Tips for Oberstdorf..

[starskate6.0]

Once again I am going to Germany and I would like to post this to help out some of you that have never been..

Landing in Munich..
There is a train station at the airport that will take you strait to Oberstdorf. :)
You may have to change trains along the way the word for change is ( " Umstiegen ) so if you don't get a guy who speaks english Listen for this sentance (" Sie Muss Umsteigen" You must change. ) German trains run on time.. be careful not to get on the wrong train .
There are trains going through Munich Airport every five minutes or so and in different directions..
1. A platform is called " Gleis" pick the right platform .
2. When bording the train read the sign on the door Make sure it say's Oberstdorf. In Germany it is not unusual for a train to split... sending half the cars in another direction . Some trains split in a small station in the Mountains and only half the train will go to Oberstdorf.. So long as you are in a car marked Oberstdorf you will get there fine.. You can also book and pay for your train ticket on line Just google Deutche Bahnhof or DB they have a web site in English to tell you What train to catch and where to change..you can even pay for it before you leave..

Its not that complicated .

3. Renting a car.. Not recommended.. ( My personal feeling ) Its expencive. Trains are great safe and clean in Germany. The autobarn is a thrill in Germany but the slow lane is 80 miles an hour + and driving in the passing lane ( without passing for example ) could net you a fine of up to $1000 EU. If your not a good driver I don't recommend it. However the back roads to Oberstdorf are very nice.. ( However gas is about $5 US a gallon) .. I like to the train because you can look out the window the whole trip talk to others and enjoy good coffee in the dinning cars..

4. A place to stay.. All the hotels listed are OK However, After 20 years of going to Europe I can tell you that Locals stay at a " Familie Hause "
These are large homes and some small that serve Bed and Breakfast for about Half of the local Hotels..
I found a Hause at 36 EU for a single and 56EU for a double.. If you hunt around the Oberstdorf Web sites you will see these places advertized..

They Often come with your own room and a shower and bathroom with a private balcony and continental breakfast in the morning.. typical German bread, cold cuts coffee and Orange juice.. My Familie Hause has 10 rooms and they always have a bike for me to ride around town for free.. Nice people .

5. Remember You are in Oberstdorf and no where is too far to walk or ride a bike.. A car is not needed in Oberstdorf.. You can walk across town in 30 minutes.. In Closing Here are some German words you might find helpful

1. Dunke ( short for thanks) Informal.
2. Bitte ( please)
3. Essen ( eat )
4. Trinken ( drink)
5. Zug ( train )
6. Flughaffen ( Airport )
7. Glies ( Platform )
8. Umstiegen ( to change )
9. bitte sehr ( Your Welcome)
10. Speiser Karte ( Menu )

Sorry if the German spelling is not so good but you get the idea..

I hope this is good information for some of you.. See you there.. :)
Ross

[Isk8NYC]

Ross - Great tips.

Here are the three more sentences you might find handy:

1) Where is the bathroom, please?
Bitte, Wo is die Toilette?

2) Call the Police!
Anrufen der Polizei!

3) Where is the Ice Rink?
Wo ist der Eisbahn?

[sk8pics]

Some additional comments...

You absolutely have to chang trains if you pick up the train at the airport to go to Oberstdorf. And it is cheaper to buy your tickets ahead of time on line, but when I made my arrangements (2 summers ago now 8O ) the starting point on the website was in English and then the pages where you made your reservation were in German only. I don't know if it's changed, but it's still worth checking out.

I stayed at the Oberstdorf Einkehr. A great little place, beautiful rooms and nice folks that run it. They don't speak much English, though! It was a 10 or 15 minute walk to the rink.

There is a great little pizzaria type of place (tiny hole-in-the-wall) on the main street leading to the rink from the left. I ate there a couple of times and they were great, very nice people and the food was good.

There is an Italian place relatively near the center of the town that is open late and the food is good and also recognizable to folks who don't speak German. I highly recommend it!

A lot of the local people won't speak English very well, but they are very nice and will try. I speak German so they were very happy to have long conversations with me.

Oh, and if you are asking for the bathroom in English be sure to say you are looking for a toilet, since otherwise they may look at you oddly, LOL!

Funny story. The locals were perplexed at first by our skate bags on wheels, and couldn't understand why the Americans were taking their luggage everywhere they went! :lol:

[skatingpanda]

Little insider tip for the trains, especially if you are travelling in groups of up to five people: buy a "Bayern ticket"!
It will cost you a total of 27 Euros for up to 5 people (19 Euros if you are travelling alone). With that you can travel for a whole day starting at 9 am (all day on weekends) on local trains (you can't use it on high speed trains, but no worries, no such trains are going to Oberstdorf, LOL).

For more info:
http://www.bahn.de/p/view/international/englisch/travelservice/laender_tickets.shtml

[blue111moon]

Just a note for those flying across The Pond (ie. TransAltlantic) - check your specific airline's baggage limits carefully. British Airways, for example, has reduced the allowance to ONE checked bag and one carryon- over that you have to pay extra for. And weight limits within Europe can be more restrcitive (less pooundage) than what's allowed for getting to Europe from North America.

Not to mention that hauling multiple bags (even rolling ones) through airports and train stations (which can have stairs between platforms) can become more exercize than some of us may want. :)

[Mrs Redboots]

If you ask at your hotel desk, you can get a "Kurkarte" (Freedom Pass) that lets you use the town buses free of charge (this can be useful if you get tired of pottering up and down the shopping drag, or are running late!), and also gives you discounts at museums and so on, and on the cable car.

You have to pay a small deposit - I think it's around €5 - for the card, but you get that back when you return it at the end of your stay.

[starskate6.0]

Thanks crew
Great responce.. I too speak some German and went to school in Germany for a short time.. Ich Liebe Deutchland und die leute sind immer shone..

Rumor has it the German federation is broke and this may be our last trip to Oberstrdorf.. they simply can't afford the rink any more..

See you all there..
Ross

[Sonic]

Some more German phrases:

Von welchem Gleis faehrt der Zug nach [insert town name]?
From which platform does the train to [town name]go from?

Um wieviel uhr fährt der letzten Bus zurück?
What time is the last bus back?

Es tut mir leid, ich spreche kein Deutsch. Sprechen Sie bitte Englisch?
I'm sorry, I don't speak German, do you speak English?

Ich bin verloren. Wie heisst diese Strasse?
I'm lost! What's the name of this street?

Wie kostet das?
How much is that?

Entschuldigen Sie bitte...
Excuse me please...

Entschuldigen/Es tut mir leid
Excuse me/sorry

Herr ober/fräulein!
Waiter/waitress!

Wir möchten Trinken bestellen
We would like to order drinks

Koennen Sir etwas emfehlen?
Can you recommend anything?

[starskate6.0]

hey Sonic

Seine Deutch ist sehr Gut.. Wo hast du Deutch Gelearnt.. ? :)