That’s about how I felt this weekend. We set out for Garmisch early on Friday, and though it was cold (low 20s maybe?), there was very little snow on the ground and the road conditions were great.
We drove about 2 hours to Ülm, where we stopped to see the Ülmer Münster (we stopped there in 2007) and the Christmas market out in front of the church. We grabbed lunch, explored and headed back to the car about an hour and a half later. The next part of the drive was supposed to take 2.25 hours, but I think it ended up taking more like 3.5. We drove by Neuschwanstein so everyone could see it. It was extra beautiful because everything was covered in snow. (I have photos but they’re on my mom’s camera, and we haven’t uploaded them up. I will do a big photo update later!)
Part of our drive took us through narrow country roads in Austria. This is where we had a bit of a scare. We were running low on gas, and the GPS said the nearest gas station was about 30 km away! The roads were slick (covered in snow and ice) and it was about 6 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Needless to say, John and I were pretty tense during the last leg of the trip. We finally got to Garmisch just before the sun set. We got settled in our rooms and headed out to dinner to Antica Roma (our favorite pizza place, visited in 2007 and early 2009 too). It was delicious, as always. It was a bit too cold to stay out for anything else, so we came back to the hotel. John and Andrew went to the casino, my parents went to their room, and I took a LONG bath.
That night, when I went to take my contacts out, I was amazed to discover that I didn’t have a contact in my right eye. However, my right eye hurt quite a bit. I put some drops in and went to bed. All the next day, my eye hurt. Finally, while I was removing my makeup Saturday night, a contact came out of my right eye. It had been stuck under my eyelid. Ouch!!
So…back to our weekend – Saturday morning, we headed up to the Zugspitze, the highest mountain peak in Germany. We took about half the distance by train and the other half by cable car. It takes about 1.5 hours each way. Yikes! Unfortunately, the clouds were too heavy that day, and as a result, the visibility was very low. At one point, while we were walking around at the top, I thought I was going to die (or that I might lose a toe or finger). It was below O (degrees F) and very windy. I also struggled with a bit more altitude sickness than I did the last time around. Nevertheless, we still enjoyed a cup of coffee and a glass of beer up on top of the mountain – one on the Austrian side and one on the German side. (Yes, you can walk from one country to the other at the top of the mountain.)
That afternoon, we did a little shopping, relaxed at the hotel and had a steak dinner at one of the lodge restaurants. We tried to go to the hot tub that night, but the heat wasn’t working well enough and there was ice around the ledge, so it was closed. Booo.
Sunday morning, we went on a short hike in Partnach Gorge, packed up and checked out of the hotel and headed to Munich. The road conditions weren’t very good and it was 4 degrees F outside. Eek!
Once we got to Munich, we had lunch at the Hofbrauhaus. I’d wanted to make it there during our time in Germany, so I’m glad we were able to stop off. The original plan was to go to Dachau Concentration Camp after that, but we didn’t have time. I’m really glad we didn’t stop, too, because once we got about an hour from home, there was really heavy snowfall. The roads weren’t great and neither was the visibility, and I was relieved when we got home. (John did a fabulous job of driving us!)
We were really glad to get home to Béni, too. Our friends Zed and Shaunna had been watching him for the weekend. Shaunna posted a cute picture-laden post about their weekend together – you should check it out, especially since I’m so lacking in the picture department today.
To catch up to the present, here’s a few other things we’ve been up to:
- Schwetzingen Christmas market on Thursday evening
- Kaffeehaus in Schwetzingen on Thursday for dinner
- Heidelberg Hauptstrasse and Christmas market on Monday afternoon/evening
- Bierbretzel for dinner Monday night
- Baking lots of cookies last night! (3 more recipes to go, eek!)
Oh, I love the Partnach Gorge! I really want to see it in the winter, though as it was pretty cold in September, I imagine it must be FREEZING in Dec.
Sounds like you guys have been really busy. Have any NY Eve plans? We’re having a big to do if you want to come. Let me know and I’ll get you the particulars.
I’m emailing you now!