Germany Trip Report

[zmom]

Hi I’m Debbie and am from just north of Orlando. This is my first adventure (along with my 20 yo son) after having two canceled during Covid. Up until a month or so ago I was sure this one was going to get canceled as well- thankfully it did not!

Pre Adventure Day 1
This was our arrival day. We landed at MUC at 12:30 pm. Passport control was fast and easy. Both checked bags arrived shortly and, as promised, the ABD driver was waiting for us as we exited. It was about a 30 minute drive to Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten where we will be the next 5 nights. Thankfully our room was ready on arrival and we could freshen up a bit. Then we were off to explore. It is an easy walk from the hotel to Viktualienmarkt where we went to our first beer garden for a weissbeir and a pretzel. Then we meandered through old town, by Marienplatz, through a pretty mall and back to the hotel. Despite our best efforts to push through we passed out for a few hours and woke up around 8 pm for a late dinner at the hotel. Even with the long nap we both had no trouble sleeping through the night.

 

[zmom]

Pre Adventure Day 2
I had originally planned to rent a BMW through BMW Welt for this day. However, one day I was looking through the hotel website and found a blurb about them letting you test drive a BMW for free! I thought it sounded too good to be true, but I emailed the Concierge and they confirmed the offer. A BMW series 7 for the day at no cost- you only have to fill the tank before returning. We picked up the car from the Concierge at 8:30 am- an incredibly nice hybrid electric sedan, complete with a car full of water bottles! We headed south on the autobahn to Garmisch and the Zugspitze cable car. My son had an absolute blast driving that car in the no speed limit areas. I think our top speed was 140 mph , but usually stayed at the 90-100 mph range. The Zugspitze cable car ascends at a steep climb to the top of Zugspitze - the highest peak in Germany at 9718 ft. It was a beautiful ride up and offered some fantastic views from the top platform. There is a restaurant at the top, but we were content with a mug of delicious hot chocolate. There is a part of the platform that extends into Austria but that section was closed. We did not stay long at the top because it was COLD ! We wandered through the town of Garmisch, then headed back north towards Munich, stopping for some lunch at a nice little cafe in Starnberg. The only stressful part about the whole day was trying to figure out the parking machines () and driving through Munich- so many crazy bikes, pedestrians and cars to keep track of! My son did an amazing job navigating it all and promptly passed out for a nap when we got back haha.

I thought we might have a note from our guides waiting for us, but nothing yet. Unsure what time we are meeting tomorrow, but I’m sure they will let us know.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I used to live in Munich, it will be interesting to see it through someone else's eyes. I used to work at Hard Rock Cafe so I know the Marienplatz area and Viktualienmarkt very well. I dont remember Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten but I do remember that street, we used to go to a bar there

 

[hilarys]

Thank you for writing a trip report. It is so exciting to see these trips running again. Looks like a great first two days - can't wait to hear more. How awesome is that to get the car for the day.

 

[sayhello]

SO glad the European trips are running now!! Looking forward to hearing more about your trip! I am way too paranoid to drive in foreign countries. But I just might do it to be able to drive a BMW!

Sayhello

 

[WeLoveABD]

I am very interested in how you navigated the covid test requirements before flying home!

 

[zmom]

I am very interested in how you navigated the covid test requirements before flying home!

I’ll let you know how ABD handles it our last day- this ABD ends 5/28.

 

[sayhello]

@zmom are you doing this real time? It looks like you're going to have Adventure Guide Danny on your trip if this is real time. I just saw him post on facebook that he was on his way to Munich!

Sayhello

 

[zmom]

@zmom are you doing this real time? It looks like you're going to have Adventure Guide Danny on your trip if this is real time. I just saw him post on facebook that he was on his way to Munich!

Sayhello

Yes it’s real time. And I just got our letter about when to meet tomorrow for day 1 - the guides are indeed Danny and Zuza.

 

[sayhello]

Yes it’s real time. And I just got our letter about when to meet tomorrow for day 1 - the guides are indeed Danny and Zuza.

I had Danny for the Danube River cruise! He's great!

Sayhello

 

[zmom]

Adventure Day 1
We got our welcome letter late yesterday afternoon. Our guides for this trip are Danny and Zuzanna (Zuza). Official meet time for the start is 4 pm. So for the morning we walked to The Englischer Garden to see the river surfers and went to Chinesischer Turm pagoda and beer garden for a refreshment. Did not do much else the rest of the day till our meet time.

We met the group in the lobby at four and I was particularly excited to hear that Michael was still the step on guide for Munich as I have heard amazing things about him. Let me just say he lives up to all the hype. What an amazing story teller and historian. Our group consists of 20 people. This is an adult only tour so everyone is 18 or older. My son was very pleased to see around 5 others his age and overall seems like a very fun group of adventurers. Michael took us on a historical walking tour of Munich which was so fun and informative. We ended the tour at the Franziskaner restaurant a few blocks from the hotel. Tomorrow’s meet time is 8:30

 

[abdgeek]

@zmom: Glad to see some ABDs are actually going and that you’re enjoying yourself. I noticed that ABD changed their Covid protocols earlier this month. Are you traveling in your travel pod on the ABD or is everyone riding the bus, participating in excursions, and eating meals in restaurants together as one big group?

 

[zmom]

Adventure Day 2





The bus was in front of the hotel promptly at 8:30 am along with Michael. First stop today was Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial site. Michael once again took us on deep dive back into Hitler’s rise to power and subsequent events. I learned many things I did not know before - our history classes give us the basic overview but leave out so much essential to understanding how it happened. The tour ended with walking the steps of the victims of Dachau through the “showers” and into the crematorium. It was a sobering tour but one I believe everyone should take if given the chance. I won’t post many pictures of this part of the day save the gate the prisoners walked through to get to the work part of the camp- “Arbeit Markt Frei” or “Work sets you free”- a lie they had to face every day. (oops file size too big for this pic)

After Dachau we said goodbye to Michael for the day and headed off to Weihenstephan Brauerei in Freising. This is one of the oldest breweries in the world, started by monks in 1040. It is also home to a brewmaster school and now my son is considering changing his major . We enjoyed a delicious lunch of beef goulash, a pork dish or Kasespatzle. This was followed by a beer tasting of 4 beers led by one of the students and finally a dessert. The guides split us up for the lunch, putting all the young adults at one table which really helped with their bonding.

Tonight is on our own and a part of the group is planning to check out Hard Rock Munich a few blocks from the hotel.

Tomorrow’s meet time is 8 am.

 

[zmom]

duplicate

 

[BadPinkTink]

I agree, Dachau or any of the other concentration camps in Europe are a must do. I took my parents when they came to visit me and its just something , to walk in their steps. The air is different and it really is the one true way that those people and their stories will never be forgotten.

I can't wait to see what you think of my old work place Hard Rock Cafe. I'm sure theres changes since I worked there

 

[zmom]

Germany Adventure Day 3
We met for the bus at 8 am along with Michael again for the day. Another amazing trip through the history of Ludwig II on our way to Neuschwanstein Castle. The coach dropped us in the village of Hohenschwangau where you catch a smaller bus up the hill to Neuschwanstein. We entered the outer courtyard for some photos and promptly at 11:15 am we could enter the turnstile for our tour. The castle provided a tour leader inside who was not nearly as entertaining as Michael lol. The castle is as my son put it- a giant man cave. Ludwig II built it for his own entertainment and never hosted anyone else there. All the finished rooms have paintings that depict one of Wagner’s operas. My favorite room was a recreated grotto that he could send a river of water through and the recreated opera hall that had a mural which inspired Bambi.

After the tour you have the option to walk back to the village below or take a horse drawn carriage. Most opted to ride but a few of us walked. After all the many stairs inside the castle and this nice little walk there was no trouble filling my exercise ring today . Danny bought everyone who wanted an ice cream at the bottom then it was back on the coach to Fussen.

Fussen is only a few miles from Neuschwanstein so the coach ride was short. We had about 2 hours free time here to explore or eat lunch. As it was Sunday most shops were closed save for a rare souvenir shop. We spent the first hour exploring this beautiful village and doing some more climbing to get to the high palace with some amazing views over the valley. We had lunch at Michael’s favorite restaurant (which I do not remember the name of sadly).

The bus ride back was mostly quiet until the last half hour when Michael told us stories and played music of famous musicians/songs with a Munich connection. We particularly enjoyed Mambo No. 5 (he went to school with Lou Bega!) and Dancing Queen by ABBA. All too soon we were back at the hotel and saying goodbye to our amazing guide. He will be missed!

We ended the day with dinner at the famous Hofbrauhaus- choice of either a chicken, pork or spaetzle dish. Beer was included as well as dessert. We got a “private” rendition of happy birthday and another celebratory song for some members celebrating birthdays or anniversaries. Very fun dinner.

Tomorrow bags need to be out at 7:30 and we leave at 8:00.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Sounds like you are having a great time. Enjoying the report

 

[calypso726]

Enjoying your trip report! Germany is also on my list of ABD trips I'd like to experience.

 

[zmom]

Germany Adventure Day 4

We loaded up the coach at 8 am and drove about 1 1/2 hours to Nuremberg. Today was the first day we encountered rain, but fortunately it mostly rained while we were driving in the morning and a bit during our evening activities. They played Pinocchio along the way (tonight’s stop is Rothenburg which was an inspiration for the movie). At Nuremberg we picked up a local guide for a combination historical tour and food tour. We toured the courthouse where the Nuremberg trials took place, the outside of the palace, underground in the beer cellars where the Nazi’s hid precious art pieces during the war and through the old town. Along the way we had buttered pretzels, Rot (red) beer at a local brewery, a Nuremberg sausage sandwich, and a gingerbread type cookie. It was a very nice tour. After the tour we had about 1 1/2 hours of on our own time to explore.

Back on the bus it was about an hour to our hour to our hotel for the next two nights- Hotel Rappen in Rothenberg. It is a recently renovated hotel with a new wing of rooms with AC. It is located just outside the old city wall and convenient to all the sights. We took a quick orientation walking tour then were set free for on our own time till 8:30. We dined at a guide recommended restaurant Reichskuchenmeister for Flammkuchen- a type of flatbread. It was very good.

At 8:30 we met in the lobby for the Nightwatchman tour. It was a nice historical tour through the town.

 

[sayhello]

Yay! for A/C!! Always a good thing. Looks like another interesting day!

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