Humor, rain, and cowbells

We slept until we woke up -- I guess that means we are all alive! My friends were exhausted from their travels and the late hour that we retired last night. I was exhausted from having only cat naps for 30 hours.

Breakfast at this beautiful lodge, built for the military families serving in far-flung regions, was oh-so American with bacon, eggs, pancakes, bisquits, gravy, ham,

country fried potatoes and numerous other choices.... Then we were off to the village of Garmisch to see what we could see....but mostly to relax and to rest for the onslaught of sight seeing scheduled for tomorrow. The town was not crowded, and there were amazingly few cars. Our cabbie arrived in ledehosen and quickly loaded the two wheelchairs in the trunk while three of us squeezed into the back seat. I was the smallest of the three, and we know I am not small...but I squeezed myself into the smallest space I could and we got the doors closed.

I burst into laughter when the first thing Kathy asked about was where we might find lunch! Yes --four fat ladies and all they want is lunch....tears ran down our checks as I recounted how that might have sounded to the fit cabbie in lederhosen. The picture above is our lunch (Kathy and I split this sizeable feast) which also came with red cabbage cooked in a sweet and sour sauce. The two round things are dumplings --- one is made of potatoe and had a gelatinous texture and the other is made of bread which was rather like an overly moist stuffing. The pork was seasoned with something delicious which I didn't recognize and the crispy looking thing on top we surmised was deep fried pig fat.

We watched as other guests were served interesting local cuisine... sausages of vast variety came in bowls of steaming hot water, sausages over sauerkraut which was somewhat milder than the American version -- but also had fat in it, a large ham hock with a good portion of leg attached -- rather like we would have a chicken drumstick was served to that man at the next table! AND there were dogs at dinner with their families!

I asked why we can't have dogs in our restaurants at home. Kathy suggested that it wasn't sanitary. "Well they let the mice and roaches in." suggested Bunny. "Yes, and in Tennessee, I said, you can now take your guns into restaurants and bars." Somehow it seems more sensible to let the dogs in. In fact I suggested that every restaurant have a bull snake to keep the rats down and a gecko to eat the roaches!

Again we were impressed with the friendliness and helpfulness of people who should have been grumpy and tired from all the stupid tourists....but we found only kindness from everyone. We did a bit of shopping and I got back into the wheelchair business as if I had never left it ..Maybe I will have sculpted pectoral muscles when I get home but I will have to stop eating the local faire! When everyone went out for dinner tonight....I stayed behind --- made some coffee and had cheese and apple --- my standard lunch at home --- only this cheese was fabulous --- obviously from the happy cows that we hear on the mountainsides (their cow bells ring out with delightful frequency).

This was the second day of magnificent weather --- cool and sunny----clouding over in the afternoon and then pouring down in torrents -- I got very wet trying to find a green grocer where I could acquire some buttermilk. If you have never had the cheese, butter and buttermilk from this corner of the universe -- I can only say you have never really tasted these delicacies before!

Tomorrow we begin our sightseeing with a trip up Germany's highest mountain, and a visit to Oberammergau. There was the opportunity to go to Dachau....but I don't think I could stand it. As I grow older my heart becomes ever more tender and such hideous atrocities are beyond my ability to maintain myself.