Tag: Garmisch

• Currently

  Posted at 2:00 PM by Brittany, on May 11, 2020

  Life the past month has been interesting to say the least. The hotel I work at closed to the public at the end of March, and I have been on leave without pay (LWOP-by choice/they asked if I would be willing to do this) since 28 March. I could have flown back to the states in the middle of April, but that was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.

  I wanted to wait out the Coronavirus storm, although at this point I don’t think the storm will be passing anytime soon.

  Financially I am stable, which allowed me to accept LWOP without consequence, and aside from the initial lack of routine (I’ve since created a routine I enjoy) – being able to live in Germany (for free) without any responsibilities at the moment is amazing. The hotel continues to push the open date, and as of right now we are scheduled to open the beginning of June.

  

  Hike views.

  

  Bike views.

  Select shops in Bavaria have reopened, and life in the mountains has remained the same. Part of why I chose to stay in Germany on LWOP opposed to flying back to the states was because of the freedom I still have here. I am able to go outside and be active however I please (within social distance guidelines), and I wouldn’t have been able to do that back in Washington.

  I’ve been spending my free time doing a myriad of things, like walking, biking, hiking, reading, journaling/writing, watching movies, and reflecting. I can’t remember a time when I was forced to slow down like this, and at first it was a literal shock to my system. I went from 60 to 0 in a matter of days – from a life of non stop travel and work, to a life of stillness.

  

  Bike views.

  

  Hike views.

  In the beginning I had days where I feel like I was useless to society, but then I remind myself we are in the midst of a pandemic. Although I am not working I technically still have a job, but even if I didn’t have a job, that would be ok too. I worked hard for my money, and I shouldn’t feel guilty about temporarily living off my savings.

  Besides, if I were working right now, I would be doing deep cleaning tasks and I just don’t want to do that.

  I trust God, and I trust I will be ok regardless of what’s to come the next few months. I have extended my time here until September, but anything can happen between now and then. I am challenging myself to be alone with my thoughts more which has been amazingly therapeutic and helpful in my growth.

  

  Bike views.

  

  Hike views.

  I am consistently meeting with the local chaplain for counseling, and I am loving the progress I have made. Digging deep and working through suppressed trauma has been both essential and helpful. I have a long way to go, but this has been a nice jump start. I am trying to shift my perfectionist mindset from “you’re being lazy by not working” to “you are using this time to grow as a person.”

  Of all places to be stuck during a global pandemic, I consider myself immensely blessed to be “stuck” in Bavaria. 

  

  Bike views.

  I’m challenging myself to learn new things with my free time, and I recently overcame a fear I had with regard to my bike. My bike is officially one year old, and she was in need of some love, so I gave her a bath. In my bathtub/shower. It wasn’t perfect, but I worked with what I had. My chain needed love and lube, and she’s as good as new now. 

  In the past I had always taken my bike to the shop for a tune up, mostly because I was intimidated by the thought of doing anything myself. The bike shops here were closed at the time, so I decided to do it myself. The chain no longer squeaks of thirst, and riding her feels like it did when I first bought her. Little things like this remind me I am capable of more than I think.

  

  Instead of looking at this down time as a negative, I have shifted my perspective to view this as a positive. I will never again live in Germany like this for free with the opportunity to fully submerge myself in nature. I’m not feeling the guilt of wasting my time off, because my time off is endless right now and travel is not an option.

  I’m essentially playing tourist in my own city, visiting new and old places. I am thankful for this time to reflect, and to reinvent a part of who I am. 

  

  Hike views.

  

  Journaling views.

  I’ve been more in tune with my body the last month as well, listening to what she needs. I’m not perfect, and I still make choices that don’t make me feel my best, but I am having an easier time bouncing back. It helps being able to sleep in until 0700/0800 instead of 0530. Time away from the stressful hustle and bustle that is customer service always reminds me just how damaging it can be to my health.

  All of this to say I am doing ok. It took a bit of time for me to let go of my anxiety surrounding the uncertainty of life right now, but at the end of the day little to none of this is within my control. I take each day as it comes, and compassionately bring myself back to earth when I get overwhelmed by the thought of what’s next.

  So for now, I will continue with my small routines which include daily exploration of this place I currently call home. 

  

  Hike views.

  Q: How are you currently? 

  

  | 30 Comments Tagged Biking, Europe, Garmisch, Germany, Hiking

• How Are You…Really?

  Posted at 2:00 PM by Brittany, on March 24, 2020

  I have two trips I want to share – one from the end of February, and one from just a week and a half ago, but in light of what’s going on right now in the world I think I will save those and write a post about “real” life. Before all this corona stuff I was wanting to write a little life update anyway, but I just continued to have travel posts (wow, rough life) and never got around to posting a feelings and emotions post.

  So grab a cuppa coffee, and let’s chat about the nitty gritty. 

  

  This past winter hit me harder than I anticipated it would. We all struggle a bit more during the winter months, but I think being in a place where I don’t have family, and only have a couple friends to lean on made it harder for me. January marked one year of living in Germany, and while the time flew fast, it also moved like molasses at the same time.

  

  One of the few snow falls this winter.

  I think it goes hand in hand with me loosening my diet (and gaining 15 pounds) causing some extra loneliness and more isolation, mixed with the dark months and less movement. I still traveled once a month, but even the travel felt wrong. I know I am not alone in the winter blues, I am just hoping I can shake them soon.

  In September I made a goal to eat more food, move my body less, and free my mind a bit in an attempt to correct a five year struggle with hypothalamic amenorrhea. In layman’s terms that means I didn’t have a period for five years. I was determined to balance my hormones and get my period back, and in December it came back.

  Eating what I wanted was OK at first, but I’ve been feeling really unwell for a while now. Food allergies are food allergies despite the motive for eating more freely. 

  

  

  I’m stoked that I have had a consistent period for five months now, but I need to find a better way to accomplish this. I knew I was playing with fire by being extra loose with my diet, but my body can only handle so much. Food aside, I think ultimately it’s time for me to move on from working in a fast paced, high stress environment.

  My body just doesn’t like this type of work, nor does my mind.

  Due to the corona virus the hotel I work at has officially shut down for a month, but I anticipate it will be closed longer than a month. I also anticipate going back to the states soon, and at first this saddened me, but I feel ready. I can’t seem to shake this funk I am in and I think my body is telling me it’s burned out, and it’s time for a rest.

  

  With spring just around the corner, the weather in Bavaria has been amazing. It bounces between sun and clouds, but the sun has been dominating lately. I’ve been trying to get outside more and ride my bike, especially because I don’t know how much longer I have to enjoy these amazing bike paths.

  Sometimes getting on my bike and zoning out for a few hours is the medicine I need for the day. 

  

  

  

  

  I’m still working (minimal hours) doing tasks that can be done with a closed resort. Thankfully my parents taught me the power of saving money and I am in no way hurting for funds, but I am finding myself with a lot more free time. Free time is ok, but when it’s paired with social distancing it becomes harder.

  Even for an introvert like me. 

  It’s an odd reality for me, I thrive being alone, but the rules and restrictions that come with this pandemic (rightfully so) have me craving human connections more than normal. I’m really trying to sit with the discomfort that is coming during this time instead of masking it with food. I’ve been having counseling sessions with the U.S. chaplain that works nearby, and they have been so helpful for me.

  Of course, biking always helps too.

  

  My bike was likely one of the best purchases I made while living in Germany, it quickly became my best friend and opened so many doors for me while I was “home” in Garmisch. I don’t run anymore, and while I still hike it doesn’t happen as much. Biking has been a lower impact way for me to still move my body without causing a Sjogren’s flare up.

  The flare ups still happen, but far less often from this kind of movement. 

  

  At the end of the day, I am feeling weird. I know a big change is coming and that’s hard for me to deal with. The last year of living this lifestyle has been nothing short of life changing, and soon I will leave the only people who understand what I’ve been through. I deal with this often, because most people don’t pick up their lives and move so nomadically like I do, but just because I am used to it doesn’t make it any easier.

  On the flip side I am excited to start traveling the right way again. Never will I ever travel like I have the last year. I regret nothing, but the quickness and fast turn around of the travels I have done were too much. Being on a trip, and stressing about planning another trip is just ridiculous. There is such a thing as “too much” even with traveling.

  

  With that said, I am obviously not traveling right now with corona running rampant all over the world. I am literally taking one day at a time, enjoying the area I live at the base of the alps, and trying to find small pockets of peace throughout each day. I feel really empty right now, more so after the world started to shut down, but this is part of life.

  We can’t have the highs without the lows. 

  I miss my family more than I thought I would, and I am wanting to go home. I feel like I am in a catch 22 because I want to go, but I also don’t want to travel overseas. I literally feel stuck, and while I know I am safe where I am I worry about something happening to my family. I’ve not experienced this type of emptiness in regards to my family since I was young, and I’m not sure how to process my emotions.

  For now, I have my Garmisch family to lean on. From 6ft away. 🙂

  

  Photo taken just before the social distance rule.

  

  ON A LIGHTER and completely unrelated note, at the end of February I went out after dark and the world didn’t stop turning. It was time for Fasching in Germany, and this year I decided to go out and dance with the locals. I even drank some gin. Who am I? You can read more about the Fasching history here.

  Along with the celebration, people dress up similar to Halloween. My roommate MaryBeth and I went to the thrift store two days before the event, found two hats, and went as Balto and Pikachu. I think my new calling is to be a professional face painter.

  

  

  This was meant to show off my painting skills, and I don’t know how it turned into this.

  

  

  Thankful for these humans in these weird, unknown times. This late night celebration made me feel like I felt when I was in my early 20’s. I felt free, and I realized I can and should do what I can to keep my body healthy, but I cannot live in a bubble. Sometimes we have to let our hair down (maybe a bad analogy for my hair…) and live life.

  We never know when the life as we know it will drastically change. 

  My sessions with the chaplain are challenging me to tell people how I feel…really. This will be a continuous work in progress for me, but this blog has always been a safe space for me to spill my heart. Thank you to those who have continued to read my rambles, writing truly is cathartic for me and when people read what I have to say I feel heard…really.

  

  Bavaria is on lockdown, but we can still bike and hike alone. I’ve had years of practice with this.

  I know everyone is struggling from this limbo we’re in right now, but it helps to know I’m not alone. For now, I am still in Germany and don’t know when I will be coming home. One day, one hour, one minute at a time.

  Q: How are you…really?

  

  | 29 Comments Tagged Biking, Brittanys Life Abroad, Fasching, Garmisch, Hiking

• Ettal Abbey

  Posted at 2:00 PM by Brittany, on November 29, 2019

  One of my recent and likely one of my last longer bike rides (until warmer weather) took me to a town about an hour (bike ride) north of me called Ettal. I had driven through Ettal a handful of times, but I had never stopped to appreciate the beauty of the Abbey in the middle of this tiny town. The onion dome of the Abbey can be seen from the road, but the grandeur entirety of this building can only be appreciated up close.

  

  I knew in the back of my mind that the road getting to Ettal was a steep, windy, mountain road, but I had forgotten this tiny detail when I decided to bike in this direction. I looked for a bike path to avoid biking on the road, but I think next time I will choose the road. I found a bike/hiking trail that was so steep I had to get off my bike and push it up the hill.

  I ended up gaining 1300 ft of elevation over maybe half a mile. It was intense! 

  

  The Abbey is an active Benedictine monastery from the 1300’s. It’s open to the public everyday, and within the grounds of this Abbey is a brewery/distillery. This area is used to make beer and liquor by the active monks. The alcohol is sold and the money contributes to the upkeep of the Abbey. I don’t drink, but if a monk offered me a shot of gin I wouldn’t say no!

  

  

  The basilica has a beautifully elaborate interior, as do all European churches. I’m not catholic, but I like to light a candle sometimes when I visit Catholic Churches. Sometimes I say a prayer for myself, and sometimes I say a prayer for my mom (she is catholic.)

  

  

  

  I spent about an hour here before I continued on to Oberammergau, about 20 minutes from Ettal. Oberammergau is home to the Passion Play, a once every ten year play depicting the Passion of Jesus Christ: his trial, suffering and death. 2020 is when the next play will be, and this play is from May through October.

  The entire town is jam packed that entire time, with people arriving from all over the world just for the play. 

  I biked around the town just to see it, stopping by the Passion Play theatre before heading back to Garmisch. As I passed back through Ettal on my way home the sun came out, providing a different contrast to the Ettal Abbey. The hotel I work for has weekly tours to this Abbey, paired with a cheese tasting at a nearby cheese factory, but I’m glad I rode my bike here to have free rein while exploring.

  

  When I left.

  

  When I arrived.

  The bike ride back was much quicker, as always when going DOWN hill. I took the road so that I could ride my bike instead of walking it down the steep hill I climbed. I flew like a bat out of hell on that road, despite holding my breaks like a wuss. I hate going down hill too fast, I’m a big wimp! I’ve been living in Garmisch for nearly a year, and I continue to discover new adventures close to “home.”

  Life here is never dull unless you do nothing with your free time.

  

  Q: Would you have guessed monks brew beer and liquor?! I also saw a monk smoking a cigarette while taking out the trash, and for some reason I felt surprised. As if the monks were immortal beings that don’t do daily tasks. 

  

  | 9 Comments Tagged Bavaria, Bike, Bike Ride, Brittanys Life Abroad, Ettal, Garmisch, Germany

• Kreuzeck

  Posted at 5:00 PM by Brittany, on November 6, 2019

  I am finding that despite having a handful of things I want to blog about, I sometimes struggle actually getting around to writing the posts. This post for example, is about a hike I went on in early fall. It is now nearing the end of fall. Blame it on the brain fog, or the fatigue, or the lack of motivation, but better late than never.

  

  One of my favorite things about the hikes in Bavaria, are these plaques found at the summit. If the hike has a Hütte at the top, there are plaques on the side indicating the summit elevation. This plaque is from a mountain behind where I live called the Kreuzeck, and it sits at an elevation of 1652m.

  This summit was interesting, and at first I wasn’t convinced I had hit the top at all.

  

  Summits are also indicated by some kind of cross, as if by the grace of God you made it to the top of a mountain. I love the crosses at the top, and for someone that struggled with chronic fatigue for many years, (and still does sometimes) anytime I make it to the top of a mountain I am thankful. The cross is a good reminder for me to thank God for all that I am capable of.

  I am also thankful for all the mountain friends I find along the way. Sheep, and goats, and cows, OH MY!

  

  Despite seeing the cross, I wasn’t convinced I had hit the summit. The summit of the Kreuzeck isn’t an obvious one like most hikes here, it’s more of a flat ground with other summits towering around it. This made me wonder if I had actually hit the summit, or if one of the surrounding peaks was the summit.

  I stopped into one of the two Hütte’s at the top to ask if this was the summit of the Kreuzeck, and a lovely Germany woman confirmed I was in fact at the top of the Kreuzeck. A bit anticlimactic, but the hike was beautiful none the less.

  

  I hiked this with one of my friends and we started a little later in the day, which meant darkness was close by. After walking up some surprisingly steep areas (despite the lower elevation of the overall summit) we decided to take the cable car back down instead of hiking down. This cable car only has a round trip ticket, which was annoying, but it was still cool to ride in.

  My first German alps cable car ride. 

  

  (Source)

  The hike up was fairly quick, it took us under two hours to summit. We hung around the top for a bit hanging out with some of the summit locals. At the top there is a chicken coup next to one of the Hütte’s. All the chickens were roaming free, but one chicken in particular looked as if he were picked on by the others.

  I don’t know what came over me, but seeing him missing feathers and looking a bit rough made me cry. LOL. I just imagined the other chickens plucking at him, and then I went down a momentary black hole of apology for eating so much chicken. My inner vegan was screaming to come back out, but then I had to remember why I started eating meat again in the first place.

  Point being, despite how long it’s been I still struggle with eating meat sometimes. 

  

  

  Chicken coups aside, the view from Adolf-Zöppritz-Haus (the Hütte at the top) was beautiful. We hiked on a day with overcast, but the clouds cleared just enough to provide a view of the valley below. And just like that, I checked another Bavarian summit off my list. Winter is coming fast, and I have another hike from the summer to share in my next post, but I don’t know if I’ll be doing much more hiking in Germany until spring.

  

  Q: Would you rather hike up and cable car down, or cable car up and hike down? Definitely hike up for me. I gotta work for my ride down! 

  

  | 8 Comments Tagged Bavaria, Brittanys Life Abroad, Garmisch, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, Hiking

• Bavaria Adventures

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on August 23, 2019

  Since moving to Europe I’ve been posting mostly about my trips outside of Germany, but life in Bavaria continues to happen in between my travels. Bavaria is a lovely state to live in, and being so close to the alps is a blessing to say the least. Most days after work I am useless and become one with my bed, but sometimes I have the energy to go for a local adventure.

  

  

  One of my local adventures was to a lake near where I live called Eibsee. The word “see” means lake in German. The first time I visited Eibsee was in March, and I’ve since been back a few times. The photos in this post will be from my first trip, hence the snow. I think the snow added a magical look to the surrounding mountains.

  

  Eibsee is one of the more popular places for people to go during the summer, the lake is cold and offers a nice reprieve from the warm summer air, however I prefer walking the 5 mile loop around the lake opposed to swimming. On the backside of the lake there are less people, and less people is always good in my book.

  I seem to get along better with animals.

  

  I took my dad and my step mom here the day they arrived in Germany (after a full day of travel) and put them through the torturous 5 mile loop. The loop itself isn’t difficult, but when you’ve flown halfway across the world and your body is stuck in a timezone 9hours behind it proves to be a bit of a struggle.

  I think they forgave me though, at least after they saw the reflection of the alps in the lake. 

  

  

  Another local adventure I went on was with one of my roommates back in April. The train system in Europe is amazing, and in Bavaria there is a train pass called the Bayern pass which allows you to pay one price and travel all over Bavaria on regional trains as many times in one day as you’d like.

  The more people you add to the ticket the cheaper it gets.

  

  I had been wanting to buy a Bayern pass and take the train to random stops for a while on one of my days off, and my roommate decided to tag along. My end location goal was a town called Kochel, to visit Kochelsee. If you remember the above German lesson you’ll know this meant I wanted to visit the lake in Kochel.

  What can I say, I have a think for lakes.

  

  Kochel was beautiful, and the walk to the lake brought us through farmlands. Farms speak to my soul on a personal level, and there is something so warm and comforting about a European farm. There is also something warm and comforting about a European cemetery. That sounds really bizarre, but the churches associated with the cemeteries are elaborate and eye-catching, and the energy at these cemeteries is comforting.

  

  We stopped in one other town on this Bayern adventure called Murnau. It was a sunny spring day, and we were enjoying our time outside. We wandered into town, stumbled upon a farmers market, found a church, and then found another cemetery. Go figure.

  

  

  

  We thought about possibly going to Munich after visiting Murnau and Kochel, but traveling is exhausting and we decided to head back to Garmisch after a few hours of exploring. The travel time, waiting for the train, and walking the towns made the time go by quickly and before we knew it the day was almost over.

  

  Each town I’ve visited in Germany has its own beautiful church accompanied by a cemetery. Of all the cemeteries I’ve seen in Bavaria, and Europe as a whole, nothing compares to the cemetery in Partenkirchen near where I live. I discovered this cemetery while riding my bike one day, and had to stop and sit in the gardens for a while.

  It might sound odd to think of a cemetery as a place to meditate, but this place brought a wave of peace to my soul.

  

  Germany is beautiful, and I have officially been living here for seven months now. Time is an odd concept here. Some days I feel like I just got here, and some days I feel like I’ve been here for years. I’m at a place now where it is starting to feel odd when I think about life after Germany.

  I’m halfway through my contract with my job, and I plan to make the most of the second half. It’s not always butterflies and rainbows here, and some days are a struggle, but overall this has been an amazing experience. Just when I think I can’t do it anymore when I have a stressful day at work, I have my weekend and go for an adventure like these, or for a hike and I am reminded why I’m here.

  

  Hometown Church in Garmisch.

  I’m soaking up as much of the summer in Bavaria as I can before the weather starts to turn. It’s been rainy here lately, but I love the rain. It feels like home. Snow on the other hand…I’m not looking forward to when the snow is back in Garmisch. I don’t know how I will fuel my brathendl addiction when I can’t ride my bike to the grillstube…

  

  I love Germany.

  Q: Would you ride a train to random locations for a day?

  

   

  | 16 Comments Tagged Bavaria, Brittanys Life Abroad, Explore, Garmisch, Germany

• Königssee, Berchtesgaden National Park

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on August 5, 2019

  One of my favorite things about blogging is getting to relive an adventure I went on. Writing this post allows me to relive the start of an awesome week with my dad and my stepmom. These two wonderful people blessed me with their presence for ten days in the middle of July, and I am so thankful for all the fun things we were able to do.

  The first day they arrived, I met them at the airport in Munich and we drove our rental car back to Garmisch. 

  The beauty of a rental car is the freedom it provides, and the day after they arrived we took a trip to Berchtesgaden National Park. The main goal was to visit the Eagles Nest, which I will share more of in my next post. After the Eagles Nest we went to Königssee, a lake I’d been dying to see located in Berchtesgaden National Park.

  

  

  Berchtesgaden is an adorable town, with a boardwalk like area of shops and ice cream vendors located near the foothills of the German Alps. At the end of the shops, you’ll find the lake, and a kiosk where you can purchase tickets for a boat ride to one or two of the stops at the other end of the lake. According to the boat driver, this lake is the cleanest lake in all of Germany, so clean the water is drinkable.

  I didn’t test this water, but I did once drink from a stream in Alaska where my dad swore I’d get giardia. 

  

  

  My first month in Germany I looked up things to do in Bavaria, and Königssee popped up as a must see lake. It’s not close to where I live, so I wasn’t sure when I would get to visit. When I realized the Eagles Nest was right next door to the lake, I was stoked. I didn’t realize the lake was in the national park, so this was an extra bonus.

  I was very excited my family was up for this adventure.

  We bought tickets for both of the stops on the boat, and my only regret was not having enough time for exploration. We spent most of our time at the Eagles Nest, which didn’t leave much time for getting off the boat and wandering the trails at the other end of the lake.

  

  We went straight to the second stop, which dropped us off near a network of trails. I’ve daydreamed about hiking these paths since I left. We had only enough time to walk the 15 or so minutes to a man made lake called Obersee. The reflection on the lake of the mountains surrounding it were amazing, and there was a waterfall in the distance I would love to go back and hike to.

  

  

  

  

  The last boat ran around 5:45p, which is why we had limited time. Because of this we weren’t able to stop at the first stop. The first stop has a cathedral that I really wanted to go into, alas time did not permit. This just means I need to go back! The good thing about Berchtesgaden is that it’s only a couple of hours away, so I can easily take a trip back for a weekend.

  

  

  

  The boat ride itself was a bit long, it took an hour to get to the end of the lake and then another hour to get back, and after a long morning we were struggling to stay awake on the boat ride back. The drive back to Garmisch was equally eventful. My dad was struggling with some delayed jet lag, it was dark, and it was a long day.

  We ended up missing our exit (twice) adding an additional hour to our journey. We also stopped for late night coffee at Mcdonald’s in an attempt to perk up the driver. This was the second Mcdonald’s we’d gone to that day and BOTH of them had fresh flowers on the tables, and a fancy inside area.

  European Macd’s are bougie y’all.

  We finally made it back to Garmisch around midnight, and slept soundly that night. Our first family adventure was a success, and set the tone for a wonderful week in Europe!

  

  Q: What do you do when you’re feeling tired while driving?

  

  | 14 Comments Tagged Berchtesgaden, Brittanys Life Abroad, Garmisch, Germany, National Park

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• BRITTANY- Self proclaimed minimalist "granola" striving to maintain a balanced, healthy life with good food, long hikes, strong relationships, exploration, lots of broccoli, and laughing like it's my J.O.B. Currently living and working in Germany, join me on my adventures abroad!
• Contact: blissfulbritt@yahoo.com

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