Ben and Martha's Visit Part 2- Germany

Once we were back in Germany the adventures didn't end. Tuesday morning I worked from 6-11 and then met Ben and Martha and went on the Bavarian Brotzeit and Ettal Tour. This included us going to a cheese making factory to learn about the process and sampled 5 of the 15 or so varieties of cheese that are made there. We shared 2 cheese plates between the 3 of us as well as a couple sausages, and some amazing cheese soup. Then for dessert, cheesecake! Yum! We then had the opportunity to buy some cheese which I did as well as some yogurt. We then walked next door to the Ettal Monastery and got a tour and some history, then more shopping, at the shop across from the Monastery and then to a local wood carver where I purchased a cutting board, bowl, and spoon. We then went back to my building and gave the 50 cent tour to Ben and Martha before we walked to the resort for our evening Griesbrau Brewery Tour. I had already done this tour once with Lisa just after we got here 4 months ago so I knew what to expect. We got the info and our samples and enjoyed some good food, and of course, dessert. One of my co-workers, Haley, was on the tour with her parents who were visiting, so we chatted with them. We got our certificates for passing the written test, and of course a visit to the store.
Wednesday I had to work, but Ben and Martha went up the Zugspitze in the morning and then did the Partnach Gorge Tour in the afternoon. That evening Justin and I met up with Ben and Martha in the Marienplatz and went out to dinner. Of course, more dessert!
Thursday we went on the Neuschwanstein Castle Tour which included a few stops along the way at a more touristy wood carver and souvenir shop, then a church, cafe, and then to the Castle. The walk up was picturesque and the tour was shorter than I had hoped, but seeing that it was never finished because King Ludwig II died first I can understand. We ate at a restaurant at the base of the hill and made our way back to the resort and I then worked from 5-10 that night.
Friday morning I worked 6-1130 and then went to base so Ben and Martha could mail some things home and we then walked to the Marienplatz and ate at a great little place with a confectionery shop attached so our desserts were amazing. Ben then went off in search of a Garmisch bike jersey and Martha and I window shopped before heading to the bahnhof for our train to Munich. We dropped our bags at their hotel and then headed to the Hofbrau Haus for dinner and BEER! I was exhausted and took the train home to rest for the day on Saturday while B&M went to Nurnberg for the day. Sunday I took the train to Munich and we toured the Munich Residence and Treasury before lunch at the Ratskeller Restaurant. I then took the train back Garmisch to get ready for work Monday morning. Ben and Martha toured the Deutsches Museum and went to the Weisses Brauhaus, both of which they enjoyed and would recommend. And finally on Tuesday they made their way to the airport for their journey back to the States.
It was great to get to see them both and spend time together touring some amazing sights and enjoying some delicious food and drink. It was a pleasure to show you my life here and be able to share in the adventures of traveling Europe.
Much love to you both.

As usual the pictures can be found on Facebook. See the link in my Part 1 post.

Ben and Martha's Visit Part 1- Vienna and Innsbruck

So this is much overdue but here it is as best as I can remember!
The snow storms in the Eastern US, their flight schedule was pushed back a day so the story starts on Friday February 12th. I got up and took the 8:04 train from Garmisch to Munich anticipating meeting Ben and Martha by the florist at around 9:30am. Well, there was some delays and phone issues, but they arrived and we went for some lunch at the Augustiner Haus and planned our route for the next few days. We had a hard time with the phone and language barrier, but with some remote assistance from "Travel Agent" Tom Ware we got a place to stay booked in Vienna and caught the train(which was quite a nice clean, smooth ride) to the Vienna Westbahnhof and made our way to the Schweizer Pension to drop off our bags. We then went down the street for some dinner and then back to the room for some rest.
Saturday we got up and following Rick Steve's book we got on the tram and did a little self guided tour around the ring loop. The weather wasn't the greatest and we were all a little cold so we made our way to the Kunsthistorisches Museum. We saw lots of coins, paintings, and an exhibit on Vermeer and the Art of Painting. We then visited the cafe at the museum and had a bite to eat before venturing out to walk around and figure out tour times and take some pictures around the city. We went to dinner at a place recommended by Rick Steves. We had yummy things that we shared, as usual, but for dessert Martha ordered some peach schnapps. It turns out that its made by a local man who is somewhat famous for his schnapps. Well, the guy recently died and fell into a vat of the schnapps, so what Martha had was probably some of the last.
Sunday morning we made our way to the State Opera House for the 10am tour in English. The Opera House had been closed for a few days because of a ball that was held there once a year and they explained how the main hall was set up for the ball as well as the intermission rooms, and the normal shows. After that we walked over to the Hofburg Palace and toured the Treasury and then walked up to the St Stephans Cathedral in the center of the old city. After a short rest in the room we went to another Rick Steves recommended cafe, the best in the city, just across from the Rathaus(city hall). We thoroughly enjoyed dinner, dessert, and warm drinks and then headed back to pack and get some sleep
Monday morning we got up early and made our way to the train station and took the train to Innsbruck. We arrived around lunch time and again Rick guided us to another wonderful meal at a place just next to the Golden Roof. After a few(ahem, dozen!) photos of the Golden Roof we made our way up the Stadtturm(Old City Watch Tower) for a beautiful view of the city and surroundings and then to the Tiroler Volkskunstmuseum and Court Church with the tomb of Emperor Maximilian I. We then walked to the Triumphpforte(Triumphal Arch) for some more photos then some train station food and the train ride to Garmisch. Ben and Martha got checked in to their hotel near the Marienplatz and off to bed!
Pictures of their whole visit can be found at...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2089586&id=44801562&l=9e492122bf

Some things to smile about

Justin and I have each had some exciting things happen in the past week.
Justin has been training after work since he arrived and took the Level One final exam on Wednesday for his ski instructor certification. Congrats! So proud of you!
For myself, I have been working hard at work with several co-workers injured and home sick we've been short staffed. On one occasion we were short and had to stay late and thanks to the help of the cooks and dishwashers we were able to serve over 300 guests. We were given coins to recognize our hard work called "you've been caught doing something good" coins. The deal is you then are recognized at the next Staff Salute(recognition party held monthly) and given a pin to put on your uniform. I had my invitation to the party thinking that was it... but I was also nominated as employee of the month from Market Station. I was not selected, but as a nominee I get a $200 bonus on my next pay check, 10 tickets to our staff cafeteria, and 2 tickets for dinner at the Pullman Place restaurant in the hotel. I was very surprised and happy to have my work acknowledged. I'd also like to say thanks to my co-workers for working together as a team so we can serve those who are serving our country.

Bayerische Motoren Werke Welt aka BMW World

Yesterday Justin and I took the train to Munich and then the subway up to the Olympic Park and the BMW World. We took a tour of the Welt(World) building which had a show room like area, 3 restaurants, a learning/technology section, a teen area, and the delivery area. We got a chance to see a brief motorcycle demonstration which included one driver going up and down the stairs and along the catwalk suspended overhead. The only area that we got to access as part of our tour that wasn't open to the general public was down one level where we watched a video of some of the cars and motorcycles driving around and then an animation of what the delivery process entails and then a view of the holding area which has an oxygen level of 14% to reduce risk of fire due to all the cars having full tanks of gas. We then went into the double cone section and ended our tour. Justin and I then walked around for a few min and then headed across the street to the Museum. The building is nicknamed the salad bowl because of the shape which we decided it's appropriate. After several hours looking at cars and motorcycles I'd had enough and we headed back via subways to the main train station and got a bite to eat before the train back to Garmisch.
As usual, some pictures...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2088294&id=44801562&l=a010cf4860

The Faces of Edelweiss Lodge and Resort

As a thank you to the employees the management of the resort put on an appreciation party for us right here in our building. The buffet was Bavarian style foods and there was a slide show through out dinner with quotes from guests thanking us and snapshots of employees making funny faces. There was a short presentation of the Employee of the Year award and then it was time to dance. The DJ played a mix of songs and we danced until they closed down just before 11pm.
Holly and I hiked up to the Halfway House on our day off and had some lunch at the restaurant before making our way back down. On the way up we were so warm we took off our jackets and had on t-shirts. The Germans were looking at us funny as they were hiking with their sleds all bundled up. The way back down we were freezing though.
Then we went out to celebrate a birthday and to have some fun. The owners of the restaurant that the birthday was at gave us some free shots and beer in glasses that are shaped like a knee high boot and almost big enough to wear.

Some pictures... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2088293&id=44801562&l=5768bb15a1