My people are meticulous planners, but they are not the best when it comes to pivoting plans. A couple years ago when we lived in Stuttgart, they expected to have guests for Memorial Day weekend and planned to stay local. But after the trip was cancelled, we quickly pivoted our plans for a weekend getaway. We headed to Konstanz on Bodensee. It can also be referred to as Lake Constance and is less than two hours from USAG Stuttgart. 

Before checking into our hotel, we explored Reichenau, an island in the Untersee. It is only 15 minutes from Konstanz and has an abbey that calls the island home. We enjoyed walking around the abbey and other parts of the island on a beautifully sunny day. 

The best part? I was able to take a few dips in the lake during our walkabout! Cooling down in a lake is one of my favorite things in life.

After our stroll, we checked into the hotel. I was feeling a little sleepy, so my people left me napping and visited Mainau Island. Leashed dogs are welcome on Mainau Island, though, but not permitted inside the butterfly house or inside the castle.

They told me that their first stop on the island was to the biergarten. They drank Rothaus Radlers which you can find all throughout the Schwarzwald (Black Forest). They also visited the butterfly house and raved about the amazing lake views.

My lady person was excited to see a ginkgo tree on the island. It reminded her of when she worked on the world’s largest ginkgo tree farm in South Carolina. Now I’m kind of wishing I hadn’t been so sleepy so I could have enjoyed the island with them!

My people discovered that restaurants on Mainau Island closed pretty early, so they ate dinner at a restaurant near our hotel. Mexican food in Germany is usually disappointing from what my people tell me, so they always go with low expectations. But the food at Burro Burro ended up being pretty decent, although probably not the most authentically Mexican. Can you believe they didn’t bring me a doggy bag???

Weekend getaways always end too quickly, but I think it’s better to experience a place for a little bit than to never have seen it at all.

Editor’s Note: This article was written by a member of the local military community, not an employee of Stars and Stripes. Neither the organization nor the content is being represented by Stars and Stripes or the Department of War. 

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