Sunday 30 December 2012

Fussen, Skiing and Kristall-Therme Spa

Our last three days in beautiful Bavaria have been relaxing and fun. Despite the lack of fresh snowfalls, there is still just enough snow on the local ski fields -leftover from the 30cm that fell a couple of weeks ago.

On Friday, Brett Snr and the children skied all day at Tegelbergbahn. On Saturday, Brett and I strolled through pretty Fussen in the morning, before we all visited the nearby Kristall-Therme natural indoor springs and spa in the afternoon. Here, the enormous glass domed springs provide guests with a haven complete with swim-up bar, 32-36 degree waters, saunas, spas and restaurant. The views out to Neuschwanstein Castle and the surrounding snowcapped mountains are beautiful. Needless to say, the atmosphere is warm and very relaxed! That evening, after dinner at Hopfen am See, we were entertained by the local Hopferau band playing music in our neighbour's front drive. After playing, each band member came and shook our hands and wished us a Happy New Year. We all then toasted with a glass of schnapps before they moved onto their next venue at the local Gasthaus.

Today, under sunny skies, the children skied and had a private lesson with Andy - our ski instructor, who is very patient and luckily speaks very good English! Brett Snr is nursing a sore knee. The children continue to enjoy their skiing and are highly motivated to improve.

Pretty, colourful Fussen - above and below





Views from the  Kristall-Therme, Schwangau


The local Hopferau band welcome in the New Year


Brett Jnr at Tegelbergbahn, Bavaria

Sean ascends the slopes

Eloise has a lesson with Andy at Tegelbergbahn

Andy, our ski instructor, with Eloise

Families enjoy the sunshine and snow at Tegelbergbahn

Despite the ups and downs, Eloise still loves skiing

Eloise and Sean get a private ski lesson at Tegelbergbahn

Brett's always seeking out new challenges on the slopes

Queueing for the ski lift

Brett, Sean and Eloise try out a different ski run

Brett, Eloise and Sean

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!
We wish all our friends and family a fabulous New Year. We hope you celebrate in style and that 2013 is all that you dream. We shall be thinking of you all tomorrow, as we thank 2012 for the blessings it has brought and pray that 2013 will be filled with good health, fulfilment and happy times.             Tricia

Thursday 27 December 2012

Another Day of Skiing

Today Brett Jnr and I went for another full day of skiing at Tegelbergbahn, while Mum and Dad went for a walk around Fussen. Brett has improved a lot at skiing and I think I've improved quite a bit since my first day. Today had its ups and downs. Brett and I still fall over, just not as much.  For dinner we went back to our local Gasthof, which was delicious.


















BY ELOISE





Tuesday 25 December 2012

Fruhliche Weihnachten....Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to family and friends! It is hard to believe we are finally here in Bavaria, celebrating an almost white Christmas. Bavaria is unusually warm for this time of year , so we have been able to fit in some skiing but snow is patchy and disappearing before our eyes. Still, we are having a wonderful time!

Yesterday and today, we had 4 hours of ski lessons each day at nearby Tegelbergbahn. Unfortunately, I bailed out today as skiing is simply not for me but Brett and the children are thriving on the adventure of it all and constantly improving. Tegelbergbahn is also nestled in the mountains opposite the famous Neuschwanstein Castle - just spectacular.

Tonight we dined at our local Gasthaus Hirsch for Christmas dinner. Everyone was so welcoming and engaging.We particularly loved their traditional Bavarian plum dumplings for dessert!

View from our apartment in Hopferau

Tegelbergbahn, with Neuschwanstein Castle in the background

Ski lessons at Tegelbergbahn Christmas Day

Sean takes to the slopes

Eloise - improving by the hour

Brett loves skiing

Our local Gasthaus Hirsch, Hopferau

Sean and Brett celebrate Christmas at Gasthaus Hirsch

Sean, Brett Snr, Brett and Eloise

Eloise and Tricia, Christmas Dinner in Hopferau
We hope everyone had a safe and happy Christmas and that the Australian weather was not too unkind to all back home. We were thinking of you all!                    Tricia

Saturday 22 December 2012

Au Revoir, Paris.....Guten Tag, Bavaria!

We arrived safely in Hopferau in Bavaria last night after a rather lengthy train journey from Paris. We have been overwhelmed by the friendliness and welcome of the German people. They also make Christmas feel like a very special time of year - all in the setting of a Winter Wonderland!

Brett Jnr is very slowly starting to feel a little better, though we took him back to the doctor today. Our last day in Paris on Thursday was relatively sedate, as we had to pace ourselves around poor Brett. On Thursday morning we all visited the Musee D'Orsay and enjoyed the magnificent work of the Impressionist and post-Impressionist artists. We even bumped into one of Brett's schoolmates there - the third family from the boys' school that we have accidentally met during our travels. Such a small world! On Thursday afternoon, Brett Snr and I browsed the mostly empty high end fashion stores such as Chanel and Hermes along Rue de Saint-Honore before racing home to pack up for one last move.

We are very happy here so far in our very cosy apartment in Bavaria, which has magical views of the snow-capped mountains. It will be our home for the next three weeks. Nearby Fussen and the snowfields of Tegelbergbahn, Nesselwang and Pfronten all look charming. Of course, the Germans celebrate Christmas on December 24 but we will have a nice meal on the night of the 25th. It seems that we'll probably be doing ski lessons, too over the Christmas period - our first ever White Christmas!

Musee D'Orsay, Paris

Musee D'Orsay - once a railway station

Chanel

Queues outside Christian Louboutin, Paris



Carollers in Fussen, Bavaria

Eloise in Oberstdorf, Bavaria

Oberstdorf

Outside seating for McDonald's, Bavaria

Near Pfronten, Bavaria
We wish all our family and friends a happy, safe and holy Christmas. The blog will probably be much less frequent during the Festive Season and until we fly home on January 11. Thank you to all of you who have followed it. Merry Christmas!