The day we drove from Munich out into the lovely Bavarian countryside was a stunningly beautiful one. The atmosphere was crisp and clear, the sky was bright blue, the leaves sported golden leaves– all was right with the world. Well, after we got started, that is. It didn’t start well at the rental car agency. They didn’t like the fact that we had made our reservation on Expedia rather than directly with them. They had no idea how to install a child seat in the van (and neither did we- it was a complicated affair none of us were familiar with). But after an hour or two of figurative blood and literal sweat and tears (mostly from the 18-month old) we were on our way and eager to experience another part of Germany. Andechs Monastery was in our sights.
Something that continually impressed us about the rural landscape in this area of Germany, is how much it resembles Pennsylvania, where we live. No wonder so many German settlers arriving in America in the 19th century chose to live in the rolling green hills of our fair state.
Andechs is a town in Upper Bavaria which is home to a Benedictine monastery. Andechs has been a place of pilgrimage since 955 A.D., and the original monastery buildings were constructed in the 15th century.
The monastery has also been brewing beer here since the 15th century. We decided to partake of their food and drink before exploring the Abbey itself. After some minutes of “D, what does this word mean? Where should we go? Do they have a high chair? Where is the restroom? Do you have coins with you for the restroom? Are we considering this our lunch or what? Should I get a pretzel?” Eventually we figured out the logistics and settled in.
According to the Andechs Brewery (Kloster Andechs) website, “the Andechs beer specialities provide a ‘taste’ of the successful meld of Benedictine hospitality, Baroque culture, and the Bavarian lifestyle.” The tagline on the glass is translated “A Delight for Body and Soul.” It was indeed rather delightful there. We joked about how they just called their German potato salad, Potato Salad, and left “German” out because– obviously… It’s also fun to have delicious soft pretzels available to go with every meal. And it’s vacation, so you don’t have to consider how many calories are in a meal of pork, potatoes, pretzels and beer.
Soon we were ready to explore. And the Abbey Church and surrounding area did not disappoint. The church was renovated in the 18th century to approximately how it looks today.
After a quick playground break for this little guy, we were ready to “ausfahrt” and head to our next destination, Linderhof Palace.
Liza Jane Lane 