Familotel Leiner Garmisch-Partenkirchen

... it. It was pretty scary to think that they do the jumping in summer when they wet the slope and land on fake grass. In winter, there is at least 30 cm of hardened snow. It actually looked scarier from the bottom than the top. The stadium is also used for concerts in summer and the pope has also held a mass there.<br><br>By time we headed home, the rain had started and had set in for the night.

... amazing to see how close the Golden Roof came to being bombed during World War II by the Nazis. The Austrians had bricked it in to save it and some of these bricks were actually destroyed while the Roof and building were saved.<br><br>We then walked up the City Tower which was built in 1440 and had an incredible view over the city and the surrounding mountains. It had stopped snowing by this time and you could see a clear line above ...

Walked to the train station and did an expedition to the supermarket to spend our last Swiss Francs as we are back to Euros in Austria. Had a stopover in Zurich for a while and then caught the train to Innsbruck. Again this was a scenic trip over the mountains and it started snowing and was very deep as we got higher- just beautiful scenery. Innsbruck is surrounded by mountains, all of which had snow on them.<br><br>We checked into our hotel where we ...

... up the mountain to get a better look at the ski jump. The GPS took us to a viewpoint instead of to the actual jump, which is why I got a good picture of it. We then followed the signs to the ski jump, but the parking lot was swarming with people going to and from their tour buses and we decided we weren't in the mood for that kind of sightseeing.<br><br>We got on the highway and headed to a suburb of Innsbruck called Wattens where the Swarovski Crystal Worlds museum is located.

... well as a crystal on display that is larger than my head. The exhibits in each room vary considerably. In this case I think the pictures describe the museum much better than I can. Once at the end of the museum rooms, the visitor must pass through the showroom and store before leaving the facility. Mom and I had a lot of fun in the store and the men waited patiently for us to decide on ...

... to the Vatican. We learned that the kirschen was severely destroyed during WWII as well as that it was originally built in the 1400s through funding by the sale of indulgences. Martin Luther would not be happy about that.<br><br>Before returning to the hotel, we stumbled across some kind of street protest about Iran, but the handouts and speeches were in German. Moving on, there was a four piece ensemble in the middle of the street. One woman ...

This was a lovely little place we stopped at on the bus tour to the castles. Unfortunately, being Sunday, most everything was shut (except for the souvenir shops that is). They have a woodcarving school there that I plan to stop at for a weeklong course on the next trip. But of course it was shut that ...

... House that our friend Jake was putting on for the second year running. We met up with more old friends and had a great time, along with taking a tour, which was very funny. The rest of the evening was spent at a bar called Jameson where friends of ours were playing. It was a really good time. Halloween! Unfortunately, Matt woke up with stomach cramps and general nastiness, so we took it pretty easy to let him rest ...

... certainly be surprised and I'm sure they'd get a kick out of it. I tried on a pair of Lederhosen, but the leather shorts and suspenders combos are surprisingly expensive; even when on sale. Instead, I found a pair of the traditional knee length shorts made of corduroy, some long Strumpf (socks) and a Hemd (shirt) in a traditional, festival style (see pic.). The shirt even had a couple of little embroidered beer mugs on the breast pockets. I tried on the outfit and took a look in ...

Another work conference for my parents brought us to Oberammergau for a week. We stayed in the cutest little wooden cottage - like the whole thing ceiling to floor and including flowering window boxes was made out of wood! Totally picturesque like you've read about in Brothers Grimm fairy tales. Aromatic town bakery. Absolutely enchanting.