A delightful corner of the world

Sometimes in life we stumble upon a place that draws us back to visit again.  Such was our encounter with Reit im Winkl, Germany.  The village is tucked
geographically into a corner close to Austria.

As a birthday present to myself I requested that we stay two nights in 2010.  It was the second time we had been in this small town and I wanted to do more exploring.  Charming is a little too glib for this place as it was beyond that.

Summer and fall are not the high seasons there, but winter and skiing.  That made it all the more delightful because in September it was not overrun with tourists.

There are many places to spend the night from guest houses to hotels to bed and breakfasts.  We chose the Edelweiss, a name hard to resist.  We had stayed in this small hotel before and loved the atmosphere and the sunny breakfast room.  This time we got the room at the top of the hotel under the slanted roof.  It was a three story climb to the top, but after we had dragged our suitcases up, we were glad for the view.

 

The town is surround by meadows with streams coming down from the higher hills and mountains.  Flower boxes abound and one can not miss the feeling of everything German.  One of our favorite restaurants has a massive green tiled stove in the center and we've enjoyed several wonderful meals there.

 

On this second visit though we discovered a restaurant that had once been a lodge in the mountains but had been moved to the center of a small meadow walking distance from Reit im Winkl.  We ate lunch on the deck.  When we went back at night for dinner, a dog came and sat on a bench by me on the inside of the restaurant.  Dogs are welcome in many European restaurants if they are well behaved and we've never seen one that wasn't.

 

 

One evening we started walking up a hill and discovered a small park.  One part of it was designated for foot relief.  There was a wading pool filled with cold mountain water to give one's feet special treatment.  The following day we followed walking paths that led to small streets with vacation houses decorated with many flowers. We circled back through a meadow

 

On another walk out we saw a guest house, the Alpenrose, that we knew we had to return to someday.  Again the street led us to a path through a meadow.  We were never far from the Edelweiss. 

 

 

Four years previous to this trip I had noticed at the Edelweiss a lovely teapot used at breakfast that had the name of the hotel on it.  I asked Frau Bichler, who owned the hotel with her family, if she would be willing to sell me one.  She said not at that time, but if I returned in four years they would be getting new china and maybe then.  Well, it was four years later and I asked if they had gotten their new china.  She told me no, but it was to come in another month.  I once again asked if she would sell a teapot and she seemed happy to oblige me.  I was thrilled.

Reit im Winkl is a paradise for someone who just wants to relax, hike, eat a good meal, ski in the winter and enjoy the ambience of a small town that sits in a lovely area of Germany.  If we ever return, there is a guest house on a hill calling our names.  Perfect peaceful place. It's a corner of the world worth putting on anyone's bucket list.



                                         Click on pictures to enlarge.