Ammersee

The guys decided that they wanted to bicycle from Pasing to Kloster Andechs, a 35 K ride, or
thereabouts. They set off at 11 am from Pasing
and arrived at the Andechs around 2:00 pm.

The girls decided that we would meet one another at the Pasing station and all ride together in Doris' car at 12:30 pm. It worked out perfectly so that by the time we arrived in Kloster Andechs, the guys had already scoped out the bier garten and told us to continue on to Herrsching at the Ammersee where we would have a much better chance of getting a table at the biergarten. We did and they were right! Above is Steve (left), Martin, and Joachim (right) minutes after they arrived at the Ammersee with their first beer of the day.


Looks like these three fellows didn't have any trouble finding the bier garten either. They are well on their way to enjoying a summer's day at the Ammersee.

Our guys were right about getting a better table at the Ammersee. Also, we were invited to lovely lakeside eateries, ice cream cafes, and shops with arts and crafts. There was music, swimming, picnic areas, and boating of all kinds. It was a lovely 76 degrees F and we couldn't have ordered a better day.

As you can see by the photo on the left, Steve wasted no time in finding a comfortable spot-- for his beer that is! He was a bit tired after the long ride and settled in for a some R & R shortly after arriving at the Ammersee. From the looks of it, he found the ideal spot.








This cottage by the lake was all decked out in heart shaped balloons evidently waiting for the honeymooners to take up residence. It was great fun watching the display while toasting our friends with ice cold Hoffbrau's. Every few minutes a lone red balloon would escape into the blue sky and you could hear cheers and whoops of laughter as the staff quickly tied on another festive decoration to replace the last.










I can't be sure, but this fellow just might be the intended bride groom for the above room. After he stood on the picnic bench and made a toast in German with a beer in one hand and a ball and chain in the other, people of every language understood the gist of what he had to say. "Congratulations, single German man! You are now entering the ranks of the "married." May you enjoy your new life and and all that comes with it--mostly that ball and chain!

I would have preferred to take a blanket and lay it down on the beach beside the cool alpine lake, had we known that the Andech's were so crowded and we would be on the beach yesterday. Instead, we set out our make-shift table on the side of the beach and brought out the picnic baskets. After the long bike ride, the guys noshed on beautiful French and Greek cheeses,Italian lunchmeats, marinated artichokes, Kalamata olives, marinated sardines, and the freshest of cut vegetables. Doris' scrumptious apple and almond cake rounded out the menu.

Next on the agenda was to find the nearest beer stall and order the tallest, coldest, brew that they offered. We didn't have to look very far. The Ammersee has a lakefront that is dotted with tiny beer stalls every few kilometers. You can have your pick of Kloster Andechs, Pauliner, Hoffbrau, or Hacker Pschorr, just to name a few. The one thing you want to remember is that it is 5% alcohol in Germany, not the weak 3.5 as we have in the U.S. That means, plan your return home well. In our case, the guys rode the S Bahn with their bikes and the gals were treated to door-to-door service by our lovely Doris. Thank You, Doris!!

Here we all are having found the perfect spot by the lake. Jac is on the far left, then Petra with Martin to her left, Doris is next with her husband, Joachim on the bicycle. Steve, of course, is on the far right.

As you can see below, we were successful in finding a table right next to the Ammersee. The weather was perfect, the company was ideal, and the beer, well, as always, the beer was spectacular! After all, we live in the BEER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD! What's not to like?