Munich, Saturday, 14th May 2022
Out of bed at 05:00; done with breakfast by 07;15. Caught the usual tram to Hauptbahnhof and were on platform no. 14 by 07:45, well in time for the 08:13 to Mittenwald, where we would change trains for the reportedly beautiful town of Innsbruck, in neighbouring Austria. Occupied seats on the right hand side (upper deck) of the double-deckered coach of the Regional Express. Mike Smith's website www.seat61.com is truly a great one!
The express sped past the small villages but halted at the more important ones. At one stage, we were passing by the huge expanse of Stamberger lake that kept us company to our left for quite some time and made very interesting viewing, with abundant greenery, elegant villages with their spic-n-span pathways and aesthetically pleasing houses around it. The pleasures of viewing the picturesque European countryside from the comforts of an uncrowded, clean and fast train, are indescribable! The sprawling meadows with their yellow carpets were present too, of course; to keep us spell-bound throughout, though we have seen this spectacle on every trip to Europe. Soon, mountains started making their appearance, as a wonderful backdrop to the meadows. The lower reaches of the mountains were thick with verdure with the upper reaches bare, the hint of snow on a few. The entire scene was spectacular and my camera was working overtime!
The entire setting turned from the spectacular to the surreal as the express neared the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the famous ski resort of Bavaria that offers easy access to Zugspitze. More mountains, with more snow on them appeared, as if standing sentinel to the meadows. When we alighted at Mittenwald, we found ourselves on another planet! This was certainly not earth! The platforms of the railway station were typical small town Switzerland/Austria/Germany. Without the confounding roof, they offered a majestic, 360 degrees view of heaven! Dark green meadows stretched on three sides, leading to the snow-capped mountains. On the fourth side, that is , beyond platform no. 1, spread the charming village of Mittenwald. Beyond the boundaries of the village stood hills, covered with a lavish green, housing the petite red/brown roofed homes!
As there was half an hour to go for the train to Innsbruck, we stepped out of the station and got ourselves clicked to the incredible backdrop. Urmila enjoyed coffee at the lovely and inviting restaurant adjacent to platform no. 1, while I used the clean washroom opposite the station. We were ready to travel to Innsbruck. The train was late by five minutes.
If Mittenwald and Garmisch-Partenkirchen were heaven, this journey to Innsbruck took us into the nooks and corners of heaven! The train was on an ascent, with the meadows and mountains seemingly having come nearer. Magnificent vistas to our left, front and back kept us mesmerised. The long-stretching carpet of green, a thick cluster of pines (I assume they were pines) on the lower reaches of the mountains, serpentine roads passing through cute villages; and the snow-clad peaks now surrounding us, guarding the place! The train ran through a few tunnels and each time it emerged from one, the scenery was spell-binding! At one stage, we could see an entire village down below in the valley, complete with a river flowing through it, to the jaw-dropping background of the meadows and mountains described earlier! There are no words to describe the entire scene!
Reached Innsbruck Hbf by 11:20. As we descended onto the platform, a sense of familiarity struck us. The 360 degree view of the surrounding green hills and snow capped peaks was similar to the one we had got from the platform of Interlaken, Switzerland, on our 2016 trip.
We exited the train station, to find ourselves at the bust station! So typically Europe! However, the buildings around did not seem to be in a very good state of repair. Searched for a route to the famous 'golden roof', on my TAB. Enquired of a bus driver for the correct bus number that would take us there and he said that we could walk to the place! We did precisely that! It turned out to be a good decision, as we could really understand and appreciate the layout of the town. As we were progressing in the direction of the 'golden roof', the town looked better and better. It seemed like a larger version of Salzburg, where one could see snow-clad or green clad mountains all around. One just had to look up or down a road and one would see mountains! The 'golden roof' was great!
This part of the town has cobbled pavements and dated buildings, quintessential Europe! Lanes and by-lanes branch off to the left and right. A corridor with low, arched ceiling; housing glittering shops and cosy restaurants ran straight, to our right. We walked on. In the direction of river Inn. The sight that met our eyes as we came upon the river, was stupendous! The green waters of the river flowed with a gentle roar, from left to right. As we mounted the sidewalk on its right bank, we could only stare open-mouthed at the line of colourful buildings painted in gentle pastels on the left bank; stretching beyond the buildings and climbing were the light and dark green hills, with a lot of aesthetically appealing homes embedded in the verdure. Above all - both literally and figuratively - were the snow-clad mountains! If I have to compare, then this setting was better than a similar setting at the river Salz, in Salzburg.
After savouring the scene and clicking like mad, we came back to the old town and lunched at one of the many restaurants that offered pavement seating. Ate great chicken, drank frothy beer and finished off with the local delicacy - apple strudel with custard. A fantastic lunch at a fantastic town in a fantastic setting!
Went back to the river for another view. Then purchased a wall-hanging that had the picture of a cat, at a beautifully laid out store. The store owner said that the wall-hanging was made in what is today Italy, but was earlier a part of Austria. We enjoyed a brief discussion on history - World War II.
Strolled back to the Hauptbahnhof. Were caught in a light drizzle on the way, but there was enough shelter. Remained largely dry. The rain lasted only 15 minutes or so and we were soon on our way. Reached the Hauptbahnhof and found platform no. 21, which proved to be the same one where we had alighted this morning. The train to Munich was due at 16:38, so we still had an hour and a half of waiting. A regional express from Munich arrived and docked at platform no. 21. After some twenty minutes or so, the indicator announced that it was indeed the 16:38 to Munich Pasing (Regional Express trains were terminating at Munich Pasing that day, owing to some construction work going on between Munich Pasing and Munich Hbf). We boarded the train and sat to the left. Platforms and trains in Europe are so clean and neat that one does not mind spending time there, unlike in India, where waiting anywhere is a nightmare!
We soaked in the beauty of the area once again, as the valley was bathed in sunlight and the snow on the mountains was shining. The village of Seefeld in Tirol where the train halted for a couple of minutes, deserves special mention: beautifully laid out with identical houses boasting well manicured lawns, clean and narrow roads passing through the green before approaching the village; a tiny stream gurgling its way through; restaurants, shops and supermarkets all in place! We would love to spend five days here, doing nothing! Were treated to the spectacular scenery once again, this time in the evening sun.
The regional express reached Munich Pasing on time, at 19:17. Took the help of a railway employee to locate platform no. 9, where we would get a train to the main station. The indicator at Gleis no. 9 indicated that the next train to Hbf would depart only at 19:47! Groan! There was another option available, that of traveling to Hbf by an SEV bus. An SEV bus is a replacement bus, that runs when there is a disruption of rail traffic, for any reason. Climbed down, into the passageway, up again at the exit; we were on the main road just outside Pasing station. The bus took almost 20 minutes to arrive and during this time, a lot many passengers had gathered. We were again toying with the idea of taking the train and spoke to a railway employee who had come there to oversee the arrangements. He informed us that no regional express was going to Hbf and that the train at 19:47 was an Inter-City express, on which our ticket was not valid. He further advised us to wait for the bus. We did so. The bus finally arrived and, with a trailer attached, was long enough to accomodate all the waiting passengers. We even found comfortable seats. A 20 minute ride saw us at Hbf. It was past 20:00 then and all the markets had closed, to open only on Monday morning.
We caught tram no. 27 to Leorondplatz, the stop closest to our hotel. Checked out the supermarkets Rossmann and Edeka - both had closed! Ate a chicken burger (quite good) with Glenfiddich, at the restaurant located in an attractive building at the corner of Dachauer street and Leorondstrasse. This was just one hundred and fifty metres from our hotel.
Enquired of the lady at the reception of our hotel whether our laundered clothes had arrived; and she herself carried them to our room, as the clothes were all on hangers, rather than neatly folded and wrapped in paper, as is the case in India. Being tired, we called it a night and planned to go easy tomorrow, keeping in mind the five hours and a half of train journey to Prague (Praha) - my all time favourite European capital - commencing at 08:43 on Monday morning.