Staufen to Reutte, Austria

Zoom, zoom, zoom. It’s a day of driving on the autobahn and you’d better watch what’s coming up behind you. Every car is a race car, no kidding, even the mini-vans are flooring it.

Some observations from the passenger seat: (driver keeps his eyes on the autobahn).

• ·      Lots of bike paths and lots of senior-citizens riding. Some old fashioned bikes without gears some have baskets on the handlebars. Some riders use helmets, many don’t.
• ·      Substantial churches, with Rapunzel towers, could be fortresses or castles.
• ·      Lake Constance goes for miles along the German/Austrian border. Sail boats, a ferry, vineyards on the lakeshore.
• ·      Some overpasses are planted with over grown trees, shrubs and who knows what other wild vegetation. Are these for animal crossings?
• ·      Pure scenery and green everywhere, not an arid patch to be seen and not a single billboard or advertisement.
• ·      Single engine prop plane parallels the freeway, buzzes over us and lands on a grassy green runway.
• ·      Some serious mountains appear as we near Austria. From our perspective they are a mere backdrop, like a gray cardboard cutout in a Broadway set. 
• Not an observation but a comment. In Austria we are required to have reflector vests in the car with us at all times. In case of a break down the vest goes on before you step out onto the roadway. Interesting.

We stop in Fussen, (still in Germany), to see the sights and find some lunch. We find a Franciscan monastery and an adjoining cemetery. The monks’ graves are marked with simple wooden crosses, but the rest of the plots are once again, small gardens.

The Monks' Wooden Crosses

River Walker

We walk a path along the Lech River to the Fussen Heritage Museum. The most famous painting inside is “The Dance of Death” memorializing the plague of 1590. Its inscription reads: “You can say yes or you can say no, but you must ultimately dance with death.” Cheery.

The monks who once lived here ate (and drank) around 6900 calories a day. They were fat and often drunk. Lots of mulled wine and greasy meat. 

Several ornate rooms, one with a frescoed cupola, an elaborate library, a festival hall and a beautiful chapel are aaah inspiring. Extensive displays of lutes (yes) and a complete lute-making workshop. Lutes are big here.

The Library

We walk up a long lane to the High Castle. It was once the residence of the Bishop of Augsburg. Quite a large accommodation for a bishop, (assuming he was living alone). It’s an art gallery now. We climb the castle tower for the view and check out the perspective painting on the courtyard walls.

Perspective Painting

View From the Tower

Tower View

Tower View

Reutte, Austria is our final stop. The foothills of the Alps are no longer a backdrop, they surround this tiny town on three sides. From our balcony we hear the mooing of a nearby cow AND a rooster crowing. We aren’t impressed with Reutte…no pedestrian malls, not even a fountain and then, just as we are finishing our apple strudel a 40 piece band comes marching down the street dressed in white shirts, red vests, lederhosen and black tasseled hats. They assemble in a small platz and treat us to a full concert of Tyrolean folk music. Our hearts are won over.