Well I am FINALLY posting the last bit or our Garmisch photos.  If you need a refresher click here for the Neuschwanstein photos and here for the first set of photos from Garmisch.
After an adventurous time at the peak of the Zugspitz, we took the cable car down to the Eibsee.  We still needed to take a short train ride in order to get back to Garmisch, but decided to spend a little time on the lake first.  The water of this little mountain lake is so clear and the setting is just gorgeous.  We saw some paddle boats and were just about to rent one, but then I spotted the rowboats.  I knew that one of those would be way more fun, and more photogenic of course ;-).  So off we went.  Jason did most (read “all”) of the rowing as he enjoyed it so much and I was completely content with sitting back and taking pictures.  I did just enough rowing so that he could take a photo of me.

That evening we went into town for a lovely German meal and then walked around a bit afterward.

On Sunday we drove to the mountains near the town of Berchtesgaden for a hike up to the Kehlsteinhaus, or Eagle’s Nest.  The Kehsteinhaus is a small retreat built as a 50th birthday present for Hitler–a place where he could go to entertain guests.  Hitler visited the retreat less than a dozen times, which may be one of the reasons why it was not demolished at the end of the war.  The Eagle’s nest is partly famous for its Brass Elevator that carries visitors 124 meters straight through the mountain it stands on.  There is a road, open only to buses, that leads to the Kehlsteinhaus, but Jason and I decided to hike the trail instead.  It wound relentlessly upward and we were exhausted when we finally reached the top.  We thought that the Eagle’s Nest would be set up as a sort of informational center, with photos and some history, but we were surprised to see that it serves solely as a restaurant now.

And finally, here is one last photo of the beautiful countryside near Garmisch.

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!