Day 10 &11

Day 10, "Ben's Day"--Snowboarding was great today. I realized when I got to the top and was a bit rusty, that it had been three years since I last went. After a few runs, though, I was feeling back to my old mediocre snowboarding self. The place was called Classic Valley, just below Zugspitze – the highest mountain in Germany. Due to lack of good snow, only about a third of the resort was open. The weather was absolutely perfect – sunny all day with perfect blue sky, which made for great scenery. The niceness of the views made up for the less than stellar snow quality and iciness. It was fun being by myself for the day, after 10 days of the girls clinging to me at every move. I pushed myself to the point of exhaustion, then walked back to the lodge through some picturesque farmland in Garmisch. Every muscle I didn’t know I had was sore by the time I got back and the outdoor hottub was really nice after dinner. Hopefully I’ll get to go snowboarding before three years passes by again.

Riding up the gondola, with Garmisch behind me

Nice view of the Bavarian Alps and beyond

German soldiers getting ready for winter ski training

The lodge at the top, with the famous Zugspitze (the tallest mountain in Germany) in the background

Day 11, "Mary's Day"--

I went to Linderhof Palace today, by myself, and it was quite nice! The girls have been troopers, but I think they’re a little “toured” out. It was a freshly fallen snow morning, and as we drove through the mountains and meadows, I had the strong desire to Cross Country Ski! But the palace was pretty, and there was a nice scenic walk to get there. This time, his place was dedicated to King Louis XV (plus or minus—I never was good at the details in history). …BUT there was a piano there he included for Richard Wagner… eh? (If you’ll remember my idea on those two from the Neuschwanstein trip…)

Anyway, after that tour, I went to Oberammergau—the woodcarving capital in Germany. Of course I was abliged to buy a pyramid (one of those Christmas decorations with a “fan” on top, and the candles underneath fuel the spinning…), and some other things-- like the European scarf/shawls they all wear, and other woodcarved goods.

The center one is mine!

View from drive home

*Fun fact on this town for history people: So several centuries ago, this town was spared lives from the Black Death infecting everyone around them. In their rejoicing, they struck a deal with God and performed a “Passion Play”—an all day dramatic story of Christ’s crucifixion—lasting 100 days in a row. They still do this, every 10 years, seeing 5,000 per day during their shows! Anyway, I finished off my “day of alone time” with a heated stone massage at the lodge. Thanks, Ben!