Bavaria 2008

Chris & I just returned from an amazing trip to Bavaria. It was our "post-deployment" trip, and it was just what we needed! We flew into Munich, rented a car, and headed down to our first stop...Salzburg. Oh my gosh, if ever there was a beautiful city, this was it! We did our own Sound of Music tour; stopping at Mirabell Gardens and the Leopoldskron Castle (the castle used as the front of the Von Trapp family home). We saw Mozart's Residenz, and even had a candlelight dinner in the oldest restaurant in Europe (Stiftskeller St. Peter) while listening to 3 mini-operas written by the famed composer. It was definitely an experience that I will never forget.

After 3 days in Salzburg, we headed over to Garmisch, Germany where we stayed at the Edelweiss Resort. Ahhh, words can't even describe this place! It was cozy and warm, and just plain wonderful! We visited Hitler's Eagle's Nest, toured the Neuschwanstein Castle (the Disney Castle), went to the top of the Zugspitze, and hiked around the little villages that were nestled at the base of the mountains.

From Garmisch, we headed back up to Munich where we browsed the Viktualienmarkt for some yummy delacasies, ate at the original Hofbrauhaus, visited the Town Halls, and toured the BMW Museum. So...if you're wondering what to get us for Christmas, we found a few nice cars that will only set you back about 100 Grand!!

After 7 days, we still weren't ready to come home! The weather was perfect, the scenery beautiful, and our hotels were just lovely. Of all of our vacations, I think that we've decided that this was our favorite!

Enjoy some pics below...

The river at the base of the Zugspitze Mountain.

Beer & pretzels...Bavarian specialties!

Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Austria

Us at the Eagle's Nest

Leopoldskron Castle...the Von Trapp house :)

Mirabell Gardens

Gorgeous Austria

Neuschwanstein Castle built by Mad King Ludwig II

The view from the balcony of the Neuschwanstein Castle.