Beattys Overseas

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travel blog on our week in Switzerland to come soon..... JOHN was assigned to blog on this section and, as you might imagine, is very slow with his entries.  (He would be fired from any legitimate travel website in a heartbeat)

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The Alps, from seat 9AWe left peaceful Switzerland on Saturday morning and flew 2 tiny Alitalia planes to Munich (had to transfer in Rome, so we flew over the Alps twice. It made for a long day of travels, but lovely aerial views!). Arriving to the Munich airport was funny, since we arrived without a German phrase book (Whitney´s mom gave us one before we left the States, but dumbo Whit left it in London!). So, we were a little confused about how to get out of the airport and into the City. Thankfully, it seems that everyone in Germany speaks enough English to help two tourists get from Point A to Point B. And, unlike the French, no one rolls their eyes when we make an attempt at speaking their language. Danke!

We were directed by the friendly Information girl at the airport that we should take a bus into the city centre for 10Euro each, and then a taxi from the city centre to our hotel, which would only be a few more euros, instead of a 50Euro taxi from airport to hotel. The bus pulled up near the Arrivals gate, and it was surprisingly posh [Imagine the Hampton Jitney, you New Yorkers]. We were the only passengers, and the lovely old man driver was very helpful in providing recommendations of where-to-go and what-to-see. John asked for his opinion on which beergarden to visit, and the driver was very kind in calling to John´s attention that the beergardens are not open when it´s 0-degrees celsius. Duh [But, we should check out the indoor beerhalls, which are easy to find, he said].

The short freeway trip from the airport into Munich was quiet and drizzly, and we were awestruck when we drove by the Munich Arena, a huge soccer stadium that, at night, is lit for whichever football club is playing. On Saturday night, as we passed, the shocking glow of red beamed for the Bayern Munich team. Soon thereafter, we got into the north of Munich, and our friendly bus driver pointed out our hotel as we zoomed past it on the highway.  John jokingly asked if he could let us out here, instead of taking us all the way into the center of town, and the man slammed on the breaks to let us out for a 2 Euro tip. Score!

We exited the posh bus and walked through an empty business park to arrive at our first 4-star hotel of the trip: the Munich Marriott. The staff was so friendly and spoke perfect English, which was obviously extremely helpful. We noticed that the hotel has a Champions (American Sports Bar chain). Ugh, so much for an authentic German experience, but we knew what we were getting into when we booked an American chain hotel.  Plus, we wouldn't be spending too much time in the hotel, except for the room, naturally. The room, by the way, was like a big ole' chunk of heaven. The bed looked like a cloud of feathers swathed in Egyptian cotton. Ahhhhh.  A well-stocked mini-bar offered complimentary soft drinks, beers and wines. Yes, complimentary! They only charged for the hard alcohol, which isn't our thing anyway, so no matter. We cracked open a few beers while we unpacked and shared a few giggles of excitement. We´re living the Bavarian high life for a few days, dude!

Later Saturday night, we took the underground to Marienplatz, a very popular area of the city centre. Coming up from the subway, we were a little shocked at the sight of the Rathaus with the huge Glockenspiel on its facade. It was HUGE! And, lit up at night, it looked like a backdrop from a movie set. We asked a few pedestrians to direct us to the Bier hall, and they all pointed us toward Munich’s most famous beer hall, the Hofbräuhaus. Yes, it was a little touristy. Well, there was a gift shop and about a thousand non-Munich residents inside, so I guess it’s very touristy. But, that didn’t stop us from walking in and finding a table with a few empty seats. The family-style seating makes for a very festive atmosphere, with people meeting each other, eating and singing. A German band sits in the middle of the hall atop a platform, playing traditional German tunes. Yes, they wore lederhosen. It was fantastic.

Cheers in German is "Prost!"This place is gigantic, probably about 5,000 square feet, packed with people of all ages talking and laughing. We saw a table doing ‘the wave’ while they waited for the waitress to bring their next round.  Hilarious.  As soccer is so popular in Germany, and there was a big game earlier that night, we heard a chant of the “Ole ole ole ole … ole ole.”  The place was buzzing with happy energy.

The table we chose to join was packed with a group of men from Frankfurt who were in town for the football game (see above reference to Munich Arena). They turned out to be hilarious cohorts in our night of beer steins as big as paint cans and a few shots of dangerous pear liqueur. The photos say most of whatever I would try to explain here. It was a blast. The language gap was connected by Roger, a guy in the group whose English was impeccable, and who was obviously the joker of the group. He and John were like two peas in a pod. Our first night in Munich was made to order.  And, the next morning, we needed to sleep in, as you might imagine. And, perhaps, take an advil or two.

What an emotional visit it was to be here.  We took a local commuter train from Munich into the small town of Dachau, and caught a bus to the Memorial site.  We had been asked by some of the gentlemen the night before at the Hofbrauhaus why we wanted to go.  It's such a horrible thing, he had said, and why do you want to go gawk at it?  We feel much differently, perhaps because we are not German, who knows.  It's a part of world history that, although extremely appalling and dire, should be acknowledged and reflected upon. 

Dachau was the first concentration camp built by the Nazi party, and the model for all others built thereafter.  There are billions of sad and disturbed thoughts I could write here to explain how the place made me feel.  But for brevity's sake and  to avoid getting onto any kind of political soapbox, I'll digress.  

The memorial was very subdued in it's presentation of the site, but at the same time provided clear exhibits about what happened to the prisoners.  It was a truly moving experience, and one that we will not forget. 

After our trip to Dachau on Sunday, we came back into Munich's city center looking for a hot meal to warm our bellies and our spirits.  We landed in front of a very authentic German restaurant which featured a team of butchers in the window, poking at huge cuts of meat on spits.  Right on!  This place looked legitimate, so we went in and were welcomed by friendly staff and menus in English.  John chose to order whatever it was that he saw in the window (turns out, they are roasted Pork Knuckles, yowza). 
Meatloaf?I went for the seemingly-safe, comfort meal of homemade meatloaf with potato salad.  I was a little shocked when my meatloaf arrived looking like a 4-inch thick slice of pressed bologna.  This was no American meatloaf, and I should have known better. 

After dinner, we somehow - by a magnetic force from the universe - ended up back at the Hofbrauhaus, which was much more tame tonight than it was Saturday night.  Everyone seemed to be behaving themselves, and the waitresses were only carrying 4 or 5 steins of beer instead of 12 in their strong little hands.  We watched the great German band play a few songs, then found a whole table to ourselves, which made for a very different experience than the night before.  We ordered a dessert and watched a sweet old German guy at a nearby table talk to himself and practically fall asleep into his beer.  Awww.

The next morning, we were on a mission to buy our train tickets for Tuesday to travel to Salzburg, Austra (our next stop).  The main train station (Haputbahnhof) in Munich is very central to all other touring areas, and after our tickets were purchased we just cruised.  Then, an ice skating rink at a plaza called Karlsplatz seemed to call our names.  We had a blast on the ice, and wondered why so many other people were standing around the rink, watching us.  Almost as if ice skating is not a common activity here, or something that only children do...?  Who knows, and we didn't care; we enjoyed ourselves despite being 2 of a dozen people out there. 

Great hat, great cityJohn's friend Jim recommended a great beer hall in Munich that isn't as touristy and big as the Hofbrauhaus, and we found it right after leaving the skating rink.  We enjoyed a nice lunch at the Augustiner Brauhaus and a few brews (it's 5 o'clock somewhere!).  Wandering around the city after lunch was fun, happening upon a few other mainstay beerhalls (I know, I know, a pattern has formed), browsing a huge bookstore with some English books and seeing some landmark buildings. 

By the following morning, while walking to catch our train, John said, "I'd really like to come back here again."  To which I practically screamed, "I was just going to say that!"  We enjoyed Munich, although we didn't see nearly as much of is as the touring brochures offered.  A big city that seemed like a small town, we think you'd enjoy it too.   Proust!

- Whitney

Our train from Munich (Germany) into Salzburg (Austria) on Tuesday morning was lovely, taking us through snowy landscapes and past charming farmlands. We decided to visit Salzburg for a few reasons: 1. It's a mid-sized Austrian city which is close to ski destinations in the Alps, and a few other cool other day trips; 2. Salzburg is a heaven for cultural and historical sightseeing, being the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Michael Haydn; and 3. We found a sweet apartment rental on Craigslist that would allow us to stay very comfortably for nine days.

The apartment is making this long visit truly decadent. Finding a gem like this on Craigslist is unbelievable, as it’s so unique, being built onto the side of Mönchsberg mountain. The owner, we soon came to learn, is a woman living in the U.S., who rents out her Salzburg apartment when she is not in Austria. Sylvia has been an excellent hostess to us, even while in Florida, arranging for us to be picked up at the train station upon our arrival and providing loads of suggestions for sightseeing and dining. The apartment itself is situated steps from the historic Old Town with a direct view of the Salzach River. With unique décor, a fully-equipped kitchen, washer/dryer and wireless internet, we are living very well here. The apartment is more than twice the size of our studio in Manhattan, so we’re spreading out, unpacking and making ourselves at home.  If anyone has an intention to visit Salzburg, check out Sylvia's holiday rental. 

Having such a long visit ahead of us has allowed us to relax our first few days here, walking around and getting to know the layout of the city, which is very easy to figure out. The Alstadt (Historic town area) is so adorable, especially now that it’s all dressed up for Christmas. Salzburg is renowned for their Noel festivities and shopping. Every streetside and plaza has dozens of little mangers with artisans selling homemade ornaments, candies, clothing, etc. Combine this with the dozens of Baroque architecture masterpieces standing on each block, and you’re in a little city that is exactly what you wish every European city looked like. Salzburg one of the prettiest places we’ve encountered in Europe, by my account.

- Whitney

John’s long-awaited dream to ski the Alps came true when we took a day trip to Obertauern, a ski village about 90 minutes south of Salzburg. We bought a combo transport ticket, which took us by train to the city of Rasdadt, where a city bus picked us up and drove up the mountain into Obertauern.

Obertauern, baby!Now, this is where we became a little confused. Obertauern isn’t a ski resort… it’s an entire village. So, where do you ski and how to you begin? The Tourist Information office told us that you buy your lift tickets anywhere in town, and just hop from lift to lift. But, we wondered, each lift seems to be hundreds of yards apart from each other with buildings and parking lots in between them – how does this work? Each of us have skiied in the States, but always at a singular ski resort, with a primary lodge as a 'homebase' and lifts that start at a main point near the 'homebase lodge.'  

We were a little out of our comfort zone with this giant ski community. We innocently inquired “Where are the lockers?” to which we were informed do not exist here. “Didn’t you bring your car?” they asked, incredulous that we were so poorly planned. “Nope; we’re tourists form Salzburg. Here for the day. No idea what we’re doing...” Somehow we prevailed, finding the one ski shop in town that rents clothes as well as equipment and buying ourselves two all-day lift passes. And, with a little gumption and John's charming smile, we talked our ski rental place into holding our shoes and Whit’s purse while we hit the slopes.

The conditions were good, and it was a beautiful sunny day, so we were in for a good time. It’s been a while since either of us have skied, but we hopped onto the first lift for a ‘blue hill’ (clearly listed as ‘Easy’ on the map), and were heading up into the sky on a cushy leather seat.  Off the lift we went and looked down onto what (to me, at least) seemed like K2. Trying to be brave, I did my best snow-plow (pizza slice, whatever you prefer for imagery) with my skis and tried to ski alongside my darling husband.  But, gravity took control, and I somehow spun around backwards, went upside-down, lost a ski, and slid down the hill on my back about 25 yards before John even turned around to notice that I wasn’t with him. A very nice German skier stopped to help me, but I was so pissy and frustrated that I basically shooed him away from me (“No, danke. No no, danke! No!” a.k.a. Thanks, but, get away from me. I am embarrassed and mad and I don’t want your help).  Fifteen minutes later, I retrieved my ski, gathered my composure and snow-plowed my way down the rest of the hill to meet up with John. And, that was only 1/8 of the way down the slope. It was a rough first run, but John was very patient with my defeated & angry attitude, and we made it to the bottom together in one-piece.

We found our way to another lift (but we had to walk up a small hill near the main street which, in those rented ski boots, was none too fun), which took us right up to a hilltop restaurant bar... How do you say "Jackpot!" in German??  We stopped for a mid-day lunch of goulash and frankfurters and – of course – a few brews.  Soon thereafter, John was ready to head down to ski, but I was so comfortable sipping on a beer in the sunshine, so I sent him on his merry little way.  I would sit, sipping hot chocolate or a beer while John went down the hill, came back up the lift, waved at me at the lounge and skiied back down.  Repeat process.  Soon enough, I gathered enough courage to brave these Austrian ‘easy blue hills,’ and we did a few runs together -- without any other catostrophic wipeouts, thankyouverymuch.

All in all, it was a great way to satiate John’s desire to get out and ski some Alpine peaks. We had a blast together (as we almost always do!) and John may come back to Obertauern during our stay for another ski day.  I, however, may stay here and go on The Sound of Music tour.

- Whitney