Standing on the Zugspitze: Germany's Highest Point

This past weekend we had the opportunity to stay in Garmisch for an Army Marriage Retreat. We decided to spend our free time on Saturday at the highest place in Germany, the Zugspitze, which stands at 2,962 meters above see level.

We first took our bus to the building at the base of the mountain. We then rode up the mountain on a train. This journey surely isn't for those who are afraid of heights or who are slightly claustrophobic! Our train traveled through a rock tunnel up the mountain with only inches on either side of the train!

We arrived at one of the glaciers on the mountain. It was our first time seeing snow so far this season. The views from the glacier were spectacular! With all of the white snow surrounding us, it felt as if we were in heaven!

Spectators sitting and enjoying the view

There were sleds available for us to use, so we zoomed down the hill with all of the other children and "young at heart" adults. It's been a long time since either one of us rode a sled! I had a little trouble with steering and almost collided with a few kids.

Amanda about to go down the hill on a sled

Chris sledding down the hill

Off he goes!

The sun setting behind the mountain

We enjoyed beer, gluhwein (warm spiced wine) and pretzels with our fantastic view!

The restaurant on the glacier

Enjoying our Bavarian snack

I spotted a tiny rainbow in the sky!

We then took a gondola up to the very top of the mountain. We saw some people hiking up the side, but we much preferred our method of transportation. From the very top, you could see so much of Germany and Austria.

Our gondola we took to the top of the mountain

The staff marks the highest point of Germany

View from the Zugspitze

The Eibsee lake down below where we swam in a paddle boat last summer (check out our previous blog post for pictures)

We almost went into the wrong country on our way down! We accidentally were standing in Austria's line instead of Germany's. Who knew you could go to the top of a mountain in one country and go down into another! Luckily we were directed to the right line and made it safely back down to Germany.

Vilseck Kirwa

This past weekend we participated in the Vilseck Kirwafest. Kirwa means "celebration of the consecration of a church." Every town has their own Kirwa, usually held in the fall.

On Saturday, Chris helped all of the local German men lift the Kirwa tree. This is no ordinary tree. It was several stories high and decorated with ribbons and wreaths. The process of lifting the tree is a lengthy one. Long sticks tied together with rope are place on either side of the tree. Inch by inch the tree rises as the men push up on the sticks. The head Kirwa organizer calls out instructions to the men. For his hard work, Chris was rewarded with a free beer from one of the locals.

Chris and his friend Steven pushing up the Kirwa tree

Chris and I enjoying a beer after the tree was lifted

Then on Sunday a church service is held, followed by the Kirwa boys picking up the Kirwa girls and parading into the castle square.

The band marching into the square

Adorable Vilseck children in their traditional clothes

The young adults of Vilseck then sang and danced around the Kirwa tree.

Baskets full of sweets were added to the tree overnight

One girl and one boy then climbed the ladder to the baskets

They then threw down sweets to the awaiting children

All of the participants in front of the Kirwa tree

 Later that night, the party continued with a band and of course, beer!

Chris and I loved being able to experience true local German culture. We enjoy seeing all of the tourist attractions in the major cities, but this was a unique experience most tourists don't get to see. The German people are very connected to their heritage and embrace their traditions.

Exploring Dresden

Last weekend we traveled to Dresden for a long weekend. Dresden was one of the most heavily bombed cities during WWII. Since then, all of the important architecture has been rebuilt; the buildings here are some of the most beautiful ones we've seen so far in Europe.

The first thing we came across was a little French market set up in a market square. They were selling soaps, crepes and macaroons!

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring many of the historic buildings in the altstadt (old town).

Kreuzkirche

Apparently in Germany the 4th Ninja Turtle is not Donatello, but actually Erwin von Steinbach!

Putting my toes in the Elbe River

Courtyard of the Zwinger

The Zwinger

Semperoper (Opera House) The birthplace of German opera

We finished our evening by attending the concert of the Dresdner Kreuzchor boys' choir. They are a world famous choir that performs at the Kreuzkirche. The acoustics of the church were phenomenal, which created a very powerful performance.

The next day we had beautiful weather, so I made sure to capture many pictures of all the gorgeous buildings.

Frauenkirche

A piece of the original church (before the bombing of 1945)

Procession of Princes (rulers of Saxony)

Hofkirche (the Catholic church)

We took a 90 minute cruise on the Elbe River. The Elbe is one of Europe's major rivers.

Vineyard on the banks of the Elbe

The "Blue Wonder" is the name the locals call the Loschwitz Bridge. The bridge was built in 1893; at the time, it was a wonder that a bridge this long could be supported without river piers. The "blue" in the name comes from the urban legend that the bridge was originally painted green but that the sun turned it blue over time. The bridge wasn't blown up during WWII because two locals cut the detonator wires to the explosives.

Blue Wonder

View of the city from the river

We enjoyed bratwurst sandwiches after the cruise with a fantastic view of the Elbe.

After lunch, we visited the Residenzschloss, which houses several museums. The most spectacular museum we saw was the Neues Grunes Gewolbe (New Green Vault) which contains the unique goldsmithery items made by court jeweller Dinglinger. Dinglinger created some of the finest Baroque jewelry art. The museum doesn't allow photography, but I found some pictures online of the most beautiful pieces.

We climbed the tower in the Residenzschloss to get a great view of the city.

Part of the clock mechanisms 

Chris enjoying the view

We spotted several hot air balloons taking off on the banks of the Elbe.

We finished our trip by visiting the Natural History Museum. It was a different perspective to see history from the German perspective. Most of the artifacts that were displayed originated in Europe.

Chris compared to a woolly mammoth