Spending time with two 14 year old boys has made an impact on my communication skills. I now start every sentence with “Bro”. I send 1-word texts in rapid fashion and spam the recipient’s inbox with 25 messages to complete one sentence. Apparently cute girls are referred to as “baddies”.

All joking aside, we had a great week in Garmisch. The kids played countless rounds of ping pong, we got in a round of poker, Lily baked yummy cookies, I started and finished a 500-piece puzzle and spent time on taking care of some family business. The boys are sore but 100% in tact after several days of skiing. It wasn’t high adventure for me, but I enjoyed the down time.

I am obsessed with the Bavarian carved benches and was on a mission to find out where I can buy one. The little town of Oberammergau is known for woodworking so we drove there one day to try to find a store that sells them. Unfortunately most of the shops were closed, but even if they were open I didn’t see any benches for sale. A few conversations have my hopes dwindling. Apparently they are a very traditional Bavarian gift, often a wedding present or passed down the family. Or carved by themselves…. I don’t suppose I know any woodcarvers?

Despite not having any success on the bench hunt, the town was super cute.

A massive beautiful building sits in the town of Ettal and is a monastery that is known for its brewery. We decided we had to check it out. I mean, it’s not every day you have a chance to wander through a building built in 1330….
Whoa. The ceiling was shockingly gorgeous.
While there was not a brewery tour that we could join that day, we still had to go home with some fresh beer. And a new puzzle.
We wandered around the Old Town area of Garmisch. The craftsmanship. The paintings. So much pride goes into almost every building.
Old Town Garmisch
This is my favorite store. Beautiful traditional Bavarian clothing. There was an entire wall full of fabrics that you could choose from to design your own dirndl. Hold. Me. Back. Not only was the clothing inside amazing, the artwork on the building was incredible. Some people put up a sign that says “clothing store.” Bavarians paint intricate murals to advertise.
That is not a typo. This is actually the name of a restaurant. And it was mukke-f###ing delicious.
Another ski day!
With the boys hitting the slopes, we decided to go for a hike. Unfortunately the Partnachklamm gorge hike was closed (wah wah), so Jay found another destination.
Jay, Lily, Kaycee and I hiked up to Kaiserschmarm Alm, a little restaurant on top of the world. 600 feet of elevation. Jay is not allowed to select hiking routes any longer. Lily and I almost died. Kaycee ran up and down it about 15 times. Thankfully our lives were saved by the delicious food at the top. If you go, I suggest riding the gondola UP and hiking DOWN. Oh, and order the bread with the cream cheese spread. Yummy.
Amazing views
The original owner of the restaurant
I need a door like this in my life. This is on a SHED!! I love the details.
I was so tempted to knock on the door and make an offer on their bench….
Maybe the coolest birdhouse ever
So this is a thing I have observed. Notice the shape of all of the little barns. They start at the bottom with big logs. As they stack, the logs get smaller, but the walls kind of balloon out.
Here’s another angle.
Just your average every day lumber yard. This appears to be a new building.
The Winter Olympics were held in this town in 1936, under Hitler’s rule. Can you tell how high that ski jump is? Who in their right mind gets to the top of that, looks down, and says, “I think it would be a great idea to ski down that”????
Certainly Lily is NOT one of those people.
Jay went up the mountain with the boys on the last skiing day. There was fresh powder. Brooooooooo!!!! Snoooooooooow!!!!! They LOVED it. Despite being exhausted, they were having so much fun. Their skills definitely improved throughout the week. No falls on the last day! AND NO BROKEN BONES!!
I started and finished a book this week. The Frozen River was about a midwife from the 1700s. It was an interesting perspective of what it would have been like to be an educated woman during that time. An unexpected twist at the end, and justice was finally served.

My ancestors on my mom’s side of the family came from the French Alps. I think there is a piece of me hidden somewhere in my DNA that feels a connection with the mountains. Being in the mountains – any mountains – is my happy place. Refreshed. Recharged. Rejuvenated.