I went on the German trip during the summer of 2017 and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Amongst all the beautiful sights we saw, I would have to say one of my favorite places was the mountains.
Before we even arrived, I knew that I was going to enjoy visiting Garmisch Partenkirchen. Near the end of the train ride (our main mode of transportation) to Garmisch, the view outside the big glass windows became marvelous. Giant mountains stood everywhere, demanding the attention of my mind. The music I was listening to made the view even more captivating (Nights by Avicii). It was a truly glorious moment.
After arriving, we dropped off our luggage at our hotel and began our first hike. We took the bus through the winding streets of the town and arrived at the base of a tall mountain. Herr W and Mr. Bergandine led us into a small building and gave us all tickets. Confused, I asked why we needed these random slips of paper. My question was answered as we turned the corner and arrived at a docking bay for cable cars.
My friend and I climbed into a cable car. Having never ridden a cable car, we both believed that the trip up did not look super safe. As the cable car began its climb, our worries were not greeted well. A violent shaking of the cable car had us both gripping to the edges, clinging for our lives. Soon, we realized that the shaking was a regular occurrence and we calmed down.
The view was quite spectacular. To our left and right stood giant mountains whose white peaks disappeared into the clouds. Behind us, the small, beautiful town slowly shrank. It was not everyday when one got a view like that. Especially if one lived in Urbana, Illinois.
After arriving at the top of the mountain, we took a group photo and enjoyed the view. Then, we set off on our journey back down. The hike down was very peaceful. We talked, took photos, and saw amazing views. After what seemed like many hours, we finally reached the bottom of the mountain.
We were greeted with a small, shallow river. However, it would not stay that way for long. To get back to our starting point, we had to walk through a small tunnel through the side of the mountain. The tunnel was dark, cool, and moist. Every so often, the left side of the tunnel would open up, allowing us to look out. Besides us, the once calm river had become roaring and violent. Above us was the side of the mountain and trees from the forest. Sadly, our hike could not last forever and we eventually reached the end of the tunnel.
However, those beautiful sights would be topped by the ones we would see the next day.
In the morning, we took a small train up the tallest mountain in Germany, the Zugspitze. When the train halted to a stop, we all quickly rushed out. A cold breeze greeted us at the door. There was a huge sledding slope (which we obviously rode multiple times). However, the main attraction was the view. The sky was a perfect blue, free of clouds. You could see for hundred of miles in all directions. I will forever remember the beautiful sight and feeling of being on top of the world.
The view was quite spectacular. To our left and right stood giant mountains whose white peaks disappeared into the clouds. Behind us, the small, beautiful town slowly shrank. It was not everyday when one got a view like that. Especially if one lived in Urbana, Illinois.
After arriving at the top of the mountain, we took a group photo and enjoyed the view. Then, we set off on our journey back down. The hike down was very peaceful. We talked, took photos, and saw amazing views. After what seemed like many hours, we finally reached the bottom of the mountain.
We were greeted with a small, shallow river. However, it would not stay that way for long. To get back to our starting point, we had to walk through a small tunnel through the side of the mountain. The tunnel was dark, cool, and moist. Every so often, the left side of the tunnel would open up, allowing us to look out. Besides us, the once calm river had become roaring and violent. Above us was the side of the mountain and trees from the forest. Sadly, our hike could not last forever and we eventually reached the end of the tunnel.However, those beautiful sights would be topped by the ones we would see the next day.
In the morning, we took a small train up the tallest mountain in Germany, the Zugspitze. When the train halted to a stop, we all quickly rushed out. A cold breeze greeted us at the door. There was a huge sledding slope (which we obviously rode multiple times). However, the main attraction was the view. The sky was a perfect blue, free of clouds. You could see for hundred of miles in all directions. I will forever remember the beautiful sight and feeling of being on top of the world.
It was a once in a lifetime experience.
That trip sounds amazing! How you reacted to the cable car, I probably would have reacted the same way. Great descriptions.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds wonderful, David. I love mountains, and one thing that's hard for me about living in Central Illinois is being far from any mountains. I spent a summer in the Swiss Alps when I was in college, which was amazing and sounds somewhat similar to your mountain experiences in Germany. I also love the mountains in the western US. Glacier National Park in particular is one of my favorite places on earth.
ReplyDeleteThese views are amazing. I've never been to Europe, and you're making me a little jealous. That's probably the clearest and bluest sky I've seen in my life. I loved how you were to the point in your descriptions. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI love how you uploaded pictures to go along with your detailed words about your trip! Looking at them as I read your post added to your descriptive narrations, and they made me imagine going on this hike as well (quite jealous that I wasn't actually on it haha). It sounds like it was a very adventurous yet calming trip, and those views are just stunning!!
ReplyDeleteFor those reading this post/ my comment: I am "friend" from paragraph four (the cable car). This post is especially meaningful to me because I shared many of these experiences with you. For example; I remember being similarly stunned while on the bus to Garmisch; I also was listening to music which made me feel like the moment was extra magical. Using your stunning pictures, combined with your colorful, yet to-the-point language, you were very effective as a storyteller.
ReplyDeleteP.S. you inspired me to revisit my photo library from the trip!
Nice pictures! I've always wanted to go to Europe and especially Germany because I love mountains as well. I also find that walking around in the mountains is so relaxing. If you go back take me with you :)
ReplyDeleteVery Nice Photography skills. I have always wanted to visit the alps and Switzerland, it looks like you had a very nice trip. Personally I dislike major cities such as Chicago and New York City, I enjoy nature and small rural communities.
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ReplyDeleteI remember this particular trip vividly. I felt the same when seeing Garmish-Partenkirchen slowly shrink below me, it was something that I'd never experienced.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you got great pictures of the river. My phone died the instant I got down there unfortunately. But to be honest, there wasn't much to take a picture of in the tunnel though with how dark it was. I remember being really scared of having my head banging against the top. Looking back at our trip to the Zugspitze, I realize how lucky we were that it was a clear day. We wouldn't have been able to see anything otherwise.
This was a great post! When I think about the German trip, my mind tends to focus on some of my less-great experiences and how I never want to do it again ever ever ever, but this post reminded me how much fun I did still have! Thanks!
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