Another week has flown by! My parents are still visiting and have been staying busy, going on lots of long walks through town. One day, Matt took them into downtown Stuttgart and they rode the double decker tourist bus.
Tuesday was my first day back in the office since covid! It was actually great to be back in the office with my coworkers and believe it or not, I’m looking forward to next week.
We had dinner out three times, once at Corners in Sindelfingen, the Seegartle in Böblingen, and Abaccos!
On Thursday night, we took my parents for a walk around downtown Stuttgart. We checked out Calwer Strasse, Konigstrasse, the Opera House and Schlossplatz. Afterwards, we went to Abacco’s for a pre-birthday dinner for my dad.
Friday was my dad’s birthday and we started the day with donuts from Royal Donuts!
We had planned a long weekend away in Garmisch so we picked the kids up from school early to make the drive down. My dad’s brother and my aunt made the drive up from Italy and surprised my dad when we arrived. My dad and uncle had not seen each other since pre-covid times (2018) so it was a very happy reunion. We had dinner at a traditional German restaurant in Garmisch and then ice cream out in town.
Saturday, we headed over to Neuschwanstein Castle. We took a horse and carriage ride up the mountain to the palace and took the one hour tour. There are so many steps; you have been warned! After a steep walk up the remainder of the path from where the carriage drops you off, you have to climb another five floors to start the tour. Then, you continue to go up and down additional flights of stairs during the tour. The elevators are strictly only for wheelchair bound visitors. It was a struggle, but we made it to the end.
After our tour, it was a gorgeous day so Matt and I decided to make the hike up to Marien Bridge to photograph the famous view of Neuschwanstein. The hike up was tough! And, when we arrived, the bridge was closed for repairs. Disappointed, we started walking back down. As we went, we saw some clipped barbed wire, so we crawled under and hiked up to a cliff’s edge for the most beautiful view of the castle.
After our hike, we had lunch and then drove back over to Garmisch. We had time before dinner so we decided to stop at Lake Eibsee, which is famous for its blue waters. We checked it out from the beach by the parking lot but noticed that the blue waters were actually on the opposite side. So, we decided to hike/run over to that side to check it out.
Once we got to the other side, we were rewarded for our hike with the most beautiful view of the lake with the Zugspitze behind it.
On the way back to the hotel, I took the photo below from our moving car as we drove past a field full of buttercups and dandelions. I know these are considered weeds, but they are so pretty and Germany’s weed killer restriction makes the spring extra beautiful.
Sunday, we headed to Oberramergau. We had tickets for the Passion Play, which was first staged in the 1630s. The townspeople made a promise to God to stage the play every ten years, if they would be spared from the plague. Since then, there have been no deaths associated with the 1600s plague. However, due to covid, the play was postponed from 2020 to 2022 and we were able to get tickets. Without covid happened, we otherwise would have missed it. We walked around the town and checked out the many buildings painted with murals and had lunch.
After lunch, we headed into the play. It started at 2:30 and went to 5. Then we had a break from 5-8 and then returned for another two and half hours. Actually, by the time it was done, it was closer to 11pm. How was the play? It was long. And, it was in German, so it was a little bit of a struggle. After the first half, we bought a translation book. It made it easier for us to follow along, but having to read at the same time did take a little away from the experience. Overall, it was a positive experience and we are glad we got the opportunity to go.
Sunday, we had one, last breakfast with my uncle and aunt and then headed back to Stuttgart!
Gilcrests Abroad 