Mittenwald

Jenn:

Today was THE day…we woke up early so we could take a day trip with Sarah down to Mittenwald, a little town in the heart of Bavaria. Mom had seen this area on a special with Samantha Brown and really had her heart set on seeing it in person. It is supposed to be very similar to Leavenworth, which mom loves, so she was excited to experience the real thing in Germany. This was also Sarah’s first long adventure with her driving on the autobahn. It was great to spend the day with Sarah because her parents were in town and were on Will duty while we were gone…thanks Bill and Pam!

It was a quick (literally) trip through beautiful farmland into the base of the Alps. We spent the morning wandering through the little village looking at churches and admiring the gorgeous painted facades of the buildings. After lunch, Sarah and I headed off to the gondola that would take us up to the peak of the mountains where we could hike for a bit, take photos, and enjoy the village from a different perspective. Wow, was it ever worth it! Not only was it a bit cooler at the top, but also the views were incredible. When we got out of the gondola we were in what felt like a caldera of sorts. We climbed to the top and worked our way around the rim. We looked down into Mittenwald on one side of the hiking trail we walked and into Austria on the other. At one point, Sarah’s phone beeped letting her know she had a text message…I mentioned how crazy it was that we could literally be at the top of a mountain and still be in communication with the world. She laughed and said it was probably her phone service letting her know we were in a different country and her rates had changed. Sure enough! Seems as though our hike took us out of Germany and into Austria for a bit. We continued to the end of our trail after making a quick detour in order to touch the glacial snow that still existed. Sarah was graceful making her way down the steep path to reach the snow while I followed behind and lost my balance sliding on my butt behind her the rest of the way down. A moment of hilarious laughter followed once we knew I was not hurt J I think my shorts still have dirt stains on the backside from my slide in the gravel.

On our way home I witnessed something I think only exists in Germany, and only on the autobahn…we were traveling in the middle lane and needed to pass the car in front of us so Sarah pulled in to the fast lane as normal. As she looked in her rear view mirror, she could see an orange blur approaching rapidly. So, she put the petal to the metal and passed really fast as we watched the Lamborghini cruise by. As it continued forward there was a fast moving Porsche in front of it that got closer and closer by the second. The Porsche ended up moving into the slow lane so the “fast” car could continue in the far left lane. Amazing! It’s really incredible to see how fast cars really can go when it is allowed. I can understand the high people get driving a fine machine at speeds over 100 miles an hour.

We enjoyed a great family dinner in Sarah and Jeff’s neighborhood at their favorite Bavarian restaurant. Will tried out his new “big boy” high chair that attached to the table and flirted with all of the people going by. He’s learned how to wave and is adorable when he greets anyone who will engage with his cuteness! Some cool gelato on our walk home topped off a great day in Germany. A huge thank you to the Zabels for being such gracious hosts to mom and me while in Germany. It was wonderful to be tourists in a new town with the comforts of home and the benefits of a local tour guide. And, even though she won’t admit it, Sarah can hold her own in German- it was VERY impressive indeed!

Quaint village, beautiful scenery

Check out the painted buildings in the background

Gorgeous facades

Violin museum

Lots and lots of bright flowers and wooden details

Love it!

Traditional clothing and a good beer

The pink church along the main street in Mittenwald

The old-school gondola

Pretty high up!

High above Mittenwald!

Austria

Our hiking trail

The panoramic tunnel

A little remaining snow (after a skid down the hill!)

Mom:

Our last day in Europe! Sarah, Jenn, and I drove to a small town called Mittenwald, known for it’s violin making (all by hand of course). It was a beautiful little town with flowers in the boxes under the windows and people riding bikes everywhere. Jenn and Sarah took the tram up the mountain to the top of the alps and actually stepped into Austria for a bit as they were right on the border. We had a great ride home with Sarah driving on the autobahn. A Porsche went speeding by, ZOOOOOM! Then a Lamborghini sped passed the Porsche! With no speed limit, it was quite a ride! We got home just in time to go to dinner with Jeff and Sarah’s parents. Now the reality of the final pack is upon us! I am ready to be home J