Sledders Take Your Mark! Part 1-Wallberg am Tegernsee

Oh how I love to sled the nearby foothills of the Alps!  Growing up in Florida, I didn't get too many experiences, soooo deprived I was. This year I would like to try some new places for one of my favorite winter pastimes (I think this has almost surpassed skiing for me now!)  But I'll begin with what I know, firsthand and can HIGHLY recommend!

The 6.5 km slope at Wallberg Mountain, in Rottach-Egern on Tegernsee lake, Germany's longest natural sledding run might not be the best spot for timid beginners (although this was my first time sledding anywhere and I survived).  The sharp curves and and lack of protective fences to catch you can make it somewhat dangerous.  Note to the daredevels out there:  "In the area of cable car and sledding run SPEEDIFYING is forbidden!" claims there website.  Nooooo speedifying?!%!

View of Tegernsee from the cable car heading up.

Beautiful, short walk from the top to the chapel.

Off she goes!

oops..Down she goes!

Here we see the speedifying limit is 50.

Helpful facts:

• 2011-12 season prices:  One-way cable car ride costs 10€ (Children 6-15 yrs, €5.50),
  Return trip costs 17€ (Children, 9€), sleds cost 5€ for day. 
• Good panaramic restaurant at top, beautiful views of Tegernsee Lake and Austrian Alps to south
• Run starts at 1,620 meters high (at restaurant)
• Takes about 30 minutes to sled down (depends on how many falls and laughs of course!)
• Cable car operates from 08:45 until 16:30 (last cable car down) in winter
• Get there via 'BOB' train from Munich to Tegernsee, then ROV bus to Wallbergbahn cable car

For more info on the Tegernsee area, including year round activities, accomodation and events, visit the Tegernsee Regional website.  Oooooh, while I'm at it, here's a direct link to the Rottach-Egern Christmas markets, which I'll also do another post on real soon!

Other places on/around Tegernsee for sledding that I won't be seen speedifying at this season (source: Der Tegernsee:  Your Holiday Guide)

Bad Wiesee

•  Tobogganing at Söllbachtal, starting from the Aueralm Inn all the way to Söllbachtal Valley, 4.3 km long.
• Floodlit tobogganing at Prinzenruh, 100 m long. 
  

Gmund 

• Natural toboggan run from Neureuth Mountain Inn, ascent from Gmund/Gasse, approx. 3.5 km long.   

Kreuth  

• Olympic luge run Kreuth-Klamm, floodlit night runs every Friday at 7 pm (with rented luge), from end of December.  
• Natural toboggan run from Mt. Hirschberg, ascent from Kreuth- Scharling, approx. 5 km long.
• Natural toboggan run from Mt. Setzberg, ascent from the centre of Kreuth, approx. 3 km long.

 Rottach-Egern, in addition to Wallberg:

• Natural toboggan run at Sibli, accessible via Enterrottach-Sutten toll road, approx. 1.5 km long.

Tegernsee

• Natural toboggan run from Galaun Mountain Inn, ascent from Riederstein parking lot, Tegernsee Süd, approx. 2 km long. 
• Natural toboggan run from Neureuth Mountain Inn, ascent from Tegernsee Town, Neureuthstraße parking lot, approx. 2 km long. 

 

What are your sledding experiences, stories, favorite memories?  Have you been to any of the above, including Wallberg?  If so, share your thoughts!

Accepting Offerings from An Elephant & A Monkey

Past travel experiences have recently caught up with me, in a good way.  It's hard to know at the time when such vivid experiences will not only turn into vivid memories but could even have a profound impact on someone's life...your own included.

In 2001 I was backpacking through Laos on my own (I highly recommend taking challenging trips alone from time to time).  I met a 20-year old who was studying to become a monk, he called himself 'Joy'.  He showed me around Vientiene, including taking me to his temple, Wat Nong Bone, where other monks were praying and chanting (I kept an open mind since I'd never been exposed to any of this before), he took me to the wild and fascinating Xiang Khouan (Buddha Park), about 25km outside of the city, arriving by tuk tuk..and, with the help of his English teacher who I could barely understand, even convinced me to teach his English class to his fellow monks-to-be.  A day I will always cherish.

Entry from "Buddha's Standing" workbook Joy sent.

We kept in touch for years.  He sent me quaint Buddha teachings, meditation beads, little books from his childhood and asked me loads of questions about my life in America.  Then hardship fell upon him and his family and we lost touch, he had to move to the countryside, no longer having access to email or phones. 


While I was taking care of my mother and grandmother for a month recently, I suddenly received an email from him:
"HI...kim
 how are you? it been so long time no hear from you and i only hope and hope
 to hear from you because i miscontact with you long
 i am Mr joy who i met you when i was monk in laos if you see this mail pls
write me i am really looking forward to hear from you
 your old friend in laos joy"

We continued a dialogue and I could begin to sense the worry he had about his mother who has not been healthy, and how he was selling their farms and other precious items to pay for a much needed operation.. he wrote things like:
"...right now what i can do for her i am plaese to do everything to save her life
what are you doing at the moment ? i will email you again when i am back from
my hometown, and how is your mom? is she getting well now.? yes sure i have to be stronger because i want to see my mom smile again"

Finally I received a desperate email from him asking for financial help to save his mom.  What could I do?  I know how much more fortunate we westerners are (in some ways).  But what if his life had changed for the worse?  Could I really believe him?  Do I have any reason to doubt him?  I didn't know what to do.  He said he would have to take an illegal job to pay for the operation and he was willing to do this.  I asked a friend for advice, she not only advised but decided to donate all her profits from an upcoming moving sale to Joy, for his mother.  WOW.  She brought up a good point, does it really even matter what he needs the money for?  Of course we like to think we are not giving money away for 'nothing', but if a person like this is desperate enough to ask someone he hasn't seen in 10 years, someone he only spent a couple of days with but made a lasting impact on their brief time in a remote land, does it really matter?  It's hard to explain the mystery behind these things, these feelings, these experiences and why these 'opportunities' happen.  And for whom are we really making these offerings, for them or for ourselves?

Novice monk, "Joy" at Buddha Park, March 2001.

On my way back into city from Buddha Park

Passing by family on way to Buddha Park, 25 km in a tuktuk.

The latest text message I received from Joy (Nov. 13, 2011):
"morning Kim, how r u?  I am so happy to tell u that today my mom, she eat a lot.  It so long time that I have not seen her like this."

Luxus Munich!

For our 5-year wedding anniversary my husband and I decided that instead of spending the money to go on a trip, as I had anticipated but we both got caught up in too much recent traveling, why not spend the money doing something we'd only heard the rich n famous doing, right here in Munich?! 

Actually he kind of surprised me with the first folly:  day of pampering at the Blue Spa in the Bayerischer Hof Hotel right in Munich's city center.  We spent the whole day lounging by the pool with a sliding glass roof  (its a little too chilly to have it open now) and a terrace overlooking the Frauenkirche, Munich's landmark church, and the city center.  The sun's warm rays and the spectacle of fall leaves on the trees outside made us want to stay right there.  When we weren't oooing and awwing at all our surroundings, we were melting into our couples massage in one of several aroma-y massage rooms, or glowing with dew in one of the three immaculate saunas.  Hugos, a refreshing blend of prosecco, "Holunderblüten" syrup (very common here, in English its called elderflower, maybe you can find it or try making your own if you're feelin kooky), mint, and a little lime, on the sunny terrace made our splurgalicious day complete.

Ahhhhhspaaaaaaa!

Pretending to be a serious buyer of art.

Still pretending..

The next night we had a dinner reservation at my all-time favorite restaurant not only just in Munich, but probably in the WHOLE WILD WORLD (as my German husband says), Schweiger2 at Restaurant Showroom.  Its like an artistic adventure for the tummy! Its upscale, fancy schmancy but still somehow maintains an intimate, down-to-earth atmosphere with friendly, professional servers.  The cook has a little table-side chat with you to let you know there is no menu, its all one exquisite "Überraschung" (surprise) after another..anywhere from 3 to 9 courses.  Now would be a good time to let him know about that peanut allergy, or if there's anything you just don't like.  Beware, you may think you don't like Blütwurst, but the chef sure does and if you're brave enough to eat it anywhere, it should be here!  Our first time there he snuck it into some little  tortellinis combined with chocolate (eew?  noooooo!) and this time it was more obvious, and of course delicious!  I can't believe I'm admitting this..but it's true!

Here we have several tooteetoos...with a sprinkle of lalala..
and some scrumptious deer carpaccio and filet.  I was surprised to see
a few peanuts keeping all these fancy things company, but they held
their own ground.

Another scrumptious course..

One little two little three little suppes (pumpkin variations)

Soup slurpie!

I think this was the main course, but who can keep track? 
Salmon & trout caviar with soy beans and other gemuse..

Or was this the main course...tada..the Blütwurst! With a friendly scallop for a hat.

What's left of one dessert, with a stinkin good assortment of cheeses in background, and the note we exchanged with our adorable waitress who is soon moving to DC to be with her American boyfriend...aww, we assured her these German-American multi-culti relationships are the way to go!

All of this accompanied by a wunderbar bottle of my new fave (Austrian) wine, Graupert with a cute cow that the farmers who make the wine decided to put on the bottles..the smaller the cow the better the wine quality.  I have been on a Grauburgunder kick lately and this is the best so far!  Did you know 'Grauburgunder' = Pinot Gris?

Yoga in Fort Lauderdale

Funny that I write a post having anything to do with Fort Lauderdale because I don't actually consider it a travel destination, but rather 'going home' to visit family and friends. But it certainly has become a nice break from where I've been living for the past 6 years (Munich). I usually go home for at least a couple weeks and have realized more and more how important it is that I try to keep up with my yoga practice while there. It took me a while to gather these places so for future reference, here goes:

Starting with the place I actually purchased an unlimited week card: Red Pearl Yoga located off Sunrise Blvd near the beach, for $60/week (unlimited classes). One class costs $17 and I believe most are 1 and 1/2 hours. I liked all my classes but have to admit I wasn't used to the heat, and practicing in such a hot studio. But they had a wide variety of classes and were very accommodating and friendly.
Address: 918 NE 20th Ave Phone# 954.828.1651

Other places I haven't tried but might next time:
Yoga Connection, a little further out west, on Nova Drive, Phone # 954.577.5777

Yoga Institute of Broward, Iyengar style, which I only recently tried (once) and find it to to be an excellent method because you hold the positions longer than in most other styles and great emphasis is placed on doing the asanas correctly, which means safely, and that is so important in yoga. It's also a terrific workout, even though I didn't expect it to be so demanding! (I only tried it in Munich though, not at this studio). Single class costs $17. Phone # 954.452.4424

Yoga Warehouse of Downtown Fort Lauderdale, near the courthouse. Single class costs $18, 1 week costs $60. The Yoga Warehouse is an Affiliated Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center.

Something about this sounds a little dodgy to me, but there's also the Secret Woods Nature Center which appears to offer yoga classes but when I called I couldnt' reach anyone. Their website says they offer yoga every Monday and Thursday at 5 pm. I'm also a little hesitant because while this is a nature park, I know its also not in the best area of town. Some reviews on Tripadvisor of the park are here. Phone # 954.357.8884, my notes say they are closed Tues and Wed (maybe this is why I had the problem reaching someone).

So that's it for my notes on yoga in FLL..finally I can throw away this little scrap of paper!