Day 05: Staying with my Hosts

Day 05: Schongau to Bernbeuren

Date	Dec 7th, 2022
Route map	Route trace
Today's distance:	10 miles
Total This Camino:	80 miles
Total 2022 Caminos:	404 miles
Total All Caminos:	1700 miles
Lodging:	Pfaffenwinckel Herberge @ $25
Total Lodging:	$ 325
Planes:	$810 Rochester -> Munich -> Rochester + $75 checked bag
Total Planes:	$ 885
Buses / Trains / Taxis:
Total Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$15
Food:	$15
Total Food:	$ 135

Meaningful Moment

Pfaffenwinkel Herberge. 

Walter and Ilsa have been amazing kind hosts. They made me feel at home with a home cooked meal and nice dinner conversation. This has been a great stay.

Walter had to step out for a bit. Ilsa and I conversed about our caminos and shared life stories.

They had in fact closed up the albergue for the season, but opened it up for me regardless.

When I started this journey across Bavaria, I never imagined that I would be invited into a family.

Random Thought of the Day

I had a nice lunch in the town of Burggen, sitting on a bench in the town center and taking in the atmosphere. I barely noticed how cold it was to be having lunch in 38° f.

Yesterday I made a reservation at the albergue in Bernbeuren for tonight.

Today on the way out of Burggen and as I was walking along the road, a driver hit his horn and immediately pulled over by me.

He rolled down the window and yelled out my name. It was Walter, the owner of the albergue that I'm staying at tonight. I guess he figured that it could only be me hiking along the road in December.

I asked Walter if it was that obvious that I was the one, and he laughed and said so quite clearly.

On the Road / Notable memories

Knowing that I had scheduled a rest day of 9 miles, I slept in a little later, and I ate breakfast slower and when I got on the road, I eased my pace.

I even took time out to stop at a McDonald's for an orange juice.

The weather today was chilly and damp, but my clothes held up so I brought along the right gear.

The day involved walking through lots of farmland and forests. 

All the greenery was very tranquil to walk through.

	Hotel Blaue Traube
	Altstadt, Schongau
	Typical of the farmland
	One of many forests today
	Two signs for Burggen, pointing in the same direction, and they have different distances.
	Burggen
	Bernbeuren
	St Ignatius church, Bernbeuren
	Pfaffenwinkel Herberge. Named after this area of Bavaria.

Day 04: The highest of highs and the lowest of lows

Day 04: From Wessobrunn to Schongau

Date	Dec 6th, 2022
Route map	Route trace
Today's distance:	20 miles
Total This Camino:	70 miles
Total 2022 Caminos:	394 miles
Total All Caminos:	1690 miles
Lodging:	Hotel Blaue Traube, Schongau @ $80
Total Lodging:	$ 290
Planes:	$810 Rochester -> Munich -> Rochester + $75 checked bag
Total Planes:	$ 885
Buses / Trains / Taxis:
Total Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 15
Food:	$ 25
Total Food:	$ 120

Meaningful Moment

Seeing the Bavarian Alps from high atop Hoherreissen while I'm sitting on a bench next to the Catholic Church built on this mountain top.

Random Thought of the Day

How could this day get any better!

How could this day get any worse?

On the Road / Notable memories

My stay at Uschi's albergue was so much better than any hotel. It had a Camino spirit . She was warm and gracious and charming, and I so appreciated the warmth. Not ripping on the various hotel staff that I've met, but she was different.

Around 8:00 a.m. I hiked into Wessobrunn to grab  breakfast at the bakery shop. As I was taking my backpack off in front of the store, this man walked past me and wished me a Buen Camino. He saw the Camino shell on my backpack. He no sooner went in when another man stopped to ask me where was I going to and where did I come from as in country of origin.

It had that Camino feeling of people being interested in you.

Spent the morning walking through farmland and small villages and forests. It was pretty.

By noon I had a decision to make. I could either bypass the highest point on today's hike, a 300 ft rapid climb and descent, or I could actually do it. I decided to take the mountain on.

At the top, I visited a beautiful church on this mountaintop and I sat down to have lunch on a bench by the church, overlooking the snow capped Bavarian Alps. It was an unbelievably beautiful moment.

The descent down was tricky and I had to go slowly, so by the time I got to the bottom, I was running late as it was already 1:00 p.m.

So I kicked it into overdrive as I still had 8 mi to go or maybe 9 mi. I passed thru forests and farms, over asphalt and gravel and dirt and mud.  Constantly looking down at my footfalls to make sure that I was steady, I managed in the middle of a forest to completely miss a turn. Having to backtrack added another mile to the day's hike.

While all this was going on, I still had not heard back from the lady at whose albergue where I wanted to spend the night. I tried a couple of other quick calls, but eventually no one got back to me.

It was now around 4:00 p.m. I had no place to sleep in Rottenbuch and was running out of options with still 4 mi to go.

Having just completed another steep and tricky descent on a slope headed down a riverbank, it was decision time. Press on to Rottenbuch and hope I find something, or completely abort the plan and try something new.

I aborted the plan. Using my booking apps, I found a place 4 miles in the opposite direction, well away from the Camino trail. 

So that was my decision:

    Stay on the trail or,

     Leave the trail completely

It was about 4:00 p.m. and the sun goes down around 4:30 and it gets dark a little after 5:00. I certainly did not want to be hiking in the dark on a road.

Either way I had a problem.

So I finally decided to split from the trail and I booked a place, 4 miles to the north and in the wrong direction. Now I only had to get there before it got dark.

I made it and I needed a really long shower and I really needed to do my clothes and I really needed to take care of my feet which were aching something fierce. 

My 16-mile day had just turned into a 20 mi hike. 

My 7-hour day I just turned into a 9-hour day.

When I got into the room, I was spent and exhausted and tired and beaten down.

After resting, I felt better.

I went out around 8pm and there was a Christmas festival in the Town square. Lots of kiosks offering arts and crafts and food. I took a look at the half a meter bratwurst but decided it was too early in the night for that. So I ended up in a coffee shop where I had a latte and a super sweet piece of roll cake.

When I went back out again later that night, the festival had closed down. So I ended up ordering sushi from a Vietnamese restaurant in a German town. How international can I get?

	Haid bei Wessobrunn, a very very small hamlet.
	St Johannes church, Wessobrunn
	Breakfast at the local bakery
	Wessobrun
	St Leonard church, Forst
	St Leonard church
	"Storm and snow is in the roof area of the church, be careful."
	Schwarzlaich moor Black spawn bog
	While sitting on a bench outside the pilgrimage church eating lunch, I had this magnificent view of the Bavarian Alps.

Day 03: All kinds of hiking today

Day 03: From Herrsching to Wessobrun

Date	Dec 5th, 2022
Route map	Route trace
Today's distance:	16 miles
Total This Camino:	50 miles
Total 2022 Caminos:	374 miles
Total All Caminos:	1670 miles
Lodging:	Uschi's Herberge @ $20
Total Lodging:	$ 210
Planes:	$810 Rochester -> Munich -> Rochester + $75 checked bag
Total Planes:	$ 885
Buses / Trains / Taxis:
Total Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 15
Food:	$ 32 Bfast @ Pegasus / Dinner @ Gasthof zur Post
Total Food:	$ 95

Meaningful Moment

Stopping in at Uschi's albergue. 

Yes, this is an albergue. When I walked up to the front of the house, there was a Camino scallop shell on the gate. Right away, I felt good .

While getting settled in, Uschi and I talked for quite a while, mostly in German. That made me feel good that I had developed that ability. Of course I realize, I'm not conversational but it's good to be self-sufficient. 

And I am enthralled that I am in an albergue, not a hostel or a hotel.

Now if only it wasn't raining outside.

Random Thought of the Day

Starting out this morning around 9:00 a.m. Thought I'd take a little bit of a later start. The weather for the day is kind of hellish. So I'll just have to grin and bear it.

Started out the day in Bavaria version of the Finger Lakes. Ended the day in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps.

For whatever reason that I finally had my first German meal only on day four here in Germany, I had a fantastic dinner which should keep me powered up for tomorrow. No junk food tonight.

Before leaving Rochester, I headed down to REI, knowing that it was winter, and that I might be walking in the dark. Came in very handy tonight, as the albergue that I'm staying at, is essentially on a country road with no lighting. The reflective tapes made it real easy for the drivers to see me lol.

I am having some lower body issues that I need to keep an eye on. 

Right foot has some consistent low-grade pain on the outside of the step.

Left shin fascia have a low grade ache. 

Upper quads are feeling tight and kind of aching.

By the end of the day, it had not rained or snowed contrary to the weather reports. However after I was resting in bed, it did start to rain. At that point I didn't care. It was only for a little while anyway.

On the Road / Notable memories

All day long the weather forecast was rain and snow, but thankfully it held off until I made it to the Pilgrim hostel. 

After yesterday's tough hike, I started today with about a 5 mi hike along the Ammer Lake beachfront. It was serene.

Then I had to take highways for about 5 mi. Half the time I had a sidewalk, the other half of the time I had about 6 in of paved gravel next to the asphalt lane. This was not a serene experience lol. 

The last third of the hike was beautiful. It was a alternating mix of forest and farmland in the rolling hills of Bavaria. I came across two very pretty chapels in the various forests.

While walking through the farmland, I came across cows and sheep, apparently blissfully enjoying the pasture.

Today there was almost nobody on the last 3rd of the hike. Every once in awhile I might come across a runner or someone out with their dog, but it was the longest in which it was just me and nature.

It provided a real nice stretch in which to remember what it is I like about hiking.

	Lake Ammer on the way out of Herrsching.
	I'm unsure of what mountains these are, but as I was walking south along Lake Ammee, the clouds and fogs broke enough for me to see them in the distance.
	Out of the more urbanized kinds of parks and finally in a rustic forest setting.
	Stopped for a protein bar and some much needed rest.
	Grilled pork loin with three different sauces and homemade spaetzle
	A quiet place for a rest stop
	Grilled pork loin with three sauces and homemade spaetzel
	Uschi's albergue

Day 02: From Schäftlarn to Herrsching

Day 02: Trying to beat the Weather

Date	Dec 4th, 2022
Route map	Route trace
Today's distance:	19 miles
Total This Camino:	34 miles
Total 2022 Caminos:	374 miles
Total All Caminos:	1654 miles
Lodging:	Hotel Pegasus @ $80
Total Lodging:	$ 190
Planes:	$810 Rochester -> Munich -> Rochester + $75 checked bag
Total Planes:	$ 885
Buses / Trains / Taxis:
Total Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 15
Food:	$ 8
Total Food:	$ 63

Meaningful Moment

Making it to the hotel. As I was talking with the lady who was checking me in, I don't think I could string two thoughts together.

After I rested for a little bit I went downstairs to the cafe. She had German potato soup available with white sausage. She gave me a complimentary glass of a heated red wine. I'm not used to drinking my wine heated. That hit the spot, I can assure you.

Random Thought of the Day

The weather report all day long was forecasting rain in the afternoon, so I tried to keep moving. It never did rain, thank God. Tomorrow's weather forecast is worse.

On the Road / Notable memories

First of all the day was supposed to be about 15 miles and somehow turned out to be 19 mi. I was running on vapor by the time I made it to the hotel.

Needed a long down time to start to recover.

Nothing but fog the entire day. I'm sure I passed a lot of beautiful scenes but not once could I see 200 yards beyond me.

	The entire day was fog. I'm sure I passed a lot of beautiful scenery, but I didn't see it.
	Leaving Schäftlarn.
	Do not feed the horses!
	Forest of Bavaria
	Harkirchen Hamlet
	Why do the direction signs point in two directions?
	Starnberger Lake, fog covered
	Maisinger Creek
	Typical Bavarian church or chapel
	Hotel Pegasus

Day 01: From Munich to Schäftlarn

Date	Dec 3rd, 2022
Route map	Route trace
Today's distance:	15 miles
Total this Camino:	15 miles
Total 2022 Caminos:	355 miles
Total All Caminos:	1635 miles
Lodging:	Hotel Schlee @ $80
Total Lodging:	$ 110
Planes:	$810 Rochester -> Munich -> Rochester + $75 checked bag
Total Planes:	$ 885
Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 3 S-bahn to Isator
Total Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 15
Food:	$ 30
Total Food:	$ 55

Meaningful Moment

I had an event of great personal satisfaction this morning. 

I was in the Munich subway station, waiting to buy a ticket. In front of me two young men who were speaking Arabic and we're having trouble figuring out the ticket vending machine. 

They asked me for help. I was able to help them get the ticket because of my experiences yesterday with the subway system. 

I felt good being able to help somebody who needed a stranger to step up.

Random Thought of the Day

One of the little joys on this Camino is my ability to use German. It's a little example, but I ordered my coffee and paid the bill without having to resort to English or having the waiter write out the amount.

Have decided that if I want to rest day, or I want to modify the route I take, or even skip stages, that I will be perfectly comfortable with that decision. In the past I've been a little more rigid about following the Camino path.

On the Road / Notable memories

First 7 miles hour under foot. Stopped for my first trail coffee in Germany. I miss these mornings of long hikes with a coffee rest stop.

 Six more miles to go to the hotel. 

A few weeks ago I started wearing compression socks as part of my daily life. 

Completely different feeling while hiking. Feels like, expectedly, constant pressure on the toes. I'm hoping that at the end of the day, My feet feel less tired achy than on past hikes.

This is what other people have told me they have experienced.

I would say today was rather unremarkable. Certainly beautiful sights. 

The sky has been cloudy all day, just like in Rochester. I'm hoping that changes.

But the weather today was perfect for hiking. Temperature was in the mid-30s, which I prepared for in terms of clothing. Although it was cloudy, there was no rain nor snow.

The terrain was mostly flat with some rolling hills towards the end.

The hotel I'm in has not the best Wi-Fi. It does not reach the room, so I'm sitting in the restaurant, taking up a table because it's where I have to sit to get the signal. So anyway I'm having another coffee. :-)

Amusing story. My German instructors told me that the people here can be direct. 

After dinner, when my server brought the bill, he asked me directly if I wanted to add anything, meaning a tip. So I said sure. 

Then later I went back to the table because I forgot my room key. 

He calls me over and jokingly says, " In Italy we say strong legs, weak head. " 

I'm guessing because I walked away and then came back. 

So I said to him in German, " Today I walked from Munich to here. Tomorrow I walk from here to Hersching. I have strong legs. " 

I smiled and he laughed.

	Starting my Camino in Isator, Munich
	The first half today followed the river Isar.
	It was a pretty urbanized setting for quite some miles.
	First I thought it was a castle, but then I found out it was a church.
	Halfway done in time for coffee break.
	Small chapel that I came across.
	Towards the end of the days and still following the Isar River.
	As far as I can tell, my hotel is the only one in Schäftlarn and it has the only restaurant.

Day 00: Rochester NY to Munich Germany

Day 00: From Rochester NY to Munich Germany

Date	Dec 1st - 2nd, 2022
Total 2022 Caminos:	340 miles
Total All Caminos:	1620 miles
Lodging:	Wombat Hostel Hauptbahnhof @ $ 40
Total Lodging:	$ 40
Planes:	$810 Rochester -> Munich -> Rochester + $75 checked bag
Total Planes:	$ 885
Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 12 S8 arpt to main train sta
Total Buses / Trains / Taxis:	$ 12
Food:	$ 25
Total Food:	$ 25

Meaningful Moment

On the S-8 Strassebahn train, I struck up a conversation with a German couple. They helped answer a couple of questions about my train ticket. It was a great introduction to arriving in Germany. They recommended one or two places for me to get something to eat: white sausage aka ”Weisse Wurst".

My confidence continues to grow .

Took a long walk looking for the start of the Munich Camino. Found it. Had to ask several people for help. Of course in German. 

Then walked to Thierschstraße, seems to be a typical neighborhood in this part of Munich which by the way is heavily urbanized.

Then I took another trip on the subway, with the usual problems of trying to understand the transportation system. But again I just kept asking people for help, in German of course again lol, and was able to get my way back to my hostel. Now it's time to get a shower and get some rest.

It's been a long day

Random Thought of the Day

10:00 am. What can I say! I'm in Munich Germany.

***

3:00pm. Finally getting to lay down in a bed and close my eyes for a little bit.

8:00 pm. My rest day is about over. Tomorrow I will start the Munich Camino. First day is about 12 mi. Most of the day involves walking alongside the Isar River. Made a reservation at a hotel. 

On the Road / Notable memories

Leave home: 10:00 am

Arrive airport: 10:15 am

Thru security: 10:35 am

Leave Rochester: 12:00 pm. 

Arrive Charlotte NC:1:40 pm. Seamless flight. Departure gate to Munich not 100 ft away from arrival gate. Excellent. No terminal transfers.

Leave Charlotte NC: 4:45 pm

Arrive Munich Germany: 7: 20 am 12/02/22

Clear customs and immigration: 8:00 am

S-8 Strassebahn Munich main train station: 8:30 am

Hostel: 09:30 am

Can't check in until 2:00 p.m. but I can leave my backpack in a storage room. Had a chance to wash my face and brush my teeth.

****

At Rochester airport: Man, I love my TSA PreCheck. Pretty long line when I walked up to security, but I pretty much went to the head of the line, through like a breeze including scanner and everything.

At Charlotte airport. 

Made my reservation at the Munich Hauptbahnhopf Jugendherberge. I've got a bunk bed in a six-person room with a private bathroom. It's about 5 minutes from the train station, which is good. I should be in downtown Munich by 10:00 a.m., but check-in is no sooner than 2:00 p.m. According to the online reading, I can leave my bag at the hostel before check-in, that means it's about 5 or 6 hours that I won't have to carry it around waiting for the desk to open.

	Leaving Rochester.
	Just forwarded the plane in Charlotte, and the instruction card has German for me to practice with. Basically, if you're in the emergency seat and can't handle it, tell a flight attendant. Lol
	First impressions of Munich. What I saw as I exited the subway station.
	Text
	Walking around outside of the altstadt which is the old part of the city. So this was a typical apartment house from what I could tell in the newer sections.
	My first meal in Germany have happened because I got lost, but came across a tapas bar.
	Karlsplatz. Coming back from a stroll for something too eat.

Questions for Reflection

Date	Nov 30, 2022
Total 2022 Caminos:	340 miles
Total All Caminos:	1620 miles
Planes:	$810 Munich -> Rochester -> Munich
Total Planes:	$ 810

Meaningful Moment

I was watching Season 2 of Babylon5 (The Fall of Night). The dominant theme of the episode, not including the coming Shadow wars, were the questions:

Who are you?

What do you want?

Perhaps these are good topics on which to reflect while I meander along the southwest of Bavaria.

***

A couple and a coffee. 11/24/22. I'm sitting in downtown Summit NJ at Boxwood Coffee. I look out the window and see a young woman with two good-looking dogs out front. A young man walks out of Boxwood with two coffees. He gives her one. She smiles and the four of them walk down the street. 

"How can one's heart not melt at such a simple sight of affection?" ... I feel contentment at this moment. 

Random Thought of the Day

"Who are you?"

Tuesday (11/22/22): Realizing that I need external activities in my life. Just three days out of a full college load, and I am getting bored stupid. At least, I have a dog to walk.

Thursday (11/24/22): Seeking to be at peace with the decisions that I've made. Not as dramatic as it sounds because I am relatively satisfied with my life. But I suppose it is human to always wonder - as I sit in Boxwood Coffee in Summit NJ on Thanksgiving Day, spending the holiday with my partner's family.

"What do you want?"

Tuesday (11/22/22): To matter, which I do - to my partner, to my son, d-in-law and grandkids, siblings, mother and acquaintances. 

Thursday (11/24/22): To matter (still). This morning I took Gimli - 85 lbs of Chocolate Lab joy - out for a morning walk. What is it about a dog that makes one feel better?

Bavaria Report

Of the next eight days, six are projected to be rainy. Two are projected to partly cloudy. I think that I need to verify all my rain gear.

Established a personal connection to Munich. I didn't realize that some I know lived in Munich. She gave me the address and I will look it up and get a picture. Turns out to be on the way out of Munich at the start of the Muenchner Jakobsweg.

Day Minus 1

The weather here in Rochester is just grey and more grey with rain. It pulled down my mood.

I made it to a morning gentle Yoga session at the YMCA, and then headed back to the Y in the afternoon for a weight session.

I had to get out of the house. I took Gimli (85-lb Chocolate Lab) with me so we could walk in the park also.

I am unsurprisingly blase about this upcoming trip -- tomorrow. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's a more general sense of needing something - something outside myself.

***

Deb and I spent a quiet night binge-watching three episodes from Season 3 of Babylon 5. Really helped take the edge off my pre-flight anxieties. ;#)

What do I Want?

Having been retired just over three and one-half years now, I may have finally hit that part of being retired that realizes that I need a reason to get up in the morning. 

When I wake up, it doesn't normally matter whether I stay in bed or start moving. 

In the Navy, we had the term "ROAD" which meant "Retired on Active Duty". That is basically just putting in the days / weeks / months / years to get to 20 years active service and a guaranteed 50% pension. You don't try very hard, but do make sure to do enough to stay out of trouble.

I feel like I'm in ROAD status, in the sense that I am just moving through the days ... without a mission to fulfill.

I shall, in Germany, reflect on what I want to do with the public part of my life, the part that needs to be socially meaningful.