DEAR GEMüTLICHKEIT SUBSCRIBER The Travel Letter for , Austria, Switzerland & the New Europe

God, Man, Woman and the Universe It's a bright, cool morning in the summer of 1944. For reasons I no longer remember, if I ever knew, we are ambling toward Saxony’s preeminent university city has a rich, enduring musical heritage— downtown. It’s not far; and led the way to 1989’s downfall of hard-line East German communist rule. Plattsmouth, Nebraska—about 18 sageways—made Leipzig prosper- miles from Omaha—is a small ewswatchers suddenly paid ous and cosmopolitan. Johann Se- town of perhaps 5,000 residents. attention to this Saxon city two bastian Bach, arriving from Thurin- I'm six, he's 22 and a first lieuten- Ndecades ago, when worldwide gia in 1723, spent the last 27 years ant in the Army Artillery, but headlines proclaimed “the Leipzig of his life as Kapellmeister: music about to get captain's bars. It miracle.” Upwards of 70,000 angry director of the Thomaskirche, won't be long before he will be in citizens, fed up with repressive gov- where J.S. founded the world-fa- Germany, sitting on the very tip ernmental controls throughout the socialist German Dem- mous Thomaner boys’ choir and of the Allied spear aimed at the by Tom Bross lies entombed beneath a bronze slab heart of and Victory in Eu- ocratic Republic, took at the altar. Accompanied by the rope. But on this day he's letting to the streets in autumn 1989. Night church’s 6,300-pipe organ, the his nephew tag along, treating after night, they raised such a non- group (when not on tour) sings him like a person instead of a kid. violent ruckus that the GDR bureau- Bach motets Fridays 6pm, cantatas "Whaddaya wanna talk about?," crats backed down—leading directly Saturday 3pm and adds their voices says the lieutenant. "I dunno," to October’s national reunification a to Sunday 9:30am religious services. replies the kid. "Well then, how year later. ‘bout God, man, woman and the Long before those outbursts A much-photographed Bach universe?" And so began a con- shook the status quo, trade fairs— statue stands outside the late-Goth- versation that lasted for 64 years still mightily important locally, orig- ic church. He premiered his Magni- and covered sports, politics, mu- inally held in courtyards and pas- Continued on page 3… sic, food, wine, the stock market, computers, and most of all, Euro- pean travel—especially Germany. Yellow Roads: Salzburg to Bad Gastein It all came to an end very early It seems appropriate this month to Thumsee and pick up Route 21 to Sunday morning, October 5th, in reprint one of the several backroads the Austrian border. Then take a Kansas City, Missouri, nursing stories contributed by John K. Bestor, Route 312 past Unken in the di- home. To be completely accurate, who died in early October at age 87 rection of Lofer. (If you are com- the actual talking stopped several (see Dear Subscriber). He coined the ing from Munich, take the Traun- years ago when the Alzheimer's term “Yellow Roads,” and loved to stein exit, head south through began in earnest to do its awful explore them. This report first appeared Inzell on Route 305, and then turn work on his fine brain (he was a in Gemütlichkeit in March of 1993. toward Lofer where the road in- high school valedictorian who tersects Route 21.) never cracked a book, top of his drive from Salzburg south University of Nebraska law to Bad Gastein can become From Lofer there are views of school class, and senior partner in A much more interesting by several mountain peaks and the what, at the time, was middle- taking a less traveled route, part of drive on to Saalfelden is through America's largest law firm out- which involves a delightful “yel- the Saalach Valley beside the side of Chicago). low road” from Maria Alm (south- Saalach River. Along the way are east of Saalfelden) to Route 311, or caves open for tours and places to I’m talking about my uncle, another — though much less direct stop for a wander through wood- John K. Bestor, without whom — east to Bischofshofen. You’ll ed gorges. there would be no Gemütlichkeit. need a detailed map such as Mair’s While growing up, I never At Saalfelden, turn toward Die Generalkarte #7 for Austria. dreamed of travel in Europe, es- Continued on page 7… pecially on my own, and especial- Out of Salzburg, take any road Exchange rates as of 10/20/08 ly in Germany. I knew no lan- to Bad Reichenhall. From there, 1 euro = $1.33 Continued on page 2… follow the little yellow road past 1 Swiss franc = $0.87 www.gemut.com October/November 2008

71156_10_11Gemut_rp 1 10/22/08, 9:53 AM www.gemut.com http://theeuropetraveler.com

DEAR SUBSCRIBER nied him on those last visits. knowledge, wit and nerve. At his funeral, his son-in-law, Les, told me Continued from page 1 Over the years 1965 to the early '80s, my jobs with professional he once saw a newspaper article guage but English and I pictured sports teams took me frequently to that listed the midwest’s best attor- Germany to be the bombed-out, Kansas City. When I came to town neys as rated by their peers; John rubble-strewn place I had seen in with the Oakland Raiders, John was number one in the labor catego- newsreels. But in 1973 John intro- would prepare great feasts for me ry. He kept the same clients for de- duced Liz and me to independent and my colleagues and friends in cades, only stepping down when, at European travel when he con- the media. He was an adventurous the onset of Alzheimer’s, he realized vinced us to meet him in France, cook and had what must have his mind might fail him—and his where we toured by car for a few been one of the town's best wine clients—at a critical moment. days together, visiting Bordeaux, cellars. Long before movie stars It wasn't just how to travel in Burgundy and Alsace. He taught and dot.com multi-millionaires Europe that I learned from my us the Michelin Red Guides, de- drove up the price of French wines uncle. Looking back over the past tailed maps, and the backcountry in this country, John was laying 40 years, it's clear he was a pretty byways he called "Yellow Roads" down case upon case of classified hip guy. He told me about Warren (their color on the maps). Then, at growth Bordeaux, and top-of-the- Buffet more than 25 years ago. He my uncle’s urging, using our new- line Burgundies, both red and managed his own investments, found travel skills, the next Euro- white. For us, he poured Chateau pouring over Barron's, the Wall pean destination was Germany Latour 1962, '59 Chateau Palmer, Street Journal, Investor's Business where he had been going annually the fabulous dessert wine of Sau- Daily and Valueline. He eagerly for several years. I was immediate- terne, Chateau d'Yquem, the great anticipated personal computers ly captivated and, somehow scrap- ports of the celebrated '63 vintage, and in 1983 purchased one of the ing up the money, we returned and his favorite bubblies, Moet first IBM PCs. With a pioneer in- year after year. We didn't travel and Cristal. Some of my friends vestment software called Dow much with John, managing only a became his friends. The late Bill few times to connect with him for Continued on page 7… King, longtime San Francisco Bay a day or two. He liked the solitude Using Gemütlichkeit Area football, baseball and basket- of his little rental car and the back- • Hotel prices listed are for one night. Discounts ball broadcaster, hooked up with are often available for longer stays. roads, stopping at tiny inns where John for lunch or dinner every • All hotel prices include breakfast unless other- he could speak German and drink time he was in Kansas City with wise noted. beer with the locals. On his last few • Local European telephone area codes carry the the Oakland A's baseball team. trips he rented flats in the Parten- “0” required for in-country dialing. To phone establishments from outside the country, such kirchen end of Garmisch-Parten- There was nothing John would as from the USA, do not dial the first “0”. kirchen where he basked in the rather do than practice law, often Bavarian country culture and the saying it was so much fun he’d do Logging on to Our Website slow pace of village life. Regretta- it for free. Among his clients were Back issues in PDF format from January 1993, except several Fortune 500 companies. for the most recent 10, are available free to subscribers bly, his first wife, Fritzi, who died only at www.gemut.com (click on “Members”). To in the early ‘90s, didn't travel. I am His specialty was labor law, and access the issues, enter the user name and password sure it was one of his life’s joys that he lived for the negotiations; the published in this space each month. The new codes are: his second wife, Lorena, accompa- ultimate test of his experience, User Name: zigl Password: 3821

Vol. 22, No. 9 HOTEL RESTAURANT RATING KEY Oct./Nov. 2008 GEMüTLICHKEIT The Travel Letter for Germany, Austria, Switzerland & the New Europe Rating Scale Scale Restaurant Criteria Excellent 16 - 20 Food 65% Publishers: Robert H. & Elizabeth S. Bestor Publishers: Robert H. & Elizabeth S. Bestor Above Average 12 - 15 Service 20% Editor:Executive Editor:Robert Nikki H. Goth Bestor Itoi Contributors:Contributors:Doug Linton, C. Fischer, R. Holliday, Jim Tom Johnson Bross Average 8 - 11 Atmosphere 15% Web Master: Paul SharonT. Merschdorf Hudgins Adequate 4 - 7 ConsultingConsulting Editor: Editor: Thomas Thomas P. P. Bestor Bestor Unacceptable 0 - 3 SubscriptionOnline Services: Dept: Kurt Kurt Steffans Steffans SubscriberSubscriber Travel Travel Services: Services: Andy Andy Bestor, Bestor, Laura Laura Riedel Riedel Hotel Rating Criteria Value Rating Scale Gemütlichkeit (ISSN 10431756) is published 10 times each year by UpCountry People/Service 30% Outstanding Value 17 - 20 Publishing, 288 Ridge Road, Ashland OR 97520. TOLL FREE: 1-800/521- 6722 or 541/488-8462, fax: 541/488-8468, e-mail [email protected]. Web Location/Setting 15% Very Good Value 12 - 16 site: www.gemut.com. Subscriptions are $67 per year for 10 issues. While Guestrooms 30% Average Value 9 - 11 every effort is made to provide correct information, the publishers can make Public rooms 5% Below Average Value 5 - 8 no guarantees regarding accuracy. Facilities/Restaurant 20% POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: A Rip-Off 0 - 4 Gemütlichkeit, 288 Ridge Road., Ashland OR 97520

Gemütlichkeit 2 October/November 2008

71156_10_11Gemut_rp 2 10/22/08, 9:53 AM http://theeuropetraveler.com www.gemut.com LEIPZIG Leipzig Basics International Airport (Schönefeld), Continued from page 1 figure on about 1 hr. 16 min. for Population: 510,615 your high-speed trip. ICE service ficat and St. John Passion oratorios at Elevation: 122 meters (486 feet) from Munich usually entails five nearby Nikolaikirche. Now, though, stops enroute to Leipzig, taking be- Visitor Information: Leipzig Tourist the 12th-century “Nikolai” has newer tween 4 hr. 20 min. and 5 hr. 2 min. Service e.V., Richard-Wagner- renown as the site of Monday- Strasse 1, 04109 Leipzig, tel. +49/ Airport: Flughafen Leipzig/ evening peace prayers—beginning 0341/710/4620, fax 0341/710/ (code: LEJ) in Schkeuditz, 18 km/ in 1983—that boiled over into ‘89’s 4276, [email protected], 11 miles northeast of the city cen- revolt. www.leipzig.de. ter. Upon arrival, get to downtown via rapid-transit Airport Express; 14 There’s more to see here in the German National Tourist Office, minute commute, ¤3.40. midst of the Innenstadt. For instance: 122 East 42nd Street (Suite 2000), the three-part Mädlerpassage New York NY 10168-0072, tel. 212- Driving: From Berlin/Potsdam, (1914), quintessentially Jugendstil-Art 661-7200, fax 212-661-7174, head south on the A-9 Autobahn, Nouveau, containing chic shops and www.cometogermany.com. then east to the A-9/A-14 interchange midway between Halle café-bistros leading to a rotunda Driving distances from: and Leipzig. Take the A-14 Berlin 153 km 95 miles sporting 25 Meissen porcelain westbound for the quick way from chimes. Same location for the free- Chemnitz 66 km 41 miles and nearby Saxon admittance Zeitgeschtlichtes Forum Dresden 102 km 63 miles Switzerland National Park highlands Leipzig (Leipzig Forum of Contem- Frankfurt 397 km 248 miles alongside the Czech border. München 353 km 220 miles porary History), recalling daily life Best Buy: The Leipzig Card entitles Nürnberg 224 km 139 miles during the socialist era, complete holders to free city transportation, with household products, grainy TV Rostock 310 km 192 miles price discounts at selected restau- broadcasts, youth regimentation, Year-by-Year in Local History: rants and cafés, cost savings at workers’-paradise propaganda First documented, as urbs Libzi selected shops and museums, plus graphics, and clunky “Trabi” mini- (1015); town charter (1165); uni- discounted tickets for orchestral, sedans. versity founded (1409); imperial operatic, theatrical and cabaret trade-fair rights (1497), Martin performances. Full-day €8.90 per- In & Around the Marktplatz Luther brings the Protestant Refor- person, three-day €18.50. mation (1539); opera-company Sandstone Platz-level arcades Guided Sightseeing: Comprehen- debut (1693); Europe’s first daily sive two-hour bus tours depart daily and blue-and-gilt tower clocks make newspaper, Avisa Zeitung, circulat- 1:30pm from the tourist office, ¤16 the Altes Rathaus a definite eye- ed (1650); J. S. Bach becomes St. per-person. catcher. Come upstairs to browse a Thomas’s choirmaster (1723); Ger- municipal history museum that in- many’s first professional orchestra 2009 Events th cludes a scale model of 19 -century (1743); Gewandhaus Orchestra Bach Festival: June 11-21, Leipzig wrapped inside its medieval established (1781); Germany’s first www.bach-leipzig.de. Churches, walls. Behind this 16th-century Re- music conservatory (1843); Germa- concert halls, outdoor venues. Star- naissance edifice, café-sitters savor ny’s first labor party (1863); Ger- ring Bach, co-starring Händel, Naschmarkt ambience while looking man Imperial Supreme Court Haydn, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Liszt (1888-1945); German National up at 1687’s gorgeously Baroque, and Bizet’s opera Carmen Library (1912), arrival of U.S. 69th Leipziger Bierbörse: June 19-21. balconied, rooftop-balustraded Alte Infantry Division (April 20th, 1945); Grounds surrounding the Volker- Handelsbörse (Old Stock Exchange), postwar opera house (1960); Neues schlachtdenkmal battle monument. fronted by a statue of a dapper, Gewandhaus concert hall (1981) skirt-chasing Leipzig University law Worldwide brands of beer for taste- Born in Leipzig: Composer Richard student, Johann Wolfgang von Goet- testing, high-decibel music for rock- Wagner (1813), pianist Clara Schu- ing and raving he. Three of the original trade-fair mann (1819); Communist Party boss International Choral Festival: courtyards have recently been splen- Walter Ulbricht (1883); expressionist July 6-14. Choral groups from didly restored, drawing customers painter Max Beckmann (1884) to cubbyhole shops and cafés: Bar- around the world, performing in Rail: Check www.raileurope for churches in and around the city thels Hof, Steibs Hof and colorfully frequent daily departures from Mendelssohn Festival. Aug. 21- decorous, five-level, cartoon-fres- Dresden via regional (RE) service to Sept. 18. Annually since 1997, de- coed Specks Hof. Leipzig, averaging 1 hr. 36 min. voted to Felix Mendelssohn-Bar- From Frankfurt: five departures A glass cube, the Bildenden tholdy’s musical compositions daily via high-speed ICE (InterCity- Künst fine-arts museum opened on Express) for cross-country travel, Leipziger Dokfest: Oct. 17-Nov. Sachsenplatz in 2004, exhibiting Ger- reaching Leipzig in 3 hr. 26 min. 1. First presented in 1955: Europe’s man Impressionist/Expressionist From Berlin’s Ostbahnhof, Zoobah- best-known awards competition paintings by Caspar David Friedrich, nhof, big new Hauptbahnhof and showing international documentary Arnold Böcklin, Lovis Corinth, Adri- the station at Berlin-Brandenburg and animation films.

Gemütlichkeit 3 October/November 2008

71156_10_11Gemut_rp 3 10/22/08, 9:53 AM www.gemut.com http://theeuropetraveler.com an Ludwig Richter and Max Beck- downtown. Purposely resembling an ed whopper flaunts a watch tower, mann (born in Leipzig). Old Masters open book, nicknamed “the Wisdom turrets, parapets, balconies, connec- Cranach and Dürer, Rubens and Tooth,” silvery metallic, 35-story tor bridges and a horde of statues. Rembrandt are also well-represented. City-Hochhaus (1970) looms above Just as unmissable: the city’s circa- Don’t bypass the 1902 polychromatic the academic layout. 1915 Hauptbahnhof railroad termi- statue of Beethoven, sculpted in Head west on Grimmaischer nal; a two-part, vaulted-ceilinged bronze, alabaster, marble and amber Strasse’s broad pedestrian corridor colossus containing not just 26 tracks by Max Klinger (another Leipziger). to reach Augustusplatz (renamed but 140 upscale shops in its triple- For an utterly different experience, Karl-Marx-Platz during GDR times), deck Promenaden super-galleria. come to a Dittrichring corner close to culturally important because Across town by way of Peterstrasse, St. Thomas’s church, where insur- Leipzig’s neoclassical Opera House Burgplatz’s new (as of 2006) multi- ance-company offices were requisi- and radically angular, modernistic level Petersbogen mall combines tioned as headquarters of the Leipzig Gewandhaus concert hall stand on stores galore, food court, casino and branch of ’s notorious opposite ends of the square. Above eight-screen Cinestar movie theater. STASI secret police organization. the hall’s main foyer hangs an enor- At Prager Strasse on Leipzig’s Today the free-admittance Museum mous ceiling painting inspired by southwestern outskirts, the centenni- in der Runden Ecke chronicles such Gustav Mahler’s Song of the Earth al of 1813’s Battle of Leipzig inspired spooky stuff as hidden cameras and composition. A cascading August- the 300,000-ton granite Volker- recording devices, interrogation pro- platz centerpiece since 1886 is the schlachtdenkmal, a 91-meter/299-ft.- cedures, thick dossiers prying into fancily sculpted Mende Fountain. high behemoth with inner crypt and the private lives of ordinary people, pantheon, acoustically resonant for and other totalitarian intrusions. Bauhaus-designed, surrounding a courtyard off east-side Johannis- summertime concerts. A Prussian- Energized by 29,000 students platz, the Grassi Museum ensemble Austrian-Russian-Swedish allied (preceded by Goethe, Baroque com- delves into arts and crafts, ethnology army trapped and defeated Napo- poser Georg Philipp Teleman, exis- and the university’s musical-instru- leon’s 200,000 French troops, ending tential philosopher Friedrich Ni- ments collection (arguably Europe’s the four-day conflict and Bonaparte’s etzsche, and current German chan- most extensive). Grassi’s three muse- career. Full-scale anniversary reen- cellor Angela Merkel), main Leipzig ums are only a few blocks from actments draw big crowds each Octo- University classrooms and lecture Goldschmittstrasse’s Biedermeier- ber. Nearby, St. Alexei’s Russian halls cover a substantial chunk of furnished Mendelssohn House, Memorial Church—a Novgorod- where the composer, moving from style edifice topped by a white and Key Websites for the Traveler gold onion-dome steeple—honors the • www.gemut.com Gateway site for travel- Hamburg, lived (1847-49) and died. ers to Germanic Europe, including car rental, His studio has become an excellent czar’s 22,000 soldiers who died in the rail passes, hotel bookings, traveler feedback, Sunday music venue. battle. travel tips, and past issues (free access to back issues for subscribers; see log-on info on On Leipzig’s western flank, five Leipzig Hotels page 2). km/3.11 miles of woodland and • www.viamichelin.com The Michelin data- Elster riverway running-hiking- Park Hotel base of hotels and restaurants, plus great interactive trip planning tools rollerblading-biking trails loop What used to be 1913’s Grand • www.travelessentials.com Guidebooks, through Clara-Zetkin-Park (named Hotel morphed into this four-star maps, travel accessories, luggage, all at 10 for German Communism’s anti-Nazi property five years after German percent off for subscribers. Use discount code politician), where performing rock reunification. Its curvaceous Ju- gemut2008. gendstil façade remains as is, but all • www.webflyer.com Informative frequent- and techno combos shake the Park- flyer forums make this a must for air travelers bühne stage. Untouched by war, late else has undergone a top-to-bottom, • bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en Ger- 19th-century Wilhelminian houses inside-and-out overhaul. Rail travel- man rail website, with train schedules attract architectural connoisseurs to ers appreciate the location, directly throughout Europe, as well as Germany the parkside Waldstrassenviertel across Willy-Brandt-Platz from the • www.sbb.ch/index_e.htm Swiss and main . The 288 floral- European rail schedules neighborhood. Also out this way: a • www.ski-europe.com Top Web resource green sprawl of Auenwald forests, carpeted guest rooms—functional for skiers with much data on Alpine resorts lakes and flood-plain meadows. and of adequate size—include • www.myswitzerland.com Website of WLAN data-link for wireless com- Switzerland’s national tourist authority Four Extra-Big Structures puter networking. The wellness spa • www.germany-tourism.de Germany’s At a southwest curve of greenbelt consists of fitness gear, saunas, solar- national tourist authority marking the circumference of long- ium and whirlpool. The restaurant, • www.austria.info/us Austria’s nation- al tourist authority gone city walls, the Neues Rathaus Steaktrain, evokes Orient Express • www.historicgermany.com Website for ranks as Germany’s largest town glamor from days gone by. an alliance of historic German cities hall, completed in 1905, filled with Daily Rates: Singles from ¤105, dou- • www.thetravelinsider.info Info on electronics 900 municipal offices. This castellat- ¤ for travelers — cell phones, computers, etc. bles from 125. Free parking.

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71156_10_11Gemut_rp 4 10/22/08, 9:53 AM http://theeuropetraveler.com www.gemut.com Contact: Park Hotel, Richard-Wag- A skylit, white-colonnaded Lindner Hotel Leipzig ner-Strasse 7, 04109 Leipzig, tel. rotunda enhances the intimacy of Prefer a countrified setting instead 0341/9852, fax 0341/9852/750, the Fürstenhof’s lounge and piano of the crowded city center? Attracting [email protected], bar. Crystal chandeliers softly illu- vacationers as well as business travel- www.parkhotelleipzig.de. minate haute-cuisine Restaurant ers, this contemporary low-rise, four- Rating: QUALITY 15/20, VALUE 13/20 Villers. The hotel’s mirrored ban- star hotel nestles in Auenwald wood- queting facility’s red wall panels lands near suburban Leutzsch. Close Victor’s Residenz-Hotel are accentuated by black-marble proximity to an S-bahn rapid-transit Another name change, another serpentine framework and ceiling station gives guests reliable access to thorough Jugendstil facelift. Situat- beams. At 1770, a vinotek bistro, Leipzig’s cultural attractions. Compli- ed at an eastern corner of the ring choose from more than 100 wines. mentary round-trip shuttle service road for easy access to that side of With a big free-form swimming ensures another way of getting into the Hauptbahnhof. Known as the pool as its focal point, the Aqua- town and back. Bicycles are available Continental Hotel prior to the Best Marin wellness spa invites guests during summer season for exploring Western rebranding in 1996, the to whirlpool, saunas, steambaths, surrounding open spaces. The 200 101 guest rooms have been up- fitness gear, massage and beauty guest rooms are airy and contempo- graded to meet four-star standards treatments. rary; the main building’s Am Wasser- regarding furnishings, décor and Daily Rates: Singles from ¤135, schloss restaurant opens onto a gar- bathroom fixtures, plus cable satel- ¤ ¤ den terrace. Relaxation amenities lite TV and communications hook- doubles from 160, breakfast 24 Contact: Hotel Fürstenhof, include a gym and wellness center ups. The lobby area includes a with steam bath and solarium. bar/café, and a big stained-glass Tröndlinring 8, 04105 Leipzig, tel. +49/0341/1400, fax 0341/140/3700, Daily Rates: Singles, doubles from window adds color to the Brasse- ¤ rie restaurant. An antique ceramic [email protected], 109 stove warms the woodsy, Bavari- www.luxurycollection.com/fuer- Contact: Lindner Hotel Leipzig, an-influenced Bierstube. Guests stenhof. Hans-Dreisch-Strasse 27, 04179 arriving by automobile can park in Rating: QUALITY 18/20, VALUE 15/20 Leipzig, tel. +49/0341/4478, fax 0341/4478/478, the on-site garage, ¤13 per night. Galerie Hotel Leipziger Hof ¤ [email protected], Daily Rates: Singles from 95, dou- On a tree-lined street in the www.lindner.de. . bles from ¤115 east-side Neustadt neighborhood, Rating: QUALITY 15/20, VALUE 13/20 Contact: Best Western Premier Vic- not inconveniently far from in- tor’s Residenz-Hotel, Georgiring 13, ner-city goings-on, some 200 Leipzig Restaurants 04103 Leipzig, tel. +49/0341/6866, paintings and lithographs by Panorama Tower fax 0341/6866/899, info@victors- Leipziger Schule artists add splash- Tops in two lofty respects: leipzig.bestwestern.de, es of color throughout this well- pricey, gourmet-caliber meals and, www.victors.de. maintained Gründerzeit building uppermost, 142-meter (466 ft.) City- Rating: QUALITY 13/20, VALUE 15/20 (one of many in the immediate Hochhaus altitude for sensational vicinity), including each of its 73 Hotel Fürstenhof vistas while dining. A lengthy S guest rooms (smoking/nonsmok- ’ Those who still need visual proof international wine list cor- EDITOR ing options). They’re modestly HOICE rectly implies big-city class. C that GDR dowdiness has vanished proportioned, furnished and pan- Ponder such entrée standouts as here in Saxony’s midsection, should eled in wood veneers. As you’d filet mignon with goat cheese come to an upper bend in the ring expect, the hotel attracts a pre- ’S (¤23.50), rack of lamb with white road, where developers dar- dominantly young, artsy clientele. th DITOR ¤ ingly gutted 19 -century E tomato-risotto ( 20.80) or stewed HOICE You can unwind in the smallish C duck breast and asparagus lightly Löhr-Haus, a long-neglected sauna and whirlpool, and there’s doused in balsamic vinegar (¤18.60). neo-Renaissance mansion with gilt- an umbrella-shaded beer garden Pasta dishes range ¤10.50-13.90; trimmed window arches. Out came a in the courtyard. Parking spaces soups (go for the creamy celery and five-star, 92-room hotel—the city’s available, ¤7 nightly. coconut) ¤3.70-4.50; six kinds of finest—that defines urbane continen- ¤ Daily Rates: Singles 73-135, dou- dessert ¤4.90-5.70. The all-you-can- tal luxury. Extra-spacious bedrooms ¤ feature deep-cushioned armchairs, bles 85-155 eat Sunday brunch (9am-2pm, myrtlewood designer furniture, Contact: Galerie Hotel Leipziger ¤19.50) draws a dressy crowd. Hof, Hedwigstrasse 1-3, 04135 thick carpeting, and floor-to-ceiling Contact: Panorama Tower, Augus- Leipzig, tel. +49/0341/6974, fax windows outfitted with sound-muf- tusplatz 9, 04109 Leipzig, tel. +49/ 0341/6974/150, info@leipziger- fling velour draperies. Bathrooms 0341/710/0590, www.panorama- hof.de, www.leipziger-hof.de. (separate tub and shower) are mar- leipzig.de. Rating: QUALITY 12/20, VALUE 14/20 ble-surfaced. Rating: QUALITY 17/20,VALUE 16/20

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71156_10_11Gemut_rp 5 10/22/08, 9:53 AM www.gemut.com http://theeuropetraveler.com Zill’s Tunnel remade it into a hip, casual restau- Pub-Crawling Established in 1841, and ever- rant containing four cheerful din- Nightlifers cruise a hip down- reliable for authentic, hearty Saxo- ing nooks plus a Beierseiderei brew- town corridor nicknamed Dralle- nian cooking. If the tunnel-shaped pub and 400-seat beer garden. watsch in Saxon dialect, jam- street-level restaurant and its bar Choose between pub and Garten to packed with rows of restaurants gets uncomfortably crowded (not sip frothy, top-fermented (Zill’s Tunnel and Thüringer Hof unusual on midyear weekends), Leipziger Gose wheat beer. among them) as well as late- slip upstairs for a more relaxing For starters, soups range ¤2.90- night taverns and discos. It’s eas- Weinstube-with-fireplace atmo- 3.40. Then to such meaty dishes as iest to reach them from the sphere. Here’s a good opportunity Sauerbraten (¤9.50), pork shank Marktplatz; turn from there onto to order iconic Leipziger Allerlei—a cooked in beer sauce, with onions narrow Barfussgässchen. A com- springtime dish (invented by and boiled potatoes (¤9.60) or a parable splurge of trendiness thrifty housewives during the Na- serving of Bratwurst sausages, enlivens the Südvorstadt district, poleonic Wars), mixing vegetables, dabbed with Senf (mustard) for south beyond the ring road, mushrooms, cauliflower, bits of extra zing (¤7.30). Especially rec- where a 24-block stretch of Karl- veal and crayfish (¤14). Otherwise, ommendable: the Brauhaus-Schnit- Liebnecht-Strasse (the “Karli”) three-course Saxon meals range ¤ has been reenergized with its ¤14.30-20.90); four-course ¤25.60. zel ( 11.80). At dessert time, take the plunge by ordering exclusively own “restaurant row.” Contact: Zill’s Tunnel, Barfuss- Sächsische Quarkkeulchen, an admit- Kaffee Kultur gässchen 9, 04109 Leipzig, tel. tedly weird cinnamon-sprinkled +49/0341/960/2078, concoction made with potatoes, It’s always been serious stuff www.zillstunnel.de. eggs, flour, sugar, lemon peel and here. Bach, Richard Wagner, Rating: QUALITY 15/20, VALUE 17/20 raisins (¤4.10). Franz Liszt, the Schumanns and ex-Gewandhaus conductor Kurt Thüringer Hof Contact: Bayerischer Bahnhof, Masur socialized at Zum Arabis- This venerable, gemütlich res- Bayerischer Platz 1, 04103 Leipzig, chen Coffe Baum, Europe’s most taurant boasts 1454 origins as a tel. +49/0341/124/5760, renowned such place, with 17th- students’ hangout and later, 1515, www.bayerischer-bahnhof.de. century pedigree and an upstairs hosted Martin Luther. Blown to Rating: QUALITY 14/20, VALUE 16/20 smithereens by 1943 aerial bom- museum devoted to the history bardment, it reopened in 1949. The Auerbachs Keller of coffee-making in Europe, Tur- “Luther Special” (pork shank, cab- Westphalian-transplanted pro- key and the Middle East. (Kleine bage, dumplings) costs ¤11.70. prietors Christine and Bernhard Fleischergasse 4). Café Riquet- Order trout or salmon for ¤11.80- Rothenberger have Goethe to Haus, a Jugendstil beauty, has 13.90. But Thuringian fare is the thank for surveys consistently con- graced an Innenstadt corner mainstay: Bratwurst with firming this 1530 old-timer’s emi- across from the Nikolaikirche sauerkraut and boiled potatoes nence as Europe’s third best- since 1908 (Schumachergässchen (¤7.60); roast beef with onions and known restaurant—trailing only 1). Café Corso dates from 1912 pan-fried potatoes (¤8.70). A heap- Munich’s Hofbräuhaus and Vien- (Brüderstrasse 6). Café Concerto ing-big dinner for two features na’s Sacher Café. In a pivotal Faust and Bachstüb’l overlook St. Tho- chicken breast and pork shank episode, the desperate alchemist mas’s church from across the (¤33). Vegetarians have four entrée debates Mephistopheles in this Kirchhof square. Time-darkened choices (¤8.20-9.50). Würzburger very place before zooming out woodwork and whirring coffee Hofbräu draft beer was first astride a wine barrel. Beneath the grinders are the hallmarks of poured vom Fass here in 1911. Mädlerpassage, reached by de- Kaffee Richter, in business since Contact: Thüringer Hof, Burg- scending a marble staircase, four 1879 (Peterstrasse 43). Knowl- strasse 19, 04109 Leipzig, tel. +49/ chummy Weinstube rooms and the edgeable local caffeine imbibers 0341/994/4999, www.theuringer- cavernous 250-seat Grosse Keller munch on choices of four sweet hof.de. are adorned with Faustian murals tidbits: Alt Leipzig pralines, and inscribed legends. Full-course Leipziger Lerchen (larks) marzi- Rating: QUALITY 14/20, VALUE 15/20 dinners, heavy on Saxon stan- pan, Bienenstich (bee sting) honey Bayerischer Bahnhof dards, average ¤11.40-15.90. almond tortes and Blätterteigge- A moderate distance south of the Contact: Auerbachs Keller, Grim- bäck puff pastries. Innenstadt, 1842’s neoclassical Bay- maische Strasse 2-4, 04109 Leipzig, erischer Bahnhof landmark func- Correction: Last month we printed tel. +49/0341/216/100, tioned as one of Germany’s oldest an incorrect Web address for travel www.auerbachskeller.de. railroad stations. Now, post-GDR, columnist, Ed Perkins. You can find Rating: QUALITY 16/20, VALUE 14/20 Frank Wiegand and helpmates have Ed at www.smartertravel.com.

Gemütlichkeit 6 October/November 2008

71156_10_11Gemut_rp 6 10/22/08, 9:53 AM http://theeuropetraveler.com www.gemut.com “YELLOW ROADS” See and St. Johann, is very narrow on a chalkboard behind the bar. Its Continued from page 1 and mostly only wide enough for owner, Luigi Bonura, who became one car. (Too narrow for a yellow perhaps John’s closest friend, was line in the middle). There are turn- rumored to be “connected,” a notion outs, of course, but traffic is light Salzburg my uncle dismissed. On Sunday and there are few trucks. The road mornings after Mass, John would visit Bad Reichenhall is curvy and most of the way is his mother (my grandmother) and Thumsee downhill to Route 311. At this then drop by Luigi’s for a beer. Kan- 21 Unken point a turn to the west will take sas City’s “blue laws” prevented the you to Zell am See or on to 312 sale of alcohol on Sundays, but Luigi GERMANY Kitzbühl. If you cross 311 and con- Lofer did paperwork on Sunday and dis- tinue south, you enter the beauti- creetly hosted two or three of his fa- ful Gasteiner Valley leading to vorite customers. Among them was a 311 Bad Hofgastein and Bad Gastein. tiny, shabbily-dressed man who The other owned a number of office buildings in AUSTRIA Saalfelden option at the Kansas City area. One morning Maria Alm Bischshofen Dienten is to this eccentric, five-foot tycoon choose 164 continue me to complain to about the run- 311 Dienten Mühlbach east through around he was getting at the local Mülbach power company. “In life,” he said in a Zellersee Zell am Zee St Johann and on to thick mid-European accent, “one im Pongau Bischof- God, one wife, but not one power shofen by company.” 168 311 way of the My uncle was also, of course, a Hoch König- member of the so-called "greatest strasse. Though generation;" those men who risked AUSTRIAN 187 this is a lesser their lives for an ideal, got the job Bad Hofgastein road even than a done, and never talked much about DRIVE “yellow road” (the it afterward. I did coax one story out Badgastein map shows it in of him, however. As U.S. forces white with gray bor- moved eastward across Germany, Maria Alm then on to Dienten. ders) it is paved and well marked. his assignment was to fly in a light Maria Alm is a very picturesque It, too, is a lovely drive. plane over the German lines and little village with many hotels At Bischofshofen be sure to assess their positions and strength. and restaurants, and an abun- follow the Zell am See signs or On one mission he and his pilot dance of flowers decorating the you’ll end up on the Autobahn to were forced down in the no-man's buildings. The road from there to Salzburg or Graz. Once back on land behind the retreating Germans Dienten is quite interesting, par- red road 311 heading west toward but ahead of the advancing U.S. ticularly that portion past Hin- Zell am See, you’ll soon see signs Army. There was no choice but to tertal. But from there on it is nar- for the road south to Bad Gastein. spend the night with the airplane. row, seldom more than a car and At dusk, a handful of thin, ragged- a half wide and climbs to a sum- DEAR SUBSCRIBER ly-dressed men materialized in the Continued from page 1 mit shortly before arriving at gloom about 50 meters from the Dienten. The trip from Maria Jones Analyzer, he monitored his airplane. Gesturing toward a bucket Alm to Dienten is, as the Mair's stocks and made buy-sell decisions. on the ground before them, they map indicates, quite scenic many A wise and prudent investor, he beckoned the Americans to ap- flower-covered houses. It is an made millions in the market. proach. With great caution and drawn pistols my uncle and his pilot interesting driving experience. Being a well-heeled, sought-after slowly advanced. The scarecrows Dienten, a ski resort, is an ex- attorney changed my uncle not a bit. were, of course, DPs (displaced per- ceptionally beautiful town. Build- He belonged to a country club but sons), Eastern European forced la- ings are decked completely with never went there. Kansas City soci- borers, abandoned by the Germans flowers. One house was covered ety bored him. Instead he spent to survive on their own. Cool white with fuchsias. much of his free time, probably too wine sloshed in their bucket. They much for his marriage and family, in Here you have a decision to led the way to a nearby cave where Luigi's, a small restaurant and bar make. Your first option is to go a river of wine splashed onto the that, for a time, ran a wide-open straight south. This road, to the cave floor from the open spigot of a bookmaking operation, posting odds main highway between Zell am huge cask. Needless to say, a good Gemütlichkeit 7 October/November 2008

71156_10_11Gemut_rp 7 10/22/08, 9:53 AM www.gemut.com http://theeuropetraveler.com deal more wine was drunk that Don’t Wait ‘Til Next Year night than the currently recom- Readers’ Forum Regarding your discussion mended, heart-healthy glass or two Munich Hotel Recommendation about "waiting" until next year to per day. Though the language barri- I read about the disappointment travel...we all have a LAST trip. er prevented meaningful conversa- one of your readers had with his The motto for our little tour tion there were many toasts and recent stay at the Hotel Kraft. As a much laughter. Very early the next company, eeTours, is "Don't let possible future alternative, I recom- your last trip be the one you morning, my uncle and his pilot mend the Mercure München City awoke, no doubt massively hun- DIDN'T take". We are always hear- Center hotel which is a bit closer to ing: "I really want to travel with gover—an affliction John claimed the Hauptbahnhof, but on a quiet he never suffered from—in a rain you but I'm going to wait until side street (Senefelderstr. 9). It has a next year." In the last eight years puddle under the airplane’s wing. comfortable modern appearance, the The small cask of wine they had some of those people died and rooms are comfortable and clean and some developed health problems rolled from the cave was too heavy the staff very pleasant and helpful. or too large to fit in the plane so that prevented them from ever There is a bar, lounge and restau- going to Europe again. they hid it in brush, hoping to re- rant, although we did not use the trieve it later. They never found it. restaurant on our stay this year. I GARY ELDRIDGE The day the war in Europe ended, can't remember the room price, but EETOURS John watched the celebration from a currently it is running from US$147 rooftop in Stuttgart. A German man to US$177, depending on the day of Car, Own GPS Work Well tried to shake his hand but, with the the week. Hotels.com gives this hotel We rented a car in Mainz on 25 fresh memory of a liberated concen- a 5.0 rating, and I would say it is August and returned 13 September tration camp, he refused. I think it deserving. at Munich Airport. We received a was one of the few acts in his life he Mercedes A-class, which was a PHIL ROBERTS regretted. He remained in Germany great little car. Rode great at 140 HAYWARD, CA for several months after V-E Day, km/hour or more, and took us to living with several other officers in Europe Cheaper Than Mexico Rothenburg (of course), a house in Heidelberg (2 Helm- Here is our little report. My wife Schwarzwald, Disneyland-Paris holtzstrasse, it’s still there), near the and brother and sister-in-law just (we are cast members at WDW), Neckar River. He came home on a returned from three weeks in Eu- Interlaken, , and Lower slow troop ship, playing poker con- rope. We flew into Zürich rented a Bavaria. Although Avis (and ev- stantly during the eight-day cross- car, spent seven days in Switzerland, eryone else) was not open yet at ing. But something in Germany five days in Italy, seven days in 5am at Munich Airport, a friendly pulled him back and he returned Croatia, and three days winding our security guard told us where to many times. way back via Vienna to Zürich. We park and reminded us to leave the Not many people got close to rented cars in both Switzerland and final paperwork in the car. him, and I count myself fortunate to Croatia, stayed in three-star hotels, Hint: We bought a Garmin 270 be among the few. He was a mentor stayed in Managio with a balcony whose advice I frequently sought. GPS before we left, which is pre- facing the lake, two nights in the loaded with Europe maps We “What would John do in this situa- Cinque Terra. First-class train tickets tion?,” was a question I often asked went to several very small villages on 50 % of the trains we were on. We to visit people and it (she) always myself—a sensible exorcise because flew on points and you guys linked he was perhaps the least impulsive, directed us right to their driveway; us up with great car rentals. We how does she do it—in English slowest to anger, clearest thinking spent under $6,000 per couple. That person I’ve ever known. and using feet and miles instead of makes it $142.00 per day, per person. kilometers? “Iron-ass” was the joking term We ate where we wanted, went John sometimes used to describe a where we wanted. Museums, wine, Anecdote: The next time I used category of people he admired. Iron cappuccino, outdoor cafés. We Miss Garmin was to go from Bos- asses never break their word and stayed overlooking the old city of ton Airport to Salem, Massachu- never compromise their values. No Dubrovnik for two nights. The trip setts. Before she located the U.S. matter how hard the winds blow, was exactly $29.00 per day per per- satellites, she had calculated the they stand fast. But most of all, re- son cheaper than an all-inclusive in mileage at 3,800 from Munich. gardless the circumstance, they can Mexico for two weeks. If I would Loved it! (Didn't get to see how always, absolutely, be depended have paid for the flights, it would she was going to drive us across upon. I’ve only met a handful who have been $224.00 per person. the Atlantic, though.) meet those qualifications, and sad to BILL AND JAN PUCKETT say, as of October 5, 2008, there’s one VIC & LEE KRAHN VIA EMAIL less than there used to be.—RHB VIA EMAIL

Gemütlichkeit 8 October/November 2008

71156_10_11Gemut_rp 8 10/22/08, 9:53 AM