Saturday - Zugspitze, “the top of Germany”
Today our plans included a trip to the top of the German Alps..... To a place called "Zugspitze".
John and I are early risers, so by 6:30 am we were dressed and moving around our room.... getting ready for the day. When I looked out the window, we saw that it was a beautiful, sunny but cool day. It was so clear that you could see all the way to the top of the highest mountain. It was going to be a great day for going up into the German Alps.
We had breakfast again in our hotel. Their food is excellent and it's so convenient. They serve a buffet-type breakfast of breads, rolls, sliced meats and cheeses, fresh fruits, a flake and grain-type cereal, yogurt, fruit cocktail, soft-boiled eggs, juices and tea or coffee.
After breakfast we wanted to take a walk towards the shopping district, visit a bakery, and send out our e-mail from the Internet Cafe at the Computerhaus. While walking around we were constantly looking at the view of the mountains. In every direction, we could see beautiful mountains. The sun shining on the mountaintops gave us a clear view of some hang-gliders that we noticed were floating down from the sides of them. Wow, what a site! John thought that would be a great thing to do, but I told him “Those people were crazy.”
We made a quick stop at a Geldautomat (Bank ATM machine) at a local bank. It accepted John's Visa Bankcard for a fast withdrawal of some extra Euro dollars. This was very handy and easy to use, as you can push a button for English directions. From there, it was very simple to use…. a great way to get those Euro dollars. ($200 Euros, cost us $186 US dollars)
By 9:30 a.m., we were at the Computerhaus waiting for it to open. This was a small computer store in the shopping district that had about 4 computers for rent along the back wall. It's so nice to be able to check our e-mail and to send out a message to family and friends back home. We paid 50 Euro cents per 5 minutes.... a small fee for a connection to everyone at home.
Then.... before going to the “Zugspitzebahn” (train station), I just had to go back to a cute little shop that sold table linens. They close at 2 p.m., so I wanted to purchase some tablecloths for gifts before we went up to the mountain. I doubted we would be able to make it back before they closed. So, I purchased 6 small, embroidered tablecloths and carried them in my backpack all day!
We found the train station for the ride to the Zugspitze, about 6 blocks from the tablecloth store…just behind the regular DB train station near our hotel. Tickets cost 42 Euros for a round trip ticket to the summit for each of us. The train arrived within 10 minutes and our trip to the mountaintop began.
After a short ride, everyone got off the regular train, walked up the track and got on a second train and preceded up the mountain at a slow incline. This was a cogwheel-train that is used to transport people to the Platt (Central) Glacier Station. It goes up the mountain at a slow, relaxing pace. This train goes into a tunnel thru the mountain for about 4.5 km and ends at the Central plateau, which is an amazing place. There were skiers on the ski slopes, snow-boarders, and even a group doing archery in the snow. They have shops, restaurants with lots of outdoor seating. And.....Wow!…. It was cold!
Our first stop at the Central plateau
The view was awesome. We were so high. We were literally in the clouds. Every few minutes, they cleared and the view was sharp and we could see for miles. What a view……all those mountains and all that snow! I’ve never seen anything like that before. You have to realize, I'm from Florida, the Sunshine State. I grew up without snow and have never seen it until today. WOW! John and I had to walk out into it. We threw a little of it, felt it, walked on it and had my picture taken in it. We had so much fun!
Judy's first time in snow
But we weren't at the top yet. After a cable car ride, ascending another 360 meters, we were finally at the top of Zugspitz Glacier for a total height of 2966 meters. The viewing platform is huge, giving you a 360-degree panoramic view of endless mountain peaks in 4 countries - Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland.
Viewing platform at the top of Zugspitz
When the clouds part, you can see down into the foothills of the Alps, looking at the small towns, forests and lakes. This was definitely a Kodak moment.
From this top platform, there was one more "step" you could do to be at the very top. With the help of Guides provided, you could climb to the cross that was erected on the top of the Zugspitz. John had said he was going to do this, but when we saw another group of young men climbing up.... holding onto the guide ropes in the snow...... he changed his mind. We were high enough and didn't feel like falling off this mountain.
Highest peak in Germany
After eating in a restaurant at the top of the Germany, we took the cable car to the town of Eibsee at the foot of the Zugspitz range. After breaking thru the clouds, we had a view of this charming town and it's lake. Traveling in the cable car, we were passing over the tops of the tall trees on the side of the mountain. Looking up, we couldn't get enough of that incredible view of the snow-capped mountains.
After another train ride, we arrived back in Garmisch by 3:30 pm. More walking.... and we collapsed back at our hotel room. Exhaustion and jet lag were setting in!
After resting for only a short time, we went walking again..... like fools! We went looking for a grocery store, but by Saturday afternoon at 4:30, the stores are all closed. So we went back to our room again to massage our aching legs. Between castles and mountains, our muscles were suffering with every step.
We had dinner at the hotel again and then went back to our room to type! The computers come out and we start working each night. I work on writing a rough draft of this journal and John works on his Fehmarn database... endlessly. He's obsessed..... but for a good cause. His database is continually growing.
Early to bed………….. because, before we know it, the sun will rise on another busy day.
Tomorrow, we plan to drive to Munich and visit that beautiful city.