THE SWEET LIFE: Road Trip

I have been fortunate to be able to attend NATO's Training Center in the Bavarian Alps for three times now. When I found out that I had to be an instructor in my normal two classes as well as attend a meeting over the first of the two week European Easter Break (Schools in Europe have a very short summer recess and instead have more vacations during the year, of which Easter is a two-weeker), I was a bit miffed. But then Jess and I figured that we would just make a holiday out of it.

Nestled in the shadows of the Bavarian Alps, Oberammergau, Germany is such a beautiful and idyllic spot. The town is very small and is totally geared towards outdoor activities such as hiking and biking this time of year and skiing and snowboarding in the winter months. It has such a small town feel that it feels like Mayberry in the Alps. The townsfolk, I have now had the pleasure of observing during my 3 work trips, ride bikes or walk everywhere and take the time to greet each other in the streets, talk and enjoy life. Their business and other daily grind must do's are an after thought to enjoying each other's company as well as the stunning scenery. It's one reason why if we win the lottery that this town will be a strong contender for where we move to.

We were fortunate enough to find a very nice apartment in the city centre which felt more like a lodge with cedar wood lining all the walls, door frames and floors. It had a wood burner which came in handy in the cool evenings and a 30 foot wide balcony which looked right at the mountains. While I was at work each day, Jess and the boys were able to meet up with several friends'/colleagues' families who were also there. They had a great time.

After our week in Oberammergau, we undertook what I thought might have been a bit too ambitious of a schedule. We drove from O'Gau to Salzburg, Austria (2.5 hours) for a day/night, then to Innsbruck, Austria (2 Hours) for another day/night, then to the Northern Italian town of Bolzano (2 hours) where we stayed on a working farm with a beautiful and humble family in the Dolomite Mountains for 3 nights. After that we drove up to Lake Lucerne, Switzerland (5 hours) for another day/night and then we drove 2.5 hours to Colmar and Strasbourg, France spending our last day/night before heading home to Belgium. We racked up 1,700 miles, but the drives were fairly evenly spread out and we had two long stays in O'Gau and South Tirol which made the one day trippers easier. And the scenery was absolutely stunning, so that made the drive for me much easier to handle.

The main endeavor of this trip was to just be outside and hike and see some great landscapes which we don't often get to see. We walked and hiked a lot in the mountains, ate big local meals, and slept like babies. It was a collage of beautiful memories for our family. And it was also a great lesson in the regionalism which is still very persistent in Europe. More on that to come...

OBERAMMERGAU, GERMANY

Apartment

Boys room

Master

View from the apartment

Balcony

Cute Christmas shops

Oberammergau is a very Catholic village with crucifixes hanging on buildings and images from the Bible painted on the exterior walls of homes and shops.