We left home around 7:00 am and arrived at the Edelweiss around noon. I had already arranged to do a tour with the resort to the Partnach Gorge. It was only $20 per person and our guide was awesome. He lives at the resort and works as a ski instructor/waiter/tour guide. What a life! We parked at the old Olympic Stadium and walked about 25 minutes to the Gorge. It takes about 30 minutes to walk through and 25-30 minutes to walk back through to exit. When the weather and trails permit there are also trails you can hike. To enter the Gorge its a whopping 3.50 Euro and definitely beautiful! In the winter the hotel does the same tour, but torchlit and at night when the waterfalls turn into icicles! Our guide convinced us to come back in the Spring and take some ski lessons with them, so I already have booked a hotel in hopes that we will get to come back and do that in March!
After the Gorge, we freshened up, had dinner, and went to the marriage session for the night. The retreat consisted on three sessions and the rest of the time was free time. Our chaplains were really nice, and while we didn't learn anything particularly new, it was still beneficial and we met some other people in Ryan's unit that wouldn't have otherwise met. After dinner and the session we soaked in the sauna and hot tub with a beer and enjoyed the chilly night!
The next morning was kind of dreary weather. We did our 2.5 hour retreat session and then were given free time for the whole day/night! After lunch we drove up to Ettal to a Benedictine Monastery that houses about 50 Monks who teach at a school, run a hotel, restaurant, and make their own liquor and beer. We met a nice man named Steven at his great little shop across that street from the Monastery and enjoyed a beer and some Gluhwein with him. We even took home some beer for the road to try! There is also a small Dairy Farm where you can watch them make cheese. Its a nice little 20 minute drive from Garmisch and a nice little side trip. That night we soaked up more hot tub privileges for about 4 hours! We met some people and chatted it up and switched between the steam room, sauna, and hot tub all while enjoying some German Beer. You can bring your own drinks and they give you plastic cups before entering the pool area to limit any glass coming into the premises. That night we stayed out late with other people from our retreat and enjoyed some Karaoke at Zuggy's in the Edelweiss. It was super fun and Ryan and I even got up and did a duet! All the adults and even the kids sang song after song and just had a blast laughing at all our ridiculousness!
On Friday, we completed our marriage retreat and since the sun was out we headed up to the Zugspitze. We had intended on hiking around Lake Eibsee, but we ended up not having time. Let me start by saying its pricey. We were kind of turned off initially, but we are so glad we did it and we both agree that it is super worth it! It cost 51 Euro per person roundtrip. Trains run every hour and the last train to come back down the mountain leaves at 4:30. Keep in mind also that the train ride takes 40 minutes each way. It is a full day trip to hike the lake and go up to the Zugspitze, so plan accordingly. We parked at Lake Eibsee and since the cable car was under construction, we took the train up. You do have a slight view for the first 15 minutes, but after that the train goes through a tunnel in the mountain, so you won't see anything until you reach the summit. We landed at the first summit where there is sledding, skiing, and a few restaurants to soak in the view. From there a cable car takes you up to the final Zugspitze summit. It is so beautiful and surreal up there. It is so much more beautiful from up there than from the street level! You really get to see such a view of the Alps and you are straddling the Austrian/German border while you are up there. People popped wine and soaked up the view. We indulged in some kuchen and kaffee and enjoyed the view around us. We also did some sledding, which was super fun! We felt like kids again!
While we love the Edelweiss, even for Army members it is pricey. They charge you based on your rank, and its more than I would spend even in America per night. I loved the hotel and would love to stay there but it's $139 per night, so we decided to book an extra night in town at the Treff Alpina Hotel for 60 Euro. It had a free amazing breakfast, amazing coffee, pool, sauna, balcony, and great accommodations. Its only about a 2 minute drive from Edelweiss and you can still go to the hotel, park, and use the accommodations for free. We checked into our hotel and then went back to Edelweiss for a couples massage and dinner. They have a Vacation Village also where you can rent cabins that are pet friendly, however, those are $179 per night so I don't think we will be doing that either!
On our way home, we drove about an hour to Neuschwainstein to see the castle. You can see both Neuschwainstain and Hohenschwangau, but we only had time to see one. You should plan at least 2 hours total to see the one castle and longer if you plan to see Hohenschwangau. It is wise to reserve your tickets ahead of time and skip the long line that awaits. We parked in P4 and all lots cost 5 euro. You have to arrive 1 hour before you tour time to pick up your tickets or you will lose your reservation. We decided to take the bus for 1.80 euro each up to Mary's Bridge. This offers some incredible views of the castle and then is only a 10 minute walk down to the castle entrance. We waited about 20 minutes for our tour time and had a short 30 minute tour of the castle. I recommend a short 25 minute walk down the hill to get back to the town and parking lots, but beware of all the horse poo that lines the streets. They have horse drawn carriage rides up to the castle, so just watch your step! Rick Steves said that most of the restaurants in the village are overpriced and mediocre, so we drove 10 minutes to Fussen and walked around until we found a quaint cafe for a quick lunch before we ventured home. Fussen is a cute town and has a few cute places to choose from, so I highly recommend that place.
Overall it was an amazing weekend of fun with my sweetie and seeing some of the most beautiful parts of Germany. We honestly can't wait to get back there!
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