OCTOBER 5 - "SICK DAY" - ANOTHER LATE START

 Apparently driving in the high altitudes yesterday wasn't good for someone who is taking blood thinners. A morning surprise - epistaxis (a more polite word for nose bleed). I was up around 6:30 AM wondering why I couldn't stop snuffling. I soon found out. Sadly, this ruined my pillow I had been carrying around for about 40 years! This was a significant episode, which went on over an hour, an unpleasant time sitting upright, holding paper towels to my nose. TMI! This hasn't happened in about nine years since when I first started taking Xarelto, and was plagued with the problem for weeks. Let's hope this was a one-time occurrence. I will discontinue blood thinners for a few days. More on a medical note, sine I had the Watchman implanted a few months ago, I may be able to discontinue them completely once I've had the necessary scans.

Ron made fried egg and cheese sandwiches, nicely sliced into quarters.

We finally made it out in early afternoon. We drove to another old hillside stube, Schoene Aussicht, but it was also closed down. It was up a road Ron couldn't remember how to find the other day, and he was happy he had discovered it. It leads to the "rich part of town", where many gorgeous villas and estates are situated looking out at the Olympic Ski Jump and mountains beyond. Even though the stube was closed, we enjoyed the sights of the neighborhood. 

Drove down to Karwendelstrasse, where we had been advised (internet) there was another cafe, but no, nothing but villas.  So, we continued enjoying the sights.

By then, it was beyond the rigid closing time for lunch. We really only wanted something light, but couldn't find a thing. Drove around Chamonix-strasse a few times, and finally we spotted Wildkaffe Cafe on Bahnhofstrasse. It was busy, and had outdoor seating. There was no menu, only a display case with a sad looking chocolate cake, another walnut torte, and only one selection of sandwich. It was ham, cheese, and a few leaves of feld salat on ciabatta for a rather steep US$7. We shared one of these with the usual wine and beer. It was actually pretty tasty and sated our hunger pangs.

Later we walked in the old streets behind the Park Hotel, the street where we used to always buy our rotisserie chickens from a small shop that had been there for years. It is closed, the former owner probably long gone, or maybe happily retired on the Riviera (chicken shops seem to make money like ice cream stands do).

There is a small bar we had been to in the past, Kleine Kneippe, but everyone (even the waitress was smoking), so we went on. It is just interesting to see the old wooden foot bridge. It is an area less frequented by tourists even though just a few steps away from the main streets. We sat briefly in the Gasthof Schranne, a very old-fashioned, traditional-style establishment. It was first built in 1610 for grain storage. The current gasthof was opened in 1985, and is owned by the  Augustiner Brewery.

Gasthof Schranne

Since the ambiance wasn't special and the place was practically empty, we decided to move on.

Ron had a good idea to visit the Hotel Zugspitze on Klammstrasse since we were planning an early dinner at the nearby Colosseo. The Zugspitze is our favorite hotel in Garmisch. We think we first discovered it when Ron and a friend were sauntering after picking up the International Herald from the Bahnhof. They stopped in, asking if they could get a beer (they always enjoyed a morning beer when in Germany). This is not an unusual request since morning beer drinking is common - you used to even see truck drivers ordering a morning brew. But, at this "posh" spot, the waitress was dismayed, and answered, "We are doing breakfast now."

It is a charming boutique hotel with fewer than 50 rooms. It has been privately owned by a single family since 1992, and they have modernized and improved every year, spending millions of Euros. Over the years we got to know the hotel well, dining several times at the Michelin "Bib Gourmand" restaurant, Joseph Naus Stub'n, visiting the spa facilities, spending a few nights in a beautiful room with balcony, using their lobby for internet connections back in the "old days", and generally enjoying a beautiful spot to stop for a beverage and read our newspaper. It was fun to see what was new every year.

Beautiful LED backlit picture of Garmisch 
Hotel Zugspitze small room off bar

We made our way down the street to the Colosseo located on the second floor above the Edeka Grocery - serviced by elevator. We have been coming here for years. It used to be

more of a "special treat" kind of place, but is now more casual and less expensive. Ron had a pizza and I had pasta quattro formaggi (4 cheeses). The pasta was bland, and the pizza had an ultra-thin, non-crispy crust.

 
That was our day in Garmisch. Only a few days until we leave our cozy mountain home.