German Adventures, Day 2 - The Zugspitze

Day 2 was one of the definite highlights of the vacation - a trip to the top of the Zugspitze, the tallest mountain peak in Germany. We started off walking to the train station, enjoying the magnificent views and the warmth of the day. Then we got on the cogwheel train which took us most of the way up the mountain, up to the point known as the Zugspitzeplatz, a bit below the summit. The views of the mountains, small villages, and alpine lakes along the way were amazing.

When we got off the train - wow! The sun sparkling on the snow was brilliant, and it was actually warm up there, even with all the snow. We explored the Zugspitzeplatz for a while, walking up to the tiny chapel, throwing a snowball or two, enjoying a snack of pommes frites (fries) and Spezi (a yummy drink that's a mixture of coke and orange fanta) and even sledding.

Then came the last leg of our journey to the summit - the little cable car. In it we climbed to the very top, and up there it was quite chilly and windy. Not to mention, the clouds were beginning to take over, so there was even a bit of mist. Not too much to impede our fun though, just enough that we couldn't necessarily see to Austria or Switzerland like you can on a clear day. But what was really cool was how you could see patches of sunlight glistening on the snow through the clouds. So neat!

After taking another (slightly bigger) cable car and the train back down into Garmisch, we wandered around the town for a while, explored the Olympiastadium and the ski jump from the 1936 Olympics, and then met Dad (after his conference) for a schnitzel dinner at a local Gasthaus.

(Because Mom ended up leaving early, this is the only family photo we managed on the trip.)