The White Falcon - 15.01.1971, Blaðsíða 10

Page 10
THE WHITE FALCON
January 15, 1971
Tale feathers
Beauty and beast: Bavaria, the Alps and GI Joe
At the foot of Germany’s tall-
est mountain — the Zugspitze —
sits a picturesque Bavarian vil-
lage. Its snow-covered streets
are bordered by cuckoo-clock
houses of smooth stucco, many
decorated by hand with pictures
of fairy tale characters.
As the last train stop in
southern Germany — the next sta-
tion is in Austria — Garmisch
has something of the best of two
worlds. Bavarian charm, beauty
and hospitality, plus the crisp
dry winter needed for good Aus-
trian style skiing.
The German Alps surrounding
Garmisch are crawling with ski
lifts and slopes of all styles.
On a weekend afternoon, every
hill unfettered by a forest of
magnificent evergreens is being
challenged by skiers.
From atop the Zugspitze, near-
ly 10,000 feet up, there's a mag-
nificent view of the Alps. Freez-
ing winds keep two national flags
straining at their poles — the
German-Aus trian border can be
crossed on a narrow, wind-whipped,
icy path guarded by an open rail-
ing which reveals the treachery
of rocks far below.
Toward the horizon are four
invisible, but nevertheless real
national borders — Switzerland,
Austria, Germany, Italy.
Reaching the summit of the
Zugspitze is a ten-minute trip by
one of the silver and blue cable
cars that swing up the mountain,
barely missing the tops of snow-
laden trees. Above 4,000 feet,
the evergreens thin out and dis-
appear, leaving the gleaming
white powder snow on brown and
gray rocks. Also at that height,
during warmer weather, the edel-
weiss appear.
At around 9,000 feet, there's
a ski slope, in use longer than
any other in the country — from
October to May. The thin air,
however, makes each descent of
the slops exhausting.
A round-trip ticket on the ca-
ble car costs about $3 for Ameri-
can military personnel. We get a
discount because the Air Force
helped build the restaurant, and
because a large part of the Gar-
misch area is an Army-Air Force
recreation center.
J02 Alan Markow
AFRC, the Armed Forces Recrea-
tion Center, is run on non—appro-
priated funds. It encompasses
both Garmisch and Berchtesgaden,
the city where Hitler lived.
During the winter, AFRC runs two
ski slopes and three ice-skating
facilities. Summers offer a golf
course and beach.
There are a half-dozen hotels,
completely American run, with
very reasonable rates (approxi-
mately $5 a night per double room
for enlisted personnel). Each
has at least one restaurant and
bar, with a good live band per-
forming nightly. Almost all of
the restaurants offer steaks and
chicken, but there sure also some
specialty eating places, such as
a Chinese and Italian restaurant.
And there's even a discotheque-
style dancehall, with a rock band
imported from England.
Garmisch has a fairly large
exchange (easily larger than the
Keflavik NEX) servicing its 150
permanent personnel and 1,500 or
so visitors there at any one week
during the winter. There's also
a large movie (with an excellent
sound system and a popcorn pop-
per) , and an audio club.
The area isn't popular only
with Americans. It's one of the
favorite skiing and vacation spots
for Germans. So it's easy to step
out of the military's R&R para-
dise, and into a typical Bavarian
wonderland — with beer halls,
sauerbraten and yodelers.
The famous Neuschwanfitein and
Linderhof castles of "Mad" King
Ludwig II are close by. So sure
what's left of Hitler's home, and
the famous Eagle's Nest, the Fuh-
rer's unreachable hideout perched
atop the country's second highest
mountain.
Berchtesgaden next to magnifi-
cent Salzburg, Austria, home of
Mozart, where, it's said, the
sound of his music seems to filter
out of nearly every window, as
young musicians aspire to artist-
ry. In Salzburg, music is as «at-
ural and plentiful as sunshine.
The scenic beauty of southern
Germany and Austria is overwhelm-
ing. Mile-high mountains seem to
carry evergreens right to the
clouds, which ring the peaks like
fluffy cotton crowns. Snow lays
gently on every branch, falling
in a talcum-powder cloud only
when a bird stops to rest. The
beauty goes beyond recollection
— it is there only the moment
you see it. No photograph or
drawing can bring back its charr^^^
Surrounded by such natui^^^^
beauty, relaxation comes ead^^^P
With eyes filled by such wonder^^^^
it's hard to look back on the
problems of everyday life, wheth-
er they be a tough boss or a tight
budget.
What a choice of spots for the
Armed Forces Recreation Center)
Army and Air Force personnel have
only to make reservations through
their commands in Europe to go
there. The Navy, of course, has
its own R&R trips — Med cruises
on steel-gray ocean liners.
School lunch menu
Monday, January 18 - Chili con
came, steamed rice, grape juice,
fig bars, milk, bread and butter.
Tuesday, January19 - Ham salad
sandwiches with lettuce, chicken
noddle soup, tomato juice, ice
cream and milk.
Wednesday, January 20 - Franks
and beans, lettuce and tomato
salad, grapefruit juice, chocolate
pudding and milk.
Thursday, January 21 - Hambur-
ger on bun, celery sticks, veg^
table soup, vegetable juice Vjfl
and milk. V
Friday, January 22 - Tunaroni,
flips, tossed salad, pineapple
juice, popcicles and milk.