One of our favorite things to do while in Garmisch is to ride up the Eckbauerbahn (a gondola ride up a beautiful mountain then a leisurely hike down. This trip we weren't able to bring any hiking boots (as they were packed up with all our belongings for the move to Texas) and spent a few minutes discussing the need for proper footwear with an elderly German man (very sweet, not annoying).
At the end of the hike (bottom of the mountain) there is a small alpine slide set up and the kids can't just walk by now (it is part of the hike). This time I was able to convince Kirstin that the ride was worth it. She only went once.
We stayed in cabins this trip and while we were there were able to meet some new friends. They were in a cabin just up the road from ours. Turns out they were an LDS family assigned to the Embassy to the Brussels Embassy. Too bad we are moving back to the States it would have been fun to head off to Belgium every now and again to see some friends!
Another tradition we have is to visit the Eibsee, a lake at the bottom of the Zugspitze (tallest mountain in Germany). There's a beautiful scenic trail that goes around the lake (around 4 miles). It was a bit long for a few of our little ones but it was still fun!
