Zermatt, Vienna, Südtirol
First, thanks for the article on the Südtirol/Alto Adige. I think Gemütlichkeit should regularly cover the northern Italian area that has strong Germanic influence, including Cortina d'Ampezzo and virtually all the Dolomites. It is a beautiful region not well known to American tourists but with all the amenities and outdoor activities of the rest of the Alps, including good food, beer, wine and accommodations.
My particular interest is the area of heavy fighting high in the mountains between the A-H Empire and Germany and Italy, Great Britain and France (U.S. involvement was minimal) in WWI. There are a number of good museums, restored trenches and galleries, cemeteries, monuments, etc., which are of interest to tourists, especially descendants of all the nationalities that fought in the region. Dolomitenfreunde and other organizations work together to maintain and restore areas of significance.
Some other comments:
In Zell am See we spent two nights at Hotel Heitzmann (Weissgerbergasse 1, tel. 42 72152, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), a 4-star small hotel near the center of the Altstadt and pedestrian area. We had a nice little suite with a sitting area, bedroom with queen bed, a large bath and a bit of a view across the lake to the mountains to the north, all for 1400 AS ($90), with breakfast.
In Zermatt we had a very good dinner at a small restaurant, Le Mazot (tel. 027 967 2727; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) located in the Hinterdorf area right at the bridge over the river. The chef/owner, Roger Muther, specializes in grilled lamb and the menu is more French than Germanic. Dinner for two was about $82.00 (137.5 Sfr.) including salad, entrées of grilled lamb chops and a chicken Stroganoff, dessert, coffee (one with a liqueur, very tasty) and a liter of fendant. Our waitress, Antoinette, was very pleasant and we looked forward to returning there on Tuesday night the 11th but after seeing the terrible news on CNN found it hard to work up any interest in fine dining. If you put this in Gemütlichkeit perhaps some reader will go there in our stead.
There is a small hotel garni attached to Le Mazot also operated by Roger Muther. We were booked there but due to construction were given a small studio apartment in a nearby new building and did not stay in the older units above the restaurant. However, assuming that they are renovated and managed as well as the restaurant, they may also be a good location for a Zermatt stay.
Our last night in Vienna was at a decent but somewhat dated hotel right across from the Westbahnhof, the Hotel Fürstenhof (Neubaugurtel 14, tel. 43 1 523 3267; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). We had a large, rather old-fashioned corner room with high ceilings and long drapes and a view across to the Westbahhof for 1251 AS ($81) with breakfast. We selected it because of its proximity to the rail station and to the bus stop for direct and inexpensive bus connections to the airport. Not a great hotel, but adequate and very convenient.
Martin Vitz
Via email
Bargain Hotel in Meiningen
We stayed at the Hotel an der Kapelle in Meiningen (Anton-Ulrich-Strasse 19, D-98617 Meiningen, tel. +49/03693/44920, fax 470174, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), about 80 kilometers southwest of Erfurt, and I just loved it and the owners they were so kind and considerate. Food was great and the price more than reasonable.
Edythe Hoover
via email
[Editors Note: Double rooms at an der Kapelle are 58 to 62 EUR ($51-$55) Ms. Hoover not only brought this hotel to our attention, but the association it belongs to: VCH-Hotels Deutschland.]
December 2001/January 2002
