So, we needed a break from our normal lives. We wanted to get away for a few days and try to relax. There is a resort in the German Alps that we have been wanting to try, but we could never get reservations. Oktoberfest just ended around there so we figured we might be able to get reservations before the winter really sets in (although we would have loved to see it in the winter). And they did! So we made reservations there and waited to make sure we could get the time off. I was thrilled when they said it was fine to go.
So we went to a town called Garmisch-Partenkirchen. We drove through Germany (of course) and then a little of Austria to get there (even though it is located in Germany). When we arrived on Tuesday afternoon, we checked in, checked out the resort, made sure the tour we signed up for was still on track, and then wandered around the area. It was a beautiful day and we were amazed at the sights that we were trying to take in. That night we were exhausted from the drive (only 5 hours but seemed longer) so we just went to a small restaurant in the hotel for dinner where they make their own pizzas (tasted like Domino's - yummy).
The next day we planned to go to the Eibsee and the Zugspitze. The Eibsee is this beautiful lake at the base of the mountains. The reflections were amazing. Then we went to the Zugspitze. This is the highest point in Germany. You can see (or are supposed to) Austria, Switzerland, and Italy from this point. It is almost 10,000 ft above sea level. We rode in a cable car up to the top. Holy crap, I was so scared. Plus, both ways I got stuck next to the door and was so scared it would open up and I would drop to my death. Then I noticed the guy next to me was standing on top of the trap door in the floor. My legs were like jello when we got to the top. We got there and it was really cloudy. You could not see much of anything. You were able to cross the border into Austria up there and it was a little clearer on the Austrian side. We went back to Germany (LOL) and then had lunch up there. We were hoping it would clear while we ate. But it was just as cloudy when we were finished. So after a bunch of pictures and some souvenirs, we decided to head back down. The ride down was just as scary but I was able to take some good pictures out the window.
When we got down, we took some more pictures around the lake for our Christmas card. We then decided we wanted to go see this gorge that everyone says is so beautiful. You have to park at the Olympic Ski Jump Stadium to get there. When we were trying to park, some couple almost backed into the car. Barry had to practically stand on the horn and they gave us the dirty looks, lol. So, then we went through the stadium and people were actually jumping. They came down on the grass, which was still pretty cool. We have been seeing a lot of that on the Euro sport channel on TV. So we started the long walk to the gorge. We saw some really cute lambs that were literally jumping up and down. So cute! As we were walking towards the gorge, there were tons of people coming back out. They kept looking at us weird. Finally, we realized that we still had more that 20 minutes to walk, and the sun was not going to be up much longer. We decided that we did not want to get stuck in the gorge or on the road leading to it, when it got dark. So we decided to turn around.
When we got back to the resort, our feet were killing us. We decided we would go play Bingo. It was so much fun. I won 3 times. Money for 2 of them and then a full meal at the expensive restaurant for the 3rd win. We were planning to use it that night, but it did not finish until too late. We just barely made it for a sandwich and chips at a little snack shop.The next morning was our tour to Neuschwanstein Castle. We had to get up super early for this tour. We were a little worried when we saw that it was cold and rainy. I was not feeling well that morning after breakfast so I was not starting off very well. People were gathering in the lobby of the resort for our tour. Finally the bus arrived and we were off. We found out that we were also going to see a wood carver's shop and an old church along the way. We stopped at the wood carver's shop first. He had some pretty amazing things. Most of us bought something from there and then we got back on the bus. I was starting to feel better, but the ride was making me sick.
Next stop was the Wieskirche (or the Church of the Meadows). It has an interesting history. I will try to give the short version here (or as short as I can, lol). A few monks were planning to make a new statue of Jesus Christ for their parades and processionals. They decided to take parts off of older statues that they were not using anymore and make one large statue. So they put it together and put material over it and painted it. And then they chained it down to show His suffering. After a while, the people started complaining that they wanted them to stop showing it because they thought it was so ugly. So, the monks put it away in the basement. The house changed hands (I believe from father to son), and three years later, the wife found the statue in the basement. She loved it and brought it up to the living room. She cleaned it up and then looked to it during her daily prayers. One day, she looked up at it and saw that it was crying and then she said that it also had healing powers. Once the word spread, people from all over wanted to come and see the statue. When too many were coming, they built a small chapel to house the statue. Finally, when the local monastery saw that so many were coming, they built a huge church (on the grounds of the old farmhouse) to house the statue. Many people have left stories and mementos because they say the statue has helped them in some way.
So, we get to this church. The church is beautiful and has very ornate carvings and beautiful paintings. Barry and I are just looking around and taking pictures and video. We were walking back out and I told him that I wanted to go to the bathroom before we left, when all of a sudden I see the bus MOVING!!! We both started running and finally got them to stop the bus. I was mortified! I could not believe how close we were to missing the bus.
But anyway, on to the castle. On the way there, the guide told us about the castle and its builder Ludwig II. He did not want to be a part of the war, so he decided he would use his money to build castles instead. He built 3 castles in Bavaria. Only one was finished before his death. At first he used his own money. But when that started to dry up, he went to his "cabinet" and asked for more money. I believe they gave him some at first, but then when he came back for more, they told him NO. He got angry and refused to meet with any of them. They got tired of that and tried to find a way to overthrow the king. They found a doctor and many of his enemies and they lied and said he was insane and not able to rule. The night the took him into custody, Ludwig and the doctor who did this to him, were found dead in a lake. No one knows what really happened.
Anyway, we get to the castle and the guide tells us that it is a mile and a half hike to the castle. After all the walking the previous days, I was fine to take the bus up instead. When we got to the top we saw this iron bridge that usually has a beautiful view of the castle, but it was really cloudy, plus it was rainy and the bridge was very shaky. Apparently a few years ago, some girl walked out onto the bridge, took off all her clothes, folded them neatly, and then jumped off the bridge. OW! We walked the rest of the way to the castle and then had to wait for our tour time. We took pictures in the meantime and just stood around. Finally it was time for our tour. It kind of sucked because you could not take pictures inside. The other thing is that the castle only has 13 finished rooms. I found it odd that no one would have completed it for Ludwig. He already had the drawings of what he wanted. But I suppose that when the castle was turned over to the government, no one wanted to put more money into it. It was beautiful inside. Ludwig really had interesting tastes. He was quite the loner, so he needed everything inside. He even had a telephone (this was in the late 1800's). He had indoor plumbing, heating, etc. Some of the things looked rather cartoony, but most was amazing. I believe that if he had more money at his disposal, there would have been jewels everywhere (instead he used Austrian colored glass). Just beautiful. He was also obsessed with swans, hence the name Neu - schwan - stein, meaning New Swan on the Stone.
Then we ate at a restaurant and started the trip back to the resort. It was a pretty drive through Austria on the way back.
That night we were exhausted but we still had to go get my free meal at the pricey restaurant. Turns out the free meal came with: 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 2 desserts. It was delicious. The only reason we had to pay anything was because Barry found a drink at the bar that he enjoyed the night before called the Lynchburg Lemonade. So our $80 meal cost us $7.95.
The next morning we had to check out by 11am. We had decided to go see if pics at the lake would be pretty, but it was too cloudy. We did take some, but then we were off. We had spent the whole trip trying to decide what to do on the way back. We wanted to go to Munich, but we were worried about driving our car through there. I had an alternative, which was to go to the only completed palace of Ludwig II. But Barry decided that he would rather go to Munich, so that is what we did. We finally made it there after a crazy ride. Hard Rock Cafe was really nice there. Leaving Munich was another story. It was long and stressful to get out of there.
So finally we were on our way home. Should have only been a 4 hour drive, but turned into an 8 hour one. We hit so much construction and so many accidents. And then we got closer and a whole section of the Autobahn was closed. But we made it home, with some interesting stories and some even better pictures.
