A Long Way to Go for Lunch

We had decided that if it was nice in the morning, we would finally do that bit of driving around the area we had been talking about - and we woke up to light clouds and about 21 degrees C. So after breakfast we hauled out the map of the Alpenstrasse and headed west.

We were aiming for a place called Oberjoch, which sits at an altitude of about 1100 metres but is still among the lower Alps. We figure that we had passed through the same area with Monica's Mom and Dad as we had driven from Immenstadt, which is only another 15 minutes or so from there, to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and it was very likely that Dad would have directed Larry to take the scenic route.

Our first stop, not too far away, was Oberammergau, a small town known for two things: 1) the wood carvers, and 2) the Passion Play which is held every 20 years. This is its claim to fame: Christians - mostly Catholics - come from every corner of the world for this event. Now that river cruising has become so popular, even the cruise companies are advertising a combination of the Passion Play and a cruise. How popular is it?? The ticket and accommodation info office for 2020 is already open in the town centre! We had been here a couple of times before, but wanted to be able to wander around a little on our own.

Most buildings in these old towns have plaster outer walls
and almost all of them have some kind of decoration,
some a little more ornate than others....

The Hotel Wolf - this is the third time we've seen
it and the third time we had to take a photo of the flowers!
They are always so gorgeous.

The Oberammergau Passion Playhouse. It is, of course, used
for many other theatrical events in the other 19 out
20 years!

  

After leaving Oberammergau, we followed the Alpenstrasse through Füssen, where the Alpenstrasse and the Romantic Road run together for a little while.

Füssen is more famous for Neuschwanstein Castle than anything else. We had been there the last time we were in this area from a cruise a couple of years ago, so we didn't feel we needed to stop there again. We did, however, manage to get a couple of photos as we passed by. For those who may not already know, this Castle was Walt Disney's inspiration for The Magic Kingdom.

High on a hill in the middle of nowhere - King Ludwig
certainly was 'mad' to have built up there!

Once we reached Oberjoch we decided to stop for lunch. Since we had parked in the lot of the local inn, we thought we'd try their outdoor cafe for a meal. We didn't want a lot, so Larry had a small Wiener Schnitzel and Monica had her first Weisswurst of the trip. Weisswurst are sausages made from veal with some herbs and spices. Depending on where you are, they can be served either just boiled, or fried or maybe grilled. Monica's were boiled and served with sweet mustard and a warm pretzel.

Oberjoch must be a very busy ski town during
the season. There are runs on the hills in
all directions.

The Inn where we had lunch. Typical wood and flower boxes
decorate the outside.

 It had taken quite a long time to get to Oberjoch, even though it was only 120 km, and we didn't really want to deal with traffic on the Alpenstrasse on the way back. We had found an alternate route that would take us through a couple of valleys among the lower Alps and not take as long. Most likely it would also have fewer cars. So we plugged the waypoint into the GPS and headed off.

Ehrenberg Castle ruins that date from 1296, are connected with
Fort Claudia on the other side via a much newer pedestrian
suspension bridge called the Highline179. It is over
100 metres (330 feet) above the road.

How's this for the view from a golf course? There are about
six courses just in the area of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. This one is
still in Austria.

We arrived back in Garmisch just as a sun shower started, and by the time we had taken the car into the garage under the hotel and reached our room it had started to rain more steadily, even though the sun was still shining brightly.

When the rain finally let up, we decided to take advantage of at least one of our terrace's special amenities, so Larry pressed the button to fill the hot tub - and it worked, just as advertised. The only 'disappointment' was that it was just what it purported to be: a hot tub. No water jets, no bubbles. This was NOT a Jacuzzi, as any North American would expect. But it was still very nice and comfortable - we could see just how the hot tub and sauna would be a draw during the ski season.

Not long after we finished with the hot tub, the rain started again, and this time didn't show any sign of letting up. Rather than try to work our way across the park behind the hotel to find somewhere in the town centre, we opted to eat at the hotel restaurant again. It was still raining when we finished, but the forecast is for a clear day and 21 degrees tomorrow.

We certainly have enjoyed our time here in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and environs, and the Hotel Werdenfelserei surpassed all of our expectations. If we were skiers we would make plans to come back soon, but instead we will say that when we are in lower Bavaria we will definitely consider a return to this lovely town and wonderful hotel.

Tomorrow morning - off to Munich for the Hofbräuhaus and more Bavarian hospitality!