To the Bavarian Alps: The beginning of an epic roadtrip

Nervously, I stepped inside the Sixt office at the central train station in Munich on a hot summer’s day. I was about to pick up my rental car that would transport me – alone – through the southern and central parts of Germany for the next two weeks. I’d been on lots of roadtrips before, driven in seven different countries and slept in cars countless times. But this was my first time doing it all alone. I was already feeling rather lonely after a week of hostel stays in Lübeck and Munich where I was the only backpacker (thanks, corona!), so the thought of two weeks on the road alone both scared me and thrilled me at the same time. There was the possibility that I would feel terribly lonely. Or maybe I would enjoy my freedom and perhaps even meet some wonderful people along the way. I was praying for the latter.

I was given a new and fancy Ford Fiesta with manual gear and a keyless ignition system which I’d never tried before. It took some getting used to, and a busy city like Munich wasn’t exactly the best place to practice. But I managed to get out of the city centre to my first stop, a Real hypermarket where I stocked up on vegan foods and snacks before hitting the road, back into the centre of Munich and out on the other side.

I still hadn’t had any breakfast and it was past noon and already incredibly hot out, so I needed to find somewhere shady to eat. I found a spot by a forest on my way south and sat there for the next hour or so, eating and mentally preparing myself for the journey ahead of me.

And then it was time to get moving. I was heading to Ammerland, a special place that my brother and his wife visited nine months before my niece was born. But before reaching the village, I suddenly needed to go to the loo and the only one close by was at an ice cream shop in the village of Münsing. I had to buy an ice cream to use their toilet, but it was a good excuse to take a look around. I discovered a quaint little village, full of traditional Bavarian houses and a quirky church with murals on the exterior of the church tower!

A few kilometers further down the road I reached Ammerland, beautifully situated on the banks of Lake Starnburg. Ammerland, like Münsing, is also full of traditional Bavarian houses with baskets of colourful flowers hanging from the balconies.

I had a bit of a job finding a place to go down to the lake as much of it is private. I went down one path that I thought was public, but while taking pictures of the idyllic surroundings, I was kindly told by a local woman that I was on private ground. Whoops!

So I continued through the village and just as I got to the end of it, I found a public spot. Lots of people were swimming and sunbathing, enjoying the hot summer weather. I took my feet for a swim and searched for a beautiful stone to bring home to my niece from this special place that is partly responsible for her existence.

My plan afterwards was to head to Hinterriß-Eng, one of Austria’s three pene-exclaves that can only be reached from Germany. I love map oddities like those, so I just had to see them while roadtripping through this part of Germany. But it was getting late and I also needed to find somewhere to sleep, so instead, I decided to drive as close as possible to the pene-exclave and then explore it in the morning.

The drive was quite long but incredibly beautiful as I got closer and closer to the mighty Alps. At one point, I pulled the car over and went for a little walk as I spotted a beautiful turquoise river with a backdrop of the distant mountains.

I was just a few kilometers from Fall, a small German village where I’d found a cheap parking lot for overnighters, when a sign for roadwork stopped me from going any further. There were several other tourists driving around in confusion and one German couple told me the only way to get around the roadwork was to take a 1,5 hour detour…

I wasn’t amused as I had really been looking forward to getting to my campsite in good time to enjoy the beautiful evening. Instead, I had to spend golden hour driving the detour and searching for a new place to sleep. Of course, sunset was absolutely gorgeous. The drive provided me with the most perfect scene of the sun setting on an alpine lake, but I couldn’t find anywhere to stop for a picture. The image remains in my memory though.

My new overnight spot was another parking lot for overnighters by Lake Walchensee. There were lots of motorhomes and campervans, and only two other cars besides mine, but at least I wasn’t alone amongst all the big guys. I’d actually planned to wild camp on this journey but I felt more safe sleeping in a place with lots of other campers.

I had to pay 8 euros for one overnight stay, and I went to the ticket machine to pay it immediately after arrival. But it was all in German… A lovely German couple helped me translate, but when I put a 10 euro note in, the machine ate my note and didn’t give me a ticket – or my change! Instead, it spat out a piece of paper stating that I couldn’t get my money back, so I was stuck with an invalid ticket that I’d paid too much for. Thankfully, the German couple said I could come to them if I had an issue the next morning with the ticket guy. I never saw him though.

It was my first stay at a campsite like this, so I didn’t know what to expect, but I was expecting at least a tap with fresh water. There wasn’t any. But when two women overheard me asking people where to find water, they handed me a 1l bottle. I had only been on the road for a day and I’d already been blessed with so many kind people! I had a feeling I would be able to let go of my loneliness and fully enjoy the adventure for the upcoming weeks.

The next morning, I woke up at 8 AM, well rested after a night in the front passenger seat. I went to the calm lake for a refreshing swim, and then found a lovely secluded spot to eat my breakfast. It was a perfect start to the day and to my roadtrip through the Bavarian and Austrian Alps.