Germany - The Itinerary

"Learning German is what eternity was made for.." - Mark Twain

 

I am less than ten days from flying the (hopefully... prayerfully) friendly skies across the pond and to the land of bratwurst, strudel, lederhosen and a legacy marred by WWII. I cannot believe how unbelievably blessed I am to be getting to go to not one but two more European countries!

Travel is such a gift and seeing other countries and getting to experience life that's lived different from yours allows you to appreciate other people, other cultures and appreciate the world around you more. I wanted to share a little look at what our ten-day trip around Bavaria will look like!

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Days One & Two (Friday & Saturday) - The first two days will truly be all about travel. We are leaving Friday evening and flying overnight to Germany and will spend a portion of Saturday getting to our resort, getting checked in and settled for the week ahead. Let me just share a few pictures of the town we will be staying in - because y'all, I'm stunned. In the best way possible.

Please excuse me while I go softly sob in the corner - are you kidding me?!? The beauty! I honestly have to say that while Germany has always been on my travel list, it wasn't high - but I think I need to rethink that after seeing these pictures! 

Day Three (Sunday) - Zugspitze; the highest peak in the country of Germany, is our destination on Sunday! The Zugspitze sit at 9,718 feet above sea level and has three glaciers along it's flanks... two of which are the largest in Germany.

We will also be dining at Panorama 2962, a restaurant at the summit of the Zugspitze - I'm certain it will be the highest I've ever been while dining. No pun intended! 

Day Four (Monday) - We will be making our way to The Eagle's Nest on Monday; it's about an hour from our lodgings and of course, a huge location in history and WWII in Germany. The Eagle's Nest is also known as the Kelhsteinhaus and was used by members of the Nazi party as a meeting house and social gathering spot - Hitler visited the location at least 14 times. 

The Eagle's Nest is now a restaurant with indoor seating and a beer garden outside - but naturally is heavily visited because of it's historical significance. Can you imagine? Sipping a beer where Hitler hung out during the war?  After our visit to the Eagle's Nest, we will be crossing the border to Salzburg, Austria! 

Salzburg is the fourth largest town in Austria and is bordered by the Alps! The town is one of the best-preserved city centers north of the Alps and is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is the birthplace of Mozart and the filming location for The Sound of Music - and it looks to be incredibly stunning! I cannot wait to see a little bit of Austria!

Day Five (Tuesday) - Oberammergau is a small town in Bavaria that is known for it's passion play. Legend has it that after the town was spared from the Bubonic Plague in the 1600's, they made a vow to perform a retelling of the life of Christ as thanks for being spared - and they've done just that. The Passion Play has been performed annually and then every ten years since 1634! The play was meant to be performed in 2020... but I think we all know what happened in 2020.

The play involves over 20,000 people - all of whom are residents of Oberammergau and is done in two parts: the first act is performed, then you break for a meal and watch the second act afterwards. The town of Oberammergau is also known for it's wood carvings and it's beautifully decorated buildings - and I have to say; based on the pictures below, it looks like a perfectly stunning Bavarian town!

Day Six (Wednesday) - It's a free day on Wednesday but we do have our notes section marked to drive over to Lake Eibsee, which is only about a 12 minute drive from our resort (Edelweiss Lodge) and is called the most stunning lake in Germany! I think if the picture below captures even the half of the beauty of Lake Eibsee - it will be well worth the short trip to see!

Our resort is lovely and will have plenty of things to do on site - and I'm also looking forward to taking in the small town where it's located - Garmisch-Partenkirchen. I'm sure after taking in so many sites, a little bit of down time on Wednesday will be nice!

Day Seven (Thursday) - This day will no doubt be a bit of a heavier day as we will be going to Dachau Concentration Camp, the first camp to be built by Adolf Hitler as he spread his swath of destruction across Germany and the rest of the world. The camp was also in operation the longest, opening in March of 1933 and closing in April of 1945.

I'm sure the visit to Dachau will certainly weigh on my mind and my heart - but I am a firm believer that we must remember our history so we do not repeat it. I also think it's important to pay respect to those who suffered these cruel fates at the whim of one man who thought his way was the way to make a perfect world.

Day Eight (Friday) - Perhaps Friday will be one of my favorites days because we are going to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangua Castle(s) and if Neuschwanstein Castle isn't the most perfect fairy tale castle - I don't know what is! The castle was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty castle at Disneyland and I can certainly see why! 

Hohenschwangua was the childhood palace of King Ludwig of Bavaria and Neuschwanstein was the palace he built once he was an adult - although he sadly only lived there for 172 days before he died. Both castles survived World War II unscathed due to their remote locations and I cannot believe I get the chance to see them both in person so very soon!

I couldn't resist one more picture of Neuschwanstein - because it's just so stunning. *sigh*

Day Nine (Saturday) - The ninth day of the trip will signal the beginning of the return homeward, via Munich! We will be leaving behind our lovely resort in Bavaria and heading for the big city of Munich for the last full day of our time in Germany! Munich is the capital city of Bavaria and the third largest city in Germany and will be our final stop as we make our way around Germany's Bavaria and Austria!

The city was heavily damaged during WWII and this rebuilt according to meticulous plans when the war was over - keeping the same street grid as the pre-war city. I'm not sure what all we will be doing as we explore the city but we are having dinner at Hofbrauhaus - the oldest tavern and beer garden in Munich, built over 500 years ago! 

Day Ten (Sunday) - Sunday will be the flight home and I will be reunited with my love, Ryan! Hopefully the travels will be uncomplicated (which I hear is not super likely these days) and we will have uneventful trips to and from the lovely country of Germany!

I can't believe this time next week - I'll be a day away from heading for Germany!