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

[JennyMominRI]

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.......
,

We would not go to Frankfurt.
I'd like to go
here http://www.st-goar.de/18-1-tourist-info.html

and Here http://www.bacharach-germany.net/

Rick Steves said I should

 

[bavaria]

Well, bavaria says 'don't go to Frankfurt' Through bad planning I found myself with a day in Frankfurt earlier this year on Fronleichnam (Catholic holiday) with everything of course closed. I had a nice walk but wouldn't go out of my way to see Frankfurt - nothing much of excitement there

 

[JennyMominRI]

I have no desire to see Frankfurt , there is so much more I would rather do.
I hope you all have the patience to sit through all of my planning.
SO Ramstein, where we arrive is 1 hour from France...I have 8 days planned in Garmish..What If I spent 2 days when I first get there in the Alsace region of France. Colmar to be exact..
I found rooms in a vineyard in Colmar... It costs like 60 USD a night . Here it is
http://www.martinjund.com/index.htm

 

[bavaria]

While I have never been to Colmar I have been to the Alsace region many times. It is very interesting and has a unique culture due its history and mixed heritage of German and French.

I spent a few days last month just across the border on the German side. And I am kicking myself that I didn't have any Alsatian food while I was there especially Flammekueche, which is heavenly! Now I am having a craving...

 

[JennyMominRI]

While I have never been to Colmar I have been to the Alsace region many times. It is very interesting and has a unique culture due its history and mixed heritage of German and French.

I spent a few days last month just across the border on the German side. And I am kicking myself that I didn't have any Alsatian food while I was there especially Flammekueche, which is heavenly! Now I am having a craving...

How close are you to Garmisch?
Oh and what is Flammekueche

 

[bavaria]

I actually used to live closer to Salzburg - 15 min away on the German side. But my family and I all vacation in Garmisch and nearby Mittenwald a few times a year - we are addicted to that area it seems! It all started when my father rode his bicycle hundreds of kilometres from northern Germany to Partenkirchen in the 1950's...

Flammenkueche is a sort of Alsatian pizza or tart usually with creme fraiche or goat cheese, onions, etc but the toppings do vary quite a bit now from the traditional

 

[JennyMominRI]

I actually used to live closer to Salzburg - 15 min away on the German side. But my family and I all vacation in Garmisch and nearby Mittenwald a few times a year - we are addicted to that area it seems! It all started when my father rode his bicycle hundreds of kilometres from northern Germany to Partenkirchen in the 1950's...

Flammenkueche is a sort of Alsatian pizza or tart usually with creme fraiche or goat cheese, onions, etc but the toppings do vary quite a bit now from the traditional

Sounds a bit like the flatbread at Chef's De france...I can't wait to try new things...You will have to give me food advice

 

[bavaria]

Well, you definitely have to go to the original Brezel (pretzel) seller in the square behind the cathedral in Salzburg. It's the original family and they sell a variety of sweet and savoury flavours. Makes a wonderful snack and very authentic to the region.

Of course the Milka and Ritter Sport chocolate for 0,69 cents (or 0,49 cents on sale!) are something to stock up on if you like chocolate...

Nordsee is a great German fast food chain - they are a seafood place and make great sandwiches and sit down meals.

 

[JennyMominRI]

Well, I booked that vineyard hotel in Colmar for 3 nights.
http://www.martinjund.com/

We can get to Switzerland quite quickly from there

I also booked this pension in Salzburg
http://www.gosalzburg.com/

It gives us the Salzburg city card which gets us in to many places..They will also book the sound of Music tour for us.
We will also stay a few night at the Military hotel in Weisbaden and explore the Rhine

 

[bavaria]

The pension in Salzburg is in an area I know well - I stay near the train station quite often, and used to take the train into the city sometimes from my town.

It is about a 15 minute walk to the main sights across the river, or a very quick cab ride. The area immediately around the train station isn't very exciting, but there are beautiful homes and buildings in the streets leading to that area.

 

[wlvsfnz]

We are planning on taking a trip to Edelweiss next year. Can some one tell me if there is a shuttle service to/from the airport? Also, do the locals speak English?

 

[bavaria]

MUC is about 1.5 hours drive away but you can take the train and transfer to Garmisch, or the Lufthansa bus to the main train station and transfer. I don't know about transport to the Edelweiss from there, but it is a few kilometres away.

SZG is also about 1.5 hours away by car but won't have as good fares from the US; INN is the closest but I don't recommend doing the drive yourself unless you are familiar with driving in Germany/Austria and mountain roads. The road from INN to Mittenwald can be very intimidating as it is extremely steep and winding.

As there are fewer Americans now, you may find a few fewer English speakers in town. But most Germans my generation and younger speak English, often quite well and often better than native English speakers.

I had American visitors recently; in my tiny village the menu was only in German and the servers only spoke German. We did eat in a small nearby town and I was surprised to find the menu was offered to them in English. The young server really struggled with English, but the manager was eager to come over and try his English (and was somewhat disappointed that they already has their own translator sitting at the table!)


Please also note that as in anywhere in Germany it is very important to greet shopkeepers when entering the store; in Bavaria you will find the greeting is not usually 'Guten Tag' but rather 'Grüß Gott'

Edited to add that there was a thread about this question on the Transportation Board around August 1st with a lot of detail. I also promised to update it with photos but haven't managed to get around to it yet. I'll be back in Garmisch-Partenkirchen again at the end of this month but I think that I can answer most questions from my head if you have any.

 

[Briarmom]

We take the train to Garmisch and then take a taxi to Edelweiss. It's easy.

As far as English speaking, when you're doing tours from Edelweiss, or eating at the (very good) restaurant there, it's no problem, of course. I'd recommend learning food words, greetings, toilet...that kind of stuff in German. We do a lot of pointy-talky, but we're used to it.

 

[bluesaturn]

We also took the train to Garmisch and then a taxi to the lodge, the taxi ride is not long. We do not speak any German, and had no problem communicating with the people there. Most people speak English, and they are all very friendly and accommodating. It is such a lovely place.

 

[KT27]

We are headed to Edelweiss next Sunday! My Mom and Aunt are coming to visit me in Germany. I can't wait to go, we have booked a few tours and a hot stone massage.

 

[bavaria]

Here is the thread from the Transportation Board. I will update some photos when I get a chance

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1905539

I was more than a little cranky as we got a late start and the end of the A95 was backed up outside of Oberau for about 20 minutes. I was however turning off before the tunnel, but late in the day I had to do the tunnel, and the cows were in the road in Garmisch so traffic was backed up quite aways back to the tunnel.

I have been contemplating a move to Oberau, but I just can't see doing it with the mess that they have to deal with. Until the second tunnel is built (not even agreed upon yet!) the traffic will continue to back up on busy days/weekends/seasons.

Then going back up the A95 there is tailbacks due to construction, for anyone needing to go into the centre of Munich. And then my lovely A8 Munich-Karlsruhe is ripped up most of the way to expand to 3 lanes, until 2010. This is causing me no end of frustration as 2 hour trips are sometimes taking me 4-6 hours.

May I suggest taking the train

 

[Sleepy]

We take the train to Garmisch and then take a taxi to Edelweiss. It's easy.

As far as English speaking, when you're doing tours from Edelweiss, or eating at the (very good) restaurant there, it's no problem, of course. I'd recommend learning food words, greetings, toilet...that kind of stuff in German. We do a lot of pointy-talky, but we're used to it.

We do quite a bit of charades when a conversation drifts from the Italian we know. My husband still has not grasped the concept of miscommunication. When trying to say something in English and the Italian person does not understand, he seems to think that speaking painfully slowly and stretching the pronunciation of the English word, while using his hands, is going to make the Italian person understand English. He cracks me up everytime!

 

[bavaria]

I need to learn the pointy-talky form of Italian for next week. My Italian lessons from 20 years ago, combined with listening to Eros Ramazotti on my iPod, will not suffice for several weeks in Italy, I fear!

 

[belle_of_the_ball]

I got back from Paris and the South a few weeks ago.

You'll have a wonderful time, its amazing, make sure to ride the carosel and get some crepes, strawberry and choclate is my favorite!

 

[Sheree Bobbins]

Wunderbar!