A Weekend in Garmisch

We went to Garmisch this weekend. The last time we went there was last February, remember that? (and this and this and this)  A group of families from Brian's work planned a ski trip so we tagged along so Brian could get some snowboarding in before the entire season passes without him hitting the slopes. It was a really easy trip. Brian had a great time, the kids were wonderful and I just tagged along! Luke loved staying in a "ho-towel" and getting to share a bed with daddy. Brian also took him to the pool and the big "hot pool" (hot tub) outside. We arrived on a beautiful sunny day and received a fluffy, wintery snow the following 2 days, which doesn't do much for visibility but it makes everything a winter wonderland. We went to a German restaurant in Parkenkirchen on Sunday night with a small group of people and were treated to some traditional Bavarian dancing by two young boys, probably about 11 years old, who I would guess were related to the owner and would probably be mortified if any of their friends had to watch them dance for Euros. LOL.  I really want to return to Garmisch in the summer - they still have the chair lifts open to take people to the mountain top restaurants and hiking trails.  Plus, downtown Garmisch and Partenkirchen are so quaint that I would love to wander around in some warm weather. 

Approaching the Alps

Passing through Garmisch

The view outside our hotel

Checking out the various slopes - this is the Alpspitzbahn

Austria! We crossed the border on Sunday for another day of snowboarding

Picking up Brian from the Austrian slope

After a quick bath.  :)

Nice and clean and completely passed out

I had to get another picture on him on the rocking chair - here is one from last year - 

At dinner on Sunday

Our waitress and little German dancer boys. LOL

Leaving the restaurant on a snowy night

Luke had a ball playing in the closet and hiding

Hmmmm....who on earth does Hannah resemble?  :)

Not her mommy!

The most delicious chocolate cake ever!

Luke and Hannah watching Handy Manny together.

Edelweiss on Monday morning on our way out.

Our Trip to Garmisch-Parkenkirchen - the end

Our final day in Garmisch was a short one - we had to check out of the lodge at 11am so we got our bags packed, headed down to breakfast and then headed out the door. We were ready to get home and it was a beautiful day to travel. Below are a few pictures including one of the front entrance of the resort.


All that traveling in the Bavarian Alps made me want to watch the Sound of Music! Maybe I'll do that sometime soon. I definitely want to go back to Garmisch and Mittenwald. I'm sure I'll enjoy it even more when I have a better understanding of, and a firmer grasp of, the German language. I would like to be able to order a coffee and streudel and browse the shops without feeling totally inept.

Our Trip to Garmisch-Parkenkirchen - part 1

Our trip to Garmisch-Parkenkirchen was a lot of fun. After an almost 3 hour car ride and dealing with a 2 year old obsessed with elevators, we were pretty exhausted and wondering if it was a good idea to vacation to a skiers paradise with a 2 year old. We ended up having a great time.

We stayed at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort which is an Armed Forces Recreation Center and was built in 2000 to provide recreation, sports, tours and lodging for overseas American servicemembers and their families. This picture of Brian was taken outside the hotel. The 2 following pictures are taken from our room - what a beautiful view!

Above are a few pictures from driving through Garmisch - a fruit stand outside the shops in the town square, a picture of a street sign with the beautiful moutain range in the background, and a picture of a crucifix on the side of the building in the town square. Most of the buildings in Garmisch-Parkenkirchen, along with the rest of the Alpine villages, have painted facades, usually in biblical themes. The Alpine area has a very Catholic presence and you will see crucifixes all over - on sides of buildings, outside homes, on the side of the road and tucked into the forests edges. Another popular display is the Virgin Mary, with or without baby Jesus in her arms. You will see Mary statues in little cubbies built into the sides of buildings and in painted murals on sides of buildings.

Wednesday we spent the day exploring. We drove around to look for some fun spots to sled but since it has been an unusually warm winter here, there isn’t a lot of snow at the base of the mountains. We did follow

the big Zutzspite signs and found a cable car that goes up the back side of the Zutspite mountain (which we did not go on) and a lot of snow on the ground but not a sled in sight! We thought we would be able to rent a sled but we quickly found out that you either have to buy one at a store and lug it with you or borrow one from the outdoor rec building on the small military base they have here. So we spent about an hour walking around in the snow all bundled up – Luke was adorable and really enjoyed walking by himself in the snow, watching the cable car go up the mountain and playing on the tractor they had in the children's area outside of a mountain gasthof.




Later that day we explored a little town called Mittenwald. But that will be in part 2 of my many-part post! This one is going to be a doozy - reading material for days! :) I'll end this post with a couple bonus pictures...

Pictures - Luke in a rocking chair at our resort and me perched on a boulder. The first 3 days we were there we had amazing weather - sunny and clear. You could see the mountains perfectly - from ground to peak.

To answer a few questions...

I received a few questions and here are the answers...

We do live off base. Hohenfels does not have on post housing for officers, just a small amount for enlisted soldiers. We live in the small town down the road from Hohenfels and has a pretty fair amount of Americans living in it, along with Germans and it has been that way since the US took over the base. Everyone tells us we will love our neighborhood and our neighbors and that everyone is very friendly and so far they are correct!

The exchange rate is not that great - 1.48 or 1.49 dollars to 1 Euro.

It is cold here contrary to how the pictures look! It is in the high 30s up to the 40s throughout the day. The sun has been shining ever since Luke and I arrived and it makes it feel even warmer but when you are walking around and you tuck down a shaded street you really feel how cold it is. The picture of Brian and Luke together was taken about 4:30 in the afternoon right before we walked up to Parsberg.

When Brian arrived in Germany, he flew through Frankfurt. All military, until you are field grade, have to start inprocessing in Frankfort. Luke and I flew into Munich, which is about 1 hour and 20 minutes away from where we live. Nuremberg is also an airport that is near us.

Garmisch, the town we are visiting this week, is actualy called Garmisch-Parkenkirchen. They are twin villages in the Alps near the Austrian border. Garmisch is the newer, more modern village and Parkenkirchen is older, more traditional. Apparently we may see people dressed in traditional clothing and traffic may be stopped to lead cattle through the city from their mountain top grazing grounds (I think that might happen in warmer months though, not sure how much there is to graze on in February.) Garmisch-Parkenkirchen is a major Alpine ski resort, the 1936 Winter Olymics were held there. The mountainpeak in Garmisch is called the Zugspitze and is 9,721 ft elevation. Obviously winter sports are HUGE here and they have skiing (Alpine and cross country), snow boarding, snow shoes and sledding hills and huge toboggan runs. Most of the sled trails and toboggan runs are for adults and older children but there are a few mountains where if you stay on the bottom half of the run it is suitable for small children. Hopefully Luke will keep his mittens on and love sledding!

In honor of our trip to an Alpine ski village and an amazing hotel, let's learn some relevant German words...

English word - German word (pronounciation)
Snow - schnee (sh-nee)
Cold - kalt (kahlt)
Hotel - hotel (ho-tel)
Room - zimmer (tsim-mer)
Bed - bett (bet)
Breakfast - fruhstuck (froo-shtook)
Careful! - Vorsicht! (for-zicht)