Germany Day 2 - Karwendelbahn

 Guten Morgen!

Today has been a very full day. Last night, around 4am, I was woken by the sound of rhythmic knocking. It sounded like three knocks and then minutes would go by before I heard it again. I first checked on the kids but they were all sleeping. My flashlight woke Christian though and he came down to sleep on the couch. Then I went downstairs and sat in a chair for a few minutes, waiting to see if I heard it again. I did and this time I thought it was coming from the basement where there is a gym, a spa, and a lot of other doors. I confess I was too scared to attempt this on my own so I woke up James. I followed him down and we checked everything out. It was all fine and I didn't hear the noise again. 

Jon drawing in bed

 

The view from Jon's window

Christian was up and bouncing early. James went with him downtown where they rented two e-bikes. Christian was over the moon and even James loved them. But James had to leave to take Jon to the store and to try and find some allergy medicine. His allergies have been out of control since we landed. While they were off on their errands I offered to go with Christian to show him the trails his father and I had found the night before. 

 

Christian waiting for me

The view while biking

 

                                                                    Biking with Christian

It was a fantastic ride! I completely see the appeal of e-bikes and would get one in a second. Christian was in his element. Racing through forests, wheeling over fields, he had a blast. I'm a little worried about him riding near roads, (they are so narrow!) but there are miles of these back paths. We made a big loop and he did lots of wheelies. 

 

                                        Christian doing wheelies on the German trails

Wheelies

 

Soon after we got home James and Jon also arrived, successful in their ventures. Jon set up his new phone but it was maybe 4 or 5am at home and since he couldn't talk to Saphyar he decided to go on a ride with Christian. James, Camille, and I worked on plans for the day while the boys were gone and Will tried to catch up on his sleep. Eventually it was time for us to set out so I called the boys to come home. At first they didn't answer so I tried again. Christian answered and told me that they were almost home, that he didn't answer because he had just ridden over a cliff! "But don't worry" he assured me, "the bike is fine". Because that's what I was worried about! 

 

The boys came home and told us that they had gone across town and found dirt paths, mountain paths, and raced along them. At one point they were racing down a narrow path along a 60 ft high cliff when the path suddenly turned. Christian was going too fast to stop or turn and flew right off. Jon said he saw the bike go over and heard nothing but silence. He thought for a moment that Christian had died. He saw the bike caught near the top, but still no Christian. Then he came near to the edge and found Christian had been caught by a tree! Jon helped him up and they both recovered the bike and came home. I think Jon was more shaken than Christian! Christian is fine, he only has a few scrapes. He later explained that the tree was growing out near the top of the cliff and he landed by the trunk. I haven't seen the spot but it sounds very much like God saved him from being seriously injured or worse. 

 

After that excitement we decided to go up a mountain for lunch. We drove to Karwendelbahn, a mountain in Mittenwald, just 15 minutes from our house. We took a gondola up and were awed by the beautiful and somewhat intimidating view. Jon and I later commiserated over our mutual imaginings of a terrifying death whenever we ride these things. 

Jon and Grandma on the gondola

 

The view from the gondola

From the station

The Germans really know how to do mountains. A gondola ride to the top where you find a nice little restaurant and then a small hike with some amazing views. I know we do have some of that at home, but they really do it well here. Our lunch was good, and all the guys got beers to try and share from the highest brewery in Germany. Unfortunately, this Radler hit Christian a little different and he became goofy and loud. Which... I'm not completely sure it was alcohol or just him being himself, he gets loud and silly on his own just fine. Either way I think we are done with the alcohol experiment.

 

Cheers

 After lunch we tried to explore a tunnel but Christian could not keep it together. And tunnels really echo! That plus the fact that it was going downhill and we couldn't see the end (or understand the signs saying where it led) encouraged us to turn around. Back at the restaurant and viewing station we left Jon and Christian with grandma and Will, James, and I took a hike up the bowl of the mountain. 

 

Boys napping in the sun

Christian takes a nap

Christian in the bowl

James and I on top of the mountain

And what a hike! The bowl we were in wasn't much, but the walk around the ridge gave us fantastic views at every turns. In one direction we were able to look down into Mittenwald. There was a steep drop, thousands of feet down, with nary a rope or a rail to be seen. They did have sign with a camera on it, which either meant "here's a good place for pictures" or "We'll be watching you fall", impossible to tell really.  

 

Will takes a picture on the edge

Selfie!

Overlooking Mittenwald

 

 

Will and I enjoy the view

Further on, about halfway across, we came to another stunning view. It was a high mountain valley, no sign of people or towns. Apparently it was Austria but we didn't know that at the time. Will said he had something he wanted to explore, that he'd be right back and show us a picture. James and I stayed to admire the view for a while, we were almost completely alone and at first it was silent but after a little while we began to hear the sound of bells. I'd first heard that sound before, 20 years ago when James and I came with Camille to Grainau. We followed a small path around the bend and found a flock of sheep! They were grazing on the steep hillside and their bells made a lovely sound. It was so peaceful, I could have stayed there for hours. 

 

                                                                   Relaxing bells

Beautiful mountains

Sheep grazing on the mountain

Sheep with a view

I loved it up here

The mountainside was full of flowers

Austrian alps

Eventually though it was time to move on. But where was Will? He had decided to climb up another 460 feet to get to a cross on the Westliche Karwendelspitze peak of the mountain. We tried to take some pictures but it was very hard to see him. At one point he was scaling it on his hands it was so steep. I couldn't watch and turned back to the calming sheep. 

Can you find Will?

 

Will at the top

 

The cross (Will's picture)

The cliff on the other side of the mountain (Will's picture)

Will's picture of the cross

Will's ascent - from the center on the left, not the valley (Will's picture)

 

We needed to get back down to the gondola before it stopped running, but we couldn't leave Will or really communicate with him. James waited for him where we had stopped but I continued on so I could see what was around the next corner. And boy the next corner did not disappoint. It was stunning. There was a small flower-lined path that lead around this mountain and along the side of the next one. It was beautiful and called to me. But it was getting late and I was suddenly aware that I was completely alone and out of sight. I felt pressure to hurry back but kept reminding myself to go slow. A sprained ankle wouldn't be fatal... but it would mean big trouble.

 

High mountain flowers

 

 

 

Tempting trail

 

Doesn't this trail call to you?

I made it back and by the time I returned to James, Christian had also joined him. He'd gotten tired of waiting and really wanted to go home. By this time Will was almost back down so we didn't have to wait long until we were all able to return to the restaurant and gondola. 

James and Christian

 

Will climbs down

 

The restaurant and viewing center

James and Christian walk back down

A storm was coming in when we got down. Our intention had been to eat dinner in Mittenwald but instead we decided to go home and grab some pizza. Alas, that was not so easy to find. James and Christian dropped the rest of us off and went to the grocery store to get something to cook but ran into a snag. After everything had been rung up, the clerk informed James that they had "turned off their credit card machine at this time and it is cash only". She seemed gleeful to give him this news and without enough time to run home for cash, he had to leave empty handed. 

 

 

 

 

 

More mountain pictures which have nothing to do with the story above

In the meantime, Jon wanted to run to the local gas station before it closed. It was raining hard but he took the bike and got there. He watched the customer before him check out. He put his drink on the counter, the cashier scanned it, and then... paused, looked at the register, hit the power button, and said "we're closed now". Jon couldn't believe it. The guy asked him to put the drink back but Jon said "sorry, you're closed" and walked out. 

 

James and Christian did eventually come back with McDonald's. Mango chicken wraps, and garlic chicken nuggets, but still familiar-ish food. After dinner Christian cuddled up to me and did his best to convince me to take a nighttime bike ride in the rain. 

 

Christian tries to butter me up

He succeeded. It was actually a lot of fun, and it wasn't raining that hard. The bikes had really good lights on them and we had the bike paths completely to ourselves. It really felt like an adventure and it was the perfect way to end the night. The bikes lead to a lot of tension with Christian (he wants to be on them ALL the time and he has a hard time following the rules) but a lot of joy too. I hope he remembers this, I know that I will.   

 

A Christian selfie to end the night

 Good night! 

Germany Day 1 - Traveling and Christian's birthday

We are off on another adventure! After 13 years we are back in Germany. It's been a long time since we followed Will's nose to find ice cream. This trip is a little bittersweet for me. Our family is about to change in a lot of different ways (all good!) and this is the last trip we'll take with just the 5 of us and Camille. I expect it will be Will's last family trip for quite a while too as he is setting off on his own adventures as an adult. I'm so proud of him... but boy will I miss him. 

 

Our life at home has been rather chaotic and exciting and because of this we were the least prepared for this trip than we have ever been. We packed the morning of and right before we left we discovered that James' passport was missing! Oh the panic and the prayers! After a half hour of frantic searching Christian found the passport right where it should have been, where James had already checked three times.  

 

Will and Jon watch the planes

We flew Condor for the first time and on the whole had a good experience. Our first flight was almost 8 hours long and we arrived in Frankfurt at 5am. Because of the tight seats and the time difference none of us had been able to sleep on the plane. 

 

Catching the next flight to Munich was a little insane. We had 30 minutes to get from one gate to the other and we never would have made it if not for the wheelchair we'd brought for Camille. The gate for our Munich flight was not only outside customs, it was also outside! A very nice airport official saw our wheelchair and offered to run us through. We tried to follow him but Will and Jon got stuck on the other side of a security gate and we couldn't go on without them. Going back through German security was a little maddening because they were super careful and also very slow. Jon got stopped, James waited with him, and the rest of us went over to the gate where a little bus was waiting to take us to the plane. They waited for us but it was a *very* close thing.

 

Christian is ready for takeoff

I wish I'd gotten a picture of the plane on the tarmac. It has been a long time since I've gotten on to a plane from outside. The flight to Munich was wonderful. It was a small plane but the seats were roomier, and because the flight was almost empty, we all spread out and had entire rows all to ourselves. It was only an hour and we were able to get some nice views of the German countryside. I'm always surprised by how much of it, at least near Munich, is covered in small, well defined fields. Christian was delighted and excited at this point and began exclaiming how happy he was that he was here and how much he loved traveling and that this was going to be the best trip ever. 

 

Leaving the airport and getting our rental car was extremely smooth. We have a "large" BMW which has made Christian incredibly happy. The car was a very tight fit for all of us and our luggage, but it is very fun to drive. It has a sport mode which sometimes causes the exhaust to pop to Christian's utter delight. This car is his joy and I don't think we'll have a single ride here without him begging us to hit the gas. It can fly!

 

We are staying in Krun, a small town between Garmish-Partengarden and Mittenwald. Our ferienwohnung, guest house, is a three story chalet with more stairs than I have ever seen in a single house. Aside from the obvious multiple stories, small stairs lead up to the living/dinning room and then down again to the kitchen. The second story too has a small flight leading to the third bedroom and from our bedroom to the balcony. The third floor also has a small balcony with a lovely view. The kids are all sharing one open space, a bedroom with a large third floor loft. Jon has the big bed, Christian has a mattress on the floor, and Will has a cave. Behind the bookshelf is a storage space with a cot and he has claimed this area. Even though it is small I think all the boys appreciated having some breathing room. 

 

Camille on our back patio

Boys exploring the kitchen

Christian takes a break in the living room

Our dining room table

Will uses the pull up bar in the downstairs gym. He has to jump to get up there!

Our bedroom with stairs to the wraparound porch

Jon's bed. You can barely see the loft balcony

The loft. The white blinds are hiding the entrance to Will's cave

By the time we'd got all our bags in the house it was noon. We'd been up for almost 24 hours at this point (which does NOT get easier as I get older) but we also hadn't eaten anything since dinner on that first flight. We headed into town to find a little inn and restaurant for lunch. Today is also Christian's birthday, he's 14! It isn't ideal to have a birthday on a traveling day, especially on no sleep, but he was a good sport. Because it was his birthday, and because it is legal here, we got him a Radler at the restaurant, half beer and half lemonade. He mostly enjoyed the excitement of drinking something that is illegal at home, I think he prefers the apfelsaftschorle which is apple juice and seltzer water. Will and Jon are able to get beers on their own here and have promised to do so responsibly. Our lunch was very good, Will and Jon shared a surprisingly delicious venison steak meal.

 

Christian's birthday Radler

After lunch we went to the local supermarket to pick up a few things and then went back to the house for a nap. I'd only closed my eyes for a few minutes when I was woken by a terrible cry. I opened the door to hear Jon telling Christian in a desperate voice that he had "shattered his foot." In a panic I woke James and sent him hurrying downstairs. (He's the injury parent. I can remain calm in an emotional crisis (usually) but he is so much better when it comes to blood or broken bones). Thankfully there were no broken bones but Jon was still devastated. He'd dropped and stepped on his phone, shattering it, during a conversation with his fiancee, Saphyar. James and I remember how hard it was for us to be separated when he went to Germany with his family before we were married, so our goal has been to be as understanding as possible with Jon and Saph. Jon was able to use my phone to call her and we will get him set up with a replacement tomorrow. 

 

After a little more time at home, we regretfully roused ourselves to go down to Garmish for some dinner. We did some window shopping then found a little restaurant with outside seating. By this time though I was almost delirious with exhaustion. I almost fell asleep waiting for our meal until Christian decided to mess with me and wake me up suddenly. After dinner we went back to the house and had a little cake and ice cream for Christian's birthday. We didn't have a candle because it can be hard to find that kind of thing in a foreign store, especially when you can't see straight. But we still sang to him and the cake was delicious. 

 

Christian enjoyed startling me awake

Waiting for dinner

Celebrating Christian's birthday

James and I managed to get a walk in too before bed. We found some lovely trails a short way from our house, it reminds me of the valley at the Glen House by Mt Washington. But the space is bigger and we even passed a couple of cows. We tried and failed to find a shortcut back but we ended up walking through a field of flowers. It was an absolutely perfect end to the day. 

 

The view from the supermarket

Now bed is calling and I must obey. Goodnight!