As you know I traveled to Germany over Christmas for 10 days with my family. We have done a lot of traveling in my life, with trips to France in high school and I was lucky enough to visit Japan my first year of college. But there was something about this particular trip that will stick with me forever.
I really feel like I appreciate the culture so much more than any other trip I’ve taken. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a city in the Bavarian region known for hosting the 1936 Winter Olympics. It’s right in the middle of the Alps and the sweet little chalet we stayed in had the most amazing view of the mountains.
During the holiday season every town has their own little Christmas Market with little shacks vendors rent out to sell things from Nutcrackers, ornaments, to sweets, sausages and my favorite Gluhwein. These Christmas Markets have been a seasonal tradition for centuries and it was so cool to see not only the culture in the goods sold but also what the markets brought out in the people in attendance.
Being in this region also gave us the opportunity to see some really cool sights, things that you couldn’t even imagine seeing in the United States. Like Rothenburg ob der Tauber, one of the only medieval cities with it’s wall fully preserved and the beautiful Disney-esque castles in Schwangau. This country has so much history, some good and some bad and it was so exciting and eye opening to visit so many cities that shaped my family as well as our country. I had such a blast traveling around the region, visiting Austria and especially eating. I couldn’t have asked for a better gift for Christmas. This trip has taught me, material items really can’t compare to what traveling can do for your metal health.
Check out my very first Youtube video of some of the sights from our trip.
