Red roofed houses with window sills lined by colourful flowers, cows grazing on the rolling meadows, bells hung around their necks, a friendly server in dirndl doling out the local brew in the backdrop of the snow clad Alps. That is how I imagined a German town to be. Ettal, on the Germany-Austria border was exactly that, just that chapel was a huge monastery and bier was brewed by monks. This town is about an hour drive from Munich and a little over by train.
The monastery is Benedictine Abbey of Ettal and is its biggest attraction. The imposing church is usually the first sights as one enters the town. The sheer size of it in a town of less than fifty homes will take you by surprise. The interiors of the church are even more impressive with intricate designs in marble, pastels, golden leaves, a wood carved altar and a huge organ. Life size paintings adorn the wall and are so detailed, you could feel yourself to be the scene. We entered when a ceremony was in progress and the silence of the church was filled in by the melodious chants of monks. A few minutes later as the monks receded, we had the entire church to ourselves, to marvel at the painting on the dome.
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| Dome of the church |
We also took a small detour to Austria to the nearby Lake Plansee. Its a turquoise green lake, with water so clear, you have to see it to believe it. It has one of the highest water purity levels in Austria and is an exceptional spot for divers. We just sat by the edge of the lake marvelling at the clear waters and the dusking sun shimmering on the lake.
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| Love the reflections in the lake |
A perfect weekend getaway to take in the Alp scenery and enjoy the locally brewed Doppelbock. And while you are at it, be sure to dress like the locals.
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| Bavarians dressed in Trachts |
Alps are by far our favorite mountain getaway especially considering the ease of getting to them.
Thank’s great post.
Hey! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my previous room mate! He always kept talking about this place. I will forward this post to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!
Having read this I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this information together.
I once again find myself personally spending a lot of time both reading and commenting.
But so what, it was still worth it!
I needed to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoyed every bit of it.
I have got you book marked to check out new stuff
you post…