Bellingham, a Walking Paradise
Pastries Nearly Killed the Budget…and Me
No matter how much time I spend planning & budgeting, our trips always seem to wander off track, which I’m totally fine with because it matches our travel style. Our recent trip to Germany & Austria, however, was a unique divergence…we blew our budget on PASTRIES!
For those who know my eating habits, you know that I try to limit my daily sugar intake. I do this because sugar is a guaranteed inflammatory for my Rheumatoid Arthritis — too much nectar of the Gods & my hands swell & my veins start throbbing. But I ADORE pastries & because I deny myself of their pleasure so often, when I found myself in a region that has patisseries & confiseries on every block…I was toast! Eric loves sweets even more than me, so my accountability partner was no help this time.
Ok, now that I’ve cleansed my soul with confession, let’s switch gears & I’ll discuss our actual budget for this trip. As with any trip, dining out is where you can really overspend. I knew breakfast was included in our lodging fees & based on past trips I assumed we’d eat light cheap lunches, leaving us room to splurge for dinner. I didn’t take into account the fact that we’d be ordering coffee & pastries every day (sometimes twice in one day) or that water would cost so much.
For a region surrounded by pristine lakes & rivers, how is it that water is never free & often costs the same or more than beer? Now I know why Germans drink so much beer — it’s cheaper! It’s also very accessible, as you can buy beer from vending machines in public parks.
Cost-saving tips for food in Germany
- Find the ethnic food restaurants & food trucks — they’re often cheaper.
- Pay attention to portion sizes. Most of the German restaurants we frequented had huge portions & we could have easily shared one entree.
- Bring a water bottle or hydration pack (like we did) that you can refill & look for signs that say trinkwasser, which means the water is safe to drink.
- Stay away from tourist traps. Our biggest dining mistake was in Munich, when we spent $78 for food that wasn’t that great. But, it was Sunday, it was raining, I was hurting, & it was the closest restaurant that had a nice website & was popular with tourists.
This restaurant’s only redeeming factor was that it gave us a memorable experience: A man walked in selling newspapers & was allowed to do so, which we thought odd, but when we realized it was a publication promoting erotica, we REALLY thought it bizarre!
I had budgeted a total of $4100 for our 14-day trip. Our actual expenses were $4646. Here’s where our money went:
- Lodging: $2035 (included breakfast every morning & 5 dinners)
- Transportation: $1518 (included flights, airport parking & public transit)
- Food: $901 (original budget was $560)
- Tickets: $192 (included castle passes to Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwangau, Salzburg Cards & Dachstein Cable Car)
Eric doesn’t like to drive in an unfamiliar country & he misses so much when he’s driving, so we opted to use public transit the entire trip. Germany & Austria have excellent train systems, so it was quite easy & comfortable to get around. I did my research beforehand & that helped, especially in explaining what types of tickets to purchase & how to plan itineraries that were close to transportation stations.
When purchasing tickets from a kiosk in Austria, make sure to look at the screen and note the location and times before you hit print as tickets do not show this information. This is especially important in a large train station where you’re not sure what platform to wait at. We made this mistake in Salzburg and nearly missed our bus because we didn’t know where to wait for it.
Buses could be a little tricky, but when we asked for help or relied on the transit schedules they never steered us wrong. Trains were the easiest because all we had to do was know our final destination & what direction we needed to go in, much like a subway system in any large city. Trains that crossed borders or stopped at airports usually had an English announcer as well as German, but most of the German words were easy to discern anyway (like “nachster halt” in Austria and “nexta statione” which meant “next stop”). The English narrator on our trains sounded just like Jim Dale & we learned to pay attention when we heard his voice, because it always meant something important …such as the train will divide in half & you have x minutes to move to the front.
Some other tidbits we noticed about the German trains: they don’t always check tickets but you need to have them close at hand & passports just in case. Also, water closets on trains were free but cost .50 cents in stations — definitely need to keep change in your pocket for WC emergencies.
Relying on trains meant we had to travel light, so Eric & I fit everything for 2 weeks into our Kelty backpacks, a very small Camelbak, & an Osprey bag. Everything we needed fit easily & I never felt discomfort carrying the large pack (as long as I had the hip straps fastened).
All said & done, I was very happy with our experience & what we paid for it. For future trips, I’ll look into the following options to save money & increase our enjoyment:
- Stay at fewer locations & opt for a kitchen — we would save money by not dining out every night & Eric would enjoy the opportunity to cook new foods & utilize fresh markets.
- Don’t assume trains are always cheapest — look at ride share options and Ubers.
Why I LOVE Haus Hepi
Have you ever stayed at a place where you thought, “I could live here” or “I would like to be adopted by these people?” Well that is EXACTLY how we felt after a five night stay at Haus Hepi in Obertraun, Austria.
A year ago when I began planning a trip “somewhere” in Europe, I knew two things: we wanted beautiful landscapes for hiking & a place to stay that felt like home. I looked at farm stays all across Bavaria & Iceland, coastal cottages in Portugal, villas in Costa Rica. I used a lot of non-English search terms, trying to find lodging that only the locals would know about…and that’s when I discovered Haus Hepi. I had never heard of Obertraun, but Haus Hepi’s site said they had a hiking package which included customized advice on hiking itineraries plus transportation from Salzburg plus the option to add dinner prepared by a professional chef. PERFECT! I built the rest of our two week trip around this place, & boy am I SOOOOOO glad I did.
My love for Haus Hepi began when I first contacted them via email about a possible reservation & it increased through the phone conversations that ensued. It was so easy to talk with them & ask questions about transportation & international payments & they chatted like we were old friends. My respect increased with the taxi that they scheduled for us. The driver was prompt, very friendly (didn’t speak English but that was no problem), & got us to Obertraun with no tense muscles or thanking God for bringing us to our destination alive. It was a pleasant drive.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by our hosts Larry & Lisa Hepi, who originally hail from the UK & have lived in Austria for the past 14 years. Before “retiring” to bucolic Austria, Larry was an executive chef in England & Germany & Lisa was in hospitality management. They immediately made us feel welcome & Larry sat down with us over water & coffee to introduce us to the area with a welcome packet, complete with topographical maps, bus & train schedules, & local attractions. He was FULL of useful knowledge & eager to share it but recognized we were probably missing half of what he was saying because we were travel weary. So, he graciously let us go with the knowledge that we would see him again for dinner at 7. We passed out in our room shortly thereafter.
My undying adoration of Haus Hepi began with dinner that first evening. Pan fried pork schnitzel with chantarelle & chive sauce. For dessert, apple strudel with homemade walnut ice cream. OH. MY. GOODNESS!
Larry had provided us with a menu in our welcome packet, but words on a sheet do not prepare you for the meals that he creates. He is a SUPERB chef who clearly understands how to pair seasonal ingredients in a way that presents as gourmet but tastes like comfort food. Beer, wine, & coffee were included in the meals & best of all…WATER! We wouldn’t fully appreciate this unlimited access to H2O until later in our trip, but looking back it was an oasis amidst water-hoarding Europe.
Our room was a typical Euro style bedroom & bath, so nothing fancy. But it had a balcony with gorgeous views & a radiator in the bathroom which worked great for drying unmentionables. For larger clothing, Lisa offered their outdoor boiler room for us to dry clothes & that worked wonderfully! We had access to a guest living area, complete with Ikea Poang chairs (which made Eric happy) & complimentary espresso, tea & water. Eric enjoyed perusing their travel books & I enjoyed basking under the skylights munching on Viennese hazelnut wafers.
But back to my love for Haus Hepi. Each morning we were greeted by a cheery Lisa & four of the jolliest Brits & Irish lady I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet — Vic, Pam, Shirley and Lauren. Shirley is Larry’s mum, Vic & Pam are his aunt & uncle, & Lauren is the friend from Ireland. It was a hoot listening to them at meals each day (they probably thought we were quiet but the truth was we just enjoyed listening to their accents & lively chatter). They made us feel part of the family & we truly lucked out being there at the same time as them.
As we finished breakfast, Larry would arrive to help us plan our day (whether that meant hiking up a mountain, adapting to rainy weather, visiting neighboring towns for artwork, bus/train routes…you name it). Lisa would also give advice, & the one time we didn’t heed her suggestion…we missed out on a good lunch because of it. We learned quickly to do everything they suggested — they never steered us wrong.
One word of warning: if you don’t arrive in your own vehicle, be prepared for a climb every time you leave Haus Hepi. The bus & train station are VERY close, but they are at the bottom of a steep little hill. The good news is, you always have a warm welcome & hearty food waiting for you at the top.