We enjoyed Garmisch and staying at Edelweiss Lodge and Resort. It's a lovely area and even though it wasn't so warm we still had a great time. It would be fun to go there during the summer months as well but we don't have plans to go back. Too many other places to go. Seeing all of Europe would be a lot easier if we were stationed in Germany. It's right in the middle of everything. On the way to Garmisch we crossed the Rhine River which had an interesting red and blue bridge. We also drove through Ulm Germany on the way there and back. There is a cathedral there with a monstrously large steeple. We were just on the freeway and it looked enormous. I can't imagine up close. I wish I had done a google search before we got home because it turns out it's the tallest steeple in the world and it's the hometown of Einstein. We could have made a quick stop. At least I saw it from the freeway.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen as it is officially named is very charming with such cute homes and beautiful landscape for great hikes and such. They are really two towns but were merged into one officially by Hitler so that they would be large enough to qualify to host the 1936 winter Olympics. You can still go use the ski jump and luge run and such but it's been updated I think. I just saw it from the road, we didn't stop. It's sad to have such a horrible event associated with your country. The German flag is not flown much. It's like the whole Nazi thing was promoted as patriotism but it went too far and of course an eveil leader and they are sure to not let that happen again. All school children are required to visit a concentration camp. They are proud to be German but just don't show it by flags and such like Americans do.
There were lots of shops selling traditional apparel and I think the lederhosen is adorable but none of the boys/men in this family are willing to wear it. It's just as well since it's pretty expensive. It's made of suede. We did get a cuckoo clock and we love it. It was nice staying on base and having the commissary and exchange there and most of the hotel staff are Americans as well. It was like a little piece of America inside Bavaria. We did enjoy brautworst a few times as well as apple struesel and other yummy food.
It was Easter while we were there and they had a so called egg hunt and the Easter bunny came but it had snowed so they moved the hunt indoors and it just didn't work out. There were a ton of kids and the first ones in the small rooms took all the eggs and left none for the rest. Usually things like that have a limit. So the workers went and got some more eggs and walked around and gave each kid like three eggs. Oh so lame. Then of course there was a huge line to meet Easterbunny but our kids didn't really care so we went back to our room. The kids did enjoy their Easter surprises they found that morning which included a bit of candy and a gift. Tristan and Avery got a wooden sword and shield which they had been eyeing in the hotel shop and Lidia got a bag that says Germany all over it which she is now using as a school bag and Aiden got a hat and scarf that say Germany and are the German flag colors. German is one of his favorite classes at school. It would have felt more like Easter if we had gone to church but the nearest English speaking ward was somewhere in Munich over an hour and a half away. We'd never make it on time. We read the Easter story and had a little devotional of our own in the hotel room.
