Family Adventures in Germany

This weekend I had the special joy of meeting my parents and sister in Germany! I met them Thursday, a day after they arrived. I was so excited to leave! I flew on a small plane, but it was a short flight. Landing in Germany, I saw a lot of villages and farmland. I exited the plane straight onto the runway, and took a bus to the baggage claim. It was pretty surreal to be on the bus and have to yield to a plane cruising by. After maneuvering the Munich airport (which is really like a mall) I got my train ticket to Garmisch-Partenkirchen where I was meeting my parents. My dad met me at the train station, and it was great to reunite with him and my mom since I hadn't seen them since mid June. Because my brother in law, Adam, is in the Navy, we were able to stay at the amazing Edelweiss Resort & Lodge!

The next morning, after an awesome breakfast buffet (which I enjoyed every day we were there), we took a train to Innsbruck, Austria. The views were incredible along the way as we rode through the Alps. Our destination was the Nordkettenbahnen, a series of cable cars that brought you to the top of the Alps overlooking Innsbruck. We hiked the short rest of the way to the summit of Hafelekar, a 7,400 foot tall mountain. At the peak, you could see the town of Innsbruck on one side and the rugged Alps on the other. It was a breathtaking view, and the pictures don't do it justice.

In the cable car on the way up

Looking down the cable lift

The city of Innsbruck, Austria from above

Hiking up to the tippy top

"We made it!"

In the cable car, heading back down

After getting back to Innsbruck, we walked around the town for some snacks (gelato and apple strudels) and souvenirs before heading back to Garmisch. Once there, my mom, sister, and I went out for a Mexican dinner while the boys babysat Grace. We finished the night in the huge hot tub at the resort.

Innsbruck 

The next day, we joined a bus tour headed to the Neuschwanstein Castle, which is one of the most famous castles in the world. It's nicknamed the "Disney Castle" because Walt Disney used it as inspiration when designing his Magic Kingdom. Growing up with Cinderella as my favorite movie, I was dying to see this place. The castle was built in the 19th Century by Ludwig II, who was a big recluse and lived a pretty sad, lonely life (not much of a fairy tale!).

We made a few stops along the way from Garmisch to the castle. The first was a woodcarving shop in Oberammergau (famous for the Passion Plays), which was pretty cool. And the second was a church was called Wieskirche. This church was nicknamed the "Pilgrimage Church of the Scourged Savior" because of a famous sculpture of Jesus that appeared to be crying. People have made pilgrimages from all over to see the sculpture, and they built a fantastic church to house it. What is truly amazing is that this beautiful church was literally in the middle of nowhere. When we got there, a service was in session, so we couldn't walk through the church, but I still snuck a picture.

The countryside behind the church. See, the middle of nowhere!

Homemade doughnuts. DELICIOUS.

After leaving the church, we arrived at Neuschwanstein Castle. Now, like I said, it's really famous, and the reason is simply because it is fantastic. The castle of all castles. Unfortunately, the castle remains unfinished because Ludwig II died before it was completed. We were able to tour the rooms that were completed, including the throne room, his bedroom and living rooms, and the music hall. They were all ornately decorated, fit for a king. Before entering the castle, we hiked around it toward a bridge where you can see the side of the castle. 

Looking down from the bridge

Nearby is Ludwig II's parents house, the Hohenschwangau Castle, shown in the pictures above and below

  

The back of Neuschwanstein Castle

The view from inside the castle. We weren't allowed to take any pictures of the rooms, but we could take pictures out the windows.

The front of the castle

After touring the castle, we ate lunch and rode the bus back to the resort. We rested before dinner, and my dad and I finished out the day eating Swiss chocolate.

The next day, we took another tour but stayed closer to the resort and visited Partnach Gorge. To get there, we walked through the 1936 Winter Olympic stadium. This was a pretty big deal because the German towns of Garmisch and Partenkirchen joined to organize the '36 Winter Olympics. They were opened and closed in this stadium by none other than Adolf Hitler, and the games were very successful.

Ski jump in the Olympic stadium

From the stadium, we walked to the gorge. It wasn't really what I was expecting, it was much better. Icy blue water rushed through the gorge, creating waterfalls and rapids among the towering rocks. I have never quite seen something like this. It was awe-inspiring and beautiful.

I love this picture of my mom!

After making it through the gorge, Adam, my dad, and I hiked above it and then back down through it.

The gorge from above

After getting back to the resort, we ate an incredible yummy brunch and then relaxed. That afternoon, Rebekah, my mom, and I had a spa day! We each got hot oil wraps, where they exfoliate and then put essential oils on your skin. Then they wrap you up like a mummy and put a heated blanket over you to flush out all the toxins in your skin. It was so relaxing and our skin felt great afterwards! After our hot oil wraps, we rented bikes (my mom and I tried to ride a tandem bike!) and rode them through Garmisch before (another) yummy dinner.

This weekend was absolutely great for a lot of reasons: seeing my family, seeing Germany and Austria, relaxing, and eating great food. It was a weekend full of memories and laughter, and of course love.