Synopsis: Time spent in Germany and Austria with Helen, Laura, Uwe, Simon, and others in the family. Time split between Heiterwanger See in the Tirol, Austria, and at Göppingen in Germany.
(selection of photos from Flickr photo set – use link above to view album)
On arriving at Stuttgart airport, Uwe picked me up, as Laura was still working. Uwe drove me back to their place. Uwe’s parents, Gudrun and Rolf, came around in the evening so that they might be introduced to me. Whilst they were visiting, Laura arrived home from work. We made arrangements for Uwe’s parents to come around in the morning, as we were going to spend the day together. They did suggest going to the Mercedes Benz museum in Stuttgart, as they said the weather wasn’t forcast to be that good. I suggested we wait and see what the day brought with it, as I felt a day strolling around one of the towns might be nicer, as we would be able to get to know each other a little better. That, however, was never going to be easy, as they don’t speak English, and I don’t speak German. I was told Gudrun knew a little English, and I felt confident we could make ourselves understood one way or another.
Gudrun and Rolf called to collect me in the morning as planned. They drove in the direction of Esslingen. They’d picked up guide books on the town of Esslingen, one in English, the other in German. That was a good move on their part. This way, should a topic crop up, they could look it up in their German language guide, and point me in the direction of the same page in my English language copy of this same guide.
As we drove towards Esslingen, we detoured slightly so that Gudrun could show me her old family home. I think she said her sister now lives in the house. From here, we drove on only a short distance further, to the castle on the hill high above the town of Esslingen.
We walked through the castle grounds and out onto the city wall. This we descended steeply down steps that lead us into the town. From here we passed the Frauenkirche (‘Our Lady’) church, which we briefly entered. Inside the interior is relatively plain. The feature that most catches the eye is the beautifully carved pulpit with its winding staircase.
From the Frauenkirche we picked up a trail that lead us into the vineyards that cover the southern hillside of Esslingen. These vineyards have a long history, as evidenced by copies of old paintings to be found on information noticeboards that dot the walk. This is an excellent walk to take for a view of the entire town, the information noticeboards provide interesting facts and make it possible to identify features in the town.
On returning to the town centre along the same trail, we entered the old market square. This is in the old quarter of the town, and there are many attractive half-timbered houses all about. We passed the town hall with its picturesque glockenspiel clock. And continued across town until we came upon a small restaurant which Gudrun and Rolf selected for our lunch. The food was excellent, and the service good.
After lunch, we had a little time to spare, so we wandered down to an area of Esslingen referred to as Little Venice. A channel diverts water from the river Fils into this part of the old quarter, where it is used to drive waterwheels of what were once old mills. The arches of what once was an old bridge can be seen, and on the bridge are a number of houses built into its sides.
L'Osteria, in the centre of this photo, is a restaurant located on this island in the Fils river. The distinctive connected twin towers can be seen in the distance.
By now it was necessary to complete our tour of Esslingen. We walked back across town and climbed a road that lead us back to where the car was parked. Rolf then drove us back to their home.
I was interested in some old family photos that hung on the wall of their home. Uwe had mentioned to me that his father had undertaken research into his family’s history. Rolf explained the story behind their surname, d’Argent. Apparently a German prince married a high-ranking French lady, and the marriage brought with it a dowry of lands in France, which then became part of Germany. Particular tradespeople such as gunsmiths, which was the d’Argent trade, were brought to Stuttgart at that time. This is how people, originally of French descent, such as the d’Argents, came to be living in Germany, and explains the origin of their name. Today they view themselves very much as German.
Uwe and Laura joined us at Gudrun and Rolf’s home. We had an early tea, Gudrun having done some prior baking. It was all very civilised, almost English one might say. But we didn’t stay too long, as it was our plan to drive to Heiterwanger See, which was where Uwe and Laura had their caravan pitched. Helen was due to join us later at Heiterwanger See, once she had completed her teaching commitments.
It took us a little over two-and-a-half hours to get to Heiterwanger See, as we encountered some traffic en route. There is a notoriously busy section of road that we had to travel, where traffic is always slow. Helen joined us at the caravan around 9 pm that evening. As Helen had forgotten her pyjamas, I said to Laura she must open her birthday present a day early, and Helen will need to open hers too. I had bought both of them pyjamas, which proved rather fortunate, particularly for Helen. I had a small present for Uwe too, a flask, which I thought might prove useful in his outdoor life.
It was Laura’s birthday today. So we had a little birthday celebration breakfast, with cards and presents to open. Then Laura, Uwe, Helen and myself set about making picnic lunches before setting off on our walk.
Uwe seemed to know where he was going, so we all followed him. The walk started from the caravan on this beautiful sunny morning. We picked up the track that runs along the northern shore of Heiterwanger See. The lake looked beautiful; it was our first chance to really appreciate what a superbly located camping site Laura and Uwe have picked for their caravan. The lake, Heiterwanger See, is on their doorstep, and there are beautiful mountains all around. The air and water are crystal clear, and the silence deafening. It was like paradise.
We reached the place where Heiterwanger See flows into the adjacent lake, Plansee. At this location, a footbridge spans the water. A fisherman could be seen nearby. Today, we were only going to skirt a small part of Plansee. Our destination was a waterfall on the northern corner of Plansee. Our path took us into some trees, and pretty soon we came to the top of the waterfall. From here we could look into the depths below. A line of mountains could be seen in the far distance.
From the top of the Stubenfalle waterfall we spied a bench in the sun at the base of the waterfall. We thought that could possibly make a good lunch spot, so off we set on our descent into the valley. The bench was still in the sun by the time we got to it, but the sun was swinging around fast, and we were about to lose it. This is the nature of being in mountains this late in the year, the sun shines acutely, and the mountains cast long shadows. We tucked into our picnic lunch of sandwiches and tea. How useful it was to have a flask!
After lunch began the walk back. We climbed out of the Stubenfalle valley and back-tracked along our walk route until we reached the footbridge mentioned earlier. At this point we chose to cross the bridge and walk the southern side of Heiterwanger See. This was in shade, but it was an easy walk.
On reaching the caravan the question of what to do for supper arose. Eating at the campsite restaurant was an option, and I suggested we do that. We were all quite tired after our fresh air and exercise, plus the fact that it was Laura’s birthday, suggested to me it was the perfect time to treat ourselves to a meal out. As it transpired, this was the last night of the season for the restaurant, making it rather busy. We were lucky to get a table. We were also lucky in that we took advantage of this one chance to sample the fares of the camp restaurant. It was a nice meal and an enjoyable evening.
That just left us to return to the caravan, get into our pyjamas, and crash out for the night.
We prepared a picnic lunch once again, before setting off on a drive to Sölden where a downhill ski slalom tournament was taking place. For Helen, Laura and myself, this was the first time we’d attended such an event. On reaching Sölden (which, incidentally, was used for the filming of the James Bond film Spectre, as was evidenced by images on a number of poster boards), up and up, into the hills we drove, until we reached a skiing centre and car park.
There were numerous spectators arriving and being marshalled into the car park, but this was well organised, and we were soon parked. We had dressed very warmly, as we knew we would be standing around on snow for some considerable time. We had brought our British union flag with us, in a vain attempt to be as patriotic as we could be. Flags were in abundance, but we saw on one other union flag. And, in case you’re wonder, yes, there was a British competitor (just the one), who came 71st out of about 100 entrants. Perhaps not one of our stronger sports. But then, in our defence, snow seldom makes puts in an appearance on our ‘scepter’d isle’.
We had supper back at the caravan. Helen then set off for home, as her partner Simon had just arrived back from a business trip to Japan and she was, naturally enough, keen to see him.
Uwe was keen to lay a floor in the caravan awning. The awning floor was merely the gravel and sparse grass of the camp ground at present, and this tended to get rather damp. The caravan had only been on this pitch a short time, and this was the first chance Uwe had of laying a floor. This, apparently, was something that he’d done before, and so knew precisely what was required. In the morning Uwe and Laura set off in the car to both buy the materials required for the floor, and stock up on groceries.
After a quick snack lunch Uwe and I began work on the awning floor whilst Laura rested in the caravan. The sun was shining and the day warm, perfect for a job outdoors. We first emptied the awning. Battens were then cut and laid, and then plywood flooring panels screwed onto the battens. The floor was largely even and the floor lay well, all bar one corner which was slightly springy, but we decided the floor might well settle over time. All in all, we were both pleased with how the job had gone. We replaced the cooking gear back into the awning.
It was early evening and the day still warm and sunny. Uwe and I felt like a little exercise to round off the day, so we said we’d go for a jog by the lake. Laura said that she’d follow us on her bike. It’s a distance of 3.5 kms from the caravan site to the furthest tip of Heiterwanger See (the footbridge mentioned on Saturday’s walk as described above). The way was level and Uwe and I were going well.
I mentioned my failed attempts at running a sub 6 min/km. Today, approaching the 5 km point, I said to Uwe and Laura I was going to make another attempt at this. And, yes, with a fair amount of effort, I ran a 5 min 33 sec km. I was so pleased with that. We showered, and on returning to the caravan, I noticed a beautiful sunset over the mountains, so I grabbed a few shots with my camera. We then all settled down to a relaxing supper in the caravan.
Today didn’t exactly go to plan. The previous evening we had decided upon a trip to Schloss Hohenschwangau, a castle none of us had previously visited. It is next to the somewhat more famous Neuschwanstein Castle. Uwe had checked that it was open, but had used Google supplied information, and not visited the official web site. Having parked the car and reached the ticket bureau, we discovered a notice informing us the castle was closed for maintenance. Uwe wasn’t happy with this, and complained to the ticket salesman about the poor information, including no notice at the car park, and the fact that we’d just paid to park the car. But we were told we shouldn’t have relied on Google, and that the car park was a separate franchise and we’d have to take up any issues we had with them. Uwe was able to get a refund on the price of the parking.
Luckily we did have in mind a second option for the day, a trip to Kloster Ettal, so we opted for that instead. We departed Hohenschwangau and all the Japanese and Chinese tourists that were milling around and set off on a short car journey through lovely countryside to reach Kloster Ettal. We were able to park next to the abbey, and walked through the entrance gate into the abbey grounds. We climbed the steps leading up to the abbey entrance under the large dome that loomed high above.
The interior of the main abbey church is an excellent example of the baroque architecture commonly found in this part of Germany. It’s particularly striking to an Englishman such as myself, as we have so few examples of this architectural style on this sort of scale. The abbey church we’d visited at Kloster Andechs the previous year, whilst camping on Ammersee, was quite similar to this, although not quite a match for this abbey. The extreme ornamentation can strike a reserved Englishman as somewhat over the top. But one has to admit that it is certainly stunning to see in all its slightly unreal decoration.
It was now lunchtime, so we sought out somewhere to eat. We found the Kloster Ettal hotel across the road, and they had a restaurant we selected to use. It was extremely convenient and the menu looked good. I ordered a Doppleboch beer, as I particularly like these beers. They’re somewhat similar to an English bitter. The waitress, because these beers are quite strong, told me, in English, I was not to dance on the table. I decided to comply. The meal was delicious, and the beer good too. And no unruly behaviour materialised.
After lunch, we went in search of the brewery that is attached to the abbey. There always seems to be a brewery attached to these abbeys. I guess the monks have a lot of spare time on their hands, and what better way could there be than this to occupy themselves, and perhaps partake of the occasional indulgence too. However, we were told, being out of season, no tours were planned for today, and that a group had to be of a certain number for it to be taken on a tour anyway. So, we decided to conclude our visit, and began to make our way back to the caravan.
We had time to spare, so we stopped off at the swimming pool and sauna in Reutte, the Alpentherme Ehrenberg. I opted for just the swim ticket, but Laura and Uwe used the sauna too. It’s a very nice place, and on a rainy afternoon like this, it was the ideal thing to be doing. We all came away from the place very refreshed and relaxed.
Today started rather damp and overcast, with the cloud hanging low on the hills. We thought we’d like to try a walk despite that. Uwe selected a walk from the Outdoor Active web site, a walk close to our campsite. With pot noodles and a flask in our rucksacks, off we set on our walk. We were soon climbing steeply along a narrow track, and with the ground underfoot quite wet from the dampness of the low cloud, we had to watch our footing to avoid slipping. Being on a narrow path through trees and in the midst of the low cloud, there were no views of any consequence to have. But we were enjoying the exercise, and each of us was making good progress.
It was not long before we had reach Bichlbacher Alm, and, although closed and not a soul about, there was a table near the building with a bench in the shelter of the eaves which was the perfect place for our lunch. Out came the flask and soon we had hot noodles to tuck into to keep us nourished and warm.
After lunch, as we set off down the track, the clouds lifted a tad and there was just a little brightness to the day. Further into our walk and a lovely view opened up of the valley with wispy clouds floating beneath us. From here our path departed the wide trail that led to the alm, and started to descend steeply, becoming narrow and slippery once again. We crossed a stream and continued our downwards journey until we reached the valley floor. From here we could look up the hillside where we had walked and could just make out where we had been. It was only a short distance further for us to walk to reach the car.
Although it had not been the most inspiring of weather we had all enjoyed our time in the fresh air and the opportunity of getting some exercise. And the dampness of the day made the colours, especially of the trees, look especially vibrant.
That evening we attempted to see if we could get the new Blue Ray player working, but we deduced that we needed an HDMI cable, and Laura and Uwe’s previous DVD player was connected by scart, so we didn’t have the required cable.Our three bicycle Uwe loaded onto the cycle carrier on the back of his car, and we set off for this cycle ride. It started easily enough, but soon we were ascending steeply, and it required all our effort to keep moving. This was particular hard for pregnant Laura, who was visibly struggling, and at one point said, ‘I’m not enjoying this.’ Not a person to be defeated, on she pressed, onwards and upwards.
We all gallantly ploughed on until eventually rewarded by the trail levelling off briefly before beginning to descend. A little way into this descent we came upon the Gasthaus Adlerhorst alm. This is a small restaurant perched on the side of the hill overlooking Haldensee. We found a bench nearby on which to sit and eat our picnic lunch.
After lunch, we briefly wandered over to the Adlerhorst. There were a lot of wood carvings on display. One was of this enormous eagle. I’d struggle to take that home with me. The we strolled out onto the terrace of the restaurant where a few people were eating. The view from here was simply stunning.
It was by now time we were on our way once again. From this point on our cycle journey the way was almost entirely down hill, which came as a welcome surprise, particularly to Laura and myself. We descended rapidly through the woods eventually reaching the valley floor. A little way along the valley and we came to the shores of Haldensee. From here we glanced up at the hillside from where we had just come, and could make out the Gasthaus Adlerhorst in the distance.
It remained easy cycling around Haldensee, and then a little further on until we had returned to where our car was parked. After mounting the bikes back on the car, Uwe suggested we pop down to the nearby café, which seemed a jolly good idea to us all. We sat in the sun on the café terrace. It was a warm and restful place, with just a few others sat at tables close by. I noticed that they had a selection of ice creams on the menu, which Laura and I took a fancy to. I’d been making something of a fuss about an ice cream ever since arriving abroad. I chose a cherry kirsch ice cream called something like Amareno. Laura’s choice, a vanilla flavoured ice cream concoction. Both were absolutely delicious. Uwe settled on a apple strudel, which I guess is more traditional for this location. Washed down with a cappuccino, it was just perfect, and well deserved, we all felt, after our strenuous cycle ride.
On our way back to the campsite we stopped briefly at a shopping mall in Reutte where we were able to purchase an HDMI cable for the Blue Ray player. Later that evening we sat down to watch the film Contact, a film about making contacts with aliens.
Today Laura and I planned what we thought would be a lightweight cycle tour around Heiterwanger See and Plansee. It proved to be less lightweight than we thought it would be. It was a great day’s cycling all the same.
The weather was glorious. We decided to cycle the northern shore of Heiterwanger See, as the sun would be shining on that side, whereas the southern side would be in shade. Cyclists aren’t really meant to use the northern track, as it’s officially a hiking route only. But cycle tracks in the mud indicated that we weren’t the first to come this way.
The going was quite difficult along the shore of Heiterwanger See, but nothing too demanding. The track is narrow, and a certain amount of care is needed. When we got to the bridge that spans the water channel that connects Heiterwanger See with Plansee, we came across a sign placed on the track indicating that no access was permitted along the northern edge of Plansee. This was the first indication that we were in for more than we’d originally bargained for. The northern route would have picked up the level road that runs the length of Plansee, and would have been really easy cycling.
We walked our bikes over the wooden bridge and picked up the track on the southern shore of Plansee. This started off very much as we’d hoped, a wide track relatively even and level. But we weren’t far into this section of our ride before the track narrowed and we were faced with numerous tricky sections. Tree roots and boulders lined the trail, and there were occasional steep sections to climb. The cycling proved challenging, but was generally a lot of fun. Although I don’t think Laura enjoyed the bit where her bike stalled on an incline and she struggled to prevent herself and her bike toppling into the lake.
By the time that we’d reached the furthest tip of Plansee, our planned lunch stop, we were tired and ready for a rest. Luckily we found a wonderfully positioned bench in the sun looking across the wide expanse of Plansee. A more idyllic lunch stop would be hard to imagine. As we sat there eating our lunch, a female cyclist came out of the woods singing to herself as she went, without a care in the world. That was just the feeling the place inspired, and it made Laura and I smile, even if the singing left a lot to be desired.
After we’d eaten our lunch, the day was lovely, and we felt up to making a small detour down the lane into the village of Plansee. The restaurant and café were open, and there were a small number of dog walkers ambling about, but the place was quiet and peaceful.
Now we faced the return journey home. We would be cycling back along the same track around Plansee as our morning route out, as there was no choice in this matter, since our way was restricted by the works taking place on the northern shore of Plansee. The southern track, just like the track we had used at Heiterwanger See, is not really meant for cyclist, officially being a hiking only route. At least this time Laura and I were aware of what we faced. We made good progress, covering the distance quickly, and stopped for a quick drink and a snack just short of the footbridge we’d crossed earlier in the day.
This time we decided we would cycle the southern shore of Heiterwanger See. This we knew to be a level and wide track which made for easy cycling, having traversed the route a couple of times on previous days. It wasn’t long before we were back at the caravan where we found Uwe just back from his cycling day. Although the cycle tour that Laura and I did was quite energetic, it was, by all accounts, nothing like the mountain biking that Uwe had done. Uwe also had to contend with his back wheel having come loose, the axel having detached from the wheel. Luckily he had sufficient tools to repair the bike and continue on his way.
As yesterday had been physically more gruelling for all of us, than we had planned, we were in the mood for a slower paced day, especially Laura. We decided to pop into Garmisch-Partenkirchen and have a little look around. This is a very attractive town, situated in a wonderful position between very high mountains. These mountains are visible from just about every street, and make the town seem rather special.
The town centre we found to be very busy. I got the impression this was a popular place to visit on a Saturday. This was further heightened by the fact that political rallies were taking place, with politicians making speeches to the attending crowds. There were food stalls everywhere. These, and the restaurants and bars, were all doing a roaring trade. Laura and I settled on flamkuchen for our snack lunch, Uwe opted for a rather more substantial burger.
Strolling back through the town after our lunch Uwe spotted a shop selling knives. He said they needed a some, so he and Laura popped in to take a look around, and came out with a couple of knives for the caravan. A little further on from here we came across a café selling ice creams, and guess what. Yes, we treated ourselves to ice creams all round, which we ate on a bench in the sun. After that, we made our way back to the car for the journey back to the campsite.
We briefly pulled into Eibsee as we were driving, to take a look at the cable car to Zugspitze. This was a possible option for something to do sometime in the following week.
This was another walk that Uwe had discovered on Outdoor Active. However did we manage before the Internet? At first our walk was past the few, but very substantial houses of Rinnen, and then along a lane gradually descending a valley side. We were treated to quite expansive views all around as we walked. It was incredibly quiet, almost eerily so. We saw very few people as we walked. The occasional cyclist passed us by.
We came across a waterfall on our descent, and stopped briefly at a viewing platform to gaze at the falls and take photos. The lane dropped further from here, whereupon eventually we crossed the river over a road bridge. Then we left the lane and entered a narrow and winding path through trees that followed the contours of the hillside before eventually dropping to the river near the place where it flowed into the waters of the reservoir.
As usual for around here, the waters were the blue/green colour that are seen everywhere. I imagine the waters are loaded with minerals from the limestone mountains of the Alps, but I’m no expert. Our path took us around the waters of the reservoir in the direction of the dam.
We crossed the dam, which seemed to have a small hydroelectric generator built into it. Continuing on a short distance from the dam we came upon a bench on the hillside which seemed the ideal stop for some lunch. A few cyclists passed us, but mostly we had the place to ourselves, and the odd late season mosquito. It was just a short climb up the hillside to get us back to where the car was parked.
We returned to our caravan site on Heiterwanger See, whereupon Laura and Uwe said they wished to crash out for a bit. It was a warm and sunny late afternoon, so I decided I’d stroll out a short distance along the trail beside the lake. I took a few photos of the scene before finding myself a quiet bench in the trees where I sat relaxing in the sun. Many people out walking passed me by as I sat there soaking up the warm autumn sunshine.
Helen (Snr), Simon, Liam and Helen (Jnr) drove up to Heiterwang on Sunday evening. It had been their intention to pop in on us in the caravan, but they were running late. So, the first we saw of them was this morning when they arrived at our caravan, ready for today’s hike. First I gave Simon a belated birthday present from me, a DVD of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It was something he said he had watched when he was living in England. I’m hoping he’ll enjoy it this second time round, and he can induct Helen at the same time. Anyway, we needed to get walking. The sun was shining, the day warming, and we were looking keen.
Uwe had kindly surveyed the route, so he knew it was possible, even with children (and an old man), so we were feeling confident. Uwe and Simon drove their cars around to Ehrenberg, our walk end point, where Simon intended to leave his car, as this was to be a one-way walk for us, because it was felt that would be enough for the children (and me). The distance to Ruine Ehrenberg (the ruined castle Ehrenberg) would be 6 kms (use Walk Route link above to see our route displayed on a map).
Starting from the campsite we departed from the lake shore and immediately climbed steeply. We were lucky in that not long into the walk we heard a rustle in the trees, and just visible to us was a stag, a little above where we were standing. It was easy to make out the silhouette of the horns of the animal.
A little further into the walk and a butterfly landed on Liam. He was able to get it to stand on his hand. Of course Helen (Jnr) was intrigued by this, and she too wanted to hold the butterfly. She got a close view of it, and we captured a few photos, but it took flight before she could hold it.
After climbing a narrow track for a short while we eventually reached the brow of the hill from where we began a gradual descent along a wide track. From this track we were able to glimpse through the trees our first sighting of Ruine Ehrenberg, our goal today.
We came across a ski jump in amongst the trees. There was of course no snow, so little action was taking place. I say little, because Helen (Snr), Liam and Helen (Jnr) climbed the hillside and stood on the nearby building pretending to do a ski jump. Silly, I know, and my idea (of course), but a bit of fun.
By now we were on the final climb to a place where a suspension footbridge of quite some length spans the valley that we must cross to reach Ruine Ehrenberg. This is an impressive looking bridge, and it was certainly attracting the crowds. We decided that it would be nice to have some lunch before crossing, and discovered a bench nearby looking out on the bridge and the castle opposite, which was the perfect place to lunch.
After we’d finished our picnic lunch, we strolled briefly out to the viewing point, from where Ruine Ehrenberg could be seen, and the whole length of the valley too. It was a great spot. We then bought tickets for the bridge crossing from the vending machine.
There were a lot of people on the bridge. This caused the bridge to sway a little, but it always felt safe, to me at least. Although one wouldn’t have thought so judging by the expressions on the faces of some of the people that passed me going in the opposite direction. It was fun to look down and see our shadows cast on the valley floor far below.
On reaching the other side, we scrambled to the ruined castle Ruine Ehrenberg. It’s a majestic ruin, built of a white stone that was gleaming in the sun. The sides of the rock promontory on which it is built fall away steeply on all sides. It is the perfect place to build a castle.
We then followed a path down the hill in the direction of the car park. There was just enough time for Laura to buy me that all important fridge magnet. Simon drove Laura, Uwe and myself back to our caravan before returning to pick up Helen (Snr), Liam and Helen (Jnr).
Later that evening we were to have our very own Halloween party. Helen and Simon had brought some torches with them, so that we might each have one to light our way. Once we had a lit torch each, we tried out our most scary faces, just to be sure we were up to the job in hand. We then walked out to the lake to see what we could find. We appeared to be the most ghoulish people out tonight.
We then all piled into our two cars and drove into Reutte. Uwe had spotted a pizzeria that we thought would make a good place for supper. It was all eyes peeled to see if we could find it. It was a lucky find, as the restaurant and the meal itself was just about perfect for a large family gathering such as ours. We had a lovely supper there. Then we went back to the caravan for tea and biscuits.
We knew the weather had to be very good for this day to be successful. Our plan was to visit Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain. We awoke to clear skies and a good weather forecast, so, Thunderbirds are Go, as was once said. As we had Simon’s children, Liam and Helen with us, we thought this would make an especially enjoyable and exciting trip out for them.
We were two cars, driving to Eibsee, setting off from the caravan campsite, a journey taking about 30 minutes. The plan was to take the cable car up the mountain, which would be a treat in itself. We had seen a cable car as we drove to Eibsee, and at first thought that was the cable car we’d be using, but on arriving at Eibsee we realised that wasn’t the case. And for a brief moment we wondered if we were in the right place, but we were.
We purchased our tickets and arrived at the departure point just as a cable car began boarding. Most of our group were through the gate when the gate closed, and some of our party were trapped outside. Uwe had a quick word with one of the members of staff, explaining what had happened, and the others from our group were permitted through the gate. I think if there had been some ‘big people’ on board, that wouldn’t have happened.
Needless to say, the cable car was fully loaded with people. We were however close to the side of the car, and were able to get a good view out the window as we went. Slowly we pulled away from Eibsee, having a splendid view of the lake as we ascended the mountain. Then we climbed over the trees in the gorge far below, before approaching the sheer snow covered rock face before gently coming to a rest at the upper station.
The top of Zugspitze is a fairly busy place, but there is a large amount of space to wander around and take in the views, so it never felt overcrowded. Information boards showing the views before us and identifying the landmarks in the landscape helped us understand the scene before our eyes. We were able to look towards Ammersee and Starnbergersee, places we had visited the previous year. There was a type of crow, an Alpine Chough, hovering about the visitors heads, hoping, of course, for scraps of food. These amused Liam and Helen (Jnr) for a time.
The summit of the mountain is marked dramatically by a sculpted golden marker mounted in the rock. Unless you’re a climber, it’s not possible to reach it, but it is very close, and the place for photographs, and many a selfie was being taken here.
As midday approached, we decided we’d make for the restaurant and get some lunch. I feared it would be busy, and though it was, it was catering for the visitors well, and we were immediately shown to a large table that met our needs perfectly. The food was simple, filling and well prepared, just what we needed.
After lunch the plan was to make for the tobogganing slope. To reach this it was necessary to take a short cable car journey from the summit of of Zugspitze out onto the Schneeferner Glacier. Toboggans are to be found at the start of the run, so you just grab one and go. Liam and Helen (Jnr) were a little timid at first, but soon got into the swing of it. And the ‘boys’ (Uwe and Simon) were right in their element. I settled for a precarious position half way down the slope where I could watch the fun, take a few photos, and shoot the odd video clip. Helen spent a little time with Laura, who was feeling the strain, possibly partly due to the altitude, and a lot due to her pregnancy. Helen then joined us for a few rides on a toboggan.
Laura, Uwe and myself opted to make our way back to the caravan at this point, leaving Helen, Simon, Liam and Helen on the mountainside for a little while longer. Laura and Uwe needed to do a few odd jobs at the caravan prior to departing later. We chose to catch the cog railway down the mountain as a train was soon to depart, and it could be caught where we were next to the tobogganing slope. However, this was only a partial success, as the train travels very slowly down the hillside. Or should I say through the hillside? as much of the journey time is spent in total darkness. However, we arrived safely and rested at the drop-off station of Eibsee, where our car was parked. I had just time to dash to the souvenir shop to get the prerequisite fridge magnet.
In the evening Laura and Uwe set off quite early from the caravan, and headed home, as they had work the next day. Helen, Simon and myself played a game of Wizard. Then Simon read the beginnings of a Tintin story to Liam and Helen (Jnr), their first such story. Simon read to them in English, whilst Helen (Snr) provided a running translation in German. The story seemed to go down really well with the children. Then Helen, Simon and the children returned to their hotel, agreeing to come around again at 9 am the following morning for the start of our journey home.
Simon came up with the idea that we could break the journey home from Heiterwanger See by including a visit to the Pfahlbau Museum at Lake Constance. This is a museum of Bronze Age stilt dwelling, at which reconstructions show how buildings once stood on the shores of this lake. Although the plan had been to pick me up from the caravan at 9 am, they were running late. Helen showed at about 9:10 and said that they hadn’t had breakfast yet, and could I come over and sit with them whilst they had something to eat. I had completed all my ‘caravan shutdown’ tasks, so simply had to lock-up and drop my bag into Simon’s car and Helen and I returned to where they were staying.
I sat down with a cup of coffee and we passed breakfast in a relaxed fashion. Then it became time to load the car, no mean feat, since there was now 5 of us to get into the car, plus my fairly large holdall. It was a bit of a squeeze, but luckily Simon’s car has a large storage capacity, so we managed to get us and all the luggage into the car. Then off we set for Lake Constance.
Progress was pretty good, but it was a long drive. On arriving at Lake Constance we had to drive a little way around the lake, and there is a very rigorously enforced speed limit in effect, since the road is very busy. Then, upon arriving at the museum, we struggled for a while to find somewhere to park. Finally we arrived at the museum, and luckily, a tour (in German) was about to start. Helen provided me with a translation of salient facts.
The museum is quite unlike anything I’d previously come across. The reconstructions, made from archaeological finds at various sites including Lake Constance, were very believable. The buildings and the artefacts inside the houses provided a strong sense of the world that Bronze Age man inhabited. This was much more immersive than merely gazing at museum pieces in long halls of glass cases. I came away realising that these people were considerably more intelligent, knowledgeable, skilled and organised than I had previously thought. I picked up a new-age fridge magnet for my collection.
It was pretty late by the time that we were leaving the museum, and we’d not had any lunch. Food was now fairly high on everyone’s agenda. Luckily Google Maps was able to direct us towards the nearest McDonald’s, which was just the job. Fully nourished, we continued our journey home. Simon dropped Helen and I off at Helen’s home in Göppingen before returning to his home with Liam and Helen (Jnr) in Geislingen.
Helen (Snr) proposed a ‘messing about the place’ sort of day for today. It probably wasn’t such a bad idea, considering how frenetic our days had been just recently. Helen had some jobs that required attention about her flat, and so we needed to pay a visit to the local DIY store for supplies. Simon, and his children Liam and Helen (Jnr) came around in the morning. Simon had borrowed his father’s drill so that we might do some of the odd jobs required in Helen’s flat. Liam’s first task was to assemble a kit wardrobe, which I sat down and helped him with. Then, once assembled, we had to work out how to get it up Helen’s spiral staircase. It actually wasn’t too difficult. One job down. Next, pile in Simon’s car, first stop DIY.
Helen (Snr) purchasd a mixture of items at the DIY store. Things such as plumbing parts for her kitchen boiler, adjustable spanner, a ‘forest’ light fitting (bargain at €40) that she’d seen months previously, which, the last available, was now on special offer, and some light bulbs.
Poco is a store somewhat hard to categorise. Our nearest in store type might be Range. A mix of just about everything needed about the house, and all at discount prices. Helen wanted a rubbish bin for the kitchen, which she soon found. She wanted a curtain rod, which we debated the size, Simon and I encouraging Helen to pick up a size too big (sorry Helen!). Then she eyed a table that she rather liked, and so purchased this too. It was a sort of Star Wars table, in that it had a glass top, with ‘stars’ sparkling in it. We had to drive around to the Poco warehouse to collect the table, which needed some juggling to get it into the car.
By now we were all hungry, so we headed back to the car. Helen rustled up some jacket potatoes for our lunch. Simon and I carried the table top up the several flights of stairs to Helen’s flat, only to find, on inspection, a fly embedded in the glass, so that would have to be returned, so down the stairs we went with the glass table top, to place it back in the car.
In the early evening Helen and I returned the table glass and wrong sized curtain rod to Poco. We were told the table glass would need to be ordered, and we needed to hold onto the glass we had for now (uh oh! that meant another trip up the stairs to Helen’s flat with the glass table top!). On our return journey to Helen’s flat Helen pulled in at a supermarket where she purchased some strawberries and ice cream. We all sat down to a delicious tea of strawberries, chocolate sauce and ice cream. It was delicious.
It was then time for Simon, Liam and Helen (Jnr) to depart. I believe the children were due back at their mother, Nicky’s place by now. Later that evening Helen (Snr) and I sat down with some time to spare. Wondering what to do, we browsed Amazon Prime, and noticed that the American Sherlock Holmes TV series ‘Elementary’ was available. Neither of us had watched this, so we decided that we’d give the first episode of series 1 a whorl. It was actually quite good, although, of course, not as good as the English Cumberbatch/Freeman Sherlock TV series.
In the morning, Helen and I had some time to spare, so we decided to go for a swim. We packed our swimming costumes and walked across town to the swimming pool. Göppingen has a really nice large indoor pool at its leisure centre which is named the Barbarossa-Thermen. This is a pool that I’ve used previously. Helen and I set about our usual swims, 40 lengths of the pool. The water was warm, and the pool quiet, which made for a relaxing and enjoyable swim.
A small confession to make here: after our swim we picked up a couple of pastries to take back to Helen’s flat to have with coffee. Well, we had deserved this little treat by working for it. We also popped into a department store (Muller) to see if they had a copy of Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. This is a film my daughters Helen and Laura love, and me too. I felt sure Simon’s children would enjoy it. The store didn’t have the film, but were willing to order a copy for us.
I had a little time to spare in the morning since Helen had some teaching work. I said I’d go looking for some screws for Helen’s new light fitting, since it would need plasterboard screws to firmly secure it to the ceiling. Helen offered me the loan of her bike, and gave me directions for Obi, the DIY store nearest to where Helen lives. This excursion went well, and I returned with what we needed.
After lunch Helen and I set off for the railway station as we were due to meet up with Simon and his parents in Geislingen. Simon has a flat on the upper floor of his parent’s house. Helen and I first met up with Simon, and then Simon’s parents, John and Gisela, joined us. After chatting for a brief while, we thought it a good ideat to take a little walk. We set off in our cars for Weiler ob Helfenstein, on one of the hills surrounding Geislingen.
Upon parking, we set off through trees until we came to the ruins of a castle set high above Geislingen. The views of the town and the valley in which it sits were marvellous. The sun was just beginning to set, so the light, fading fast, was perfect. Simon and Helen then led us off once again, this time on a slightly different path, with the intention of circling back along the road, lit by streetlights, until we got back to our car.
We had a table booked at a place about 20 minutes drive away. John and Gisela had invited us out to dinner. I was told the place cooked traditional dinners, and that the portions were good. On top of that, they served a very nice dopplebock beer, dark and bitter, much like an English beer. Perfect! And I also discovered Gisela was a Bob Dylan fan. There aren’t too many of us about these days. It was a lovely evening, and the food was very good.
Laura and Uwe called at Helen’s flat to collect me this morning. Helen had some teaching to do, so Laura, Uwe and myself were going to set off for Ulm to do some baby furniture buying. That is to say, Laura and Uwe were looking for furniture for the baby room that they were in the process of creating.
Our first stop was Möbel Inhofer. This is a large furniture store with numerous brands on display. Laura and Uwe discovered a baby changing unit they liked, and purchased this, along with a changing mat and a matching shelf.
Our second stop was IKEA. It was lunchtime by the time that we arrived, and very busy. We opted to get ourselves a quick snack, for although Helen had offered to prepare us lunch at her flat, we were running a little late. After lunch we began to browse the store. This was my first visit to an IKEA store. It was totally bewildering and I found it very difficult to find what I was looking for, a spice rack for Helen. Laura and Uwe did find the combination unit they wanted to see, and then began the process of ordering. Apparently you identify the parts of the unit you want on a list. This list however is in the displayed colours. You then have to translate the codes to the coloured parts if you choose colours other than those of the display unit. Confused? I certainly was.
Then, Uwe, on packing the furniture into the car, discovered that we had two drawer fronts in the wrong colour. Laura and I took these back to the refunds desk. We were told these could be ordered online with a delivery cost likely to be €6. We were happy with the sound of that. Uwe had somehow managed to get the furniture into the back of his car, and, luckily, there was still room for me, just. It was important Laura didn’t brake too forcefully, as otherwise the furniture was likely to decapitate Uwe. We returned to Helen’s flat where she and Simon were waiting for us, and there we had a second, slightly late lunch.
We then got our swimming kits together and headed for the Panorama Therme, Beuren. This is a place I’d visited before with Helen and Laura on a previous trip to Germany. It’s a superb place, and extremely popular, as it was on this visit of ours. This time it was dark as we arrived, and that was nice, as it is a completely different experience to visiting it in the daytime. The place is very atmospherically lit, creating a very relaxing ambience. It was a superb way to refresh ourselves after a hectic day.
Helen, Simon and I set about doing some odd jobs about the flat in the morning. I hung a shelf, Simon fitted a ceiling lamp that he had supplied, and Helen set about preparing the shifting of the microwave shelf, that she wasn’t happy with. Feeling pleased with our morning’s work, we set off for Laura and Uwe’s place around midday. They had invited us for lunch.
Laura and Uwe had cooked us a very nice lamb dish. Apparently the lamb came from family, who raise a small number of lambs. It had been cooked slowly, and it was wonderfully tender and delicious. It was served with potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots, all washed down with a glass of red Sauvignon. And then, for pudding (dessert, sweet or afters if you prefer), Laura had bought in some English ice creams, a Vienetta and some Feasts. I earned myself something of a name for my ice creams this holiday. Anyway, they were delicious, and seemed to go down very well with everyone.
After lunch we firstly set about carrying the furniture flat-packs from Uwe’s car up the flight of stairs to Laura and Uwe’s flat (I was extraneous to this effort, apparently). This was a good way to work off our big Sunday roast lunch.
We discovered a recent Star Trek film release on Amazon Prime. Uwe set this running and we all sat down to a quiet and relaxing afternoon of film watching.
Helen, Simon and I left Laura and Uwe’s place early evening to return to Göppingen. As we had the evening ahead of us we decided to take a stroll about the town. It was a quiet pleasant evening. We made our way to the Indian curry house which we had chosen for our supper venue. We had a very nice supper there, before returning to Helen’s flat.
Helen and I walked over to Obi, the nearby DIY store, to see if we could purchase a new wall clock. We couldn’t find anything we liked, but we did pick up some bits and pieces such as shelf brackets and screws for on-going work in Helen’s flat. We also tried Rieger furniture store for a clock without luck, but we did find a nice table lamp which we purchased. On our way back to the flat we did a small grocery shop in Edeka for our supper.
Helen prepared us a cold snack lunch which was most enjoyable. I connected up Helen’s new lamp whilst lunch was being prepared. Helen had some teaching to do in the afternoon, so I borrowed Helen’s bike and went for a ride along the Fils river. I cycled as far as Ebersbach, where I stopped briefly for a walk around the village and a quick snack. Ebersbach is where Helen and Laura first lived on coming to Germany. Helen told me she lived there until the age of 12. My cycle route is available from the link above.
The evening came in cold, and I needed to put lights on the bike for the last part of my journey. By the time I had returned to the flat, my feet were like blocks of ice. It was a little after 5pm when I Skyped Helen. She messaged me to say she would return to the flat. We had a cup of coffee and a cake. Helen then had one more class to take. Simon came over to the flat whilst Helen was out teaching. Between us, Simon and I managed to figure out Helen’s oven and get some fish meals and a pizza cooking. All was ready by the time of Helen’s return from her teaching.
In the evening we watched an old Star Trek film, The Wrath of Khan, a particular favourite of ours. I said my goodbyes to Simon before going to bed, as he said he would need to return home early the following day, to take his children to school.
Helen nipped out before breakfast to get some croissants and pretzels for our breakfast. Laura was driving over to have breakfast with us, as she had offered to drive me to Stuttgart airport. I got up early and had my bag packed before breakfast.
It was nice to have breakfast together this one final time on this visit. As soon as breakfast was over Laura and I set off for the airport, saying goodbye to Helen, and thanking her for putting me up. It’s rather a complex route into Stuttgart airport, made all the worse this time by some road works. However, Laura got me directly to the Terminal 3 drop-off point. We said our final farewells, and I thanked Laura for her contribution to a wonderful holiday. I set off to find my plane whilst Laura headed home for a snack lunch before starting her work day.
My journey home was efficient and uneventful. I arrived back in Exeter punctually at 16:45, if a little tired and aching from my day of travel. I made myself a sausage rolls and baked beans supper, and then crashed out on the sofa. It had been a wonderful holiday, but now I was exhausted.
P.S. A few days following my return to England, there was snow at Heiterwanger See.
Post Day Index
- Monday 7th November – Helen and I went shopping for clock, but buy a light instead. Cycled Fils.
- Tuesday 8th November – Breakfast at Helen’s. Laura drove me to Stuttgart airport. Journey home.
