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Bavaria's Beautiful Alpine Road
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© 2004 Bonita Productions Inc.
Real Travel Adventures International Magazine
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Bavaria's Beautiful Alpine Road
By Bonnie Neely, Photos By Bill Neely
If you can only travel to Germany one time and must choose one area, the best place to begin your travels is along the beautiful Alpine Road through Bavaria. This drive, which starts just outside the Munich Airport, is world famous for some of the most exquisite scenery anywhere. Developing and promoting this route for tourism was started by Albert Weschel and Gabriele Deml two decades ago. If you are renting a car plan as many days as possible, avoid the Autobahn, and treat yourself to this leisurely route through the German Alps near the Austrian border. If you prefer not to drive, you can also find many tours that will take you along this memorable road. You'll go through lush Alpine meadows and farm land, through winding National Park mountain roadways, past lakes and gurgling streams, with lovely little churches, their tall, thin spires loftily pointing skyward. The verdant green scenery is punctuated by the lovely orange roofs of white stucco, rectangular two-story houses, with red geraniums brightly tumbling over the rim of flower boxes in each window. Black and white Holstein milk cows and chestnut brown and white Simental cattle, with their engraved brass bells jingling when they shake their heads, lie peacefully chewing their cuds or walking along in front of you. You'll think you're in a movie production or storybook land.
When you arrive in Munich Airport, especially after a long international flight, the very best hotel for your money, Mövenpick Airport Hotel, is just around the corner, whether you rent a car or take the free shuttle. Our room was the perfect place to get over jet-lag in a big bed with wonderful crisp sheets and a sparkling clean, marble bath. For business people this is ideal because of its convenience to the airport and the excellent business facilities available in your room or in the lobby. The staff provides full service 24 hours a day because weary travelers arrive at all hours with their bodies set at different time zones. A perfect airport overnight hotel, you'll find top-notch exercise equipment with sauna and steam room on the top floor, and in each bedroom there are plugs for every type of international electrical equipment. Mövenpick becomes a family destination hotel for leisure on week-ends because the special rate is then just $69, and Munich is just a few minutes away. A free shuttle to the airport is every half-hour from 5am-11pm, and every 10 minutes a subway goes to Munich. For en route travelers there is free breakfast 4 - 6 am before early planes. For others there is optional full breakfast for an extra charge.
Albert Wechsel, regional Director of Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts, started this airport hotel in 1988, and he and his wife even dug trees in the forest and transplanted them for the beautiful garden, which is the focal point of the large glass-walled restaurant. Wechsel is a hands-on manager, determined to have his very capable and friendly staff solve all your travel problems with so much savvy, consideration, and calm reassurance. He had many to solve for us and quickly moved us from frantic about our disrupted travels to perfect ease, comfort and calm within a short time. This excellent hotel and well trained staff, could be a model for any hotel…one of the most accommodating we have found anywhere in the world. We traveled from Munich to Bad Reichenhall to begin our scenic trip, stopping to take hundreds of priceless photographs of the gorgeous Alps and their picture-perfect villages and people who still dress in embroidered Bavarian costumes. This town has been a center for natural healing arts since early Roman soldiers discovered the hot mineral springs emerging from the mountains.
Today it is a lovely, restful place for travelers who want to be pampered in luxurious spas. We had the great pleasure of staying in Bad Reichenhall at the Steigenberger Axelmannstein, which was started in 1848 to meet the royal needs when King Maximillian II brought his whole court to the Kur (spa) center here. This five star Hotel and Spa is the most exquisite hotel we have ever found, truly one of the grand dames of that opulent era when wealthy people of leisure began to travel by train to the most beautiful places in the world and luxury was abundant for their pleasure. This resort, set in the center of the lovely pedestrian-only park in the town center, was a bit difficult to find since we were driving, until someone explained that cars going to the hotel are permitted to drive into a designated parking area. Of course, if you arrive by taxi or on tour, you have no difficulty in locating this fine establishment. The inviting reception area is a perfectly appointed like the drawing room of a royal palace, and we were treated like royalty, as all their guests are.
The guest rooms and hallways have authentic nineteenth century antiques and remarkable oil paintings of pastoral and mountain scenes in gilded frames. Every detail of this luxurious hotel is complete for the satisfaction of dignitaries from any country to enjoy and 
appreciate. The spacious suites are beautifully appointed with understated refinement suitable for royalty. Window boxes also spill over with seasonal blooms. Many have private balconies where you can sit and look out at the Alps all around as well as look down on the hotel's beautiful private green park with a fountain surrounded by brightly colored renunculous and walls of red roses bordering the enormous formal dining room. Behind this scenic focus is a quiet mineral stream and wooded walkway. Absolutely perfect in detail, with huge tapestries on every wide marble staircase landing, every inch of this grand hotel is serene luxury, a feast for the eyes and restfully planned for your leisure.
appreciate. The spacious suites are beautifully appointed with understated refinement suitable for royalty. Window boxes also spill over with seasonal blooms. Many have private balconies where you can sit and look out at the Alps all around as well as look down on the hotel's beautiful private green park with a fountain surrounded by brightly colored renunculous and walls of red roses bordering the enormous formal dining room. Behind this scenic focus is a quiet mineral stream and wooded walkway. Absolutely perfect in detail, with huge tapestries on every wide marble staircase landing, every inch of this grand hotel is serene luxury, a feast for the eyes and restfully planned for your leisure. The full service spa is ably staffed to serve your health needs, if you arrive with physical problems, and also to provide exquisite pampering for guests who just want to relax. A spa like you could only dream about! The pampering and wonderful treatments are geared for women or men alike, and you can get any kind of therapy or special treatment or just enjoy a relaxing swim in the beautiful indoor mineral pool.
A sumptuous breakfast with arrays of gorgeous selections is served in the formal dining room overlooking the lovely fountain garden. For other meals you can choose an elegant meal here, or dine in the relaxed bar atmosphere, or take tea or coffee service on the garden terrace. Whether it is spa services, or skiing, or golf or tennis, whatever your pleasure, the Steigenberger Axelmannstein has an excellent program and often special packaged price for your holidays to meet your every desire. Less than an hour from Salzburg, Austria, it is an ideal place to book if you attend the Salzburg Music festivals in summer. This is also a perfect location for an extended stay in the Alps because many of the famous tourist attractions and activities are only a short drive away.
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