Destination Inbound

Constantly Constance

Straddling the boundaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria, Lake Constance is one of Europe's best kept secrets. By Neeti Mehra

On a gourmet tour through Europe, organised by The Central Marketing Organisation of the German Agricultural Industries along with the European Union, a halt in German apple country revealed more than what met the eye, which, at that moment, was just succulent fruits bobbing in the breeze.

Far yonder, just above the town of Friedrichshafen - a city located in southern Germany, north of Lake Constance - hovered a pre-war blimp. Friedrichshafen's prosperity owed much to these blimps - small Zeppelin airships - which today float benignly across the city, ferrying tourists around Lake Constance.

Apples and aerostats aside, Lake Constance is home to many other gems that speckle its shoreline. Medieval towns, castles, fortresses - it's a melting pot of culture of the Celts, Romans and the Alemanni. Also known as Lake Bodensee in German, it has the distinction of being the third biggest lake in Europe, with Germany, Austria and Switzerland sharing its 273-kilometre long shoreline, the largest portion being in Germany. Named after an eighth century Carolingian palatinate named Bodmann, the region is sandwiched between the Alps and the Jura Mountains. And what better way to discover the pleasures of the deep but by car on German autobahns and rail.

Peaks and valleys

The landscape whizzed by us in rapid succession as we took the train from Bonn to Constance, the largest town on the Lake's shores, and also the only town south of the Rhine in Germany. Constance, a tangled cityscape with crooked houses winding around cobbled pathways, was the starting point of our journey around the lake. The first stop after was the Island of Mainau, an opulent garden with flowers and butterflies in abundance, where we had a meal of freshwater fish from the lake. The next morning, thick sheets of fog were swirling across the lake. Taking the ferry from Constance to Meersburg on the other side, we floated on misty waters that threatened to envelope us all, till a tiny ray of sunlight broke on the shore, revealing vineyards and smoking chimneys on sweeping slopes.

Passing through Kressbronn, we stopped to have a delightful lunch at Max & Moritz, a restaurant with a brewery, overlooking vineyards and boats in the lake. Interestingly, in this beer country, grapes thrive on the sunny steep slopes in this area, and Chardonnays, Müller-Thurgau, Burgunder and Schwarzriesling swell and flourish here, all distinguishable aromas of grape fruit, citrus and green apples. The favourable climate of the lake equalises any temperature change and reflects sunlight to ensure stable growth. And adding to a tipplers' delight are also schnapps and liqueurs from this region, thanks to the delectable fruit. After lunch, we headed to Lindau, a quaint historic old island town with a lighthouse to boot and a beautiful harbour littered with cafés for one to enjoy a cuppa coffee in leisurely European style. We crossed the border in the next halt, on to the Austrian side of Lake Constance, to Bregenz, the cultural capital of Lake Constance veering towards Pfaender, the natural lookout point of the region. A cable car ride swooped us up the 1064-metre high mountain's summit for a stunning view of Bodensee and the mountains, shimmering golden in the sunset. Home to an Eagle Sanctuary and a tiny alpine wildlife park with ibexes red deer, rabbit and marmots, this mountaintop is also a bikers and hiker's paradise and many a people (namely senior citizens) had trooped up the mountain from neighbouring areas with a single huff or puff. But perhaps the most delightful town around the lake was Meersburg, in Germany, perched on a vineyard right by the lake. As if transplanted onto earth straight from a Brothers Grimms fairytale, Meersburg is replete with castles, quaint alleyways, and squares and even a half-timbered water mill! A medieval mosaic with baroque silhouettes, I felt a shred of disappointment to leave this historic city of living fables.

Of castles and kings

From Germany we steered away from the shore, to Strasbourg in France, a culinary detour to the land of foie gras and wine. Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace, has the moniker of being the most famous gourmet region of France. Perched across the River Rhine from Germany, it lingers between their borders, literally and gastronomically. The Alsace region, famed for its 170 kilometre wine route is a medieval maze of wineries speckled with castles and villages. The sandstone gothic cathedral with its gargantuan clock looms over the city, like a watchful caretaker. While we were too late for a vineyard tour, an impromptu wine tasting and a gourmet tour of the area brought a taste of France forth. Piloting back into Germany, we moved deeper south, towards Bavaria. While the landscape that confronted us when the journey started was russet and gold with autumn in its splendour, overnight a sheet of soft white snow carpeted the hills right up to our halt at the Rococo pilgrimage church of Wies, a UNESCO World Heritage monument - an opulently joyful mirage in a snow white alpine valley. The final halt was worth the wait - Germany's most photographed landmark, the legendry Neuschwanstein Castle that inspired Disney's vision for Sleeping Beauty's castle. The spirals from the fortress reared their heads out of the snow from afar, going upwards to the heavens. Built by eccentric King Ludwig II of Bavaria, in homage to his favourite composer Wagner, the Romanesque palace appears as an unfinished symphony in bitter cold snow. The King's legacy stays alive, interestingly in cheese! Cheese Company Schönegger produces cheese using traditional recipes that include a range branded as King Ludwig, delectable and fresh and royal. And as we bade farewell to royalty, a vision of the lake shrouded in mist appeared in every powder soft snowflake that twirled in the evening sky.