We set the alarm for 8:00am but didn’t need to - Tony was knocking on our door around 7:30 letting us know it was time to rise and shine. Dave M is not joining us today - I think maybe he needs some extra sleep. We want to catch a train that leaves at 9:18 from München Hauptbahnhof. It will take us an hour and 45 minutes minutes away to the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. This small town is at the base of the Alps in an area they call Zugsplitzland. From Garmish we can easily make our way to the highest peak in all of Germany - Zugspitze. It rises to a height of 2962 meters (9700ft). At the top you are in Germany but you can walk a few hundred feet and step into Austria. There is a border crossing booth still there - a remnant of a different time.
We arrive at the station in Garmisch and wander into town looking for the TI (tourist information). First things first - we need to eat some lunch and get some cash. The town is very pretty, like a picture postcard of an alpine village. We plan on exploring the the quaint town of Garmisch a bit more after we get back from the Zugspitze. You can see the ski lifts going up everywhere so you know this is more of a winter destination. The mountain range rises high in front of us. It is impressive. We find the TI and learn it is another one hour train ride to reach the gondola that takes us to the peak. It will cost 48 euros each. We have 45 minute before the small train leaves.
We found an ATM - cash has been acquired - check! Next is food. We almost sit down at an outdoor cafe but realize we only have 40 minutes and we need some extra time to find the train that takes us up the mountain. Service can be leisurely in Europe so we decide to go to a cafeteria style restaurant where service is fast. Our food selection consists of brats, wiener schnitzel, sauerkraut, cheese noodles and a couple of beers - food in bellies - check! We rush to the train, figure out how to buy tickets and all with six minutes to spare. The train travels along the base of the mountains and stops at Hammersbach. We switch to another train that takes us farther up to Eibsee. The train stops and we are unsure what to do. There are two ways to the top. Stay in the train (it is a cog-driven train made to go up steep grades) or ride the gondola up. We learn from another couple that the best way is to ride the train up through a steep tunnel that takes you through part of the mountain. When you come to a middle point you get out and ride a short gondola the rest of the way. Then you take the large gondola back down to Eibsee to meet the train - so that's what we do.
Click, click, click as the train goes up a very steep grade with daylight disappearing as you enter the tunnel. The train ride ends at the mid point (Zugspitzplatt) so we get out and look around. It is mostly gravel and large rocks that turn into ski runs in the winter when the snow comes. There are 3 glaciers here (all disappearing quickly) including the two largest in Germany: the Northern Schneeferner, the Höllentalferner and the Southern Schneeferner. We look into the Hochzeitskapelle (wedding chapel) called Maria Heimsuchung Chapel. It is the highest church in Germany which was consecrated in 1981 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. We laugh because there is a taxi here - halfway up the mountain - that will take you up a little farther to look around. In the winter they create an igloo village with a restaurant and igloo hotels. We find the cable car gondola and are whisked up to the Zugspitze. At the top it’s chilly - around 35° F - and we are surrounded by the clouds. They open up on occasion but our view is greatly diminished. There are pictures that show you can see 4 countries and a distance of 200km in all directions on a clear day. It is still very amazing and we accept our fate. One bonus is there are a lot less people.
The actual name of the mountaintop space where the gondola lets you off is “The Bavarian Terrace.” It used to be a border crossing between Austria and Germany. There is a narrow passage to walk to the “Austrian Terrace” (Tirolean) where you can find people arriving from Austria via gondola. So we walk over to Austria (no passport needed) to check it out. It looks the same as Germany - the mountains don’t care about man-made borders. We head over to the Münchner Haus which is an Alpine Club hut belonging to the Munich Section of the German Alpine Club where Tony and Monique order a beer and enjoy the crisp, clean air and amazing views. In Germany there is a golden cross marking the summit. A priest and his friends hauled it up in 1851. The historic original was shot up by American soldiers using it for target practice in the late 1940s and it has since been replaced. Dave has his mind made up to do the final climb to the very tip top - which is why he didn’t order a beer. He waits for the weather to clear slightly and begins the climb. Others are doing it but it he quickly realizes it is not easy. The foot holds are not defined, you must climb a ten foot metal ladder straight up and then traverse around and up the rocks only holding onto a metal cable. The path is about three feet wide with a shear drop on both sides. He meets some people up there who are from Garmisch. They notice his clothes pin from Octoberfest and they laugh. It has the word "Hallodri" written on it and we have a discussion about what it means. It basically describes a rogue, a playboy, a fun loving person that goes right to the edge of getting in trouble. It fits. Dave is at the very top of Germany without a coat or hiking boots. The Garmisch group leaves first then Dave makes his way VERY slowly back to safety. He remembers to pick up some rocks from the top for a momento. The Germans tell him it is tradition to go into the Gipfelalm restaurant for coffee and a desert after the climb. The Gipfelalm is also home to Germany's highest Biergarten (exactly 2952 m). The restaurant is famous, so we take their advice to complete the mission. Dave sits down he says this was the most scared he has been in his whole life. It takes time for the adrenaline levels to return to normal.
We find the large cable car to take us all the way down to meet the train. After a ten minute wait, a big group of us load into the car and we begin our decent. It is very high and we can see Eibsee Lake as we come down through the clouds. The ride is beautiful - the Alps and surroundings are amazing. We find the train station and catch the return train back to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. In town, we wander the pedestrian friendly streets and settle on a nice restaurant and have a great meal. We leave just after dark and catch the train back to Munich. On the train we play digital Trivial Pursuit to pass the time. We take our same path back to our Munich home. It was a great adventure away from the big city.
On the train ride to Garmisch-Partenkirchen we saw all these small hay barns (Heuschober). Some of these hay barns are over 100 years old and each of them is unique. The hay barns document how small scale family farms in this region still survive today.
We walked towards town from the train station and saw the Hofbraustuberl right by the edge of town. Sadly they weren’t open for lunch yet.
The Richard Strauss Fountain in the main pedestrian area in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Richard Georg Strauss (1864–1949) was a leading German composer and is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier, Elektra, Die Frau ohne Schatten and Salome - and his tone poems, including Don Juan, Death and Transfiguration, Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks and sprach Zarathustra. Strauss was also a prominent conductor in Western Europe and the Americas, enjoying quasi-celebrity status as his compositions became standards of orchestral and operatic repertoire. Strauss moved to Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1908 and lived there until his death in 1949. Incidentally, he composed the opening music for the 1936 Olympics with many winter events occurring in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
This is a nice map detailing the various options for reaching the Zugspitze.
They brought this huge pile of snow down from the mountains - it made us excited for what we were going to see - maybe we should have brought cold-weather clothes with us.
This is the end of the tunnel which marks the arrival at the Zugspitzplatt.
The Zugspitze maypole - the world’s highest - and Tony carefully leaning over the edge to take a look.
Tony climbing back up from his harrowing fall...ha ha
The Maria Heimsuchung Chapel, located close to the Zugspitze glacier has been defying wind and weather since it was built in 1981. The church received papal blessing in 1981, when the building was sanctified by the then archbishop, Cardinal Josef Ratzinger. This little house of God is a place of peace and reflection for all winter sports enthusiasts, glacier fans, sun worshippers and, of course, religious believers.
A nice view showing the lay of the land here on Zugspitzplatt - taken from just outside the chapel
Taxi anyone?
Cool reflection photo of Monique looking out of the gondola taking us to the Zugspitze summit.
A birdseye view of the Zugspitzplatt - taken while riding up the gondola - it looks so tiny.
The Münchner Haus (2,959 m or 9,708 ft) was completed on September 19, 1897. From 1911-1914 the hut was extended and given its present appearance. It offer 30 beds for overnight stays and is open from May to October. An average of 2,000 people stay there each year, in addition to day visitors. We just ordered a beer.
There's a good story behind this painting - just not sure what it is - but we like it!
What a beautiful view of the mountains and cloud-filled sky. You can see some construction going on up here - now that's impressive - just think what it takes to get anything up this high!
A view of Dave's ascent to the very top.
Yeah - No freeking way Monique was going to climb this - Dave is a nutter!
The current cross put here in 1993 at the very top of Germany.
Dave chatting up some German residents and learning the meaning of "Hallodri". He was wearing his pin from Octoberfest and they all started to laugh. Notice that they are prepared for hiking and the weather and Dave, clearly, was not.
Dave made it! After he got back to safety he said that now he's afraid of heights - go figure!
On the top deck of the Eibsee Cable Car - looking down at Lake Eibsee.
The Eibsee Cable Car has a length of 4,450 metres (14,600 ft) and an elevation gain of 1,950 metres (6,398 ft). It runs over two pylons, which are 65 metres (213 ft) and 85 metres (279 ft) high, respectively. The latter is the highest cable support pylon in Germany. The route is normally traveled in 10 minutes at a speed of 36 km/h (22 mph). The tramway can accommodate 300 persons per direction each hour. The elevation gain of 1,950 metres (6,398 ft) continues to be the highest of all aerial cableways achieved in a single section.
Am Kurpark Street (pedestrian street) in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. This pretty much sums up the pace of life here.
We wandered around the back-streets of the town. The architecture is very Alpine Bavarian in style with wooden balconies and frescoed exteriors.
Weiss beer break - don't mind if we do!