Our fifth out of country trip during our United Arab Emirates adventure was also our furthest trip abroad so far.  Germany is a big country, so to be more specific this trip was to southern Germany with a foray into Switzerland.  We are counting countries – sort of – so we planned on a short stop in Lichtenstein, but that didn’t materialize when we decided it was too much rush.  We had a direct flight from Abu Dhabi to Munich, so the travel time wasn’t bad – about 6 hours.  And the two-hour time zone shift was painless as well.  That aspect is another big advantage of getting in some European travels while we are here compared to travelling from the US.  A big picture look at our itinerary:  Fly into Munich, visit the old city (including dinner at the Hofbrauhaus), take a day trip to the Neuschwanstein Castle, press on to the Black Forest for a couple of days, a couple of days in Lucerne and Zurich, Switzerland, before returning to Munich for the flight home.  We did not rent a car for this trip, relying instead on public transportation.  So far, we have not had any special visa requirements to deal with anywhere we have been.  I do a bit of research before starting vacation.  A few interesting nuggets for this trip:

• Germany is one of 26 countries within the ‘Schengen Area’ that have agreed to allow free movement of their citizens within this area as if a single country. This covers most but not all of Europe and Scandinavia.
• 81% of the country is ethnic Germans, ~12% other Europeans, and the rest scattered from around the globe.
• The country is about 59% Christian, 34% not religious, and a little under 6% Muslim.
• Germany has the world’s fourth largest economy by GDP and is both the world’s third largest importer and exporter. It is 16^th largest country by population (83 million), and 62^nd largest by area.
• Germany took its current form as a nation when most of the German states unified in 1871.
• Volkswagen is the largest company with 237 billion Euro in revenue and worldwide employment of 610,000.
• Germany has one of the highest recycling rates in the world – about 65%. The USA recycles about 34%.
• The German Beer Purity law, adopted in 1516, stipulated beer can only be brewed using water, malt, hops. The existence of yeast was not known at the time, it was added to the purity law in 1906.
• You can drink a different German beer every day for 15 years.
• Frederick the Great of Prussia banned coffee in 1777, insisting his subjects must drink beer.
• There are over 1000 kinds of sausage in Germany.
• The tradition of the Christmas tree originated in Germany.
• Germany has over 400 zoos, the most in the world.
• Drivers can have their licenses suspended for six months for running out of gas on the Autobahn.
• Munich was founded in 1158, settled by Benedictine monks. The city derives its name from the medieval Munichen (monks).
• The Romans were the first to use the name “Black Forest.” The Roman soldiers were walking through Germany and their path was blocked by a dark, dense forest. They called it “Silva Nigra”, which means “Black Forest” in Latin.
• The forests in “Hansel and Gretel”, “Snow White”, and “Rapunzel” are based on the Black Forest. They are all German fairy tales.
• With over 14,000 distilleries, Black Forest has the world’s highest density of spirit distilleries in the world.
• Exchange rate at the time of this trip was 1 Euro (€) = $1.14
• The 2013 Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report showed that Switzerland was the country with the highest average wealth per adult in 2013. Switzerland has the world’s nineteenth largest economy by nominal
• Switzerland produces half of the world’s watches based on value.
• Electricity generated in Switzerland is 56% from hydroelectricity and 39% from nuclear power, resulting in a nearly CO₂-free electricity-generating network.
• Switzerland is heavily active in recycling and anti-littering regulations and is one of the top recyclers in the world, with 66% to 96% of recyclable materials being recycled, depending on the area of the country.
• Swiss residents are universally required to buy health insurance from private insurance companies, which in turn are required to accept every applicant.
• The Swiss are the world’s largest consumers of chocolate, 10 kg per year (~1/2 pound a week). Milton Hershey of Hershey chocolate was the descendant of Swiss Mennonites.
• Switzerland has a population of 8.7 million. Zurich is the largest city with 430,000.  Bern is the capital.
• There are four official Swiss languages: French, German, Italian, Romansh.
• The currency is the Swiss franc, approximately equal to one US dollar.

This trip certainly got off on the right foot.  As we were getting our boarding passes checked to get on the plane, we received a surprise business class upgrade.  Sweet! We were wined and dined in comfort on one of the massive Airbus A380s in the Etihad fleet for our trip to Munich.  We arrived on schedule and moved smoothly through customs.  The S-Bahn (a combination subway/train) delivered us downtown in about 40 minutes for 23.2€. Public transportation (buses and trains) is convenient, frequent, clean, on-time, and relatively cheap from our experience.  We checked into Hotel Bayers in Munich ($127/night). A simple but adequate room and very convenient walking distance between the train/bus station and the old city center. After settling in, we headed into the old town square.  Marienplatz, the original city center when the city was founded in 1158, is a bustling square full of shops, restaurants, and street artists, and the Neues Rathaus (new town hall) with its Glockenspiel clock, a huge mechanical chiming clock with dancing figurines. The Glockenspiel clock is a comparatively recent addition, added in 1907. Our timing was good, and we were treated to the 5:00 chiming of the clock and the procession of the figurines replaying historical scenes from the city’s past.  From there we headed to Hofbrauhaus.  This brewery (founded 1589) and dining hall were on my bucket list.  We enjoyed a dunkel and dinner at the beer garden there and had a pleasant conversation with a young German, Japanese, and Romanian.  From there we meandered around town for a while before heading back to the hotel.

The next morning, August 16, we headed out for our tour of Neuschwanstein Castle.  This tour cost us $115, plus $32 for actual castle entry.  We had originally planned to do this tour on our own but couldn’t get tickets (they are in high demand as this is one of the most visited spots in Germany). We were able to get tickets through Radius Tours and were quite content with the way things turned out – we recommend them.  The bus was very comfortable, drinks and snacks were available, and our guides were quite entertaining and educational.  This famous castle, built by King Ludwig II in 1886, was inspired by composer Richard Wagner and is in turn credited with inspiring Walt Disney to create the Magic Kingdom.  Much of the castle was never finished, but the architecture and the landscape are both stunning.  We were blessed with beautiful weather and spent several hours at the castle and hiking around the grounds before catching the bus back to Munich.

We tried the outdoor beer garden Augustine-Keller for dinner.  This enormous, tree-shaded facility seats 5,000 people. We were fortunate to get seating quickly in the portion with waiter service, as over half the facility is self-serve.  Lynn’s schnitzel was a bit dry, but I was pleased with my rotisserie chicken and we both enjoyed our liters of dunkel.  We were impressed with our waiter bringing 6 liters, 2 half liters, and a glass of wine in one shot.  A good meal including drinks and a small tip was around $50.  Tips in Germany, as in the UAE are more in the 5-10% range.  The US has differed from the places we have visited in that tips are typically much larger.  We were tired after a long day and headed back to Hotel Bayer.

Our third day, August 17, started off with a few hours in the Viktualienmarkt, a farmer’s market of sorts adjacent to Marienplatz.  These markets are among my favorite stops everywhere we have been. Fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese, olive oil, wines, sausages, jams, etc. from local vendors really give you a sense of what the locals favor in their cuisine.  We are always on the move, so we can’t load up but it sure is tempting.  We did buy a truffle infused brie and some fresh bread for the train ride later.  I had a couple of sausages and some potato salad (I was on a mission to try as many varieties as possible) and Lynn went with a yogurt with some fruit and muesli. We enjoyed our breakfast while watching the different folks walk by.  Some of the people in the eating area were having coffee or juice, but it seems a half liter or liter of the local brew in the morning is perfectly normal as well. We have also noted that pay toilets are the norm in Europe, even in many restaurants.  Not a strict admission ticket, but a small basket or cup for making a donation for the cleaners.

There was a maypole in the middle of the square at the Viktualienmarkt.  We noticed this in several towns and villages.  Our tour guide to the Neuschwanstein Castle told us an amusing story about the maypoles in Germany.  Maypoles are made of wood and must be replaced every few years. As our guide described it, it is perfectly legal to steal new maypoles before they are erected, so towns need to hide them before they put them up.  If they are stolen, the thieves can name their ransom.  Munich had theirs stolen a few years ago. The thieves who performed the deed were policemen, firemen, etc. from a local town.  Their cover was being drunk and rowdy in broad daylight.  The ransom demanded was favored seating for life at a popular spot during Oktoberfest, which was granted. True or not, it was a good story.

From there, we had our next train adventure, a three-leg journey from Munich to Baden-Baden.  Cost for the trip was expensive, $147 for the two of us for the 3½ hour trip. At least the trains are clean, fast, and punctual. We had an interesting conversation with a French woman who teaches French in German schools, and a Japanese study-abroad student.  On the ride across southern Germany, I noted many solar panels – on the roofs of houses, barns, warehouses, factories, as well as entire fields of them. A few wind turbines, but mostly just solar panels.  Germany is in the process of phasing out the remainder of their nuclear plants but want to reduce their carbon output.  The region is also very agricultural. We passed huge corn fields, and lesser amounts of vineyards, sunflowers, sugar beets, orchards, and personal vegetable gardens.

We arrived in Baden-Baden about 5:30. We checked in to Hotel Sophienpark, a pricey spot at $192, plus city tax, but that is the prevailing rate in this part of the country.  The room was very large and comfortable but not well provisioned (no hot water kettle, refrigerator, microwave, etc.) and again, typical of the region, no AC.  The windows were large, and lack of AC wasn’t a problem.  We took a walk through the town.  The restaurant we hoped to visit was full for the night, so we wound up at the Lowenbrau Beer Garden, with a lovely tree-shaded dining area and overflowing flower boxes.  I had a trout (the region is famous for them) that was just wonderful.

In German, the word ‘baden’ means bathing, and the town of Baden-Baden is a spa town at the edge of the Black Forest known for its mineral hot springs.  The town picked up the double name of Baden-Baden to distinguish it from numerous other Badens in the area.  There are 29 natural springs in the area, rich in minerals and ranging in temperature from 115 to 153° F.  Tourists today have the choice of two spas – the Friedrichsbad for those who choose to wallow in the springs sans clothing, or Caracalla Spa for those who aren’t up for quite that much adventure.  We went for the latter, and enjoyed the cluster of indoor and outdoor baths, hot and cold, pools and surge channels for a couple of hours for $42. This is a thoroughly modern facility with clean showers, change rooms, towels and any other amenity you might need.  Unfortunately, photography wasn’t allowed.

We enjoyed a fantastic breakfast at the hotel the next morning, then got on the bus and headed to the small Black Forest resort of Mummelsee.  A Black Forest hike was on my list of things to do, and although this wasn’t a long hike, maybe 5 km, it was enough to check the box.  Lynn and I both thought there was a lot of similarity with some of the trails in the Great Smokey Mountains.  We chatted with a couple of local ladies on the bus there. They asked where we were from – when we said Tennessee, they said everyone knows about Tennessee.  Once upon a time that meant Elvis Presley, now, Jack Daniels seems to be the major calling card for Tennessee (also, country music and Dolly Parton).

From Baden-Baden, we had the choice of a fast train (45 minutes non-stop) to Freiberg for 60€, or a slow train (90 minutes with a transfer) for 32€. We were in no hurry and took the slow, double decker electric train.  All the trains we rode were electric, quiet, and clean, sometimes not crowded at all, other times, standing room only.  I like them.  We enjoyed a fresh pretzel with some mustard as we did several times on the trip.

We arrived in Freiberg and checked into a Holiday Inn Express for our two-night stay.  This was a more reasonable $116/night with the provisions typical of a US chain, but minus the regional charm of many of the lodgings Lynn finds for us.  Convenient to the transportation is always the starting point, and this met that criteria.  We went out for dinner of more sausages and ham before turning in for the night.  We had had a long day.

We enjoyed a nice breakfast at the hotel the next morning, August 19 before heading out.  The original plan was to go to the “Taudnauer Wasserfall” for a hike, but we changed our minds, thinking the drought in the area would take away from the luster of a waterfall hike.  We stayed local and spent the morning heading up Schlossberg Freiberg, a tree covered hill of about 1500 feet on the eastern edge of the city.  Church bells chimed away freely throughout the morning, without regard to time or duration.  Several vistas looked out over the vineyards cloaking the slopes to the city beyond.  Benches were set under shade trees at several of these for a relaxing moment.  The summit of the hill is topped with the Aussichtsturm lookout tower that offers a 360° panorama of the city below.

We came off the hill, stopping for a half liter and a pretzel on the way. Many of the shops we passed heading into town had old mosaics set into sidewalk stones indicating the type of establishment adjacent to them – library, seamstress, museum, jeweler, barber, etc. We headed into town to see the ancient Freiburger Munster, a massive cathedral built over a 400-year period beginning in 1140.  The cathedral features a soaring 116-meter-high spire, dazzling stain glassed windows, and some interesting trivia by the main entrance where medieval wall measurements are chiseled into the brick and used to ensure merchandise such as bread loaves were of the required size.  This cathedral allowed photography (no flash), out of trend from our experience in most churches and museums. I was discreet but happy to be able to capture the cathedral and some of the stained-glass windows.  Miraculously, the buildings escaped damage from the 1944 bombing campaign that destroyed much of the city.

After a disaster at lunch where Lynn ordered a sausage salad thinking she would get a vegetable salad with some sausage on top and instead got essentially a bologna noodle salad, we had a lovely dinner in a beautiful wisteria-cloaked restaurant called Engler’s Weinkrugle.  Lynn had a nice trout salad, and I had another wonderful whole trout.  We both had a dunkel, and I topped off the dinner with a grappa.

Next stop on the trip was Switzerland.  We checked out of the Holiday Inn and headed off to Zurich.  We picked up super saver tickets for 89€ that got us to Zurich in about 2½ hours, passing through several tunnels, some several miles long, at speeds up to 120 mph. We arrived in Zurich, checked out logistics for our Mount Pilatus trip the next day, then checked into our hotel, the Gasthaus 210. This was another expensive stay, $282 for 2 nights, but again, typical for the area.  This hotel was unconventional.  A small grocery store occupied the entire ground floor.  The stairwell (no elevator) went up to the fourth-floor past contemporary paintings scotch taped to the walls, on sale for 600-1200€.  The room was small, but fully adequate for our needs with a microwave, refrigerator, hot water kettle.  It was unseasonably warm (88°F) with no AC, so we had to leave the windows open at night.  This is usually just fine, but the busy street noises were a bit of distraction on this trip.  Another item we noticed was that Zurich was packed with bikes, the same as we saw in Germany.  There are of course plenty of cars, and a few motorcycles in the mix, but bikes are everywhere. You really must be alert for them when you cross the street or even just walk on the sidewalk.  There are large collections of them at public gathering spaces such as train and bus stations.

We headed off to the bus station the next morning (August 21) after a breakfast of croissants, yogurt, and some spectacular figs in our room.  The trip for the day was an excursion to the summit of Mt. Pilatus. An expensive trip at $306 for the two of us, but this full day trip includes a comfortable bus ride from Zurich to Lucerne, some free time in Lucerne, a cable car ride up some 5000 feet to the summit, free time at the summit for lunch and sightseeing, a descent to the shore of Lake Lucerne down the worlds steepest cog-wheel railway (48°), a relaxing boat ride across Lake Lucerne, and a bus back to Zurich.  The weather was clear, and we had a great time, but a persistent haze took away from the view more than we expected.  We especially enjoyed seeing the Chapel Bridge over the River Reuss in Lucerne, the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, with construction dating back to 1333. We were still full from our lunch on the summit when we got back to the station in Zurich, but I was determined to try Rosti, a Swiss dish of fried potatoes.  So I had a side order of those at the Federal Brasserie restaurant in the train station, (featuring Swiss cuisine and over 100 Swiss beers) before we headed back to the Gasthaus.

For our last full day in country (August 22) we had planned to take a trek to Lichtenstein.  This was just going to be too much travelling for not enough of a visit, so we decided to catch the bus back to Munich.  The bus was faster than the train for a price of 19€ each instead of 60€, so off we went on the bus. We arrived in Munich and checked in to the Conrad Hotel deVille (of course Lynn had to get a picture of me in front of that), a comfortable room for $137.  We spent a wonderful afternoon at the English Gardens, enjoying the rivers, flowers, monuments, huge trees, and all sorts of activities folks were participating in.  This huge park (1.4 square miles – bigger than Central Park in New York) was created in 1789 and is one of the largest urban parks in the world. We marveled at the many attractions, but also that the water was clean enough that many people were swimming and floating down the streams in tubes in the middle of an urban setting.

For our last night, we had our sights set on a new restaurant but couldn’t find it.  We returned to Augustine-Keller Beer Garden, but this visit was much more chaotic than our earlier trip. We could only find seating in the self-serve section, where you press through the line with the menu in German and struggle to find seating.  Once we finally got to a spot, we did enjoy our meal.  Lynn had a currywurst that she liked, and I had the ubiquitous pig knuckle we had seen throughout the city.  I didn’t expect much but was pleasantly surprised by how tender and meaty it was.

On the morning of August 23, we checked out of Hotel Conrad, and did a little souvenir shopping before taking the train back to the airport.  Lynn bought a Victorinox tool kit the shape of a credit card and not much thicker. A nice little memento.  We had an uneventful return to the airport, and a pleasant flight back to Abu Dhabi.

This trip was certainly just a sample of each country.  There are many things we would like to add to a future trip.  Expenses were also higher here than our previous trips, something to factor in to future trips. Total all-inclusive expense for the nine-day trip: $4823.