Germany ~ Bavaria May 2024

When people think of Germany, surely they must picture large beer steins being chugged during Oktoberfest or other unthinkable historic events. Well, I don't drink beer. It is not October. And hopefully we have learned from the past.

I am travelling to Munich on the way to Garmisch-Partenkirchen...(say that fast five times!) in the heart of the Bavarian region of southern Germany. Although this area is very popular as a winter destination, there are a lot of things to see and do. Let's go!

I wonder how the letters of Garmish-Partenkirchen are going to fit on a sweatshirt??

Another opportunity to travel - so grateful…this time I am heading to Germany. I took an Uber to the airport - definitely the way to go considering the price of parking. Believe it or not, even at a rate of $70 one way, that was still cheaper than driving myself and parking at the airport. Traffic was not too bad and I arrived in an hour - pretty good since that was a Saturday afternoon. Once my mom arrived at the airport, we enjoyed some holiday cocktails and snacks to help pass the time as we waited for our boarding time. Easy breeze through bag drop and security and 8 hours later - Munich.

Took the airport train (S1 or S8) to the Munchen Central Station. The journey took about 40 minutes and cost 13 euros. We then hopped on another train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen - our final destination for this trip. Our hotel/apartment - Moun10 Urlaubswohnen - was right next to the train station - very convenient. This was not a coincidence. Seemed somewhat good logic since we will be travelling by train quite frequently.

Sunday arrival - means not much open in the way of stores and shops, but today was the only day we could get to the Top of Germany - Zugspitze. After today, all operations will be shutdown for mandatory maintenance checks for the next week. Doing research prior to the trip was beneficial to learn this before arriving. I had said to myself - if our arrival day is a beauty, clear day, we would drop our luggage and head up. That’s exactly what we did!

We freshened up and walked over to the train station for yet another train ride, but not before I secured 2 tickets online to be sure there was availability. Half the fun was the journey there - train to one station, switch to the cog railway train across the platform and then a cable car ride to the summit.

Zugspitz, at 2962m is Germany’s highest peak. It offers unique 360 degree panoramic views of 400 alpine peaks not only in Germany, but also Austria, Italy and Switzerland. At one point we had even crossed the border into Austria. It was a little chilly at top - altitude will do that. We ate lunch at one of the restaurants at the summit with amazing views.

We definitely have had a full day - not bad for the first day.
More pics to come. My computer is not working properly so I am using iPad. It’s slowing me down.

Sunday = stores closed = no rum and expensive snacks at the corner store.

Good morning, GaPa! Uh-oh, it’ raining! I anticipated this as I had been watching the long range forecast - but the weather people get it wrong all the time.

It was nice to sleep in a bit and catch up on sleep to help acclimate to European time which is 6 hours ahead of Toronto time. By the time we were ready and organized, the rain seemed to have stopped and blue skies were trying to break through the clouds…and success! It turned out to be a rather pleasant day.

We walked to Ludwig Street, which is a historic/touristy place to explore. The buildings are very German - painted facades and flower boxes on the windows. This place is one of the most picturesque places in all of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Instead of using words on the signs back in the day, they would paint pictures that represented visual depictions for the various shops.

We passed our first gelato place along the way and I jokingly said to Mom, “Hey, wanna have gelato for breakfast?” She said - yeah, that sounds good. I was kidding but we engulfed…it was 11:00 a.m., so it was more like gelato-brunch.

The next excursion was Wank. We walked to the cable car which took about 20 minutes through a suburban neighbourhood until we reached the starting point for the cable car to the summit which is about 1800m with some great vistas overlooking mountain peaks in every direction. Some people even climb to the top of Wank for some fitness fun…we opted for the cable car. After today, we can definitely say we are a couple of “Wankers”.

We thought of squeezing in another excursion in the late afternoon but the timing was not going to work and we would have been very rushed. We decided it would be a good idea to hit up the grocery store for some breakfast items and snacks…and to my surprise, they even sold white rum, so we stocked up! Cocktails on the balcony for happy hour seemed like a good idea before heading to dinner.

We went to the same restaurant as last night. It was right beside the apartment and we really enjoy yesterday’s dinner choice - lots of menu options. Tomorrow’s adventure awaits…time for bed!

The weatherman got this day right! A beautiful, clear and sunny day. We left the apartment for a day trip to Mittenwald. We travelled by bus, using the Travel Card we were given when we checked into the apartment which is good for free bus travel and various discounts around town. Nice! Travel time was about 30 minutes to the quaint village of Mittenwald. We then transferred to another bus for Leutasch Geisterklamm - a gorge dug out by the mountain river over thousands of years. The walls of the gorge tower 100 metres high, surrounded by forest and of course rushing water of the Leutasch River.

The starting point for the gorge hike was actually from Austria. There were steel walkways and staircases built on the rocks and connected by bridges. If you are concerned with heights, this may not be the hike for you as the walkways consist of see-through steel mesh where you can see to the rushing river below. But the views and sounds throughout the hike were amazing.

Once we got to the bottom of the gorge it was easier to walk back to Mittenwald as opposed to heading back to the starting point…mainly because it would have been uphill most of the way. The walk back to Mittenwald was relatively flat but majestic views of the mountains everywhere you looked. Being from ‘flat’ Ontario, these views never get old. Stunning! Hiking distance was about 7km.

We timed the return bus back to GaPa perfectly. Snacks and cocktails at the apartment before heading out for the afternoon portion of today’s adventure. Beauty day…must take advantage!

Next excursion of the day was to Lake Eibsee which is located at the bottom of Zugspitze. We travelled by bus 40 minutes to the Lake. Zugspitze looked even more majestic than it did the other day - if that’s even possible. You can complete a circular loop around the lake which is about 7.5km, but considering we already completed a whack load of steps today, we only did a portion - 3km round trip - incredible scenery!

We caught the bus back to Garmisch - as did a bunch of other people - but we were lucky enough to score the front seats. Once back to the apartment, it was time to put up our feet and enjoy some balcony cocktails and snacks once again. Our only decision left for the day was where to have dinner?

Today’s excursion was to the Partnach Gorge. We started the day with a walk to the Olympic Ski Stadium, then a 20 minute trek to the entrance of the gorge. Tickets purchased at the entrance for 10 euros.

The Partnach Gorge is one of the most beautiful and oldest sights in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Over the years the limestone has been cut thru by the water - at one time it was just a small stream and now a much stronger force of rushing water. The walkway is safely protected by a guardrail. The only thing you have to worry about is potentially hitting your head on the overhead rocks - some spots I had to duck; some places water would drip down and splash you; and other times you were walking thru a dark tunnel that had been cut out in the rock. It was a very cool experience that was definitely worth the price of admission. It took us about 90 minutes to complete the gorge out and back. I had read that it was recommended to get there early. We were so glad we did because you walk back in the direction from which you started. A queue was beginning to form at the entrance by the time we made it to the exit. Again… get there early for the best experience.

Back to the apartment for lunch and a little relaxing break. After all e we hit 10 000 steps by 10 a.m.

Later in the afternoon we headed to Oberammergau for a little adventure. However the venue has to unexpectedly had to close…maybe it was a sign that Diane (mom) shouldn’t be going on an alpine coaster ride. So we did the next best thing…sort of…gelato and retail therapy. Oberammergau was a quaint like town and was a good time for a wee walkabout.

We caught the bus back to GaPa and headed out for another stroll in the Garmisch area for a little souvenir shopping. Successful purchases. I may have bought a hoodie…

Great day. Huge step count… 25 159. Time for sleep.