Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

A four day weekend took us to the Bavarian Region of Germany to unwind from our hectic life and reconnect as a family. The Bavarian Region is home to some wildly beautiful scenery and its mountainous terrain is comparable to that of Colorado. Which, of course, still feels like home to us and a place that we sincerely miss. The destination we were basing ourselves out of was Garmisch-Partenkirchen, an idyllic town nestled at the foot of the Zugspitze, Germany's highest peak.

Our weekend was going to be one of outdoor adventure mixed with naps. We had six specific points of interest we hoped to see, 1. Fairytale and animal park for Brecken's enjoyment 2. Ettal Abbey 3. Zugspitze 4. Lake Eibsee 5. Partnach Gorge 6. Oberammergau Alpine Coaster. Upon entering the fairytale land, it felt as if we were launched into the past. Children rode ponies and a miniature train, viewed animals ranging from peacocks and sheep to bunnies and turtles, peeked into fairytale displays, scaled wooden playground sets, and drove bumper cars. It was simple and sweet. As we left the park, we decided to drive directly to the Ettal Abbey, an active monastery with beautiful Baroque style art and architecture. This monastery is unique in the fact that the monks operate their own brewery and distillery. Shocking right? These monks know what they are doing because they've been successfully brewing beer for the last 400 years!

The next day we purchased tickets for the Zugspitze at our hotel and departed early to beat the crowds. A cable car took us from the base to the top of the mountain. Once at the top, we gazed at mountain peaks from four different countries with a panoramic view like no other. Another short cable car ride gained us access to the glacier area where Brecken and Alex took a ride on a little sled. My shoes had zero tread so I didn't even attempt sledding down for fear I wouldn't be able to walk back up the hill! We shared hot chocolate and soft pretzels at a picnic table in the sun while we waited for the train to transport us down the hill to Lake Eibsee. Once at the Eibsee, we ate a German lunch on a patio overlooking the water and took a walk around the shoreline. The water sparkled various shades of green and blue as sun rays beamed down on its surface. Our nature lovers day ended at the Partnach Gorge. We walked an elevated path along the water, secured by a double rope railing. The narrow path weaved in and out of dark, wet caves, making us duck and dodge along the way. The water roared loudly as it made its way through the canyon. Waterfalls cascaded down the mountainside and the mist blew on our faces. Brecken reached his hands up in the air to catch the droplets of water dripping from the rocks and chuckled each time one landed on his hands.

The final must-do on our trip to this region was riding an Alpine coaster. Children under the age of three are not permitted to ride the coasters. Now, let me tell you, I don't enjoy lying and I am not good at it. It pains me to do so and can be seen written all over my face. I desperately wanted B to ride the coaster with us so we didn't have to take turns. I knew safety wise he would be ok since he would be on a seat between Alex and secured with a belt. With that being said, I fibbed to the lady at the desk and told her I needed a ticket for two adults and one child. She spoke to me in German telling me that she didn't think he appeared to be three. I quickly responded saying he definitely was and that he's just small for his age. The blankie and thumb sucking don't help him. She gave me the tickets and off we went. As we rode the ski lift to the top, my conscience kept nagging at me. Alex could tell I felt anxious and told me the polizei were probably waiting for us at the top to escort my lying ass back to the parking lot. The coasters were SO much fun, albeit the woman ahead of me was riding her brake too much, causing us all to forgo a wild ride with more speed. Brecken loved riding the coaster with Alex and seeing his excitement made me happy that I was able to weasel his way onto the ride!

Travel Notes

Accommodations
Edelweiss Lodge and Resort This is an American resort located on the military base in Garmisch and available to military members stationed or TDY in Europe. On our previous trip to Garmisch, Alex and I stayed at a great German hotel downtown. We decided to try out this resort since the rates were cheaper than those on the economy during the month of August. The resort was great in every aspect and we really loved eating pizza, wings, nachos, and onion rings while watching the Olympics on big screen tv's in the restaurant pub.

Children's Fairytale Park
Shongauer Animal and Fairytale Park

Ettal Abbey
Abbey website

Zugspitze
Zugspitze website
Access this website to find information regarding your visit to the Zugspitze and purchase tickets.

Partnach Gorge
Summer hours: 8:00-18:00
Winter hours: 9:00-17:00
Fees: Adults - 4 EUR, Children and Adolescents- 2.50 EUR
Strollers are not permitted for safety purposes. Note to mamas and papas: bring a carrier!
To find the Gorge, input Olympia-Skistadion (Olympic Ski Stadium) into your GPS. Parking is available at the stadium and from there you will walk 25 minutes on flat pavement before reaching the gorge entrance. You can also take a horse drawn carriage from the parking lot to the gorge.

Alpine Coaster
Kolbensattel Alpine Coaster
Check out this website to view videos of the coasters and find information on pricing and hours of operation. This location also has mountain biking, hiking, and playgrounds.


Itinerary- 4 days and 3 nights

• Day 1
• Depart Stuttgart by 9:00am and arrive at Shongauer Animal and Fairytale Park by 11:30am
• Playtime at park for 1.5 hours 
• Drive to Ettal Abbey (30 minute drive) 
• Tour Abbey and purchase items at gift store 
• Drive to Garmisch (20 minutes) 
• Check-in at resort and relax
• Dinner at resort 
• Day 2
• Breakfast at resort 
• Drive to Zugspitze (20 minutes) 
• Take Funicular up to the peak
• Sled on the glacier 
• Train ride down the mountain
• Walk to Lake Eibsee ( 5 minute walk from parking lot) 
• Lunch at Lake Eibsee Pavillon (really great food!)
• Walk around the lake
• Drive to Partnach Gorge (30 minutes) 
• Hike through the Gorge 
• Drive back to resort
• Dinner at resort 
• Day 3
• Breakfast at resort 
• Drive to Oberammergau (25 minutes) 
• Ride Kolben chair lift to summit
• Biergarten and Playground
• Ride the Alpine Coaster
• Roam around downtown Garmisch
• Dinner at the Resort (Couldn't resist the American bar food for the third night)
• Day 4 
• Check-out and travel day

Mallorca, Spain

Celebrating fourth of July while living abroad is less stars and stripes, no s'mores or fireworks, and more of a small block of time to settle into a relaxing vacation when the summer weather is at its best. I phoned a friend of mine who would be visiting us during this time period and gave her three locations to choose from for our weekend getaway. We were secretly crossing our fingers she would go for the beach trip but wouldn't hold it against her if she decided for the city or mountains instead. After a few days of pondering, she came back with what he had hoped for.. Mallorca. 

An island of Spain and the largest of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, Mallorca is a popular destination because of its clear water and unspoiled beaches, capital of Palma, and scenic mountainside towns. So in reality, this destination is great if you can't agree on a specific landscape.  Since we only had two full days on the island, we decided to spend one day at the beach and one day split between the mountain town of Sóller and the city of Palma.

My husband grew up on the beach, which I believe has rooted him in his love for salt water and sand. Then there's me... better matched with a lake environment. I like the idea of the beach but can't get past the feeling of unwanted sand in too many places. This weird quirk of mine didn't hold me back from enjoying our beach day! We ran across the hot sand to a little beach hut selling the best mojitos and Breck begged for an ice cream cone, of course. The refreshing treats were gone before we could navigate the crowded beach back to our towels. The rest of the day was spent in the water, keeping us nice and cool from the soaring temperatures and giving us some good laughs on the paddle board.

The landscape changed dramatically as we drove north into the mountains to the little town of Sóller. We slowly made our way to the central area as we window shopped along the way. Brecken counted mopeds and waved at passengers on the wood paneled tram as we sat at a cafe beside the tracks. Monique had her first and last taste of mussels with aioli which was documented on video for her husband and children back in Boston. They were washed down with an espresso and forgotten about as we planned our next move towards the Port of Sóller. We climbed onto the tram and sat back as it slowly made its way towards the port. A breeze blew over us as the little train chugged along, giving us views of Spanish homes with clothes hanging out to dry, large lemon trees, and mountains opening up to the seaside. 

We drove out of the mountains and into the city to peek around at Palma. The hours in the day and temperament of a toddler were dwindling, giving us only enough time to walk through the cathedral and sit down for one last meal of tapas and paella. Although short, this trip was so much fun. We raised our glasses of sangria to a wonderful vacation with our dear friend, Monique. 


Travel Notes 

Purpose of Trip
Answer this question before you decide where you want to stay and what you want to do. Some people go to Mallorca and solely stay downtown in the city of Palma. Others stay in the mountain side towns and look at the beaches from afar. While some only want to stay at an all-inclusive hotel directly on the beach and not move from their lounge chair and endless cocktails. Narrowing down your ideal trip will make researching accommodations and activities so much easier. 

Accommodations
After searching endless hours for hotel rooms or a suite that would fit three adults and a child, I shifted gears and looked for apartments. The apartment was amazing and definitely a place we would love to go back to. Rental Listing

Transportation
I would recommend renting a car to explore the island. There's so much to see and it gives you the freedom to take a scenic drive to various villages and coves. Click the link below to access prices and times of the tram mentioned in the blog post.
Tren de Soller Timetable

Restaurants
Cyrano, Cala Mayor
Calypso, Cala Mayor 
El Tunel, Palma 

Itinerary- 4 days and 3 nights

• Day 1
• Afternoon flight from Stuttgart to Mallorca
• Pick up car reservation and drive to Cala Mayor
• Check-in 
• Patio lunch at Cyrano (Food and Sangria were so good!) 
• Walk around the beach town of Cala Mayor
• Grocery shopping 
• Dinner at the apartment 
• Day 2
• Breakfast at the apartment 
• Beach day!
• Patio dinner at Calypso 
• Day 3
• Breakfast at the apartment 
• Drive to Sóller (30 minutes from Cala Mayor)
• Tour the town of Sóller
• Tram to Port of Sóller
• Tour the Port town and hop the tram back to Sóller
• Drive to Palma (30 minutes from Sóller) 
• Palma Cathedral 
• Passeig des Born 
• Dinner at El Tunel 
• Day 4 
• Check-out and travel day

Oktoberfest für Kinder

 We gave our little ones the chance to have their own fest themed party in a secret little garden behind a half-timbered house. The attire of choice was lederhosen, Brecken looking out of sorts with his bright red converse sneakers, a fashion faux pas I'm quite sure. They sat at the table chugging down sparkling apple juice out of miniature mugs and carrying on a conversation like two old men over a good drink.