Garmisch, Germany

​Over Labor Day weekend, Mario, the dogs and I  headed to Garmisch. We have visited before, but there was more we needed to see, so we needed to go back.

 Garmisch is located in the southern part of Germany. We left Friday after work, which caused us to hit some traffic since the Europeans were still on their summer holiday. Our hotel provided amazing views of the surrounding mountains. ​​

The next day we decided to explore the capital city of Liechtenstein which is Vaduz. Prior to the trip, I got our 10 days vignette (toll sticker) for Austria. I didn’t realize along the way we would have to pay a tunnel toll which was near St Anton am Arlberg, which is a beautiful area of Austria. The toll was 10 euro each way. They took both euros and credit cards. The drive was so pretty.

Once in the capital city of Vaduz we found a parking garage in the city center, right by the tourism information center. Liechtenstein is my #23 European countries, crazy to think I started with 3! Liechtenstein is #6 for the dogs, they are starting to become world travelers too! ​My first stop was at the tourism center to get my passport stamp. I waited in a short line and for a few euros I got my passport stamped. Liechtenstein's official currency is Swiss franc, but euros are accepted. I also grabbed some information flyers to learn about the areas and the hiking trails it offers. Check out their tourism page: https://tourismus.li/en/

From there we walked down the pedestrian street taking in the views. Above the street you will see Vaduz Castle, which is a 16th century castle. It is the residence of the Princely Family, which is one of the oldest noble families in Europe, so tours aren’t possible. We saw the Parliament building, St. Florin Cathedral and the Rathaus or town hall. We enjoyed our packed lunch while enjoying the view of the castle. From there we headed back towards our hotel.

The next morning we traveled to Lake Eibsee which was a short drive from our hotel. Lake Eibsee sits at the base of Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain. I’m glad we got there early because by 9:30 the lot was already full. If you get the parking lot before 9:30, parking is only 2 euros instead of 7 euros. There is a walking trail which goes along the perimeter of the lake. We only did a little bit due to the fact my foot started to bother me. The views of the lake and mountain were amazing. Would love to go back and hike around the whole lake, gotta wait for my foot to heal. This area of Germany is so beautiful!

The next morning we head back home to prepare for the week ahead. Another great trip in the books.