Austria? Check!
Feeling better today, so here goes:
We decided, spur-of-the-moment, to go back down to Garmisch at Edelweiss Lodge. We did a quick overnight in January. It just wasn't enough time to really settle in and enjoy the area and the lodge, both of which are so fantastic as to defy description. I mean, I can try to describe the amazing, majestic beauty of the Alps or the quaint, Sound of Music-esque rolling foothills and breathtaking villages, but I would just run out of adjectives. I could never do justice with mere words.
We packed up and left on Monday. The first half of the drive was very rainy, then suddenly sunny for awhile, then rainy again. I despise driving in heavy rain, especially on the Autobahn with 1.6 million trucks throwing spray. Just outside of Ulm (and Neu Ulm, there is a Neu Ulm right next door), the weather started improving and by the time we got off the Autobahn and onto a two-lane secondary (read: better scenery than the Autobahn) road, there was a vivid rainbow and the sun was out.
We took the shortcut through Austria this time. It's faster to dip down into Austria, go through the mountain passes and come back up into Garmisch. Garmisch is right on the German-Austrian border. Last time we went, we took the Romantische Strasse, which is amazingly amazing, but takes a lot longer. Going through Austria and the mountains was just as good and shaved a lot of time off the trip. When we pulled into Garmisch, it was in the mid-50s, sunny and beautiful.
We spent Monday at the hotel, hanging out. They have a great pool and an outdoor hot tub. It's really more like a hot pool about 3' deep with benches all around and not overly swirly, like some hot tubs. The kids loved it and so did I. I am definitely adding "outdoor hot tub/pool" to my dream house list. We spent a lot of time getting wrinkly in there. Josiah and I went in after supper on Monday night and sat up to our shoulders in the hot water while snow fell.
Tuesday, we went to Innsbruck, Austria. It was...OK. The weather was starting to get a little nasty. The clouds were very low, obscuring the tops of the mountains, which took away from the beauty that I suspect surrounds Innsbruck. We didn't have any real plans in the city, we just wanted to visit an Austrian city and Innsbruck happens to be about 40 miles from Garmisch. We wandered around in the city, which was beautiful despite the weather. Ate at an Austrian McDonald's, peeked in at least one cathedral and then headed home. Hopefully, next time we go to Austria, the weather will be a little more pleasant.
It started snowing in earnest on Tuesday night and by the time we woke up on Wednesday, there was at least a foot of snow on the ground and more coming down. We decided not to risk the drive and decided to spend one more night at Edelweiss. Had to change rooms, but that wasn't a big deal as we ended up in the best suite the hotel had...snowy views of the Zugspitze, two levels, three TVs. Somehow, we suffered through it!
So, that's our Austrian adventure. Despite the snow, beauty galore. I feel certain we'll be heading that direction again soon.
Next stop: Disneyland Paris.
We decided, spur-of-the-moment, to go back down to Garmisch at Edelweiss Lodge. We did a quick overnight in January. It just wasn't enough time to really settle in and enjoy the area and the lodge, both of which are so fantastic as to defy description. I mean, I can try to describe the amazing, majestic beauty of the Alps or the quaint, Sound of Music-esque rolling foothills and breathtaking villages, but I would just run out of adjectives. I could never do justice with mere words.
We packed up and left on Monday. The first half of the drive was very rainy, then suddenly sunny for awhile, then rainy again. I despise driving in heavy rain, especially on the Autobahn with 1.6 million trucks throwing spray. Just outside of Ulm (and Neu Ulm, there is a Neu Ulm right next door), the weather started improving and by the time we got off the Autobahn and onto a two-lane secondary (read: better scenery than the Autobahn) road, there was a vivid rainbow and the sun was out.
We took the shortcut through Austria this time. It's faster to dip down into Austria, go through the mountain passes and come back up into Garmisch. Garmisch is right on the German-Austrian border. Last time we went, we took the Romantische Strasse, which is amazingly amazing, but takes a lot longer. Going through Austria and the mountains was just as good and shaved a lot of time off the trip. When we pulled into Garmisch, it was in the mid-50s, sunny and beautiful.
We spent Monday at the hotel, hanging out. They have a great pool and an outdoor hot tub. It's really more like a hot pool about 3' deep with benches all around and not overly swirly, like some hot tubs. The kids loved it and so did I. I am definitely adding "outdoor hot tub/pool" to my dream house list. We spent a lot of time getting wrinkly in there. Josiah and I went in after supper on Monday night and sat up to our shoulders in the hot water while snow fell.
Tuesday, we went to Innsbruck, Austria. It was...OK. The weather was starting to get a little nasty. The clouds were very low, obscuring the tops of the mountains, which took away from the beauty that I suspect surrounds Innsbruck. We didn't have any real plans in the city, we just wanted to visit an Austrian city and Innsbruck happens to be about 40 miles from Garmisch. We wandered around in the city, which was beautiful despite the weather. Ate at an Austrian McDonald's, peeked in at least one cathedral and then headed home. Hopefully, next time we go to Austria, the weather will be a little more pleasant.
It started snowing in earnest on Tuesday night and by the time we woke up on Wednesday, there was at least a foot of snow on the ground and more coming down. We decided not to risk the drive and decided to spend one more night at Edelweiss. Had to change rooms, but that wasn't a big deal as we ended up in the best suite the hotel had...snowy views of the Zugspitze, two levels, three TVs. Somehow, we suffered through it!
So, that's our Austrian adventure. Despite the snow, beauty galore. I feel certain we'll be heading that direction again soon.
Next stop: Disneyland Paris.
Comments
The signs outside the establishments on the Innsbruck street are reminiscent of Salzburg. When you go to Salzburg, you must patronize their Mc Donald's! It's awesome.
I'm kidding. For the most part.