Andechs

After boarding the S-5 towards Herrsching, we were on our way to the “Holy Mountain” of the Monastery at Andechs. It took about 45 minutes on the S-bahn to Herrsching and then another 10 minute bus ride. When we exited and started the climb up the hill to the church and brewery, the snow started really coming down. We walked first to the church. As we got closer, we could hear the organ music and we entered to find a mass in progress. The place was packed and the priest was wrapping things up. As soon as it was done, we watched everyone in the place file out and head straight to the bar. We stopped at the souvenir stand, which proved to be a mistake. Once we got the Braeustuberl, the place was packed. I stood in line for a beer and then we stood in a corner to listen to the band. After a while, we walked over to the adjoining room and did get a chance to sit down with a group from a small town south of Munich. They were a great bunch. One fellow was over 80 years old – his name was Josef and he was a Catholic Priest. Another pair ran a small butcher shop in their little dorf. The priest told me his story about being at the seminary when the Nazi’s pulled him out and told him he had to go fight. He ended up in the south of France when the American’s rolled through. He ended up as a POW for 3 years. He said the Americans treated him well and he bought me a beer. The butcher was an interesting guy. He told me his neighbor is the guy that runs the Augustiner Tent at Oktoberfest. After they left, we were joined by another small group from Goettingen and one of them turned out to be an English Teacher, so my non-German speaking wife finally had someone to talk to. They treated us to a small bottle of Andechs schnapps which we brought home with us. After they left, we walked over to the main section where we could listen to the band. There, we got permission to sit at the Stammtisch. There was a fellow, another Josef, in full tracht – lederhosen and the whole get-up. Another lady had lived in California for awhile and the third had brought her own food along which she graciously shared with us. At the end of the day, they offered to drive us back to the train station. Once we arrived there, we had 15 minutes until the next train. So, Sepp and I popped into the bar at the train station. We got to talking with some folks at the bar and lost track of the time. My wife came into to hurry us up. We hustled to the train, but it pulled away just as we reached it. Needless to say, the wife was not pleased. So, Sepp and I went back into the bar for another. We made sure we caught the next train though!

Take the S-Bahn from Munich and enjoy!