Christmas makes me think of Lermoos

If you like the smell of fresh pine, Lermoos, Austria is for you.

Lermooos is a tiny village tucked in the hills of the Tirol region of Austria, right across the border from Germany.  Its one of those places you don’t find unless someone tells you about it.  My wife and I visited Lermoos  in September, 2007.  I found it to be a rarity in this day and age:  a getaway destination that has a certain serenity to it.  It isn’t easy to find.  If you blink you miss it.  There are two resorts in the town and more are apparently coming, but even these current resorts are modest in their size.

This place has a smell that is simply amazing.  I have been in the most amazing parts of Switzerland and never have a smelled anything that screams Alpine more than Lermoos.  The views were wonderful.  Lermoos sits in a valley beneath the formidable Zugspitze mountain, home of various Olympic skiing events during the Innsbruck Winter Olympics of 1964 and 1976.  But the views pale in comparison to that one sensation you can’t see.  I wish I could can that smell and have it during this time of year because I don’t think I could put 100 Christmas trees in a room and come close to that smell.

Lermoos is southwest of Munich, Germany and northwest of Innsbruck, Austria.  Labeled on this map is Lermoos, Fernpass (apply named because the place is a sea of fern trees), Imst which is the nearest train station (the line runs between Zurich and Vienna), and Neuschwanstein (King Ludwig II’s castle which served as the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Cinderella’s Castle and Disneyland.  Lermoos is about 20 minutes south of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany which in my opinion is a German version of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Where to Stay
If you’re going to Lermoos, you can always stay at the Silence SportHotel Zugspitze.  The manager, Hans speaks adequate English and will take very good care of you.  They’ll put you on their mailing list so you can receive their annual brochure which is 81% German, 9% Italian, 9% French and 1% English.  The brochure usually comes with a nice picture of their spa, complete with a nude woman in their luxurious sauna.  My wife Jessica always says she could do so much better for their English if they would let her write it.   Their English sometimes reads like a script from Borat.  Also, for those who don’t travel to Europe much, half-pension means room and breakfast.  Full-pension is room and breakfast and dinner.

Silence SportHotel Zugspitze

There is a new trendy resort in Lermoos called Mohr.  We spent an evening in their bar.  Its a very nice place.

Maybe one of these days we will get to go back and experience the sensations that Lermoos has to offer again.  Until then, that smell will always remind me of Lermoos, Austria.

Austria & Switzerland

This is my last update for a while. I have doubts about our ability to get internet access from here on out. We are currently in Zurich and are about to head to Lauterbrunnen, which is located in the Berner Oberland region of Switzerland. We will be 10 miles from the tallest peaks of Europe. Since the last update, we have been in Lermoos Austria at an resort area called Zupsitze. It is offseason and was very quiet, but all the people were so nice and the food was so good. We got to see King Ludwig II of Bavaria’s castle which served as the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Cinderella’s castle at Disneyland. That was pretty neat. It set so high up. The train ride through Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland was beautiful. Here are some of the pictures:

The castle

A view from atop the castle

Lermoos, Austria in the morning

Lermoos, Austria

The train to Zurich