La Pensione in Lana

After a day of touring in northern Italy, we decided it was too late for the drive back through the passes over the Alps to Germany. With the help of a local restauteur, we found a pensione, a small hotel. Driving after dark through very narrow streets to find an unknown location was interesting. Sean drove, Tom navigated and we found our destination easily.

St. Catherine's Street, where our pensione was located, would be a narrow alley in the U.S.A. In Italy, even more than in Germany, we found that every inch of space is utilized. Apple orchards butt right up against buildings, which are inches from streets. 

We were welcomed by a gracious, older couple and shown to our rooms on the second floor. Each family had a bedroom and a bathroom. The place is very neat and well kept. The bed--king sized--included two separate goosedown comforters. VERY comfortable and warm. 

Breakfast was at 8 the next morning. Our hosts served yogurt, eggs, a variety of eggs and meat, as well as coffee and tea.

This part of northern Italy, the Tyrol region, is in the Alps. Even though the slopes are very steep, vineyards cover every inch of ground that is not vertical. Apples seem to be the predominant fruit; however, grapes, hops, and pears are also grown here. We were amazed, given that it is the end of September, at how green the whole area is. 

The Church in Lipitano

On a drive into Italy, we found this medieval church in Lipitano. The church construction was begun in 1420. As you can see in the first picture, the church courtyard is a very interesting graveyard with a great many family plots.

As you can see from the photos, the interior is breathtaking! Paintings cover the entire ceiling and fine wood carvings and metal sculptures cover the walls. The wooden pews have doors at each end sort of like box seats. Kneelers are NOT padded but are well worn.

The church is located in an area that is part of the old walled city. The monastery next to the church is now a music conservatory. We saw children arriving

carrying instruments; the children were always accompan- ied by at least one adult--presumably a parent.

Neuschwanstein Castle

A major tourist attraction in southern Bavaria are two castles of King Ludwig II. Neuschwan- stein Castle is called "The Disney Castle" because of its imposing turrets and its mountaintop location. It was actually started in the 1860s but has never been completed. It was under construction for 17 years and is still missing a major section of the building and a turret. Many of the rooms within the completed parts were not finished. The castle is 12th or 13th century design (late Romanesque).

The King spent a total of 172 days at 

this castle before his mysterious death, shortly after he was declared "mad."  The King was a huge fan of Wagner and his operas; and art work related to the stories the operas tell fills the completed parts of the palace. During the week that we visited the castle, there were nightly concerts featuring Wagner's music. You can imagine the tickets for the limited seating available are nearly impossible to obtain!

The final picture is of Linderhof Palace, where Ludwig actually lived. Although we were close to Linderhof, we did not have time to tour that day.

Oktoberfest in Munich

One could hardly visit Germany during the season of Oktoberfest and not take in the event! We went to the Oktoberfest parade in Munich, which is really homebase for Oktoberfest in Germany. We took a bus from our resort because traffic and parking in Munich during Oktoberfest is insane. We were there on Sunday the 20th of September. Oktoberfest officially opened the preceding Friday. Oktoberfest is a celebration with beer-drinking at its core. 

Every major beer company in Germany has a "tent" at the fairgrounds in Munich. A "tent" is really a very large building with multiple levels for seating (see the first photo). One must have a ticket/reservation to get seated in a tent. A total of seven tents are said to be capable of seating 100,000 people. They were overflowing while we were there. During the Oktoberfest period in Munich 6 million gallons of beer will be consumed. 

Other aspects of Oktoberfest include what we would call a carnival. There is every kind of carnival ride that you can imagine! There were a number that we'd never seen before. 

The other major feature of the festival is food, primarily German specialties such as brats. 

One day during Oktoberfest there is a major parade. This year the parade was on the day we attended. There were MANY bands--we believe most are community bands--however, some included school age participants. There are also many huge horses pulling wagons from the primary beer distillers. All of the large well-known beer companies, such as Lowenbrau, had six-horse hitches very much like our Budweiser teams in the parade. Each was more impressive than the next!

The view from the top of Germany

From the Edelweiss resort we drove a short distance to a train station, rode the train up the mountain-side and through a long tunnel to a ski resort on Zugspitze. 

Zugspitze is the highest point in Germany at 2962 meters. 

The railroad we traveled on goes specifically to Zugspitze through a number of small villages. After the second stop, the train traveled on a track with a center cog rail. The climb from this point to the top of the mountain is VERY steep for a train. The last part of the ride was through a tunnel that continued to slant steeply upward. The train stopped near the top of the mountain, just at the end of the tunnel. 

To reach the mountain top, we took a cable car across a small valley. At the top, we explored the countryside and watched Sean climb to the cross marking the absolute highest point in Germany. The first picture shows all of us in the foreground with the cross/peak in the background. A climbing trail had been developed from the observation deck to the cross. It was a trail with steps and handrails in place. Nevertheless, it was somewhat treacherous. Sean climbed across and up to the marker as shown in Picture 2. 

Picture 3 shows the cable car descent to Eibsee, a lake and village, 7000 feet below the peak of Zugspitze.

The Garmisch-Partenkirchen Area

Garmisch sits at the foot of the Alps in the German state of Bavaria. As we drove into the area on Wednesday via the autobahn, we encountered picture postcard scenes that nostalgically reminded Anita of one of her favorite childhood books, Heidi. 

The first picture shows the mountains and the small farms near the resort.  The rock wall in the foreground in the picture surrounds the resort. 

Tourism is a major industry in the area. Parasailing (as shown in the second picture) is a major sport. Winter sports, especially skiing, are huge! 

The city of Garmisch is clean and orderly...and beautiful! All of Bavaria we've seen so far is the same. Buildings, even older buildings, are well maintained; there are flowers everywhere.

We've had a number of opportu-

nities to sample authentic German foods. We won't leave Germany hungry! This could be harder on our diet than our cruise from Alaska. How do you pass up apple strudel...or how often...?

Edelweiss Lodge and Resort - Garmisch, Germany

At the invitation of Sean and Candace, we joined them for Sean's R & R in Germany at the beautiful Edelweiss Lodge and Resort, a military getaway. We arrived in Munich Wednesday, September 16, after flying from Chicago on the same flight as Candace, Adam, and Isaac. Sean arrived from Iraq just a couple of hours earlier.

The Lodge is in Garmisch, about 45 or 50 miles southwest of Munich. The first picture shows the Lodge entrance. The facility is not very old and is beautiful throughout. 

Picture two shows the immense fireplace in the lobby, complete with a sleigh. Sean rested for a moment in one of the rocking chairs in front of the fireplace and was soon joined by Isaac and Adam, who loved the kids' rockers!

Across the street from the Lodge are small farms, with cattle grazing and beautiful mountains--the Alps--in the background.