Überlingen, More to Bodensee Than Just Diving
/As you're reading this, Aaron and I are in Sweden. We have just finished a tour of the Poseidon factory and are getting ready to board a plane that will take us to Kiruna for a 3 day dog sledding tour! Make sure you check back next week to read about it! I, for one, am stupid excited about dog sledding. It's been something I've always wanted to do, and now I get to!
After we were done diving last Saturday, we partook in a German tradition: Kaffee and Kuchen. Except that we didn't drink coffee, or eat cake for that matter. But, we did get something warm to drink and a snack. So, it kind of counts? Right? In any case, it turned out to be a great afternoon on Saturday and we were able to sit outside in the sun and just enjoy relaxing, like true Germans.
From the place we were diving, it was about a 10 minute walk to the center of Überlingen, a small lake town on the north eastern side of Bodensee. The town itself is very old, with the oldest building in town dating from the 15th century. However, Romans, and even older civilizations, called this area home. Along the lake is a walking path; most of it is unpaved, but is well maintained. In town, there are a number of shops, cafes, and restaurants along the path. In the summer, when the weather is much warmer, I bet this place is just swarming with people!
Saturday, we ate at a small Greek cafe called Mykonos. The food was good, the service typical for Germany, but the best part was being outside. There was a breeze blowing on and off, but when it was still, it was nice and warm. Even with the breeze, only jacket was needed to stay warm.
Sunday though, the clouds had rolled in, and there was a stiff breeze blowing, which meant it felt a lot colder. After diving on Sunday, we headed back into Überlingen for lunch at an Asian place called Zeughaus. Now, I realize this name doesn't make a lot of sense at first - a very German word for an Asian restaurant. But, the restaurant is housed in the oldest building in Überlingen, which used to be a store house, or in German, a Zeughaus, along the old city walls. So really, it does fit. The food was delicious! I would highly recommend paying them a visit if you're in the area.
For lodgings, we stayed a little ways outside of town. In the area, there are a number of Landhotels (country hotels) and guest houses. These all usually have 10 - 20 rooms with a restaurant. Often times, they are old farm houses that have been converted to now house tourists instead of farm workers, but the charm of an old German country house remains. We find the food and hospitality much better in these types of lodgings than in larger, more commercial, hotels. Some are on internet booking sites, but many are not. A quick Google search will often pinpoint most of them though.
One thing I wish we had had a little more time to do was stroll through the town. We walked along the lake, which is beautiful, but the town is full of little, winding roads with old buildings appearing to almost lean over the alleys. Many of them are typical half-timbered styled buildings and it is really quite picturesque. Not to mention there are still some remnants from the old castle walls standing as well as old clock towers. Next time we go, I will have to make Aaron walk around with me :)
I'm really glad that we finally got down to Bodensee. It is a beautiful region of Germany and one that is already on our list of places to go back to. Has anyone else been here before? Any tips or places that we must see next time we go back?
