Karaoke Night at Edelweiss...

Thursday night was karaoke night at Zuggy’s. Here’s Veronica dancing with her biggest fan, Kaspar.

And here’s Jimmy rocking out (no idea where he learned how to play air guitar).

Veronica and Nate didn’t hesitate to get up and sing. They started with Twist and Shout, with Jimmy and Kaspar dancing along. Unfortunately, it was difficult to hear them since the sound system wasn’t set right (or perhaps it was set to protect the audience from bad singers).

For their second song, they sang Sk8ter Boi by Avril Lavigne. Of course, I always enjoy hearing Veronica sing and I was impressed that Nate joined her. After we got home, he dropped by her school for a tour and then asked her out on her first date.

Day of Sightseeing...

As much as I don’t typically enjoy guided tours, I booked myself on a tour of Linderhof Palace. No photos were allowed to be taken inside this small but spectacular palace built in 1876 for King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Much of the interior was fashioned after Versailles, including a Hall of Mirrors, as Mad Ludwig was obsessed with King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

The grounds and grotto are supposed to be quite beautiful, but were closed for the winter.

At least all that snow made for a scenic walk from the bus.

We stopped in Oberammergau for lunch. I was happy to be able to join a group of ladies from Frankfurt for lunch and some shopping. Afterwards, we stopped at Ettal Monastery, where we admired the frescoes under the dome and tasted the monk’s special cloister liqueur.

Hiking Beyond the Gorge...

Once we made it through the gorge, we set off on a hike. Our goal was to go up and over the mountain to the ski resort as we had done several years ago. The first part of the trail was through packed snow, so we didn’t wear the snowshoes.

Eventually we ran out of forged path and needed the snowshoes to continue onward. It was pretty amazing to realize that we were really alone out there.

It was incredibly beautiful and peaceful. Unfortunately, it soon became evident that Jimmy had led us astray (we didn’t agree about the turn just past the gorge) and that we wouldn’t make it to our destination before dark. It then became a race against time to get back to the gorge before the gates on the path were closed, which would have forced us into a major detour. Luckily we made it with five minutes to spare!

Frozen Waterfalls...

After lunch, we continued up the road to Partnach Gorge. This was our fourth visit and we were still amazed by the beauty and the force of the rushing water.

Snowshoeing...

Before we left for Garmisch, my friend Jane loaned me a pair of snowshoes. They didn’t fit in my suitcase, but the idea stuck and we decided to rent some. These aren’t the old-fashioned ones that look like tennis rackets, but rather modern sports gear that really did stop us from sinking into the deep snow. They look clunky, but were actually very easy to walk in. Jimmy was thrilled that we’d found a winter sport that I liked.

Whereas we normally have to walk along the cross country ski paths and listen to skiers yell at us in German, now we could forge our own paths across the valley towards the ski jump stadium where we ate lunch.

Hitting the Slopes...

Ready to hit the slopes

On Monday, the girls skied with Jimmy. Ski school started on Tuesday. They moved up to an intermediate class this year; being in class together again was their idea.

The Gondola took them up the
mountain to meet Jimmy

The official photo on their
last day of ski school

On Friday, Jimmy got permission to ski along with their class to video all the kids so Veronica could put together a movie. Hope you’ll agree that he did even a better job skiing backwards than last year.

With Madison and Nate, new
friends from Wassenaar

They really liked their instructor and the other kids in the class, which were mainly expat kids living in The Hague or Germany. On Friday night, several of the kids joined them and Jimmy for night sledding.

Back to Garmisch...

For the girls’ February break, we headed back to Garmisch in the German Alps for the 4th time. Unlike previous years, we decided to skip going to Munich this time and just concentrate on having the girls ski for six days.

Jimmy headed off early Monday morning to start skiing, while us girls slept in. I then walked the girls to the slopes on a beautiful sunny day.

There was a lot more snow on the ground than we’d ever seen here. Little did we know that morning that it would lightly snow non-stop for three days later in the week.

Strangely, this was the only time I actually got to spend any time during the day with the girls. We also rarely ate together as Jimmy and I often went into town for dinner rather than eating at the resort. Not our typical family togetherness, but we all had fun.

Hiking through the Slush...

On our last day in Garmisch, we left the girls behind while we took a hike on the mountain behind the hotel. We’d foolishly listened to the girl at the activity desk who’d told us that the conditions were great on the path. It turned out that much of the path was iced over. Luckily Jimmy had brought along his monopod, which I used as a walking stick.

We came across this memorial to soldiers from Garmisch that had died in World War II. It was with mixed emotions that I walked around looking at the plaques, each with a photo of mostly young men that died. While I have no compassion for Nazis, this was a touching way for the locals to remember their lost soldiers.

It was a slow slog up the icy mountain path, but we finally made it up to the ski hut for lunch and some local brews. We managed to make it back down without any injuries. When we went to Munich the next day, we went to Globetrotter, our favorite outdoor adventure store, and I bought a set of collapsible walking sticks so I can be better prepared for our next icy hike.

Ski School...

The girls took ski lessons for four days. They opted to be in the same intermediate class. As you can see, Ashlynn’s still snow plowing, but has no fear even on the advanced slopes. On the last day of class, Jimmy followed along with his GoPro video camera on a monopod (which meant that he had no poles and often skied backwards). He filmed each student, then Veronica sliced together the bits to make this movie.

Surprise! Beer Schnapps is Delicious...

One dinner was organized for a large group from Jimmy’s office at a traditional Bavarian restaurant that featured two boys doing a strange slap dance. The food was mediocre, but we loved the after dinner drinks: hot beer schnapps with whipped cream. It sounded gross, but was surprisingly delicious. As you can see, Bob and Jan clearly enjoyed it.

Beauty of Partnach Gorge...

Despite three previous visits to Partnach Gorge, I was excited about going to this breathtakingly beautiful natural monument with Johanna and Olivia. This year the frozen waterfalls were covered in snow, which gave a different dimension to the scenery.

Unlike previous years, we merely walked through the gorge without going on any crazy hikes. Afterwards, we had lunch at the ski jumping stadium used in the 1936 Winter Olympics.

An Excellent Bavarian Dinner...

Our favorite dinner was with Jan, Bob, Natalie, Johanna, Frank and Olivia at a quaint Bavarian restaurant in downtown Garmisch. We finished the evening with traditional apple schnapps, which was more interesting to watch being poured than it was to drink.

Snow Ball Fight...

One evening, Jimmy organized a big snowball fight for all the kids in our group, although you can’t tell that from these photos of just my family. As the instigator and biggest kid of all, it’s not surprising that Jimmy got clobbered.

Cross Country Skiing...

Another day, Jimmy talked me into trying cross country skiing. We thought maybe it would be more my speed since I’m not a fan of downhill skiing because of my fear of falling. Turns out, that I wasn’t a big fan of this either as I never got the rhythm down. Luckily one of Jan’s friends was with us and her husband was nice enough to pick us up at our lunch stop after our two-hour journey.

This was the first time we’d seen our hotel from this vantage point.

Germany’s Highest Point...

I joined Jan, Bob and their daughter Natalie for a day at the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain at 9,720 feet (2,962 meters). We took a cog train, which was disappointing since half of the journey was in a tunnel, up to the base of the ski resort. Luckily, the views from the top weren’t disappointing at all. 

While Jan went skiing with a friend, Bob, Natalie and I took the gondola to the top for lunch where we found excellent food, beer and views.

Jan didn’t ski this slope, but I thought this was a cool photo.

Sledding in the German Alps...

Clearly the girls take after their daddy. While I am willing to walk up a small hill and sled down, I chickened out when it came to going up a gondola to ride down a mountain on a rickety wooden contraption. The girls, however, didn’t hesitate to go sledding both during the day and the night with Jimmy and had a blast.

Back to Garmisch, Germany

For February break, we went on the company ski trip to Garmisch, Germany so the girls could go to ski school. I was thrilled that two of my friends from the AWC were along on the trip. Johanna, Frank and Olivia traveled with us from Holland; we all laughed at this sign on the train.

There was no ski school on that first day which was President’s Day, so Jimmy took the girls skiing and sledding. I spent the day with Jan and Bob. We went to the Eibsee, a lake at the foot of Germany’s tallest mountain, for a walk. The last time I was at this lake several years ago, Jimmy and I had cycled here and the paths were completely iced over. Luckily, there was a lot more snow, so the walking was much easier.

Afterwards, we had lunch in Grainau at this charming Bavarian restaurant.