Adventures in Germany: Austrian Ski Holiday

This past January we took a family ski trip to Austria. We loved the family resort where we stayed in Croatia so much that we wanted to try one of their other locations, plus it was time to get Jake back on the slopes. Bill did an excellent job during the 8 hour drive in the snow, until we were 1/2 a mile from our destination and we got stuck on a snowy mountain. After destroying a pair of snow chains and being offered a tow by a passing tractor, we made it!

We made it!

This was the first time the kids shared a room. We had a great time listening to their conversations and giggling each night. Surprisingly, Bria was the one that made sure they went to sleep, don't mess

with her sleep time!

We signed up Jacob for the 4 year-old ski school class and even though his teachers spoke yet another new language, Jake did great and loved it. His favorite part was putting on all his ski gear (we'll see how long that lasts).

Day 1 of lessons

And while Jacob was skiing Bria was on the playground.

After skiing we had some fun in the pool.

Great expression from Bill as both kids jump simultaneously.

Time for dinner. We had the same table all week, and the kids loved the nightly ice cream bar.

Some after dinner playtime with Dad...

Day 2 on the slopes, time for Bria to give it a try. Despite her adventurous personality, she was not a big fan, and there were some tears.

"Let's do this."

And here you can hear Daddy torturing Bria. Priceless.

Just comforting my daughter after we made her ski.

Bill enjoyed a day of skiing in the Alps.

Not a bad location for a post ski swim.

We loved our stay in Austria and Jacob really enjoyed the skiing, but it was soon time to go. We weren't ready for the vacation to be over, so our next stop was beautiful Lake Königssee in Bavaria near Berchtesgaden, Germany. It's a natural lake formed by glaciers located within the Berchtesgaden Alps. An added bonus was that the Welt Cup was taking place in town that weekend and the entire Canadian Bobsled and Skeleton team were staying at our hotel.

While it was pretty overcast and cold while we were there, this is what Lake Königssee looks like in the summer.

Here are the kids at the lake waiting for the boat ride.

On the boat "Falkenstein"

The Captain of the boat stopped in the middle of the lake and plays the trumpet so you can hear the echo. Then we continued our journey to St. Bartholomew's church, which can only be reached by boat or hiking. It is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage church named after the patron of alpine farmers and dairymen. In 1697 the church was rebuilt in Baroque style. Every August people make a pilgrimage to this church by hiking over the Berchtesgaden Alps.