May 9, 2012 - Garmisch-Partenkirchen

@@@@@@@ BACKGROUND I will write about our experiences in Garmisch soon, but for some general information, here are some exerts from the Lonely Planet – Germany chapter on Bavaria: The Bavarian Alps form a stunningly beautiful natural divide along the Austrian border. Ranges further south may be higher, but these mountains shoot up from the foothills so abruptly that the impact is all the more dramatic. The region is dotted with quaint frescoed villages, spas and health retreats, and possibilities for skiing, snowboarding, hiking, canoeing...

Jul 4, 2011 - 4th of July

We celebrated the 4th of July by going up the Zukspitze as I posted earlier. We then returned to the hotel & resort, Edelweiss for a few hours rest. Then dinner at a local German restaurant, the Bavarian show at the resort, with a finale of fireworks with the perfect view from our room. The Bavarian show was wonderful featuring the "Ricola horns", some great music, young dancer, & Yes, some Cowbells! Check out the video. I also included some video of the fireworks complete with Stars & Stripes Forever. God Bless the U.S.A. & those who serve...

Jul 3, 2011 - Up the Zukspitze

While here in Bavaria, we had to take a trip up the Zukspitze, Germany's highest point. Of course, we went over to Austria & took the gondola up there. As you'll see, I of course, being from Texas, I dressed for the Weather...-5 degrees celsius at the top! (Actually, if I'd only had gloves, I would have been fine!) The day was not as clear as we would have liked, but we could see & it was a beautiful view. Mark skied here frequently in his younger days, but I can't imagine it! Not many green slopes & no bunny hill! The point was 2612 meters...

Jul 2, 2011 - A Trip to Bavari

We also visited Oberammergau, the home of the Passion Play presented every 10 years. Of course, this was not the year for the play, but this was a precious town where we had another delicious meal! On our way home, we visited an abbey which of course, had a beautiful church! =)

Jul 2, 2011 - A Visit to Bavaria

On our way to Neuschwanstein, we stopped in Ulm. There, they have a marvelous cathedral with the highest church spire in the world at 161 meters tall. Work began on this cathedral in 1377, and was carried on in intervals until 1545. It took another 300 years to get finished, when work began once again in 1844 and the cathedral was finally completed in 1890. Today this giant Gothic church measures an astounding 464 ft long and is 159 feet wide. The massive interior has the capacity to hold 30,000 people. It is pretty incredible! We also...

Jul 1, 2011 - A Visit to Bavaria

We travelled today to the Edelweiss in Garmisch, Germany. This is a hotel/vacation resort for the military with many wonderful facilities and activities for kids and adults alike. From here, we visited the Neuschwanstein Castle, build by King Ludwig II, of Bavaria. Only one of his many castles, it was never finished, and he only spent a total of 175 days here in 15 years. The finished part, however is magnificent! This castle, you probably know, as it served as the inspiration for Walt Disney's Disneyland castle. King Ludwig was a...

Sep 2, 2010 - Day 12: Zugspitze

On our last day, Kathie was ill so stayed at the hotel while I went to the Zugspitze. The Zugspitze is the highest peak in Germany at 2962 meters (9718 feet). From it one can see the Alps in four countries. (Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy). To get there, I took the cogwheel train (necessary due to the 25% grade) through a 4.5 km (2.8 mile) tunnel most of the way up to the Zugspitzplatt at 2600 meters. There I connected to the Glacier cable car which took me to the top and then to go back down, the Eibsee cable car. The small chapel...

Sep 1, 2010 - Day 11: Garmisch walk

We walked into town today from the Edelweiss. Along the way we photographed the beautiful homes and buildings, did some shopping, had a nice lunch on the outdoor patio of a restaurant and just had a nice relaxing day. In the evening, Betsy met us at Marionplatz and we went pubbing ending up at a nice little neighborhood place. Of all things, they had a Laurel and Hardy set of dolls up on their shelf.

Aug 30, 2010 - Day 9: Garmisch

Before our Partnach Gorge hike, we walked into Garmisch from the Edelweiss and enjoyed a breakfast at a local bakery. That evening, after the hike, we joined some of our new friends at Zuggy's, the pub in the basement of the Edelweiss. We met Palma Davis on one of the tours. In the small world category, her husband, Jack, is a retired Marine two star General. Turns out that he was the commander of the marines along Highway 9 (Ambush Alley) near the DMZ and that I and my "dusters" (think double barreled tank) were his protection escort along...

Aug 30, 2010 - Day 9: Partnachklamm

First we went to the 1936 Olympic Stadium where the winter games were held. Walking through the stadium, we came to the road to the Partnachklamm or Partnach Gorge. This was an interesting and gorgeous hike along a snow melt swollen river into the very narrow gorge with a narrow path carved into the side. Many tunnels with low ceilings so I had to bend down (or hit my head I found out). There were so many waterfalls that I stopped counting. By the time we got to the end of the gorge, we were soaked. Kathie went on with a few other intrepid...

Aug 29, 2010 - Day 8: Alpspitze

We walked over to the cable car and went up to the top of the Alpspitze, known as the "Jewel of the Werdenfelser Land". It is 2,628 meters (8,622 feet) high. The cable car goes from the Garmisch valley floor to Osterfelderkopf (the topmost station at 6,725 feet) where there is a nice restaurant with a gorgeous view. There is a network of trails going all over the mountain from there. Newly added in July 2010 is the AlpspiX Viewing Platform, two steel arms in the form of an X with one arm below and one above which jut out over the abyss...

Aug 27, 2010 - Day 6: Gasthof Fraundorfer dinner

After our tour, I joined our new friend, Jeremiah Davies (an Army 1LT on his R&R from Afghanistan) for dinner at the Gasthof Fraundorfer. They are not only known for their great food, but they have Bavarian slap dancing, a live accordian player and this night the Bavarian Ice Hockey team was there having a fantastic time.