Edelweiss Lodge, Garmisch

About a 5 hour drive from home in the beautiful Bavarian Alps is the charming military lodge of Edelweiss. 

The scenery was gorgeous scattered of farms and land, then snow capped mountains and even a couple castles in the sky as we got closer to our destination. 

Upon arrival we discovered Edelweiss is on a guarded military installation so you must go through the gates to enter (ID required, or passport for visitors). The lodge has a giant high ceiling open lobby that was filled with Christmas decor and a large fireplace. Check in was quick and easy. The staff was very friendly but we were in a hurry to get to our room and get ready for our brewery tour. 

The room was nicer than we expected to be honest. I think in the back of our minds we were expecting it to be like the Dragon Hill Lodge in Korea, which is quite janky. But to our pleasant surprise we had a nice open living room area and a bedroom with 2 double beds. The bathroom was descent size and clean. TV in both the living and bedrooms and a nice sliding glass door and small balcony outside full of mountain views. 

Less then a half hour later we found ourselves in the lobby with our DD to the brewery and the rest of our tour group. We jumped in a 10 passenger van and hit the road. Our driver pointed out good local eats and places to avoid along the way. We got to Griesbrau brewery in about 30 minutes. When we walked in we were warmly greeted with a tray of beers and a friendly German man in full traditional linderhose. He started the tour explaining we will be tested at the end on everything he teaches us. 

He then went into explaining the ingredients in the beer and the equipment up top before we went around to different areas of the brewery to learn about their brewing process. We tasted along the way, a couple different beers and a shot of a special beer liquor they make. We were educated on the processes as well as the beers they brew in other seasons. 

After learning and drinking it was time to get some food to absorb some of that booze. We sat down for dinner amongst locals on wooden table and benches and were served another beer to taste. Before getting food we had to take our quiz to test or new knowledge. We whispered and chuckled at the table getting answers and filling out our tests as a group & turned them in for grading. The meal was a buffet style where you chose what you want to eat and they plate it for you then you pay at the end for your choices. It was very reasonably priced. Antonio & I shared a huge plate of spaetzel, pork knuckle, & pasta. It was good traditional German cuisine and the beers seemed to keep coming. 

The driver was helping serve extra beers if you wanted to order others you enjoyed during tasting. After our meal our exciting tour guide came back with certificates to present to the class. I was the first to receive a kiss on the cheek for the photo and appeared to start a trend for the rest of the ladies and even a man to get the same reward upon receiving our "Bier Diplom" hahaha. 

The ride back to the hotel included a dance off to FloRida's "It's Goin Down For Real" song that started with one of the moms! The tipsy van full of all ages was laughing cheering and encouraging everyone to battle. People were standing up and dancing while we were racing down the road. It was something else! By the time we got back to the hotel I think everyone was spent. But Antonio & I kept the party going by checking out the bar in the lower level. It's the only thing that's open late night there. 

Breakfast had limited option so the next morning we chose the smaller place that serves standard grab and go items like coffee, fruit, muffins, and bagels instead of the buffet. We wanted to be fueled for the day of snowboarding not stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey. They had a breakfast special for $5 that include a large coffee. Cheap and good!

So we hit the local ski shop to get our passes and a plan. The staff was again super friendly in providing us directions and information. We bought the pass that gives you transportation up to Zugspitze and any other lifts or cable cars or trains you chose to take up and down the mountain. We took the cable car up. It was truly a unique and amazing experience. I quickly squeezed into the car for a window seat, you definitely don't want to be in the middle on this ride. It's a stand up cable car that fit about 30 of us including gear. I was able to snap photos from the window and just enjoy the insane views and/or death below us. It was so high and crazy! The wind picked up and the car would sway. The higher we climbed the more wind would squeal and blow into the car through the cracks of the door. Again, terrifying but awesome! 

We spent our time going up and down the two lifts they had open since there wasn't much snow. There was a cute little bar and restaurant atop the hill we grabbed a beer and bite to eat at. The menu was all German so we guessed and ended up with a baked potato like item with an amazing sauce on the side with fresh herbs. The food was good and it was a nice place to get warm and rest a little. After snowboarding a little more we headed back down the mountain by train. This was not our plan and we accidentally found ourselves on it. The train was packed and took forever! We hated it. It literally was 45 minutes winding down instead of the cable car that went straight up in 10. It was terribly, painfully long. Cable car is our only choice for next time!

After our long day on the slopes we were ready to get some good food. We got showered and dressed to go out. We drove down the road to a place our brewery tour driver pointed out. It was called 'The Local Cure'. A small Irish pub and eatery. The onion rings, burger and fries were all amazing! Sadly all the photos I took did not come out... User error... With a memory card issue. No further comment on that drama! They had a long list of whiskeys and scotch they have stocked. Music and vibe inside was good but the food was even better!

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Edelweiss and can't wait to go back! They have summer water activities and other outdoor fun you can't really enjoy in the winter so I think our next visit will be during a different season.