These poor photos have been sitting in a folder on my computer’s desktop, just waiting for some attention.  We went to Garmisch (southern Germany, in Bavaria) at the beginning of September–it was officially our last trip before Jason had to leave.  Jason’s last few weeks went by so quickly, as we were preparing everything and also just trying to enjoy his time remaining in Germany.  So without further ado (not adieu–yes, I had to look it up…) here is the first round of Garmisch photos!  These first two were taken as we were just arriving.  Normally I don’t take pictures while we are driving, but those clouds were just so pretty.  I rolled down the window and stuck my head and camera out–it was chilly!

The next day we rode the Zugspitzbahn, which includes a cog railway and multiple cablecars that take passengers all the way up and around the Zugspitze, the highest point in all of Germany.  The Zugspitze stands at 3,000 meters (around 10,000 feet) above sea level.  First, we took the cog train partway up the mountain, which includes going through a long tunnel carved in the mountain rock.  These next two photos are from the Zugspitz glacier, 300 meters below the summit.  This is where the railway ended.

We took a cable car up the rest of the way.  There is a building on the summit where all the cable cars pull in and which includes a cafe’, a reception area for weddings and other events, and some photos and information about the Zugspitze.  Surrounding the building are a few large terraces so you can get a good view all around.  I had to take a picture of these neat little icicles stuck to railings.  It was very foggy and cold when we got up there and we couldn’t see much.  Little black birds, like the one below were everywhere–I don’t know how they can stand such frigid temperatures.

Also at the summit, there is a small trail that leads to the very tip-top of the mountain.  Jason decided to climb up it, and I decided I would gladly (and safely) stay behind the railing and take photos.  In the picture below, he is the guy at the bottom in his blue jacket.

And here he is at the highest point in Germany!  The fog had let up a bit and I was able to get some clear shots of him.
I have one last group of Garmisch photos coming up to share so stay tuned!

A couple weeks ago, Jason and I took an extended weekend trip to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a city in beautiful Bavaria. We left Wiesbaden on Friday morning and made a stop on the way there to see the famous Neuschwanstein Castle. King Ludwig II commissioned the construction of Neuschwanstein in 1869. The King made it to be a retreat and dedicated it to the work of Richard Wagner. Scenes from Wagner’s operas are painted throughout the castle. King Ludwig also loved swans and worked them into the architecture and decoration of the castle. There is even a sink with running water in his bedroom made in the shape of a swan. In 1886, as construction of the castle neared completion, King Ludwig drowned in the shallow waters of a nearby lake, shortly after being declared insane. Visit this website for more information!

I was sad to find out that photography is not permitted inside the castle. However, as we were walking out, I did grab this shot looking out through one of the windows.

Jason took this shot looking down on Hohenschwangau from up by Neuschwanstein. The castle pictured was the residence of King Ludwig II and his parents. Jason also took the black and white shot below of Neuschwanstein from down by Hohenschwangau.

It was raining on and off all afternoon. As we were leaving, we saw this rainbow and had to pull over to get a photo of it. So pretty! Well, that’s it for Neuschwanstein. Come back soon for some shots of the Zugspitze in Garmisch. It’s the highest mountain in all of Germany!

I know that the New Year has come and gone, but I still have some Christmas photos to show you–better late than never!  Jason snapped this first one as we were driving along taking in the sights (we did stop and get out of the car; not even Jason has that steady a hand).  He likes his sunflare shots, and what can I say, he’s darn good at them.  The second and third shots were taken while we were walking around in Salzburg, Austria.  If you look closely at the yellow building there you will see that it reads “Mozarts Geburtshaus”.  Mozart was born here on January 27, 1756.  This just goes to show how cool people born in January are

These next three photos were taken at a coffee shop we stopped at on our way to Kufstein.  We weren’t in Kufstein yet, but I can’t remember exactly where we were…Tyler, Antje–chime in if you know!  If you notice below, Jason managed to get a shot of all four of us!  The white and yellow church was right across the street from the coffee shop.

This last shot was actually in Kufstein.  Jason took it while we were on our way to this cozy little restaurant for a bowl of the Knoblauchsuppe that Tyler kept raving about.  It was very delicious, but that wasn’t the best part.  The owner of this restaurant was quite the practical joker.  When he brought out Antje’s hot tea, he was holding a decoy teacup and saucer in his other hand and he proceeded to drop this one in her lap, with the most horrified look on his face.  Needless to say, the cup was empty and was connected to the saucer with a piece of string.  We all laughed hysterically after we realized that Antje was not actually burned by boiling water.  In case we didn’t already love the guy, he had another trick up his sleeve.  While we were all enjoying our Knoblauchsuppe, our table suddenly lifted up from the ground a few feet.  Jason’s first reaction was to push down on it, thinking that it might be tipping over.  That night is one I’ll always look back upon with a big smile.   All-in-all our time in Bavaria (and Austria) was absolutely wonderful and went by much too quickly, but hopefully we can visit again before too long!  Thanks for looking through the last of our Christmas photos!

Jason and I had such a wonderful time in Aschau, Bavaria.  We took so many pictures and I’ve only posted a few of them so far below.  I will post the rest of them in a little while.  We were able to spend our Christmas holiday with Antje’s amazing family.  Her uncle has lived in Bavaria all of his life; he and his family were so hospitable and generous to us.  The evening Jason and I arrived we were greeted with hearty hugs and a “Grüß Gott” from each one.  The first shot below is of my hubby standing in the beautiful field that was right outside of the apartment we stayed in.   Next is the church that Antje’s family went to for the Heiligabend service before we arrived.

On Christmas day we went to a cute restaurant where they had set aside a whole room for our group.  Jason and I got to eat the traditional goose meal and it was delicious!

Here is a church that Tyler, Antje, Jason and I walked to from our apartment the day after Christmas.  The sunlight was streaming into one of the windows, which created some beautiful lighting.

Finally, here is an amazing shot that Jason took of a beautifully decorated, traditional Bavarian building.  We were driving by the building when Tyler asked us if we wanted to take a picture of it.  Sadly, I must admit, I dismissed the idea as I couldn’t really envision how I could photograph the building, with all the cars and shadows from the sun behind it.  Jason, on the other hand, jumped out of the car and took a few shots.  When he came back with this one I was truly amazed.  He has such a great eye and our perspectives differ greatly when photographing.  It is always good to have my eyes opened by seeing the world through another’s.