Munich Re Gästehaus

As summer is winding down over here, we decided it would be nice to get one last hike in before the weather turns. Munich Re has a vacation house in the Alps that employees can use for free (yes, this perk is really as nice as it sounds), so we decided it was a perfect occasion to check it out. It's located about 90 minutes south of Munich, directly on a small lake in the town of Schliersee.

"Cottage at Schliersee - Munich Re"

We arrived on Friday night after work by taking a pleasant train ride into the mountains, dropped off our bags and then ventured into town for dinner. We had a delicious, Bavarian meal outside and then took a stroll through the quaint streets.

On Saturday morning we got an early start on our hike. The cottage is located right at the base of two different hiking trails, so it's makes for a really convenient round-trip hike. All told, we climbed over 900m and hiked for almost 5 hours, but the views along the way never get old...

A cow on our path...

Final ascent to the top

Usually everyone enjoys a picnic with a view once they reach the peak

A few pictures of our view from the top

Our trail took us along the top of the mountains, from peak to peak...this is one of our favorite views

"Alpine danger - hikers should be sure-footed and free from vertigo"

Our lunch spot, mostly by default

This was the first time we've ever seen a permanent, outdoor ping-pong table

After the hike, we spent the rest of the weekend relaxing. We had another fantastic dinner on Saturday night and enjoyed a bottle of wine from the vending machine. It was one thing getting used to beer in vending machines and wine is even stranger (but we're not complaining).

For more reasons than awesome vending machines, the guesthouse really is a nice place to spend the weekend, especially for families. Munich Re has two boat houses at the lake with just about every possible activity, along with racquetball courts, full sauna facilities, etc. It was another excellent weekends in the Alps!

Bis bald,
Matt and Kristin

Gäubodenvolkfest, wieder

As some of you may remember, one of our very first blog posts last year was about our trip to Straubing for Gäubodenvolkfest. Straubing is a "Dorf", or "village" in Bavaria that holds an annual beer festival that feels a lot like a smaller Oktoberfest. While Oktoberfest is amazing, some people are quick to point out some of its more negative attributes: it's a touristy, "crowdy" (as Germans like to say), expensive, sweaty beer festival in the middle of a city. If any of that is accurate, it's certainly not for Gäubodenvolkfest. The beer is cheaper, it's in the middle of nowhere, approximately 100% of the people attending are German (aside from us, of course), and everything feels just a bit more authentic. The timing also means it serves as a perfect warm-up for Oktoberfest!

Since our day was very similar to last year, we won't spend too much time explaining it all again. Instead, we'll just say that we had a great time with a slightly different group of friends this year, and it was fun to bring our "Tracht" (traditional clothing) back out of the closet. Enjoy the pictures and we'll be back soon with an update from Oktoberfest!

Bis später,
Matt and Kristin