Cowbells
by antistar
Despite being a major tourist destination many of the streets you walk down are empty of people, and all about the town you will find people getting on with their every day rural Bavarian lives. Many older people are dressed in their traditional liederhosen on a Sunday, go about traditional jobs, and on the outskirts of the town you will find old farms carrying on the traditional cow and goatherding so commonly seen in stereotypical Bavarian landscapes. The farm in the photograph is right next to the Alte Kirchen, and comes complete with chickens, piles of manure, and a barn full of cows and their clicking neck bells.
Skijumping on new year's day
by sabsi
Every year on new year's day there's the "Neujahrsskispringen" in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It's the 2nd stage of the annual four hill tournament (Vierschanzentournee). It's an amazing atmosphere here, 20000 people screeming "Ziiiieh" for every jumper. You definitely need a ticket in advance if you don't want to risk the event being sold out in the end. Then you need to dress warmly because even when it's sunny it can get quite cold in the shade. Warm shoes are most important, you will stand here for quite a long time so the feet will get cold otherwise! A camera with a zoom and flags to cheer for your favourite jumpers are good to have, too. But you will get all sorts of free advertising such as flags, caps etc here, too.
The Zugspitzbahn
by antistar
Unlike the Wankbahn, finding the Zugspitzbahn station is easy, but getting to the top can be a little confusing and needs a little explanation. There are a number of alternative routes to the top, and I will explain the simplest, quickest, option.
The journey to the Zugspitze summit involves three parts:
1. A cog wheel train to Grainau.
2. Another cog wheel train journey from Grainau to Eibsee.
3. An aerial tramway from Eibsee to the Zugspitze summit.
These elements are never explained clearly anywhere, so they are worth noting otherwise you might end up wasting time like I did.
The station for the aerial tramway in Eibsee is separate to the cog wheel train station, and you need to take a short walk through the trees outside the station. It's not far, so if you find yourself wandering too long, go back and try again. You should be able to just walk out of the front of the station and take the path right there. It has a small sign post so look out for it.
The Eibsee Seilbahn is an aerial tramway, not a gondola system, so there is only one cabin on each of the two ropeways. Each cabin crams in about 30 people squashed together like sardines.
The dramatic journey to the top takes about 10 minutes, and in normal circumstances the cabins are going up and down the mountain every half hour. Towards the end of busy days, however, there are more people wanting to come down than the cabins can carry and so you will need to book ahead. Again this isn't made very clear (until it is too late) so be aware. If they are calling out ticket numbers, make sure you go and get one before trying to go back down to Eibsee. Otherwise you might get stuck up the mountain for an hour or so longer than you intended, like I did.
The journey all the way to the top costs 44 euros for a return. The last train to the Eibsee leaves Garmisch at 2.15, and the last one from the top on the Eibsee Seilbahn should leave at 5pm, but they keep it running a bit longer if there's a jam.
Take a Hike!
by lareina
Garmisch is paradise for a hiker. Germany has awesome, well-marked trails and you can find one by basically walking in any direction from the town center. Buy yourself a map at the bookstore or get one at the TI and head for the hills. If you are feeling less adventurous, explore the streets of Garmisch-P.
Vierschanzen-Tournee - 3 -
by MrBill
This year about 20.000 visitors attended the New Year's Day ski jumping events. They were also broadcast live on RTS TV. There have been many upgrades to make GAP on of the best ski jumping arenas on the World Cup curcuit.
wedding day
Bahnofstrasse
Eibsee-Seilbahn - Me
Zugspitze-Irina
