About Chiemsee

So here's the blog about Chiemsee - long, sorry, but I wanted to share all the details...

we left around 4:30 on Friday afternoon. Normally it would take about 2 hours to get down there, but we had some staus to get through since it was Friday afternoon and all of Bavaria was starting their vacation! We had our first family experience on teh autobahn - which consisted of me constantly using my cellphone conversion tool to figure out how fast we were going in mph - and then telling Bas to slow down, we had a baby in the car. (Yes, me of all people was telling Bas to slow down!) You wouldn't believe how fast people drive, just like it's nothing! We were probably going 170 kph (105 mph), and getting toasted by BMWs left and right. It is a bit different in that everyone drives that fast, and you only do it when there is no traffic in front of you - and people definitely stay out of your way!!

(As a side note - I went exploring to a different town on Wednesday last week, and the navigation system unexpectedly took me on the autobahn to get me there. I was in the Nissan Micra, and felt like the engine was going to fall out if i topped 110 kph - and it was scary for me, because I was getting passed by so many people driving so fast, that I could barely pass the truck in front of me - I had to let all of the population of Nurenberg pass me before I could get around!)

So on our way, we also passed fields and fields of Hops being grown to make beer, just before we hit Munchen. It was very cool. We plan to go to Munich for Oktoberfest this year, but I suspect those Hops won't be in the beer until at least the following year!

When we were about a half hour from where I expected to get off the highway, our navigation system took us off the highway, and what seemed to me in the wrong direction. I got out the map and started insisting to Bas that we were going the wrong way. It was beautiful and definitely the scenic route, but I was sure that it was going to cost us all the time we had saved by driving so fast! Well, in the future, I will trust Brechje (that's what we decided to name the navigation system - not sure if I spelled it right, it's Dutch. It's what Bas wanted to name Luna, and I wouldn't allow it, so I figure it was OK to use it as our name for the Navigon!) Soon enough we doubled back in the RIGHT direction and went over teh highway - and saw the standstill traffic!

We arrived at Prien am Chiemsee about 7:30 and checked into our Hotel the Bayerischer Hof. We had a very nice dinner there - my first experience eating ox steak, and it was very good!

Saturday morning it was raining so we enjoyed a very nice complimentary continental breakfast complete with soft boiled eggs, then headed off to explore the town. It is pretty small, but one of the larger towns on Chiemsee, with lots of examples of traditional Bavarian mural painting on buildings (see pictures.) I can't wait to invest in some lederhosen for Bas! We did find a trachtenmode shop, but I couldn't find the perfect boiled wool jacket - guess I'll have to look again the next time we're there!

After kicking around downtown we walked to the promenade on the lake and enjoyed a pastry and some coffee (we ate way to many goodies on this weekend trip!) It was clearing up a bit by then, so after a lunch of huge schnitzels (Yes, Bas is eating Schnitzel now, too!) we got in the car to explore some of the lakeside towns. We stopped at a little place called Gstadt (I think) and sat by the lake - after eating ice cream. Then we had dinner on the promenade again by the lake.

Sunday we had figured out that the morning fog and rain dries up by noon, so we got ready and checked out before heading to a friezeit schwimbad on the edge of the lake. We had a great time in the afternoon outside, complete with bratwurst, beer and a Bavarian band and great weather. We were sad to pack up around 3:00 to head out onto the road (Bas had alchohol-frei beer, and I only had two.) But we made it home by 5:00 - so it was a quick trip back!

All in all it was a great weekend. We can't wait to get back and explore the mountains, which start right on the edge of the lake, perhaps get into Salzburg, and go out on a boat - all easy to do while there. Since it's so close, I'm sure we'll go there many times. It's nice because it's not a huge tourist trap, it's so close, and there's so much to do!