European Get-Away: Day 3 - Off to Salzburg

Day 3 - October 16

We were up at 3 AM, and Ron went to the car to retrieve some adapters and chargers about 4 AM. Managed to sleep from 5-8.

Morning in the Alps

This day will explain why I call this blog "slowtravel".
We had a leisurely morning with breakfast in the lovely fruhstuck zimmer (breakfast room) - wonderful fresh rolls called brotchen or semmeln, cheeses, Alpine butter, Black Forest ham, salamis, etc. There was an array of fruits, juices, bircher muesli, other cereals, and we also ordered spiegeleier mit speck (bacon and eggs). It is good we won't be feasting like that when we get to our apartment in Vienna - or the scales would be telling a sad tale. I indulged in a normal tea (not decaff) - and it was a Ronnefeldt Smmer Gold Darjeeling - out of this world with flavor.

We left the hotel about 11 AM and drove briefly through the old kaserne (Army post) in Bad Aibling where Ron served from 1964-1966. We have visited often through the years, but now there isn't much left we can recognize. The US military presence has been gone for years, and the post has been converted to apartments, homes, businesses, and a hotel. There are several buildings we still recognize, but within a few years think all will be gone. Time marches on, but sad to see part of one's history erased.

We stopped for lunch at the Restaurant Cafe Malerwinkel in Seebruck on Lake Chiemsee, one of the largest lakes (80 KM) in Germany - a place we have visited for years. We have read that it is one of the cleanest lakes in Germany. There are three main islands on the lake, including Herrenchiemsee where King Ludwig built one of his palaces.

The dining room was filled with nicely dressed "older" folks. Ron said he thought a bus had brought a group from the "home", and I said we fit right in. We later saw them all going off in their own vehicles - no bus!

Lovely spot on the lake. I had saibling (a kind of salmon) and zahnder (a white, flaky, mild pike perch ) and Ron had a special dish of bread dumplings with a wild mushroom cream sauce. It was nice that we had the option to order "smaller" portions for several dollars less.

We then continued on back roads (avoiding autobahns for the time, not just to avoid buying a vignette (toll sticker) but to enjoy the scenery at a leisurely pace). At one point both the vehicle's GPS and our own Garmin sent us along a narrow farm road up and down a mountain (22% descents), and after about 6-miles, the road suddenly came to an end. The road (such as it was) was being torn up. So we had to backtrack to find another route. All in all, we probably spent four hours traveling 90-miles. But, we did enjoy it. That is why we're here - to reminesce and see the sights that lift our spirits.

We checked into the lovely Friesacher Hotel in Anif, and had a small glitch.

Ron told me to meet him in Room 216, which we both thought was in the Garden Annex. I walked there, and discovered there was no #216 anywhere to be found. I asked a cleaning lady, and she said it was in the "Main House". A long walk back, up an elevator, and then a small flight of stairs. Ron, meanwhile, had taken a large trolley of luggage to the Garden Annex, and eventually left the luggage, found the correct room, and sent someone to bring the bags. The confusion stemmed from us reserving a room in the "new" section. When we were here two years ago, the Garden Annex was the newest, but now there is a more recent renovation. The room was lovely, but the bathroom a bit strange in that the shower/vanity area was separated from the bedroom/living area only by glass draped in a flimsy curtain. These glass bathrooms seem a modern trend we have noticed the last few years. There was a large walk-in shower with rain head and hand spray, and heated towel rack - all ultra-moden.

The hotel has been in the Friesacher family for six generations. It has grown and changed dramatically since we first visited in the early 1970's. There are numerous fireplace lounges and bars, five or six restaurant choices, and a luxurious spa. Our two-day stay here is the "splurge" of the trip.