If you are looking for something a little more cosmopolitan, Oberstdorf serves as the region’s cultural center and a perennial host for international winter sports competitions. It’s best known to American audiences as the sight of Vinko Bogataj’s infamously dreadful ski jump fail immortalized as “The Agony of Defeat” in the opening of ABC’s Wide World of Sports. The tall green ski jump is still there, standing well above every structure in the town. Accompanying the town’s fame is a wider range of hotels and dining options, as well as a more touristy feel.
The region draws visitors almost exclusively from other parts of Germany. After multiple visits, I have still not encountered another American. But not to worry, the locals take pride in their hospitality, and are happy to try out their grade-school English.
If you have the urge to mingle among American tourists, seek nearby NeuSchwanstein Castle, which served as the model for Walt Disney’s Cinderella Castle and is an hour’s drive from the Hornerdorfer towns.
You’ll be hard pressed to find a “My friend went to Viehschied and all I got was this stupid t-shirt” vendor anywhere, but what the region lacks in tourist trinkets it makes up for with unforgettable landscapes.
The real pleasure to an Autumn trip to the alps is the hiking. Jagged peaks, forested mountainsides, lush green meadows, and tile-roofed villages strung along the valley floors make it difficult to resist twirling around with arms outstretched, and belting out the chorus of “The Sound of Music”.
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