Garmisch, Germany

We got back late Monday night from Garmisch, Germany where we went sight seeing & skiing with our friends Mike & Anna. There's a resort there called Edelweiss for the U.S. Military personnel, but because it was President's Day weekend, we couldn't get in! We stayed about 10 minutes away in Farchant, which ended up being fun with great Italian food. Mike, Anna & Jay met Kelsey for the first time. Kelsey just loved watching Jay and playing with Anna & Mike.

Da me un besito, Jay!

Is she making a move on me?

Little Pink Riding Hood

Jay dancing with Kelsey's binki

Swimming at Edelweiss

Lounging around in the resort

Sunny skies mixed with freezing temperatures made the outdoors a bittersweet experience. The views were amazing, but the numbing cold made you want to cuddle up next to a fire with some hot cocoa. When we were moving, it was bearable. Don't worry grandmas...we kept the kids bundled! Here's a pic Tally took when he went skiing.

And here's a quick, not the best quality video of him snowboarding with Mike

Is the lake really frozen over? The boys had to find out for themselves. Then they saw a racecar drive over it so they threw some big rocks onto the ice. When it didn't break through, they went out to explore. When they were about halfway out, they heard a big crack in the ice so they came back to shore. It was an unexpected adventure for them and fun for us to watch them slide across the ice.

Kelsey & Tally in front of the lake

Schloss Linderhof

It's the only fantasy castle Bavarian King Ludwig completed. It's more of a small palace than a castle and used to be a hunting lodge. It sits in a park with fountains, gardens, and a Venus grotto. Unfortunately, those things were closed for the winter. I hear it's beautiful in the summer. The interior was rich and king-like with a throne, "king size bed" and a table with a dumb waiter from the downstairs kitchen to the upstairs dining room for one. King Ludwig never married and never had company.

Schloss Neuschwanstein
It's a 19th-century fantasy castle built by Bavarian King Ludwig II. It is perched on a rocky hill and may have inspired Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle. The inside of the castle was never completed because King Ludwig died a unexpectedly in 1886. I admit I did not take the first picture below. It's a picture of a picture. The boys had planned to hike up to get a pic from this angle but upon arrival they realized it would have to be taken from a helicopter. Maybe someday, right?

The Royal Family

Kelsey taking a ride in Jay's stroller. Do you think she likes it?

Inside the castle's courtyard

The freezing weather must not affect the locals. If it's sunny, it's time to catch some rays! This old couple lives on Romantic Road, on the walk up to the Neuschwanstein Castle. I wonder if they'd still lay out here after a trip to Hawaii?

Goodbye Castles...here's us with the Connellys. Can you see the little white castle in the background? It was by pure luck that we are all in this picture with the castle.

We had a ton of fun just being with good friends. Thanks for the memories guys! Can't wait for the next trip - or will it be a vacation?

Oh, I have to add one little memory that I almost forgot! On our way home while driving at night through Austria, Tal & I were pulled over by the Austrian Police. Here's a pic from Google images to give you an idea.

All of a sudden, the speed limit goes from 120 to 100 to 80 kmph. It is against Tally's personal driving code to touch your brakes on the freeway so he just started coasting. We're going around a turn and we see this red light moving up and down and then it looks like a person walking across the freeway! Tally applies his brakes (grudgingly) and we see it's a road worker waving a red flashlight. Tal slowed down more thinking there must be road construction ahead but then the man started to get upset and motioned for us to stop. So we pulled over in the triangle between the freeway and the merging traffic. Tally rolled down his window and the police officer said "Guten nacht" (German we understand). Then he proceeded to speak German. We asked if he spoke English, he said "a little." Then he told us we were speeding and need to pay 30 Euros right now, and he held out his hand. Knowing how crooked and fishy that was, Tally said he only had USD. The man didn't want that so he told Tally, "Come with me to my vehicle." At that point, I was a little nervous for Tal & our parking spot on the freeway. He ran the AmEx 5 times before it worked (or we were charged 5x), which he was bummed it finally worked. We lucked out though, we were going 106 in an 80 zone but the guy pulled over behind us was clocked at 140 in an 80 - a 350 Euro fine! I'll pay 30 over 300 any day!