Using the DB Navigator App, we purchase tickets on a EuroCity train south to the lakeside resort of Prien am Chiemsee. Prien seems like stepping into a picturesque postcard with beautiful lake views with the Bavarian Alps as a backdrop. It’s not just scenery, though. Prien offers a perfect blend of nature and history in a relatively peaceful setting.
Within less than an hour, we arrive at the Prien train station. From the station, it seems the narrow-gauge, steam-powered train isn’t chugging today, so we board Bus 481 for the mile ride to the Prien/Stock Harbor. From there, we walk the short distance to our lodgings at the Garden-Hotel Reinhart.
After the huge crowds in Paris last month, I hesitate to hope for a better outcome for Munich. Lots and lots of people are traveling, flights are full, popular destinations crowded. Good decision made: “Let Martha do it !”
I face the epic dilemma of an experienced global traveler: Option one, revisit those spots from years ago, where I’ve likely forgotten everything except the name of that one museum or art gallery. Ah, nostalgia! Option two, the adventurous quest for the new and obscure in the hopes of discovering the world’s best brewery in a back alley. Or, option three, just be incredibly happy to escape the chaos of America by sipping a cold brew in Any-Platz Germany, where chaos probably means the beer joint ran out of pretzels.
Travel is muscle memory. At least it was. Much has changed because of Covid. I can’t utilize all the little perks of travel that once made the experience faster, easier and more pleasant. However, as I wrote earlier, travel may not be as easy but all the protections and requirements put in place are definitely worth the effort.
I can’t help it. When eating a delicious slice of pork shoulder, my server thought I was leaving the best part, the layer of crispy fat. “Das ist gut” she points out. Yes it is, I agree, but I have a desire to keep my arteries open a few more years.
So, as I sit in the Frankfurt Airport, perusing Paulaner’s German menu for “soul food,” I cannot pass on the Gegrillte Schweinshaxe as a further threat to my blood flow. Grilled pork knuckles are just too tempting to pass up. I love sauerkraut and just for the fine dining experience, I add a side of buttered Swabian noodles. “Takes half an hour, is okay?” Yes, actually it is perfect. I laze over my Hefeweizen and think of what a great “freedom” trip this has been.
“ I may not meet a Brockmann cousin….” I previously wrote.
Among my family’s papers were four mysterious envelopes addressed by my grandmother Dora Brockmann to Brockmanns in Germany. One of those envelopes was addressed to Chris Brockmann, Bülts St. 11 in Celle. It was thought that he was a nephew.
Walking Celle is like strolling through a Brothers Grimm folktale.
Walk Celle’s streets, ogle its magnificent architecture, enjoy the statues and fountains, and stand in the Markt Plaza when the Glockenspiel rings out. Overall, this is a charming city that should not be overlooked in one’s travels of Lower Saxony.
Celle is situated on the banks of the Aller River and is one of many wonderful cities along the Timber-Frame Road. Attractions include a castle, museums, and lots of street art in the form of a series of figures engaged in life about Celle. But for me, the main attractions are the timber-framed houses, some 400 of them, that line the streets of the historic Altstadt. It’s proximity to the beautiful, and fragrant, Lüneburg Heath is another reason to spend a couple days here.
