Zugspitze!

I know I just told you that Partnach Gorge was one of my favorite places on Earth, but now I need to add one more stop in Germany to that list. We were lucky enough to have a nice, clear day to visit the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany at 2,962 meters above sea level. The border of Austria and Germany actually runs along the top and we were able to cross over into both countries at the top. We took a cable car up to the top of the mountain. It was a gorgeous and terrifying ride and makes you seriously wonder how people made it up this mountain back in 1820. Incredible. We looked around at the top of the mountain, where it was super windy, took some gorgeous pictures, and then headed inside to enjoy some hot chocolate in a glass restaurant with gorgeous views. Afterwards, we took the cable car down to a lower level, called the Zugspitzplatt, where we were able to do some sledding and play in the snow. It was nice and sunny for the most part, with the girls and Daddy getting a sunburn! Lyla loved playing in the snow/eating the snow...We didn't get more than a dusting in England this year and I don't think she remembers the giant storms from the year she was born in Baltimore! We all tried sledding, which was very fun going down and very exhausting walking back up the hill with the sled after each run! It did eventually get cloudy and drizzle on us so we headed back down the mountain via a VERY crowded train. It was truly a gorgeous excursion...I definitely want to go back and ski in the area before we leave Europe!

Views of Lake Aibsee from the cable car ride up

It was windy at the top!

So amazing!

The highest point in Germany

On top of the world!

A Must Visit! Partnach Gorge

One of my favorite things that we did in Germany was hike to Partnach Gorge. We parked at the site of the 1936 Olympic Ski Jump and then walked up to the gorge, checking out the goats grazing by the river along the way. We paid a very small admission fee to walk through the gorge during opening hours but, outside of those hours, you can visit at your own risk. The gorge in the winter is supposed to be covered in icicles and be amazing, if not slightly dangerous. Many people do nighttime tours with flashlights which is supposed to be beautiful. We were impressed by the Springtime views but would love to return back in the Winter...it was definitely added to the short list of my favorite places of all time. Absolutely beautiful! We read several reviews that suggested that the path wasn't safe for kids but the girls did okay holding our hands. There were several beautiful paths you could hike beyond the gorge but we didn't make it very far before turning back to enjoy lunch in a restaurant we had spotted on the walk there. Next time!

Olympic Ski Jump Stadium

Can you spot the goats?

Prost! Cheers to a fun day!

Linderhof Palace & Ettal Abbey

The adventures continued in Germany with a visit to the beautiful Linderhof Palace, built again by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. It was a cloudy day but we still managed to have a nice visit in the gardens and take some pretty pictures by the many fountains. We didn't actually tour the inside of the palace but wandered the gardens and really enjoyed the pretty views.

And, my favorite picture, of my girls with the palace in the background.

Afterwards, we stopped by Ettal Abbey, a Benedictine monastery close-by. About 50 monks live there and run a boarding school, a brewery, a distillery, a bookstore and a hotel. Wayne bought some monk beer to try and we got a few pictures of the inside of the Abbey.

After our busy morning, we found a fun German restaurant to have lunch at...Lyla loved the pickled cabbage...and then it was off to the pool for some swimming and fun!

Italy!

Adventure alert! After finding out that there was a medieval festival going on in Northern Italy, we decided to  venture off on the three hour car trip to check out the Oswald von Wolkenstein Ride. The ride is in a region of the Dolomites of Italy called South Tyrol and includes four tournaments throughout the weekend: a ring piercing contest, a labyrinth, a gallop and gate race. 36 teams take part and the event ends at Presule Castle with traditional music, games and food.

The ride there was absolutely gorgeous with amazing mountain views, grapes growing and tons of castles. We headed up a crazy, crazy mountain with incredibly narrow winding roads towards Presule Castle only to find out we couldn't park there. Nobody (literally nobody) spoke English so we followed the crowds to a nearby town and parked and took a shuttle bus to the event. We thought we were going to the castle but ended up at an earlier spot and got to see some of the events up close and enjoy a yummy lasagne lunch with a beautiful view. Then it was back on the shuttle buses (3 more!) until we reached Presule Castle and the site of the medieval festival.

En route! Entering Italy!

It was 85 degrees and HOT so we tried to keep the kids drinking but learned that all bottled water that was sold was carbonated...oops! We also tried some very strange snacks, including a friend dough like pastry that tasted like black licorice. Yuck! The kids loved watching the horses though and discovered some very strange old-fashioned rides, including a manually operated ferris wheel! There were also medieval games, including a version of roulette where a white mouse is released who chooses the number based on his path. Very strange!

Mouse Roulette?

The mouse man

Don't eat my croc!

Manually operated ferris wheel! Those sandbags help distribute the weight!

The ferris wheel guys' shoes

Translation please?

Presule Castle

The Castle from the shuttle bus ( : How did those lucky people get to park there?

Driving back down. Imagine living in that house on the right...

It was an amazing day with some of the prettiest views I've ever seen, while at the same time being so different from anything I had ever experienced. I found this video on youtube...check out the amazing views and attempt to decipher the language if you can. ( :

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

The. Perfect. Day. The weather looked crummy in the morning so we decided to stick close to home and started the day with a trip to the playground, part of a movie in the hotel lobby and the lunch buffet. The girls were now completely happy and worn out so it was back to the cabin for an early afternoon nap. Wayne and Riley headed back to the pool while Lyla caught up on her sleep and then we all headed down to the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (where we are staying) to check out the beautiful town and yummy gelato. We also stocked on some fun activities for our time at the cabin, including bubbles, chalk, a jump rope and water guns.  Everyone was so full that we skipped dinner and headed back to the cabin where we met our neighbors, a family from England whose Dad was a doctor stationed in Germany. They have a little girl Ella who is 7 and a boy Charlie who is 5. Riley had fun at the playground with them and playing Frisbee under the mountains. While Riley was off playing with her new friends (who she has requested to be pen pals with), Daddy and Lyla had a water gun fight and Lyla showed off her many talents for Mommy and Daddy. I think she enjoyed having us all to herself! We got to hear Riley’s full-on British accent while she was playing with Ella, which is unusual since she usually reserves it for school. I will have to try to get video because it is adorable how she can switch it on and off! I understood why she switched it on when I overheard Ella telling Riley that her Mom talked funny…hey! Both girls stayed up way late and will hopefully rest up tonight for our adventures tomorrow!

Where's the King?

Guten tag! This morning we awoke to rain and decided to go ahead as planned with our Neuschwanstein Castle adventure! We got up and fed and dressed and, after a few games of Hide and Seek outside (see the cabin was a good choice!), we loaded up the GPS and drove to find Neuswanstein Castle, built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. We were a little scared when we drove up to find it covered in scaffolding (WHAT??) but proceeded on and purchased our tour tickets. Rather than hike up the mountain in the rain, we hitched a ride on a horse and carriage , which Lyla loved while Riley was very concerned for the horses. The driver only spoke German and continually shouted directions at us even though we had no idea what was going on. Hmm…maybe we should’ve downloaded a translator app? Lyla also made friends with some old German men who were our carriage-mates who continued to talk to her in German. I think her smiles were misinterpreted as understanding. We walked the rest of the way to the castle and enjoyed the gorgeous views. 

See the silly face Riley is making?

Like father, like daughter!

The castle itself was magnificent and was the inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle. The tour was great and we met two wonderful older women who had been friends since university in Australia years ago. One now lived in Australia and the other in Southern Spain. It was great to see such great old friends on holiday together…made me think of some special people I can’t wait to holiday with when we’re old and gray! It will be like backpacking in college again…only this time with a bigger budget (I hope!)

The highlight of the tour was definitely Lyla loudly questioning the guide, “Where’s the King?” which got a large laugh from the crowd. Riley especially liked the pretend swans throughout the tour (Lyla was trying to feed them) and I loved the amazing mosaic tiled floor in the throne room. Over 2 million tiles! Wayne loved the detail of the carvings above the King’s bed…it took 14 men 4 years to perfect the hand carvings! The tour was awesome but you may notice no pictures from inside the castle...it was forbidden. Boo! I have managed to borrow some I found online though.

The mosaic floor

Lyla got a wooden sword that she LOVES

Right about when Mommy and Daddy realized their mistake. Moments later the sword was confiscated.

Things were going so well that we decided to push it with a short hike to St Mary’s Bridge, a small bridge suspended high in the air between the mountains and above a creek. Riley was afraid but we pressured her into coming across with us! Unfortunately, our camera died right about now but we got a few decent pictures on the iphone. Pretty cool, huh?

View of St Mary's bridge from the castle. Scary!

Neuschwanstein Castle

The view of Hohenschwangau Castle (the King's summer home)

Everyone was starving by now so we took the bus back down the mountain and headed to a German restaurant for an authentic German lunch. Yummy food and delicious beer. Can’t beat it! Then it was back to the cabin for a swim in the hotel pool and dinner in an American restaurant, complete with nachos. Perfect day! Lyla even kept her promise and slept in the loft…I decided to play a different strategy and allow talking and singing as long as everyone stayed on their mattresses and it worked. Hooray!

Trying a Spezi (coke and orange soda)

Prost!