I spent the last few months traveling from London to Beijing. Here is a taste of one place we spent time. Follow the links to read about others.

October 14th- 17th, 2005

A while back we visited my friend Thom in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany after spending a bit of time in Copenhagen, Denmark.  I met Thom, a fellow philosophy major, during my first and only year at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.  Thom is now an R&R instructor for the U.S. Department of Defense.  (So, he basically gets paid to do really difficult things like ski, hike, and rock-climb).

Our stay in Garmisch was visually stunning, gastronomically pleasing, and full of great company--exactly as one might imagine rural Bavaria.  We spent many evenings at a fantastic little bar called Zirbel where we played chess with the bartender and had trouble paying for drinks.  Thom took me to the second best local bakery in Garmisch (the name has escaped me, but perhaps Thom will be so good as to remind me).  Apparently the best bakery is owned by the second best baker’s father and it is never open.

I ordered a hearty spirulina roll with sesame, which was delicious and too lovely in it’s pale green color to pass up.  I also ordered a gorgeous breakfast confection called a schmalznudeln.  This deep-fried donut was sprinkled with sugar and very delicious.

We ate in some gorgeous outdoor restaurants where I enjoyed plenty of Käsespätzle with roasted onions.  Mmm.  Salad might be the last thing to come to mind when thinking of Bavaria, but I was continually impressed with the unbelievable salads that I ate--half a dozen types of greens, sprouts, and the freshest assortment of other vegetables. 

On our last evening, in search of apple strudel, the three of us ended up in the Joseph Naus Stub'n restaurant at Hotel Zugspitze. They were unfortunately out of apple strudel, but we enjoyed Weiss beer, tiramisu, and the most elegant and unique cheese plate I have ever had the pleasure to sample--all for a very modest price.  The staff was fantastic as well.

Garmisch was absolutely beautiful.  I really love Bavaria and I hope to spend more time in that area of the world in the future.  It was really fun to see Thom again after a few years and to catch up with him.  I hope we get the chance to do that again soon. 

(Believe it or not, we hadn't had anything to drink yet.)

Next stop, Ardèche, France.