Autumn days at the lake in the GRUNDLERS guesthouse
At the end of October, Cécile and I met in the middle of where we live - she traveled from Nuremberg, I from Salzburg - and spent two days with Christina and Paul at GRUNDLERS on the beautiful Wörthsee. Bavarian hospitality is very important here - as is good design and sustainability.
Arrived at the lake
When our host Christina Grundler picks us up from the S-Bahn station, it is already dusk. We will therefore not be able to admire the Wörthsee, where we will spend the next two days, in all its glory until the next morning. "How many degrees is the lake currently?" I ask Christina in the car. "13. Why?" she asks. When I tell her that these are absolutely perfect temperatures for a quick dip, she beams from ear to ear. We are very excited and immediately make plans for a swimming trip together. Our love of cold plunging is what brings us together. But that is not all. Over the next two days, Cécile and I will discover many other things we have in common and shared views with our hosts during many conversations.
For this evening Christina has already booked us a table at local Balinese reserved. Very contemporary, I think. The small town where I grew up and where you can only get classic Austrian food could learn a thing or two from that. When we arrive at GRUNDLERS, we are given a little tour of the house, put our luggage down and head off to dinner. "We'll discuss everything else tomorrow," Christina says as she bids us farewell to an evening of yellow curry and vegetables cooked in banana leaves with tofu.
Our own refrigerator compartment
Our first full day at GRUNDLERS starts with a hearty breakfast at Meet & Eat. The communal kitchen has a huge kitchen island and lots of hotplates and invites guests to cook next to each other or, if they prefer, with each other across the rooms. It is a place to meet, be together and create. The kitchen and dining room were furnished by a South Tyrolean company, as Christina tells us. Cécile and I have our own small refrigerator compartment, where butter and homemade jam are already waiting for us.
There is a small bread basket with our room number on it on the counter. We sit down at one of the tables and discuss our day over an oat milk cappuccino.
The plan: Today we are driving to Munich, about 30 kilometers away, to meet friends and do some shopping.
Before we leave the door, we meet Paul, the other half of the host couple. He announces that we will have dinner together this evening, where we Johannes Englmeier, who has his cooking workshop at GRUNDLERS.
Keyword: Together
When we visit GRUNDLERS, it is rather quiet "in autumn" due to the time of year. Apart from us, there is a small family and a young man here. "The variety is what makes it special," says Christina. "It's great when there are lots of children running around in the summer and the house is really lively. But when it gets a bit quieter again, it's always really nice." There is a minimum stay of four nights at GRUNDLERS. After all, you should be able to settle in here, get to know each other and, if you want, exchange ideas with each other. That is only possible if you don't leave again after just one day. The family sitting with us in the breakfast room has been here for almost two weeks in total. Christina and Paul give them the right tips every day and send them on suitable excursions. After all, the two of them know the area like the back of their hand.
The Grundler family is sporty, travels a lot - on land and water - and loves their home. I envy that. Because even though I value my two hometowns Vienna and Salzburg very much, I rarely say the way Christina and Paul talk about their home.
Living sustainability
Christina and Paul are anchored in the area. Their farm has been in Paul's family for over half a century and has been transformed from a farm with livestock into an ecologically managed family estate with an attached guest house. Sustainability has always been a part of life here. Farming has been ecological for 20 years, and solar panels have been in place for about the same amount of time. After being renovated a few years ago, the guest house has become a skilful mix of cool and cozy. "Industrial design meets hygge," as Christina aptly describes it. You no longer notice that our room, which is called "Mouse Island," used to be the cowshed. Instead, there is now a lot of comfort, soft tones, high-quality wooden furniture and selected accessories - including self-painted pictures by Christina's mom. The host couple have furnished the house the way they like to live, and you can feel it.
Good food, good conversations and everything that is really important in life
We spend our last evening together with Christina and Paul with fish, glass noodle salad and Bavarian cream - all prepared for us by Johannes, who waves to us through the door that connects his cooking workshop with GRUNDLERS.
Every Friday, guests have the opportunity to indulge in quiche, spaetzle, soups and much more. The food that evening is at least as good as the conversations we have. Over a glass of wine, our group of four talks about our previous travels and favorite places, newly discovered passions, work and what actually makes life worth living - and we are relatively unanimous. Shortly before midnight, we say goodbye. After all, we have to be fit for the day ahead, which is supposed to start off adventurously. In our room, Cécile and I drink another cup of tea. While the water is boiling, each of us goes about our evening routines - Cécile does her skincare in the bathroom, I spend a few more moments in downward dog. Then we go to sleep.
Lake Wörth before nine
The next morning we set off straight after breakfast. With towels and swimwear in our luggage, we head down to Lake Wörth, which is foggy and mystical. From the long jetty we can now see the Mouse Island, after which our room is named. This morning in particular the wind is blowing quite hard around our ears, which makes our swimming plans a little cooler. In the end, however, everyone dared to go in. The feeling afterwards: As always, incredibly satisfying and motivating. Once dressed again, we head back to GRUNDLERS, where we warm up again with a cup of tea.
Now that we have seen the Wörthsee live, and in the idyllic morning calm (we ignore the few other brave souls who dared to jump into the cold water on the jetty next to us), we are even more excited about our last item on the programme: the exhibition “Wörthsee before nine” by Hanna von PrittwitzThe journalist and editor goes to the lake almost every morning. In the community's new event hall, she shows a series of photos that she took at Lake Wörth - with incredibly great shots that show the lake and the surrounding area from completely new perspectives. Her works can also be found scattered throughout GRUNDLERS. Here, you can once again sense that this place is home to great people and initiatives.
No wonder the GRUNDLERS love living here so much and their guests – including Cécile and me – feel so comfortable too.
Host Christina Grundler's favorite places in the area
1. Lake Wörth: For me, with its crystal-clear, turquoise-blue color, it is the most beautiful lake in the Five Lakes Region. Almost every type of water sport is possible here. Insider tip: swim early in the morning before breakfast or swim in front of a wonderful autumn backdrop in the Oberndorf recreation area with a direct view of the Mouse Island.
2: Forest bathing in the surrounding beech forests: This is especially possible at Burgselberg right behind GRUNDLERS with a fantastic view over Lake Wörth.
3: Ammersee West Bank/Utting: A family trip to the Ammersee is always a good idea. There is a high ropes course, you can climb in the pirate ship with a view of the lake, there is a corn maze, a diving tower and a kiosk with homemade ice cream - and all within walking distance and right on the lake.
4: Trip to Munich: Munich is only about 45 minutes away. It is worth visiting the Kunsthalle with changing and beautifully executed exhibitions, watching the surfers in the Eisbach wave (whatever the weather!) and then eating an ice cream in the Eiscafé Sarcletti (in our opinion the best ice cream in Munich).
5: A trip to the surrounding mountains: A hike through the Partnachklamm in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (approx. 1 hour's drive away) is absolutely spectacular. Afterwards, you should treat yourself to coffee and cake in the Café Central in Garmisch. A hike up the Hörnle in Bad Kohlgrub is also always popular with us. If you want, you can take the very nostalgic chairlift. On the way home, you can stop off at the nearby beer garden right on the Staffelsee - with a view of the Alps (approx. 1 hour's drive away).
© Photos: Nadine Pinezits, Cécile Meier, GRUNDLERS Guesthouse on the Lake
Nadine Pinezits
Nadine is a freelance editor and copywriter. She lives in Austria and commutes between Salzburg and Vienna. This means she is either in the mountains or in the urban jungle, but at the same time tries to spend as much time as possible in her beloved country, Portugal.
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