Thursday, January 25, 2007

Bavarian weekend

We left around 9am on Saturday morning and we finally arrived in Türkheim/Unterallgäu, which is about 80km from Munich, around 12:30. We were welcomed by Andreas and Suze with a wonderful brunch. Once our stomachs were soon filled with coffee, juice, prosecco, fresh bread, smoked salmon, cold cuts and different cheeses and had chatted a whole lot, we realised that it was already 2.30pm.

Andreas suggested that we go for a walk along the Ammersee and then visit the Abbey of Andechs to which we immediately agreed. It was a beautiful sunny, but quite chilly day because of the wind – probably leftovers from the Kyrill storm. So, Munich would just have to wait until the next trip.

The Ammersee is one of the largest lakes in Germany and is a popular location for water sports all year ‘round. I did mention that it was windy, didn’t I?

I was amazed to see so many kite surfers. Brrrrr. To cold for me at this time of year, even with the wetsuits! After watching these crazy water fanatics for a while, we walked along the promenade following the lake talking, joking and enjoying each other’s company.


Once we got back to the car, we drove to Andechs and left the car at the bottom of the heilige Berg (the Holy Mountain). We walked up the very steep hill to the abbey church that had been completely remodelled in the Baroque and Rococo style in the 18th century filled with very impressive statues, paintings and stucco works.











The Benedictine monastery is also renowned for a very important part of Bavarian culture: Beer brewing. And what a coincidence: we were thirsty.









We found a table at the abbey’s restaurant, The Andechs Bräustüberl, and had ourselves a few delicious beers, fresh pretzels, Landjäger and some Obazda, a creamy Bavarian cheese specialty (similar to the Austrian/Slovakian Liptauer).

After my first beer, I felt “nature calling”, so I went downstairs and made a discovery. At first, I thought it was somekind of vending machine, but no. Of course, I didn’t take the camera with me to the ladies’, but Orange did once I had told him about it and it was his turn to get some relief.

This, my friends, is an alcohol testing machine. Have you ever seen one of these? I sure haven't.


You drop in a 50 Euro cent coin into the machine, pick a straw at the bottom, insert the straw into a hole, blow as hard as you can in the straw and it will tell you your level of alcohol. Unfortunately, the picture didn’t turn out too well, so I can’t decipher the text at the bottom.

Later, we decided to go to a local Italian restaurant in Türkheim for a bit of pasta and some Parma ham. It was delicious and we had a lot of fun. Our waiter agreed to take our picture. Don't we look like a happy bunch?

We left the restaurant and Suze, our designated driver for the evening, safely drove us to their house where she could finally join the party.

First things first: Put on some music, increase the volume and until the whole house rocks! We did have a few quieter moments that evening.

As you can see from the pictures below, we had a delightful time with Andreas and Suze. The party continued until the wee hours.















We left early on Sunday afternoon, but we promised to meet again. Maybe in Basel?

12 comments:

Ginnie Hart said...

Ohhhhhh. You know I eat this all up, CS. I love these outings you have--the places you see, where and what you eat/drink, your lovely friends. That alcohol tester is something else. Have never seen it anywhere (tho' I do understand that cars are being made to dicipher if you're too drunk to drive!).

Lovely post, which I've been waiting for every day since last weekend. :)

Unknown said...

yeah! Yes finally it's up. It's a much better day for me to read it since I'm feeling a lot better today with finally only 1 time waking up at night.

Sounds like such a cool, fun time with great friends. I remember times like this in Switz, missing that...

Unknown said...

oh yeah - who that crazy guy crawling on the ground. ;-) Was he so thirsty he couldn't walk? hehe

Miss Kim said...

Oh Looks like sooooo much fun! Great pics too!

Miss Kim said...

Oh Looks like sooooo much fun! Great pics too!

CanadianSwiss said...

Ginnie: You sound like you've really been itching to read about it. Actually, I've been working on a couple of posts. The next one should be up tomorrow. I seem to be back in a writing mood. :)

The alcohol tester is a good idea. I just wonder how accurate that model is.

ET: I'm so happy to hear that you're feeling better. Now that you have your working permit, I hope that you and P. will have the chance to meet new friends.

Oh, and that crazy guy is not crawling, he just trying to make a point of how steep the climb was ;)

T1: You would also have enjoyed it, I'm sure. Good food, good wine & beer and great people. What could go wrong?

Jul said...

Looks like fun!

I feel like that on the hill to our house sometimes, too.

Unknown said...

CS make your way up to Montreux and walk up the Quay to Chateau Chatelard via walking past the hospital, now that is steep!

I came back to visit and my calves hurt for 2 days afterwards.

Shammickite said...

Hills? How lovely, I feel like I haven't walked up a good steep hill for years. It's so darned flat around here.
Very lovely sightseeing photos, I'd love to visit that area. Maybe one day....
PS Cool glasses!

CanadianSwiss said...

Jul: You crawl up hills, too? Whew! I thought we were the only ones to do so.

ET: Do I look like a masochist to you? ;)

Shelli: It would help if the breathalizer machines were accurate. Yeah, the pocket sized ones are expensive, but I guess for some, it could be a good investment. On the other hand, a taxi might be cheaper.

Ex-Shammi: Yes, I suppose the TO area is quite flat. Plenty of hills here. Oh, and P.S.: Thanks ;)

Fab: You're welcome to join in next time.

christina said...

Lots of fun! And Langjäger are my (Austrian) Dad's favourite. Mmm.

CanadianSwiss said...

Christina: My Dad loves them too. Actually, when he gets them in Montreal, he can feed on that and bread for a week :-)