Sometimes it ends up being such a beautiful thing that i wait months to actually blog up a trip—- I am able to go through the photos, remembering every moment almost forgotten, the way it felt and sang, the memory we made… completely reliving the whole adventure.

Garmisch- The Bavarian Alps. I cant even describe the way I feel in the mountains….. im always at a loss for words- in Awe. at peace. mezmorized. humbled. - I just cant. Its so many things.

this trip almost didnt happen tho. Our pup got very ill just before leaving on this journey- I couldnt even stand the thought of not being with him, but madi volunteered to stay back and care for him, so the rest of the family could go- Madi, I will forever be greatful my amazing daughter! Im so glad she is now, as I type, having her first ever adult european trip with her best friend, germany included! (and she did enjoy the whole house to herself for a week!)

We flew into Munich, rented a big transit van, and drove to Garmisch, where we stayed at the edELweiss lodge… if you are military, just go- stay- enjoy. It was awesome. our plan was to hit it in april, when tourism was slow and it was on the cusp of spring- although a few things on our agenda were affected by the weather (ill have to paraglide through the alps another day) mother nature wowed us! We had the chill, the rain, the snow peaked mountains, and all of the burst of a fresh season!

Any time we take one of these bigger trips I try to have some kind of plan- places picked out to fill moments of our days, while keeping plenty of free time to just explore… Since we had arrived early, lunch and a short hike seemed perfect! DOwntown there are some really cute resturaunts, but since everyone was craving a big burger and fries, we knew just where to go- Shaka burger . does anything taste better then a big burger after hours of travel?? Then we headed off to Partnach Gorge. I didnt know what to expect- would it still be dripping with icicles?? not so much- instead it was all melting, and the water flow from the river to waterfalls was epic!

The walk from the parking lot through the nature reserve is so charming, and although we didnt make it through the whole hike (cold wet kids!) it was just magic.

On the last day of our trip (This is one of 3 posts— yeah, i took a lot of photos- shocking!) we drove back over to a lake we had briefly visited a few days before, Lake Eibsee. oh my golly, this place is pure beauty.

I like to always keep the last day open, as i know myself well, and spontaneity always circles us back to some moment of the trip we want to explore further- This lake was it! and ended up being my favorite part of the whole trip….

The lake sits at the foot of Zugspitz, one of the tallest peaks in the Alps. its crystal clear, wrapped in a forest of pine, and offers up a gorgeous view from every angle. I couldn’t wait to hike around the whole lake, and im so stoked we were able to bribe the girls to join along! (promises of ice cream can get ya far with these two!) They enjoyed the ducks, the flowers, running in the trees…. it always wows me to see just how free they are in nature <3

being in a place like this makes me understand what John Muir was feeling when he wrote his many wilderness essays- the energy, the way the sun’s rays glow through the trees, the sounds of the wild birds, and that feeling you get when standing in the presence of a giant- the foot of a mountain. goodness, this world is incredible.

Stay tuned for the next post, Ill be sharing Zugspitz! Till next time- xoxo