The Hidden Home of the Teutonic Tan

Fields of grapes in terraced vineyards stretched for miles. On the other side of the smooth and level bike path lay the water, reflecting jagged, snow-covered Alps. Just as heat and hunger began to overwhelm us, we came upon a hotel nestled in the woods.

In a tearoom we ate raspberry chocolate torte and looked out the open window: On a broad terrace along the sun-stroked lake, waiters served lunch, surrounded by palms, hibiscus and bougainvillea.

This scene is not what I expected when I chose Germany. After several earlier trips, I thought I knew something about the country. But this corner of southernmost Germany is different, unknown to many American travelers. Here it is warm enough to grow lemons and tropical flowers.

The Germans liken this area to the Mediterranean, and it is among their favorite vacation spots. They call the water the Bodensee. In English it is known as Lake Constance or Konstanz. The 46-mile-long lake is a giant indentation gouged by a glacier during the Ice Age and filled by the flow of the Rhine.

During the hot summer, the water absorbs the heat, then releases it slowly as temperatures cool. From nearly any German land along the 125-mile shoreline, you can see the snowcapped Alps of Switzerland and Austria.

The beauty of the place is further enhanced by architecture that in some cases dates back to the Romans and that was spared during World War II because of the Allies’ reluctance to risk an errant bombing of nearby Switzerland.

Our trip began in Frankfurt, which I had visited before, so the next day, we left for the Bodensee. Walking around this ancient town, my husband, Bruce Alpert, our 8-year-old daughter, Madeline, and I caught a glimpse of bike paths leading out of town. We were hooked.

The bike rental store at the train station did not rent helmets. We hesitated to buy them, but I’m glad we did. The day was a highlight of all our family vacations.

The combination of lake and mountains, vineyards, trees and flowers was unsurpassed in our biking history, heightened by the sense of wonder when we turned a corner and unexpectedly found old mansions and beautiful homes and guest houses.

We had allowed three days to explore six towns along the lake, biking, swimming, strolling and, except for the first night, finding places to stay as we went. As we biked, I wished we had scheduled a few more days. But perhaps my wish was unrealistic. About four miles out and still at least a mile or so from Wasserburg, Madeline ran out of steam.

We had no idea what kind of transportation we might snag if we ever got to Wasserburg. We were fretting about the dilemma when, like a mirage, the Hotel Bad Schachen suddenly appeared. It is now one of my favorite hotels, and not just because we found it at an opportune moment.

The hotel’s salmon-colored front overlooks the lake. The back faces a park that improbably grows pines and palms. The air was filled with the twittering of birds.

The hotel is also a “wellness center,” or what we would call a spa. An outdoor pool that opens the first week of May lies along the lake, with views of Liechtenstein and Switzerland. An indoor pool and spa treatment center is steps away. Double rooms in the resort hotel, open April to October, start at $152. Lodging at a comparable place in the States would be considered a bargain at twice the price.

One of the best desserts ever to land on our plates refueled my daughter enough to get us to and around Wasserburg. A few hours was enough to catch the highlights, and we found that a few dollars bought a train ride back to Lindau for us and our bikes.

The Romans used Lindau as a military base, and in 1275 it was made a Free Imperial City within the Holy Roman Empire. Today the town exudes a charm born of a rich history. The buildings are old even by European standards. St. Peter’s Church, for example, was built in the 10th century. The long lakefront promenade is lined with restaurants for indoor and outdoor dining. The train station, in the center of town, deposits passengers across the street from a tourism center. Nearby are cobblestone streets filled with half-timbered houses and old buildings with lacy grillwork, gables and frescoes.

You can dine on heavy dumplings and sauerkraut and great slabs of pork if you want to stick with stereotypical German cuisine. But restaurants here tend to specialize in beautifully prepared fish from the lake. Don’t pass through Lindau without trying the Alte Post’s Bodensee fish with slivered almonds.

We spent part of our second day strolling the streets of Lindau and wished we had more time, but soon we were off on a 20-minute train ride to Friedrichshafen.

The town is the main exception to the Allies’ “no bombing” rule in the Bodensee. As a munitions center, Friedrichshafen was nearly wiped off the map in World War II. The city has since been rebuilt. Tourists are drawn by the zeppelin museum--the airship was built in this city--and by the Schloss Hofen, the Wrttemberg kings’ Baroque summer palace.

We drove 11 miles to Meersburg, where a bright, warm sun illuminated its huge medieval castle, which hugs a cliff next to an 18th century castle. The town, even smaller than Lindau, has an extensive wine museum, plus a museum in the former home of poet Annette van Droste-Hulshoff. Not knowing German, we’re not huge fans of the poet, so we moved on to a swim and sports complex.

Most towns in the area have these kinds of complexes, which are open to the public for a few dollars. Meersburg’s is a swimmer’s Shangri-La, with three pools and a dock just offshore for swimming in the chilly waters.

A network of car and pedestrian ferries, which leave regularly, crisscrosses the lake to virtually every town. We got onboard for the 30-minute ride to Konstanz, arriving just as the sun cast orange and red lights over the water.

Cathedrals, towers, churches and other ancient buildings line the streets in the old part of Konstanz. Strolling past the buildings was enough for us, and we soon decided to see the aquarium, then rent an electric boat with a steering wheel and three gears. My daughter was thrilled that she could drive and was fascinated by the idea that after a few minutes on the lake we had left Germany and were sailing along the Swiss border.

Konstanz’s best features are its waterfront restaurants, lined up behind a paved path for biking and in-line skating. Fresh seafood is the centerpiece on many menus, and entrees have a Continental flair.

After a night and a partial day in Konstanz we felt compelled to check out the island of Mainau, five miles north.

Mainau has only one resident: Count Lennart, the son of Prince Wilhelm. The count’s grandmother, Queen Victoria of Sweden, gave the island to the prince. The count’s great-grandfather had a passion for botany and created an exotic island of rare plants, many of them tropical. Even banana trees grow outdoors here.

The parking lots were packed with carfuls and busloads of Germans wishing to view the trees and flowers. We were most interested in petting the potbellied pigs that a guidebook had promised.

The gardens seemed enormous, so we stopped at the entrance to ask two guards where to find the pigs. Outside large hotels, few people here speak English, and we were reduced to making pig sounds.

“ Schweine?” asked the guard, looking perplexed. He spoke to his co-worker, who just laughed. That was a disappointment, but the flowers were nice.

The visit left us just enough time to arrive in berlingen before dark. Here we discovered that we had made a mistake by booking a B&B; a few miles outside town.

The next day we found the best place to stay: the Hotel Ochsen, just steps from the lake promenade. The main attractions were ancient buildings, the lake, pleasant outdoor dining, strolling and biking. After lunch it was time to return to Friedrichshafen for the train ride back to Frankfurt.

Along the way we stopped in Birnau, which is little more than the setting for an amazing church, the Wallfahrtskirche. From the outside, the mid-18th century structure is plain, stern and otherwise stereotypically Germanic. But inside is a different story. The pink and gold Baroque interior is laden with gilt; cherubs in suggestive poses line the walls. Ornate, fun-loving, sunny and frivolous are the phrases that come to mind, descriptions that don’t exactly characterize Germany.

In that sense, the Wallfahrts-kirche’s interior is an apt metaphor for this corner of the German countryside.

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Guidebook: Best of the Bodensee

* Getting there: From LAX, nonstop service to Frankfurt is available on United and Lufthansa, and connecting service is avilable on Delta, US Airways, Air France, KLM and American. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $973. From Frankfurt, it’s a 21/2-hour train ride to Lindau, about $90 round trip.

* Where to stay: Lindau: The Hotel Bad Schachen, 88131 Lindau, a hotel and spa on the outskirts of Lindau near Wasserburg, opens in April and will close for the season on Oct. 7 this year. Doubles begin at $152 with breakfast. Tel. 011-49-8382-2980, fax 011-49-8382-25390, https://www.badschachen.de.

The Alte Post B&B;, 3 Fischergasse, 88131 Lindau, isn’t fancy, but the food is great and the rooms are pleasant. Doubles begin at $93 with breakfast. Tel. 011-49-8382-93460, fax 011-49-8382-934646, https://www.alte-post-lindau.de.

The Bayerischer Hof, Seepromenade Postfach 1126, 88131 Lindau, is in the center of town, with doubles starting at $124 in high season (March through October), including breakfast. Two sister hotels, the Reutemann and the Seegarten, are steps away, with rates beginning at $98. Tel. 011-49-8382-9150, fax 011-49-8382-915-591, https://www.bayerischerhof-lindau.de.

Wasserburg: Hotel Zum Lieben Augustin am See, 70 Halbinselstrasse, 88142 Wasserburg; doubles $102 to $121 with breakfast. Tel. 011-49-8382-9800, fax 011-49-8382-887082.

Konstanz: Parkhotel am See, 25A Seestrasse, 78464 Konstanz, overlooks the water. Doubles $103 to $168 with buffet breakfast. Tel. 011-49-7531-8990, fax 011-49-7531-899-400, https://www.parkhotel-am-see.de.

Seehotel Siber, 25 Seestrasse, 78464 Konstanz, has doubles for $154 to $214. Tel. 011-49-7531-63044, fax 011-49-7531-64813, https://www.integra.fr/relaischateaux/siber.

Uberlingen: Hotel Ochsen, 48 Mnsterstrasse, 88662 Uberlingen, is a lovely old-fashioned inn owned by English-speaking family owners. Doubles $75 to $82 with breakfast. Tel. 011-49-7551-40-6769, fax 011-49-7551-3290.

* Where to eat: The Hotel Bad Schachen and the Alte Post (see above) in Lindau serve excellent fresh fish and other entrees beginning around $11.

In Konstanz, the Parkhotel am See (see above) is known for its excellent cuisine and continental style. Entrees begin at $12. Try the Bodenseefelchen in schaumender Butter gebraten mit Champignons, Tomaten und Reichenauer Krutern, Neue Kartoffeln . It’s seafood in a fabulous light tomato sauce.

* For more information: German National Tourist Office, 122 E. 42nd St., 52nd Floor, New York, NY 10168; tel. (212) 661-7200, fax (212) 661-7174, https://www.germany-tourism.de.

-- Cindy Loose