Garmisch-Partinkirchen 223PM Tues

We arrived at GAP yesterday at 414pm. Our train car was empty from Munich to GAP and the sun was low in the sky and a ton of fresh snow had fallen in the last 24 hours which made for an indescribable ride. Beautiful light, winter scene. I put down my book and watched the scenery with my chin on the floor.

We didn't see an Internet cafe in Nürnberg until the daz we left when we saw 3 in a row and had no time to check email or Dooce or update you on everything we've eaten and drank since mz last check in.

We arrived in Nürnberg on Saturday at Noon. The whole ride over we had sunny sky but as soon as we got off the train the sky spat hard pellets of snow for a few moments. Onlz a light dusting of snow here as well. We checked into the hotel (Ballardblog, Hotel Astoria gets two thumbs up, thanks) dropped our bags and headed out into it. First stop was the tourist information center for our tourist 2 day pass that would get us into all the museums for free and all public transportation free.

We had foolishlz thought we were more acclimated to the cold but found Nürnberg awfully chilly as we walked around. We had to find food and I spotted a Bratwurst Häus that Id read about in my supporting materials and we opened the door and it was like a barn packed to the rafters with people and strollers and so forth. Nürnberg has the most famous Christmas market and this was the last weekend so the town was packed.

We ended up finding a little cafe with a lunch buffet and had a beer and mz attitude brightened considerable. After lunch we hiked up to the castle with a cold wind whipping about. When we got to the ticket counter the man said, in a thick German accent, "The castle is finished. Come back tomorrow," and shooed us out the door. We (and 200 other visitors) wandered around the outer part and again, the sun was low in the sky and grey clouds sailed across a peach colored sky and we all elbowed each other for a place at the castle wall for a view of the city. Gorgeous.

We hiked down to the Modern Art Museum and it turned out being further than we thought and we got lost and turned around and I was getting tired of being cold and lost and was almost readz to give up when we found it. It is a giant modern building of glass and concrete hidden behind some old churches and stuff. We were practically alone in there and enjoyed the heat and exhibits and I used what is probably the most amazing bathroom I've ever been in. I wish I knew more about materials so I could explain it - jade colored tiles and a sort of slate with modern lighting. Very cool.

I don't have too much more time as we are taking the kids to piano lessons so I'll have to come back tomorrow afternoon.

We spent a lot of time in the Kristkindlmarkt mainly finding interesting things to try eating. I bought this one dessert that was called a Schneeballtraume and it looked like a donut the size of a grapefruit and had a lot of flavors which I guessed were fillings. We bought two and it turns out it's this giant hard cookie. Sort of like a fortune cookie except instead of being folded with a fortune inside, it's crumpled into a big ball and dipped in chocolate. Unfortunately, we didn't travel with a mallet and chisel and had to bite chunks off with our teeth while making lots of crumbs. Big disappointment.

The famous Nürnberg Lebekuchen, however, was not. I didn't know which was the primo stuff and there was a Lebkuchen stand on every corner so I went to the store highlighted on our tourist map and pointed to a few things and I tried one and it was one of the best cookies I've ever had. A sort of gingerbread with ground nuts and chocolate coating. I'm not sure if I'm going to share the rest of the bag or not. (I have lots of other things to share, I can hoard this for myself, right?)

We went to a Van Morrison tribute (Blues for Bethlehem) at a church that night and then the next morning up bright and early take the SBahn out to the - thez call it the something document center. It's where Hitler was building his showcase for the Nazi Partz and it's a detailed exhibit of the Nazi rise and fall. Very well put together, informative, tons of information. Very heavy day but worth it.

From there we went back to town and to the German National museum which was amazing and we saw the Drürer works. (Forgot to mention we went to Drürer house a day earlier).

More to tell but out of time for now.