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Austria & Bavaria

Alisha Teo
Jan 10, 2017
2 min read

Our drives up north to the Austrian Alps and later on back down south through the Swiss Alps afforded the most breathtaking and awesome views of creation. Every bend, every turn opened to us a new unexpected scene, leaving us with exclamations of "wow" and wonder.

From our accommodation at Innsbruck, we crossed the border again to enter Bavaria, Germany to see the famous Neuschwanstein castle in Schwangau. This castle supposedly inspired the castle in Disney's Sleeping Beauty.

We then took a drive further east to visit Berchtesgaden. I had harboured hopes of being able to visit Kehlsteinhaus (The Eagle's Nest), and look upon Lake Königssee seated in a valley flanked by towering mountains of the Bavarian Alps. As we made our ascent to the town in the mountains, the snow fell hard. The boys had to help dad put on some snow chains on the tyres to prevent the mini-van from sliding off.

Unsurprisingly, we arrived at a Berchtesgaden covered in snow, and discovered (to my disappointment) that the Kehlsteinhaus was only open during the warmer summer months due to the heavy snowfall. Nonetheless, we tramped about in the snow with our ski pants on and had a warm and hearty Bavarian lunch with a pint of Bavarian beer, and departed Berchtesgaden in high spirits.

I will return in a spring or summer to come.

The rest of our stay in the Austrian alps was spent skiing at the lovely St. Anton skii resort. It had been 7 years since I last donned those long planks of carbon fibre, yet as I descended the slopes, feeling the icy wind against my bare face and hearing the whistle of the air, whining as I interrupted it's stillness, a thrilling surge of blood and adrenaline rushed through my veins. It was unprecedented, juvenile bliss.

I loved our stay in the Austrian Alps. I loved being greeted by the reflection of the morning sunshine off the pristine, untouched snow capped mountains. I loved the feeling of being minute, insignificant at the feet of these unassuming, colossal giants.

In those moments, I felt afresh the full weight of what it meant to be loved by the Creator.