Hiking through an Alpine gorge ribboned with waterfalls and mineralized turquoise blue streams: The stuff of Bavarian dreams.
…And my children’s.
Or so I told them as we parked at
the abandoned winter Olympic stadium and strode towards the forest path.
You will love this. I
insisted.
Fortunately, I was not wrong. *phew*
Garmisch’s Partnachlamm
offered the most uniquely thrilling hike which satisfied my wanderlust crew
with its cavernous loping climb.
Followed by a delightful, Bavarian
meal at Garmisch’s Mukkefukke bistro. Controversial in name only.
(Thanks to the recommendation of my
friend Meg)
Dachau Concentration Camp was
the next destination on our Bavarian tour.
Sobering -certainly- in the weight of its storied sorrow. It’s impossible to visit the crematoriums and
leave unchanged.
Dachau stands “to honour the dead,
to remind the living.”
Munich’s famed Rathaus-Glockenspiel enthroned in the Marienplatz Square offers a little mechanized thrill thrice daily.
Personally. I think we’re all set on
astronomical clocks. (Prague,
Strasbourg, Munich et al).
But, still.
There we stood amid the masses,
transfixed on tiny characters portraying Duke Wilhem V’s marriage to Renata of
Lorraine to the tune of a catchy little bell-choir number.
You know.
That famous 16th century
wedding you’ve never heard about. Until now.
The show ends with a rooster
crowing. Quietly.
Now, myself. I’m not much of a
rooster gal.
But, the Europeans sure do love them
(see my Strasbourg entry)
Finally, we rounded out our day
with a quick 300-step flight of stairs to the bell tower of St. Peter’s
Cathedral.
So. Many. Cathedrals.
But, the cardio was worth the Munich
view.
And justified the later gelato. (Euro
trip math)
On the train ride back to our Valley
(DE) Airbnb and Monika, our sweet chain-smoking host, we *nearly* ended up in
Austria. . . Were it not for the help of the “hot German police angel” (direct
quote from my mom) who explained this mystical train system to us.
Who knew Germany also boasts hot
angels? *Travel Bonus*
Rothenberg ob de Tauber -for
the second year in a row- wins:
*drumroll*
Favorite tiny German town.
1986 is when I first fell for
Rothenberg. Disney’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang featured scenes filmed in
this charming medieval town.
Dick Van Dyke, cobbled lanes and
colorful timbered cottages. Magic.
And in real life, it does not
disappoint:
Cozy backereis (glutenous bakeries),
Eis cafes (aspirational gelato), and rainbow-timbered cottages.
The trifecta of old-world perfection.
Finally. To Steinwenden we returned with stronger quads and grateful hearts and 1,638 photos so we never forget one moment.
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