So after breakfast we went to one of our favorite spas ...the Krystall Therme...here in Schwangau
We got there just past opening time...at 9:00. We decided to stay for 4 hours...it cost 32 Euro for both of us so that's about $20 apiece ...a great deal.
This spa has 7 pools...each different. One has a pool with 2 1/2 % salt. Another has 5% salt...with jets. Another has 12% and you can only stay in that for 10 min. Another has a flume and is 2 1/2% salt and it's outdoors. Another outdoor pool has jets, waterfalls and has mineral water. Another indoor pool has natron...a natural mix of sodium bicarbonate or whatever....and it has jets. And another one has mineral water and has a huge pillar of clear quartz crystals lining the pole with water dripping down into the pool from the crystals.
So we started off in one and went to all except the 2 1/2 % pool with no jets...too boring. All the other ones were really nice. We went to the outdoor flume pool...where there is an oval flume with rapidly flowing water that moves you around. You can swim, walk/run, or lift your feet and float as the water takes you around. This is the one I got stuck in 2 years ago and couldn't get out of. Well this year I was determined to try...but Dad ended up having to pull me out. We went back later in the day and I'm happy to report that I got out on my own this time! We went into the 12% salt and boy do you float in that...in fact, it's hard to stay seated with the buoyancy feature of high salt.
We loved the crystal pool...it was very nice. And we loved being out in the outdoor pools with the bright mountain sun and fresh air. Here is what we saw as we sat in the outdoor pools:
cows in the surrounding fields:
amazing alps:
and of course the castle:
But the highlight of our stay at the spa was when we were in one of the outdoor pools...the bigger one. We were just sitting on a tiled ledge relaxing when a whole bunch of old people, mostly women, but a few men, came into the pool and then a younger German woman started telling everyone to face her and she began a water aerobics class. All the instructions were in German of course. It looked like it would be fun and good exercise so I told Dad that I was going to join in and I hopped off of the ledge and went over to the group. I was very surprised to see Dad follow me to the class to join in! I don't know if he did it because he wanted to or if he was afraid that someone would start talking to him in German when he was by himself!
Anyway, I had taken water aerobics before and was familiar with most of the exercises. I didn't understand a lot of what she said but she must have been funny because all the old people would occasionally laugh. It felt good to exercise and stretch and I was having a good time...but when I looked over at Dad, I began having a better time! You all know Dad's sense of rhythm is like Steve Martin in "The Jerk"...he just doesn't have it. So now double that principle and apply it to when you watch someone do dance steps and try to imitate them...well, you are starting to get the picture.
We were supposed to be doing an exercise where you have your hands up in the air and bring your elbows together in front of you...touching your elbows together and your forearms. Then you open them up...and then touch again. Well, it was at this point that I looked over at Dad. I don't really know how to begin to describe him...sort of a cross between someone having an epileptic seizure and Frankenstein's monster walking through the town. And then I looked at Dad's face and it was all contorted into this face of someone who was having their ear twisted off.
Well, I tried several times to help with the instructions but I just let it go. I just didn't dare look over at him with his arms flailing helter skelter too often because I just knew I couldn't hold it together! But I have to hand it to him...he was trying! I'll give him great credit for that!
So we left the spa and headed for Immenstaad on the Bodensee...a lake. We had been here before and Dad loves it. He picked it out last time because the fruhstuck has 253 kinds of home made jams (well, I am exaggerating a bit!). The lady here makes them herself and the entire breakfast is amazing!
So we got here around 3:00...good time to check in...and stopped at the place...the Landhaus Mueller....and asked her if she had a zimmer frei...a room for tonight and she said, sorry, no. Argh! No! I told her we had been here 2 years ago and loved it here and we were really looking foward to it. She said she was really sorry and probably because of our sad faces, she started looking at her book. She said she did have one room but it's not so nice. It's in the guest house and it's downstairs in the basement. We said that should be fine because we were really wanting the fruhstuck! She laughed. She gave us a key and told us to check it out. She said it would be 78E or about $100. So we took the key and checked out the room:
I would say this room is just fine! So we thankfully took it!
On our way to the room there was a little stand with apples...the best apples in the world...Elstar apples...and also zwetchen plums and some pears. It was on the honor system...just put the money in a little coin box and take what you want. So we bought a bag of apples for 1 E.
We hadn't had lunch so we asked her where we could get a cup of coffee and a piece of zwetchen kuchen...since the zwetchen plums were in season here. She told us so off we went to this little cafe. We got a piece of zwetchen kuchen mit sahne (with cream)...and it was the best I've ever had! Really! Here's a photo of it. The 2 little slices of plum on the left are for garnish...they have not been cooked.
And here's my plate afterwards. I'd say I polished that one off pretty good! And so did Dad. I told the man at the cafe that Dad had said that the zwetchen kuchen was a "stuck ob himmel" ...a piece of heaven. The man liked that!
So we came back and got settled in the room and washed out some clothes. Then it was time to go to dinner. As we walked to dinner we saw this flying over the lake. Oh the humanity! A blimp in Germany...really??!! I think we saw one here last time, too.
We found a restaurant that we had been to before. It was in the cellar and was very cozy with the people very friendly. Tonight we ordered the grosse biere...the large beer! Prost!
Here's a picture of the place. Look at the old wood beams and timbers in this place.
Here's a close up of the wood. I asked the waitress how old the wood was in here and it's from the 1700's !!
We ordered dinner...schnitzel with a wild mushroom sauce, and fried potatoes. When she brought the plate and said guten appetit...I was about to ask her for an extra plate because I thought it was for both of us (we ordered the same thing)...but this is one person's serving! In the photo, notice the fork poised and ready to go! It was all delicious...but too much food! It will be a Tums night tonight for sure!
Speaking of the restaurant, we noticed tonight, as all other nights, that every single person in the restaurant was engaged in conversation...every single one. You never see anyone clicking away on their iphone or ipad or laptop...never. And you never see anyone reading a newspaper. You see them conversing with each other...enjoying the experience. That's the big difference here...dining out is an experience to be savored and enjoyed. You get your meal and you are never rushed. In fact they will not give you the bill until you request it. You could sit there for hours after finishing a meal and they wouldn't care. Again, YOU must ask for the bill. They will never bring it to you when they drop off your food...and they will never make you feel rushed about leaving. They sure as hell won't ask you if you want dessert when half of your food is still on your plate. It's all just very civil here....and slow...and meant to enjoy the moment. Furthermore when you enter a restaurant you are expected to at least greet some of the patrons that are there...in a small restaurant...usually everyone...in a big restaurant usually just the people you are sitting close to. And others will address you as they enter. Also, as you leave or others leave the restaurant, they will say wiedersehen. And when you're walking down the street or entering a store, it is fairly rude not to say guten morgan (good morning) or guten abend (good evening). This is the case about 90% of the time. I find this all very interesting and refreshing.
Location:Immenstaad, Germany
sounds like a great day! makes me want to retire in germany!
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