Between Yoga, Cows & Alpine Views: My Retreat in the Allgäu
What could be better than a retreat in the Allgäu? Well, perhaps a retreat in the Allgäu with picture-perfect weather! 🙂
The Allgäu is without a doubt one of my favorite regions in Germany. The landscape is simply beautiful, the food is delicious, and the hiking trails and views are spectacular. And when the program of the retreat is just as good, well, then I definitely made the right choice! 🙂
I’m almost tempted to say: “Never has relaxation been more valuable than it is right now!” “Back to Serenity: Working with the Body, Breath and Nervous System through Restorative Yoga” is the title of our retreat. Sounds promising, doesn’t it? The retreat is taking place at the Allgäuseminarhaus in Uttenhofen. So, filled with anticipation, we set off for this hilly little paradise!
The Allgäuseminarhaus
As soon as we leave the motorway near Kißlegg, we immediately get that unmistakable Allgäu feeling. Beautiful bright-green meadows stretch out before us, dotted with happy, very relaxed cows – of course, each one wearing the obligatory bell around its neck. We drive along winding roads through the green, rolling countryside. Our excitement grows with every kilometer. Then we finally reach the Allgäuseminarhaus, a former mill that has been converted into a seminar center. It has been beautifully restored and comes with an absolutely stunning garden. In my opinion, the garden alone is worth the trip. And the best part? Hiking and cycling trails start right behind the house. How great is that? We move into our cozy, very bright room on the second floor, with a side view of the garden. Since we still have some time before dinner and the weather is absolutely gorgeous, we take a little walk to stretch our legs and enjoy the fresh mountain air.
Ayurvedic = Unseasoned?
At 6 p.m., we meet the rest of the group for dinner. Everyone gradually arrives. In the common room, a kind of buffet has been set up. We are already quite curious. Vegetarian food has been announced – which suits me perfectly well. After the long drive, we are also pretty hungry, so we eagerly dig in. There are baked potatoes, vegetables and salad. The potatoes are quite tasty, but the vegetables are very overcooked and, on top of that, barely seasoned – if at all. I’m surprised. I had no idea that Ayurvedic food could be quite so… bland. I’ve been to India quite a few times myself – and, as far as I understand, that’s where Ayurvedic cuisine originated – and Indian food is many things, but certainly not unseasoned. We are a little puzzled, but still hope that things will improve over the course of the week.
Between Yoga Practice and Allgäu Feeling
The next morning is all about “arriving”: arriving in the Allgäu, arriving in the group and arriving in Restorative Yoga.
We start with a meditation, which is a wonderful way to begin the day. For breakfast, we are served traditional Swabian Seelen bread rolls and hearty mountain cheese, among other things. After that, there are a few organizational details and our first theoretical insights into the subject. During the two-hour lunch break, we head outside. The weather is glorious, the air is clear, and we have brought our bicycles with us. We take a little ride to get our circulation going before returning to our yoga mats. After dinner – unfortunately rather unseasoned again, and this time with onions and garlic largely omitted as well – we go for a little digestive walk. The remaining four days follow a similar pattern. But we notice that with each passing day, we become better at relaxing and more comfortable with the practice of Restorative Yoga.
Fortunately, the weather continues to be on our side. On Tuesday, temperatures even climb to 25°C, so we use our lunch break for a bike ride to Isny. We are absolutely delighted by the beautiful cycle path that takes us, winding and sometimes rather steeply uphill – with gradients of up to 15 percent – into the little Allgäu town. Thank goodness for our e-bikes! Isny has a lovely historic old town that certainly deserves a longer visit. Unfortunately, we don’t have time for that today.
After dinner, we drive to Leutkirch. We want to buy some snacks and something nice to drink. In the old town, we plan to “A Vierdale schlotza,” as they say in Swabian – basically, to enjoy a little drink. Passing the Gänseliesel Fountain, we find a lovely traditional restaurant.
Thanks to the still-mild evening, we can even enjoy our drinks outside. A perfect ending to a wonderful day!
An Evening Walk to the Merazhofen Stations of the Cross
After a thunderstorm in the afternoon, the sky clears up again in the evening. Perfect timing – and a good reason – for a little digestive walk. This time, I head towards the Stations of the Cross in Merazhofen. Merazhofen is practically the neighboring village of Uttenhofen.
Hiking to the Eistobel Gorge
After the weather briefly turns cloudy on Wednesday afternoon, the sun is shining again on Thursday. We have the afternoon off. Of course, I had done my homework before coming on this retreat and had looked into the attractions in the surrounding area. That’s when I discovered the Eistobel. Since I love gorges and ravines of all kinds, the plan for the second half of the day is immediately clear: off we go on a hike around the Eistobel, including a climb up the Kugel, the highest point in the West Allgäu. We park our car in Maierhöfen and start our ascent to the summit of the Kugel at an altitude of 1,065 meters. On the way, we pass the “Butterblume,” a small cheese dairy that unfortunately has been closed since the end of August. 🙁
After a while, we leave the paved road behind and the trail literally takes us over hill and dale – mostly roots – steadily upwards. It’s quite strenuous, but as is so often the case when you’re climbing uphill, the effort is worth it. At the summit of the Kugel, we are rewarded with a fantastic view of the Alps. We take a break at a beautiful resting spot and simply enjoy being there. Wonderful. The rest of the trail towards the Eistobel, taking us via Hohenegg, is equally fantastic. We can even see all the way to Lake Constance. Simply gorgeous!
A Hiking Gorge in the Allgäu
After a fairly steep descent along a root-covered trail, we finally reach the gorge known as the Eistobel. We follow Route No. 20 – well, it’s the longest one 😉 – while also following the flowing water through the gorge. The warm autumn sunshine illuminates everything so beautifully that we manage to take some fantastic photos. Only in the shade does it feel noticeably chilly already. After a good hour, we gradually approach the exit. We can also feel that we’re getting tired, but we still have another five kilometers or so ahead of us. When we finally reach the car again at around 6 p.m., we are completely satisfied after such a wonderful day of hiking – but our legs are definitely getting tired. Now we need something delicious to eat. And we already know where we’re going: the “Gasthof am Kreuz.” We discovered this traditional restaurant on our bike ride to Isny on Tuesday. The menu online immediately caught our attention. I can never say no to dumplings or Maultaschen, the famous Swabian stuffed pasta. So off we go! The restaurant is already quite busy when we arrive shortly after 6:30 p.m.
Hopefully, we’ll have enough time, we think, since we have to be back at the seminar house for the evening session at 8 p.m. But our concerns quickly disappear. The service is excellent, the food arrives quickly and tastes fantastic. We would happily have stayed longer, but, well… 🙂
Conclusion: Yoga, Culture and Plenty of Fresh Air
Unfortunately, the next day it is already time to leave this beautiful corner of Swabia. We had considered staying a little longer, but, well… work starts again on Monday, and the drive back to Braunschweig is a long one. Still, it was a wonderful time. We got plenty of rest, received lots of guidance and practical exercises on relaxation, and came home with many new impressions. We can wholeheartedly recommend both the Allgäu region and our seminar leader, Simona Weichert. Yoga, culture, fresh mountain air, beautiful landscapes – and a little bit of adventure on the side. What more could you ask for from a retreat?
