Ok – so maybe The Beloved didn’t get to twirl around in a dirndl on a mountain meadow (something she really wants to do, actually), but one day we did rent a car and head south out of Munich towards the Alps.
We had a pretty and clear day and stopped first at the small resort town of Tegernsee. Perched on a clear alpine lake (the Tegernsee), it was a lovely place to take a mid-day stroll – you got the sense that it was a bit touristy (but with Muncheners, not foreigners) who use the place as a bit of a getaway.
We wanted to get a little off the beaten track, and we took the advice of a Lonely Planet guide that suggested taking a little backroad to the little dorf of Jachenau. Along the way, we actually passed briefly into Austria – it seemed to unnerve The Beloved a bit, I think she expected border guards with German shepherds and Uzis, or perhaps she was just looking for another passport stamp – but the 1.5 lane road (which was a little hair-raising at times) was worth it. Jachanau was a tiny town in a hidden valley with a running stream, a couple of guesthauses and a small church (from the 1240s) on a hill.
We stopped and ate a late lunch/early dinner at the Jachenau Guesthaus which I think was the best meal we had in Bavaria – just us, a few old locals (who seemed to look at us with some bemusement) and a few cross country skiers that were staying there – sehr gut.
"The hills are alive…………."
[This is breathtaking.] We flew over the Alps on our way from Amsterdam to Budapest, but obviously there is no comparison. I really, really want to go to Salzburg and take the Sound of Music tour. Sigh.
oooh, i looove that movie. hehe.
That's so funny. I thought I was the only woman that wanted to do that! Obviously, I'm not alone (which means I'm not weird, right?).
Bavaria is just so pretty. I really love Germany. I hope to get back there one day.
All these pictures are so beautiful!
I have to go watch "The Sound of Music" (for the millionth time) now!
Salzburg was really a pretty short drive from Munich. I think if we'd had an extra day, we might have headed there. Next time, right?
Janie — you know the funny thing is that apparently Austrians don't know/obsess about the whole "Sound of Music"/Von Trapp thing the way Americans do… and believe me — we watch it every time it comes on — I think the Beloved wants a gazebo, so that she can dance around it and sing "I am 16, going on 17…."