Our leaving GaPa to make our train connections today nearly didn't happen. We had stood around waiting for half and hour for our train to leave thinking that we were waiting for another train. A couple turned up one minute before leaving time with their bikes and we thought they were cutting it fine before realising that was our train! We moved fairly quickly to get on board just in time. The signs were confusing - well, that is our excuse. On a later train, we got on the back carriage which was being dropped off to another destination. That could have been interesting! Fortunately, the guard checked everyone and moved us out. We said good bye to GaPa at 10.00am and headed across southern Germany using a Bavarian ticket on regional trains. A Bavarian Ticket ... read more

We weren't sure what to do with today as the forecast said one thing and reality was another. It was raining so cycling didn't look like a great idea. Since the shops are closed tomorrow we figured that getting our foodstuffs to take to Monday would be a good idea for the morning. It is only a 10 minute walk into town to the nearest supermarket and after a coffee in town it was lunchtime when we got back. By this time the cloud had lifted a little and the drizzle had stopped. We set off with all our gear for the Partnachklamm Gorge in the afternoon as the information suggested that we could get wet from dripping walls. It was warm again so we set off in our shorts in typical Kiwi style. I was ... read more

The weather is about to change so we had to make the most of the perfect weather for the mountain tops. We got "Little Toot" at a nearby station to Kreuzeck-Alpspitzbahn for the cable car to the top of Osterfelderkopf (great words, eh?). Despite the fact that we've been on these cable ways many times, it never ceases to amaze me how they go up such steep faces and for such long distances just held on by a thick wire.This one took us up to 2100m to the inevitable restaurant, of course. At this location there is a AlpspiX viewing platform which is structured out over a 1000m drop! I could manage to look down from some of it but straight down below was all a bit much. However, the views to the close shear rock ... read more

Today was a day to get ourselves familiar and oriented with the valley so after a bit of house keeping we headed into the town area to explore. There is more to the Garmisch-Partenkirchen area than initially expected and we did need to get ourselves oriented with what was what and where. The maps supplied either didn't show enough or were oblique maps so were confusing in how to find where paths went and the actual direction. We wandered into the main part of town and found a tranquil town with a pedestrian only street, many buildings painted with historical frescoes, restaurants, cafes, a park with gardens etc like many towns but this time with a special character, surrounded by high, craggy mountains with the highest mountain in Germany, the Zugspitze. No doubt over the past ... read more

The day started with a bun fight at breakfast time. This location is obviously a favourite with the oldies as the place was full of them. By the look of them they are there for the buffet dinner and breakfast as what they lack in body power they make up for in eating! It wasn't a good place to put cyclists as it's out of town, there is nowhere to go and the directions were hopeless. So, that set us up for a real good start. How to get back to the bike trail? We got back to town in reverse but from there it all turned bad and we couldn't find the cycle trail. We asked for directions and were soon off again but still managed to turn too early near the river. We eventually ... read more