Day 11 - 11 September 2011 - Lech, Austria to Hohenschwangau, Germany

We got up before our alarms, used the nicest bathroom ever which had a rain head function which was v cool but not very practical for washing hair with.

Our hoted in the mountains

Had breakfast, we were cooked lovely boiled eggs by the lady in charge, had nice tea too in a silver pot.

cute pictures in our room

P eating brekkie, this is unheard of!

dining room in our hotel

 We left the hotel and walked to the Oberlech cable car station and took the cable car up from Lech to Oberlech.  We took some photos of the chairlift sitting on the grass.  P then talked me in to going up on the proper chair lift which was fun but quite scary.  You have a bar over your lap but it doesn’t feel particularly safe!  It was about a ten minute ride.  It was called Petersboden.  P tells me Lech was used for filming Bridget Jones 2 when they go on a skiing mini break.

chair lift

view from the top

Then P decided it would be a good idea to walk back down the mountain, even though I didn’t have trainers on.  In hindsight sun cream would have been an excellent idea!  (forehead and chest a bit pink!!).  I mostly avoided falling over just a couple of slips.

walking down the mountain

It was a lovely walk down the mountain on a beautiful day with bright blue skies, the temperature must have been the high twenties.  P was distracted by the sight of a bar with yellow parasols, we stopped there for beer and sprite (£10?!).  It was a gorgeous hotel called Mohmenfluh.  We sat there for a while in the sun taking in the scenery and enjoying the sun warming our backs.  What a beautiful place, I would go back in a heartbeat.

hotel/bar

view fromt the bar

Then we got the cable car back down to Lech and walked to the other cable car which took us up the mountain behind our hotel  which was called the Rufikopf.   It was very high.  We took some pics from the top and then had some lunch at 2350 metres.   I had frankfurter and chips and P had a cheese and ham sarnie with an egg on top.  Then we had dessert.

view from the top of the mountain

where we had lunch

Then we got the cable car back down, went back to the hotel and got in the car.  BTW if you stay in Lech overnight you get free access to all the cable cars and chair lifts that are working in the summer - good value.  On the way back we wished we had done the Schlegelkopflift  chair lift as it looked very cool. Maybe next time. 

We then set off for Hohenschwangau, Germany. It took longer than expected as the roads were busy and winding.  We finally got here about 17.30 and I saw the castle, Schloss Neuschwanstien - it’s ace.  We are going to have a good look at it tomorrow.  It is Mad Prince Ludwig II’s folly and was the basis for the Disney princess castle too. 

lots of cows with bells on here

he is a 34 year old child

little lake

the castle yay!

We checked in to our 70’s style hotel where everything is pink including the towels (classy), we are certainly no longer in our 4 star hotel in Austria Toto (take me back pleeeeease).  The lady that checked us in was miserable.  We went to the next door restaurant, the lady that served us was miserable.  I hope this is just coincidence and not a recurring theme in Germany as I may get grumpy too if it is. 

We ordered the local speciality for dinner which was pork fillet with cheesy noodles (spaetzle) and gravy with crispy onions, it was yummy, definitely comfort food.  P said it was sehr gut.  I then had to have an apple strudel, it was a necessity of course as I am ranking them all ;o)

any more pink anyone?

P with sunburn

Now we are back in our pink 70’s room, P is trolleyed after one too many beers and I am going to have a shower and get snuggled in bed and finish my book.  Tomorrow we go to the crazy castle to take some pics and then on to Trier half way back to Blightly.  We had a rain shower tonight and it reminded me of home, some good things and some bad!

Auf Wiedersehn