Chris and I had a lovely week-long vacation in Bavaria, the state in southeast Germany.
Last saturday we drove down from our house to the military Edelweiss Lodge and Resort. The drive was ho-hum until we reached the alps, then it was amazing! We even drove through Austria on our way to Garmisch-Partenkirchen (the town we stayed in). We arrived at the lodge, and it was beautiful. There were pumpkins and fall leaves everywhere in the spirit of autumn. We checked in and found our little cabin across the street. We rested from our weary drive, then ventured to the commissary to purchase breakfast foods and snacks. After eating dinner at the lodge, we collapsed for the evening.
Sunday we awoke and drove to the Dachau Concentration Camp. It was easier to take in as my second visit, last summer as soon as I stepped onto the grounds I began crying. We explored the prisoner's punishment building and the main building with the enormous exhibit. Walking across the roll call area, we stepped into a reconstructed barrack with tiny beds and a small open area. Each barrack was designed to hold 200 prisoners, but at the end of the war each was holding 2,000 prisoners. We walked to the back of the site to explore the memorials, including Christian memorials, a Jewish memorial, and a Russian memorial. Our last stop was the building added just before the end of the war including gas showers and a crematorium. I did not see that part last summer, and it was quite difficult for me to walk through. Dachau was originally a working camp, not a mass gassing camp. The gas chamber was never used because luckily the war ended before the mass killings could begin. The crematorium however was used, and as we walked through we saw them flaming orange with body sized cots in the openings. Outside this building was a lovely green walking path, which was quickly saddening when we walked past graves of thousands unknown and execution sites.
Monday was our day to visit Neuschwanstein, the castle created by wimpy King Ludwig II for Wagner to direct his operas in. I was so excited to go! So of course, I awoke that morning with an upset stomach. Sadly we skipped the tour, promising ourselves we would see it on the way home on Saturday (that didn't happen either, we were too tired). But that's okay, it gives us another reason to visit that beautiful area before we leave! After resting and finally starting to feel better, we went to Lake Eibsee and the foot of the Zugspitze, the tallest mountain in Germany. We took a cable car up to the summit and enjoyed breathtaking views of the German, Austrian, Italian, and Swiss alps! We ate lunch at the restaurant on the top of the mountain, it was fun. After lunch we traveled by cable car to the glacier, not far below the summit. The view was beautiful, the glacier was snow-covered for skiing, and there was a little church to explore. Next came the trip down the mountain in the cog wheel train, the first half of which was in an inner mountain pass, and the second half on the mountain like a regular train. At the base of the mountain we walked on the trail around Lake Eibsee. It was the most beautiful place ever! The water was crystal clear, and the reflections of the mountains and trees were perfect! It was so breathtaking. We walked for a while and found little stone steps up to a large rock on which we sat together for a while. On the way back to Garmisch we stopped at Lake Badersee which was little, emerald green, shallow, and included lots of ducks and fish. Back to the cabin, we stopped at the post library and checked out a few books, magazines, and dvds. For dinner at the lodge we ate at the Pullman's Place restaurant, fashioned after a train dining car. A lovely older musician was playing the piano, and we saw him daily throughout the week usually playing piano, and one evening playing the accordion! When dinner was over, we lost ourselves in rocking chairs enjoying the fire. I made several friends with kids, and I was so content and relaxed.
Tuesday was the tour of Munich City and the Crown Jewels. On the bus tour we saw the grounds for Oktoberfest, and I made a mental note for the future. On the walking tour, we walked through the Hofbrauhaus, the farmer's market, and to the Rathaus for the 11am performance of the Glockenspiel. Chris and I returned to the Hofbrauhaus for lunch, he thought the beer was great and purchased a Hofbrauhaus beer mug. A Bavarian band started playing during our lunch, there was a tuba player, an accordion player, and two trumpeters. We explored the farmer's market more thoroughly and walked along the pedestrian streets beginning at the Rathaus. I like Munich, it's a nice town to walk through and explore. We met the group at the Residenz Museum to view Munich's Crown Jewels. All the displays were beautiful and ornate! I can only imagine how old those pieces were, and what it would have been like to wear them. Chris's comment was that they would have been very heavy.
Wednesday we awoke to rain, so we stayed close and explored Garmisch for the morning. We shopped a little, and Chris bought me a birthday present! He says I can't have it till my birthday, but he doesn't know it's whereabouts at the moment, heehehehe. Sleepiness and laziness hit, so we napped the afternoon away. In the evening I had a Swedish massage at the lodge. It was very nice, I was quite content afterward.
Thursday we awoke to snow!!! It was a beautiful winter wonderland all around us. In the morning we went to Lake Riessersee which was so still and pristine! For the afternoon we went on a tour to the town of Ettal. The first stop was a cheese factory, where we learned how they make cheese and had yummy tastes and then meal plates of cheese. Down the road was the Ettal Monastery of which we explored the beautiful Roccoco basilica. Back up the road we stopped at the most amazing (and best priced in the area) wood carving shop. The shop was filled with beautiful and perfectly carved ornaments, displays, cooking utensils, Christmas items, you name it. We had fun picking out a few things, especially a beautiful wooden edelweiss jewelry box for my jewelry!
Friday we slept late and drove to Innsbruck, Austria for lunch. We ate in a cozy locals pub in the altstadt, it was a bit smoky but the food was good. We explored the small altstadt finding our shot glass and walking through the huge Swarovski store in which I found another birthday present. The altstadt was very medieval, and we saw the famous house with the golden roof.
This morning we reluctantly packed up and headed home. It was a lovely week, but it is a great feeling to be home again. I wish I could stay home longer, but tomorrow I'm headed back to Mainz for credit training (aka loan school). But I get to go with Maggie again, and I know we'll have fun and make the best of it.
