WASSERBURG BODENSEE, GERMANY

LINDAU, GERMANY

The Vintage Traveler is having a great time on the German shores of the Bodensee.  I firmly believe that a real Vintage traveler needs to spend at least a week or longer anywhere worthwhile to get to know it and appreciate it. We are staying in Wasserburg am Bodensee in Germany for five nights and I already know it is not long enough.  Wasserburg is famous for its picturesque peninsula, on which stand the Church of St George (14th century), Wasserburg Castle, and the Malhaus (museum).  There are hikes through beautiful vineyards, and blossoming apple orchards with views of the snow capped Swiss Alps  - not to say anything about the tulips and daffodils that are in full bloom in April. 

 I just took a wonderful walk on one of the well marked walking trails up through the blossoming apple trees with a view back toward the lake with the Swiss Alps in the distance.  It was getting close to dark and I had to return before I reached the last town and church up in the hills.  The view was fantastic and I got to thinking about how rarely anyone who was on a tour or in a quick trip would take time for this hike.
There are a lot of fascinating old towns on the Bodensee - two of my favorites are Lindau and Uberlingen, Germany.   Konstanz is a larger city with more activity due to all the college students and definitely worth a visit. 

LINDAU, GERMANY

Germany has a great deal on travel passes which can be purchased at the local train stations upon arrival. We traveled on a pass through Bavaria one day (29 euros for 2-5 people traveling together on local trains) which allowed for a wonderful walk around Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. We also could have used this pass to go to Munich for the afternoon.  On another day, we purchased a 25 euro pass that allowed us to travel around more than half of the Bodensee.  We also enjoyed a great walk from Wasserburg to the nearby towns of Nonnenhorn and Kressborn and then returned by train to Wasserburg.    Biking and boating around the lake is also very popular.


WASSEREBURG ON THE BORDENSEE

We stayed at the  Hotel Zum Lieben Augustin am See in Wasserburg.  It offered a great buffet breakfast and indoor pool and sauna.  It is a ten minute walk from the train station and a short train  or bike ride to Lindau -  I highly recommend it.  Nearby was our favorite restaurant called Haus des Gastes--we loved the tasty and plentiful fish soup. 

LINDAU, GERMANY

BIKING ON THE BODENSEE

CURRENT STYLES IN SOUTHERN GERMANY

 Styles as observed on my most recent "Vintage Journey".    This post is dedicated to the "Classy Career Girl" who is an inspiration to her many readers and this "Vintage Mom".    

Lindau, Germany on the Bodensee, April 17, 2012:

Seen on the streets of Konstanz, Germany on April 20, 2012:

 As seen on the streets of Uberlingen, Germany on April 20, 2012: 

ANTICIPATING A VINTAGE JOURNEY TO EUROPE



It has been said that the best part of a journey is in the planning so I'm writing about a highly anticipated two month trip to Europe - with a departure date less than three days off.    Here are the plans which are subject to change by the "Vintage Journey Travel Planner".   This is an adventure that leaves plenty of room for random exploration (and mistakes).     
 
Arrive in Zurich, Switzerland and take the train (the entire trip is using public transportation). from the airport to Wasserburg, Germany which is on the Bodensee  (also called Lake Constance).   Here we will stay at the Hotel Zum Lieben Augustin am See for 5 nights.  I chose this property because it is on the lake with an indoor pool, a breakfast buffet, convenient transportation, and moderate price.  Most of the reservations on this trip were made through the websites Booking.com and Vrbo.com.   I like Booking.com because it is easy to use and allows for cancellations. 


 
On Saturday, April 21 we will travel to Zurich, Switzerland and stay at a Marriott mainly because we earned a free night and lodging in Switzerland is pricey. 


On Sunday, April 22, 2012, we will travel to the small town of Boenigen near Interlaken, Switzerland. We have a studio rented through VRBO  for one week.  The pictures of the unit and lake views look good. It is on a free bus line so we should be able to do some good exploring in the area. Also, to our benefit,  Rail Europe recently announced a 2 for 1 Swiss Travel Pass that includes trains, buses, and boats. We purchased two 4 day passes which should more than cover our transportation and allow for at least four days of random travel through the alps.
Our next destination is Paris with a two-night layover in Dijon, France along the way.


After much research, we decided to rent a "room with a view" in Montmartre, Paris.    The cost is $1,750 euro for the month (31 nights). Hopefully, it will work out for us but you can never be certain of anything sight unseen. We located it through VRBO which we have had good luck with in the past. The truth is that I have been to Europe dozens of times and yet I have never lived in Paris which was a dream from 1967 when I made my first visit with two college friends. I will not exactly be living in Paris, but at least I will be there for the entire month of May. 

When we depart from Paris on June 1 our next stop will be the small fishing village of  Honfleur, in Normandy France for one week.  The town looks lovely and we've heard good things about it and there are a lot of places to explore nearby.   



Next stop 3 nights in Bayeaux, France and then 4 nights in Dinard, France before heading back to Paris for our return flight to the US.