Edelweiss Lodge in Garmisch Germany :Colmar, Alsace region, France

[Kathi OD]

Jenni, your trip sounds absolutely wonderful!! You have all certainly been through a great deal and this trip seems like a real stress reliever. I'm sure that you will all have a great time! I can't wait to hear about it (and of course, see pictures) when you return!

 

[Mr Man]

I'm afraid we will have to really limit the hiking.. He can walk,but not for extended periods , uphill etc... It's one reason I think the bus tour is a good plan.

Gotcha. Just got done reading your links (cuz ya just won "most painful story IMO" on that other thread).

One thing we do when traveling with my parents (1 in WC and the other has fairly limited walking capability) is river barge cruises on the Danube. We have done them in short hops (like from Passau to Wien). Once we went from Nurnberg all the way to Budapest. Talk about a blast! You stop at the nicest places and dinner.....and dancing on the barge at night. Just fantastic......

 

[stinkerbelle's mom]

How exciting!!!! Have a great trip!

 

[JennyMominRI]

). Once we went from Nurnberg all the way to Budapest. Talk about a blast! You stop at the nicest places and dinner.....and dancing on the barge at night. Just fantastic......

I'm dying to go to Budapest, and Prague too..Those are really high on my list..I've heard good things about the river cruises.

 

[AmazingGrace]

We stayed at the Edelweiss when it was AFRC. Our oldest ds was concieved there. 15 years ago this week, as a matter of fact!!
Have a blast and drink some gluhwein for me!!

 

[Briarmom]

We're leaving two weeks from tomorrow. We just love it there. The kids are counting the days!

 

[rparmfamily]

Have a great time!! I LOVE that hotel!! What an awesome opportunity!

DH and I have been talking about going there too! He's stayed at Chimsee? (it's closed) and went to Oktoberfest (boys only) when we lived in Italy.

I have that hotel in my favorites. I can't wait until we go! (maybe next fall, or 09--it's a FAR way from Hawaii!)

 

[JennyMominRI]

Tentative itinerary

Well, I seem to have found a good middle ground.. I'm a big city type of person more than country. My itinerary looks like
Bavaria/Garmish 8 nights, 1 day is a tour to Innsbruck
3 Nights Vienna, I cut out 1 night
2 Nights Salzburg DO Sound of Music tour! Mozart Dinner
2 Nights Munich Again, cut 1 night
1 Rothenburg

As I will usually fly into Europe vie Ramstein Air base or Rota Spain's naval base I will get lots more time in Munich over the years..2 night is fine for a first trip.


Tours I plan to take from the Edelweiss Hotel

Linderhoff/ Oberamergau
Three Country Tour Austria/ Switzerland/Liechtenstein 174
Dachau Concentration Camp
Neuschwanstein
Innsbruck and Hofburg
Brixen + Vitapeno Italy with tour of Reifenstein castle

 

[bavaria]

It sounds like an absolutely perfect plan! Have fun with the trip planning

 

[Briarmom]

Tentative itinerary

Well, I seem to have found a good middle ground.. I'm a big city type of person more than country. My itinerary looks like
Bavaria/Garmish 8 nights, 1 day is a tour to Innsbruck
3 Nights Vienna, I cut out 1 night
2 Nights Salzburg DO Sound of Music tour! Mozart Dinner
2 Nights Munich Again, cut 1 night
1 Rothenburg

As I will usually fly into Europe vie Ramstein Air base or Rota Spain's naval base I will get lots more time in Munich over the years..2 night is fine for a first trip.


Tours I plan to take from the Edelweiss Hotel

Linderhoff/ Oberamergau
Three Country Tour Austria/ Switzerland/Liechtenstein 174
Dachau Concentration Camp
Neuschwanstein
Innsbruck and Hofburg
Brixen + Vitapeno Italy with tour of Reifenstein castle

I have done these 3. Dachau is amazing. There really aren't words for how intense it is.

Neuschwanstein was just plain cool. It is a looooooooong walk up to the castle, but for a fee (?) you can take a horse drawn carriage. I really don't remember if you got off the bus near the horses or not.

Innsbruck was such a cute town. We actually were hoping to get more 'alone' walking around time there instead of being on a tour with a tour guide. It was just so cute. My whole family loved it.

 

[JennyMominRI]

I have done these 3. Dachau is amazing. There really aren't words for how intense it is.

:

I'm prepared for Dachau to be pretty intense..I'd like to see Mauthausen on this trip also.
My mother visited Dachau in the 50's...There are pictures of her holding my bother and sister as babies...She said it was very very surreal.. It's changed a bit since then

 

[rparmfamily]

Looks like so much fun, I'm jealous, can't wait to hear more about it and see pics after the trip!! Sounds similar to what we want to do too. (including SpaceA too!)

 

[JennyMominRI]

Looks like so much fun, I'm jealous, can't wait to hear more about it and see pics after the trip!! Sounds similar to what we want to do too. (including SpaceA too!)

I'll let you know how Space A goes...Of course we are cat 6, but we are leaving from a very low traffic bass..Stewart in NY

 

[Briarmom]

I'm prepared for Dachau to be pretty intense..I'd like to see Mauthausen on this trip also.
My mother visited Dachau in the 50's...There are pictures of her holding my bother and sister as babies...She said it was very very surreal.. It's changed a bit since then

Extremely surreal. You can feel them there. I did pretty well. I think I only cried 3 times. Even the kids were subdued.

 

[bluesaturn]

I have done all those tours and they are wonderful. You should also go to the top of the Zugspitz (spelling?). It only takes a few hours and it is a wonderful view. You can find information at the lodge.

 

[weregoingtodw]

Subscribing because we've been toying with the idea of going there ourselves.

 

[JennyMominRI]

Here is my problem.
I can stay in Munich/Rothenburg for 2-300 a night as there are 4 of us.
Or I can stay in Wiesbaden in the Rhine area and Visit some small towns and castles on the Rhine.. The Military hotel there is 43$ a night plus 7.50 per extra person..
How is the Rhine area..St Goar and Bacharach look beautiful to me..Will I find stuff to do for 3 days..Good stuff?

 

[bavaria]

St Goar is beautiful. Rudesheim is rather touristy especially in summer, but worth a short visit. I don't know how much interest the statue of Germania would hold for non-Germans, but the view is amazing from up there regardless.

It might be worth taking one of the Rhein cruises which can be in a variety of lengths. That way you can see many of the sites from the water, with not too much effort.

Three days to me sounds maybe one day too long, but it is difficult for me to say, having seen that area so much.

If I had to choose, I would set Rothenburg o.d Tauber aside as it has become extremely touristy in summer. A day in Munich and then two in Wiesbaden would maybe be better. A day in Munich will allow you a leisurely stroll around the pedestrian zone, the market, etc (or a city tour) and allow you to see the main sights. It would also break up the travel a little.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Munich is about 45-60 minutes driving time.

 

[Mr Man]

I have not spent much time in the Rhine area so cannot help you much there beyond my shallow observation that Frankfurt just doesn't do it for me as a tourist destination. It is entirely possible that I just didn't know where to look.......

I do remember this really cool Auto and Technikal Museum in Sinseheim (basically between Mannheim & Heilbronn). If you have any interest in cars (I saw the Blue Flame & the most beautiful collection of Cadillacs imaginable here), trains, planes (a Concorde and lots others) , military vehicles (lots of hard to find models like T-34, Panthers, even a Tiger) etc. This is a great place. They have an IMAX now I hear.

http://www.museum-sinsheim.de/000045ACACA9_D4E3D357_00000B34_0001.html

Granted, you probably REALLY need to be in this sort of thing to go, but it was a nice afternoon of looking around.

Regards,

 

[JennyMominRI]

St Goar is beautiful. Rudesheim is rather touristy especially in summer, but worth a short visit. I don't know how much interest the statue of Germania would hold for non-Germans, but the view is amazing from up there regardless.

It might be worth taking one of the Rhein cruises which can be in a variety of lengths. That way you can see many of the sites from the water, with not too much effort.

Three days to me sounds maybe one day too long, but it is difficult for me to say, having seen that area so much.

If I had to choose, I would set Rothenburg o.d Tauber aside as it has become extremely touristy in summer. A day in Munich and then two in Wiesbaden would maybe be better. A day in Munich will allow you a leisurely stroll around the pedestrian zone, the market, etc (or a city tour) and allow you to see the main sights. It would also break up the travel a little.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Munich is about 45-60 minutes driving time.

Yes, that's not a bad idea, plus it would break up the train trip between Salzburg and Wiesbaden. It looks like St Goar and Bacharach are on the same train route so I can do both the same day