Garmisch-Partenkirchen is two small villages about an hours’ drive from Munich. We stayed for five nights in a lovely home in the historical area. Here is a chat between me and Isla remembering our favourite parts of our time there.
Mum: What were your first impressions driving into Garmsich-Partenkirchen?
Isla: The first thing you spot is the mountains. They are so stunning, and I was excited about that being our view for the whole time and I was thinking about going up them and sledding and stuff. And then we went into the town and I was noticing how cute and colourful it was with all the painted buildings. It felt like a little fairy tale town from a children’s story. It was pretty magical seeing snow over the buildings and in the gardens. It’s so different from Auckland.
Mum: Yeah, we were lucky that it snowed the day before. You’re right about the town looking like something out of a children’s book. The houses too, with their shutters, balconies and all the carved detailing. Do you remember seeing those bench seats everywhere? The ones with the silhouette of a woman at one end, and a man at the other. And how all the shops had window decorations for Easter. Everything is so cutesy!
Isla: What was your favourite thing we did?
Mum: Well, I really enjoyed going up the mountains, especially seeing your guys reaction to it the first time. When we stepped out the of building on top of the Zugspitze after catching the cable car and it was entirely white with the snow swirling around us. You guys were so excited to get into it.
Isla: That was my favourite part. Going up the mountains.
Mum: But personally what I loved the most was the walk around Lake Eibsee. It was so beautiful with the different shades of blue and green in the lake and the mountains surrounding it. In many ways it felt like home, but again it was so different. Walking through the pines rather than bush and all the wild spring flowers coming through. I loved the streams running across the path as the snow melted off the mountains and ran into the lake. Do you remember how we all decided we had to taste the water to see if it was as cold and refreshing as it looked?
Isla: Yeah, it was good.
Mum: And the meal we had afterwards. You tried schnitzel and loved it and Leo ordered currywurst. The waiter was really impressed that he’d gone for something so traditional, not just hamburger, and was giving him fist pumps for the whole meal. That was where we tried the Kaiserschmarrn that sweet fluffy pancake they cut into pieces and served sprinkled with icing sugar and stewed plums.
So going up the mountain was your favourite part of visiting Germany?
Isla: Yeah, especially the second day. The first day was fun but my hands were freezing. They warmed up a bit in the igloo but I was in so much pain. It was from making all those snowballs. The highlight of the first day was watching Dad fall waist deep into the powder and then Leo launching himself into after him.
The second day was nicer weather and we could see more and it was hilarious watching Dad freak out when Leo and I walked out onto the viewing platform.
Mum: That was so high up and it just jutted straight out from the mountain and you could see all the way down through the floor. I don’t know how you guys did it. I inched out only by holding on to the side and not looking down. Dad was beside himself!!
Isla: And I liked making the snow angels. They actually turned out perfectly. And afterwards we were able to go into that restaurant to warm up. What restaurant did you like visiting best?
Mum: The one by Lake Eibsee had the best food. And the best name had to go to Mukkefuck. That place was very sweet inside for such a naughty name! My favourite though was the one on the last night. When those two boys came in fully dressed in traditional costume and started dancing to the accordion player I was like “What?! Is this some Bavarian village theme park set?”.
Are there any memories that you think will stick with you as being “so Bavarian”?
Isla: Hmmm, probably just how pretty the town was. All the painted building. And maybe eating cake. They have those cute cake shops everywhere.
Do you have a a favourite memory?
Mum: Remember when we went for a walk in the hill behind the house we were staying in. We didn’t know where we were walking and then we found that old church on the hill with the beautiful “onion dome”. Just as we arrived all the bells started ringing. That was a cool memory. Exploring that church was interesting. We found out that it was a pilgrims’ church meaning that people travel here at Easter (it had murals of the Passion of Christ all the way back down the road to the village) and it had many photos of German soldiers who had died in the war.
So Isla, give me five words to sum up our holiday to Garmsich-Partenkirchen.
Isla: Quaint, spectacular, fairytale, snow, and cake.
