Start: Mittenwald
Finish: Oberau
Distance: 16
Total: 1203
Today got off to a great start but as the day went on, the frustration grew. But when it comes right down to it, any day in the Bavarian Alps is a good day so I should stop my complaining.
I had a great rest in Mittenwald last night and the sun rose this morning at 5:15 with perfectly clear, blue skies. After a good breakfast, I hit the road at 7:45 and immediately had a little climb of a few hundred feet as I walked along a back road between Mittenwald and Garmish-Partenkirchen. It was a narrow farm road with some locals headed into town for work but for the most part the heavy traffic was over on the main highway. After about four miles on the backroad, it joined the busy highway. Luckily for me, there was a great bike trail running beside the highway that continued for the next six miles into Garmish, and it was downhill all the way. When I was within about 2-3 miles of town, I came around a curve and saw Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany. It stands 9718 ft. above sea level and is just south of Garmish-Partenkirchen. Also, as I came into the east end of town I could clearly see the Olympic ski jump hill. The ski jump was built in 1921 but has undergone renovations so that it is now a modern hill used in international competitions. Interesting note: the 1936 Winter Olympics were held in Garmish-Partenkirchen and Adolf Hitler open the games at the ski hill.
Once I was into Garmish, I needed to stop by the Vodafone store to get a new SIM card for my phone. This took me about a mile off my route but my old card was running out tomorrow so I had to get it taken care of. After standing in line for 45 minutes, and then dealing with a somewhat rude attendant, I got my new card and am navigating with ease on Google Maps in Germany. I stopped into a little cafe for some lunch, then got back on my route to the little town of Oberau where I’m staying tonight. When I got to town, I headed to the most prominent hotel here, walked in, and the lady at the desk said they were full for the night. GREAT. I asked if she had any ideas other than taking the train on down the line to another town, then backtracking tomorrow. She recommended I go to the tourist information office for help. So I walked a half-mile up the hill to the office. They were open and the nice lady made a call to the Hotel Garni Edelweis, a small B&B another mile up the hill and in the opposite direction than I need to be going. They had a double room, for the price of a single, so I said I’d be right there to check it out. So up the hill I went and found it to be very nice. The owner met me at the door, showed me the room, gave me a 1 liter bottle of Diet Coke, and I was happy to be alive!
The only other thing I have to say about today is it’s heating up, as advertised. I’m descending in altitude and the heatwave forecast for Central Europe is arriving on schedule. I’ve got 19 miles to walk tomorrow, 16 on Wednesday, then I’ll be to Munich on Thursday where it’s still forecast to be in the mid-90s. Stay hydrated is my motto for this week. Thanks for following along.
