Love Locks...

While geocaching, we crossed a bridge and noticed that there were padlocks attached to the railing. On closer inspection, we saw that there were names engraved on them. This was the first time we’ve seen love locks, which apparently have cropped up in cities around the world.

More Geocaching in Munich...

Within the Olympic Park and Olympic Village, there were also several cool geocaches. This one was disguised to look like a water main cover.

The one above looked like it might have been a cache, but was actually a bird feeder with a note at the bottom saying “This is not a geocache.” The other looked like a bird feeder and was actually a cache.

















This one was up high, but Ashlynn still managed to reach it.

Geocaching in Munich...

Since all the shops are closed in Munich on Sundays and we weren’t in the mood to go to a museum, we decided to fill our time with geocaching. We were pleased that there were several very cool caches within walking distance from our hotel. We had a tough time finding this one as it was buried deep under this giant blue sculpture.

We walked right past this one, but Ashlynn finally noticed that the warning sign was upside down on this fake electrical box.

We were surprised to find a cache rated 4 out of 5 for difficulty in an urban area. Once we figured out that it was below a low overpass next to a canal, we understood why. No surprise that Ashlynn didn’t hesitate from retrieving it. Are you surprised that Jimmy didn’t hesitate from retrieving another from the bum of this monk statue?

BMW Factory Tour and Olympic Village..

Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take photos during the 2.5 hour BMW Factory Tour. We were a bit disappointed when we went into the first few rooms and the robots (which the guide called rabbits) seemed to be on a lunch break. Perhaps that made it even more exciting once we did see them in action. We especially loved watching the robots painting cars and installing windshields.

Afterwards, we wandered around the nearby Olympic Park from the 1972 Summer Olympics.

While in search of a geocache, we happened past the memorial outside the apartment building in the Olympic Village where 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were kidnapped and then later killed by Palestinian terrorists.

Back to Munich...

Normally, we fly home on the Sunday after skiing. This year, the girls had more than a week off which allowed us to extend until Tuesday morning so we could go on a tour of the BMW Factory in Munich, which is only open during the week.

As we passed through the Marienplatz, we managed to see the show of 32 life-sized figures on the Rathaus-Glockenspiel, which was built in 1908. I especially liked the jousting.

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.