it was also quite cold. I do not know the elevation for this mountain, but we were way up........we could see the small towns way down below. After coming back down to “earth” we headed back to the hotel. We had no idea where we were, or where we were going, but eventually found a familiar road that took us back toward the hotel. I must point out that some of the bicyclists on the mountain roads were even more insane than some of the drivers on the Autostrada. I can't or won't even attempt to describe what we saw today, but it was nothing short of outrageous. Again, all I can say is “Wow”. Finally reached the hotel, rested a bit before dinner and again off to bed after finishing our “Tyrolean” style dinner, which was part of our hotel package.

Saturday July 28 - Castelrotto, Italy

We woke up early, had breakfast and headed out to explore and hike the area. This area in the Dolomites is especially known for hiking and its hiking trails. We took a 10 minute drive to the base of one of the mountains in the area, and took a cable car up to the top. Cable cars are all over the area and choosing which one to take is not easy. We had gotten a suggestion from someone at our hotel and therefore headed to Seis Am Schlern to board the cable car up to Compatsch. For the next 3 or 4 hours, Gail and I hiked throughout the meadows and hills of the Alpe Di Siusi. It really was a wonderful and exciting time, but when we completed the “suggested” hike, we were exhausted. Obviously, we are not in the same shape as many of the natives that we met along the paths. All along the hiking trails were “huttes” or small places to get some food or drinks, so at one point we stopped for a beer and a cola. After taking the cable car down the mountain, we drove a bit around the area and returned to our hotel and dinner. We were both rather tired from all that hiking, so we went to bed earlier than usual.

Friday July 27 - Verona to Castelrotto, Italy

We knew today was going to be a very scenic drive as we headed north to Castelrotto, Italy. Castelrotto or Kastelruth as it is also known, is right in the mountain range in north Italy, known as the Dolomites. Prior to WW I, this area of Italy was part of Austria-Hungary, but was “given” to Italy after the war. As a result, the area still has a very strong Austrian cultural influence and most people are bilingual, speaking both German and Italian. As has been the case for our entire vacation, we did not take the highways if possible. We left Verona and headed north to drive along the coast of Lake Garda, which is one of the largest lakes in Italy. The water was a beautiful turquoise color, and reminded me of the the water off the coast of Cancun, Mexico. We drove north along the banks of the lake and passed through many small Italians towns and villages filled with many vacationers, particularly a large number of campers from the Netherlands. After passing north of Lake Garda, we began to drive more directly toward the Dolomites. We drove up and through all of the various mountain passes and small towns in the area. Neither words nor photos can describe or do justice to the sights we actually saw. The way the roads would wind up through the mountains with constant hairpin turns was amazing. Driving the VW with a standard transmission, it was rare that I was able to get out of second gear. The roads we took were not for the light hearted, especially as the Italian drivers would take incredible risks, especially those on motorcycles. As we began to reach the higher elevations, the sights continued to be amazing. The Dolomites, are huge white/gray mountains made of limestone, which have a totally different appearance than the Alps which we had just seen in Switzerland. After a long day of driving and constant stopping to take in the scenery, we finally reached our hotel by 5:30. Since Castelrotto is basically in the middle of nowhere and not on the typical American tourist path, it was difficult to find people that spoke English. This was rather challenging, but we adjusted..........checked into the hotel, had dinner and browsed the town before getting to bed.

Thursday - July 26 Verona, Italy

Today was basically a rather relaxing day. We were still in Verona, Italy, but had no definitive plans for the day. We basically just walked around the city, looked into various shops and took some photos. Lunch today was at a self-service restaurant....it was rather interesting. Large amounts of salad fixings to make your own salad, and women behind counters cooking up different types of pastas with various sauces. Not a bad lunch, but again, relative to prices back in the U.S. it was rather expensive for what we had. Europe for many years was a bargain for Americans, but with the current exchange rate, everything is quite expensive. As the day went on, we just walked the streets of Verona and sat in the park area outside the Arena. It was a very hot day, which slowed us down a bit. After dinner, we again sat outside the Arena and watched all the crowds going into the Arena to see this evening's performance....The Barber of Seville. Eventually we headed back to the hotel for bed.

Wednesday July 25 - Lake Como - Verona, Italy

Today was going to be another long driving day, as we headed southeast to the city of Verona. We had our breakfast on the balcony again, overlooking Lake Como and headed out. As usual, we did not take the shortest route available, but attempted to take a scenic drive. The drive started out to be rather nasty, as we crossed northern Italy through industrial centers with a lot of truck traffic......not what we had in mind. Eventually we broke off one of the main roads and headed south through some winding mountain roads, which were rather pleasant. I now began to see the Italian drivers in action......attempting to pass any vehicle on the most winding mountain roads. As we eventually came down from the mountains, we had to get on more highway type roads, not by choice, but this was the only way to approach Verona. The driving now became totally insane. The Italian drivers (I could tell by the I on the license plates) were completely out of control...... they would pass other vehicles over any line......single, double, double yellow, cross hatched no passing zones, etc. etc, It appeared that anything goes....... they would weave in and out, back and forth, in any direction. I thought Gail was going to hide on the floor in the back seat or trunk. Basically, there are absolutely no rules of the road around here.......cars, motorcycles, and bicycles, do whatever they want at anytime.....very, very scary. Even for me, a rather aggressive driver, this was a bit much to deal with. We finally reached Verona after a very stressful drive and had a crazy time trying to locate our hotel. Italian cities are not laid out in a systematic way such as NY city, so we drove round and round and finally asked someone for directions, not an easy task, since very few people spoke English. Finally after parking the car and walking a bit we found the hotel. Sounds great, right??? No way. The woman at the hotel spoke no English and had to locate her husband to help us out. He finally arrived after a bit and helped us settle in, find the parking garage, etc. Eventually, we had dinner, and picked up our tickets to the opera..... Aida. We arrived at the area by 7:45 PM to secure some reasonable seats and the opera began at 9:15. This was an event in and of itself. I understood nothing, but enjoyed the entire performance which after two intermissions was over at 12:45 AM. We finally got back to the hotel and got to bed by 1:30 AM......... what a day, but in hindsight rather interesting and exciting.