Christmas 2018

We had our first visitors arrive just in time for Christmas. Poppy and BB came out to visit us through the Christmas holidays and it turned out to be a fantastic holiday. We took them around Naples during their first few days of their visit and then the day after Christmas, we boarded a plane and headed to our favorite and usually Christmas designation, Garmisch, Germany! We've loved visiting Garmisch for the past two Christmases and felt it was the right place to go. 

Before heading to Germany, we took Poppy and BB to the Amalfi coast. We stopped for a stroll and shopping in Sorrento and then proceeded to drive the Amalfi coast roads. The views did not disappoint, but the driving was very technical with a nothing but twists and turns and climbs and descents. The weather was lovely, only wearing T-shirt. And it was the day before Christmas! This photo is from a pull out on the road. The views made the trip totally worth it. 

Here is the lovely Shannon on the beaches of Positano. In the summer, no sand can be seen due to all the beach goers. But we had it to ourselves in the winter. The backdrop with all the pastel colored houses was pretty sweet. 

Merry Christmas! Santa came and like usual, the girls loaded up. They each received an American girl doll which seemed to have been the highlight. Also, everyone got new hats, which would come in handy for Germany. 

The day after Christmas, we loaded up on the plane and flew to Munich. 

The flight was so much better having two extra people available to entertain the two monkeys. It was only a 1.5 hour flight so it was quick! 

We passed over the Alps... which as expected, had a ton of snow. 

It was quite a temperature shock as soon as we stepped out of he plane. We went from T shirt weather to freezing temperatures..... brrr. We rented a car and hit the road for Garmisch. Once we arrived, we checked into the hotel and then hit the streets to see what was happening. Another mandatory stop was filling our bellies with Gluwein for the adults and kinder punch for the bambinos. 

We also took the cable car up to the tallest Mountain in Austria, Zutzspitz. I (Ryan) have been up there before but it was the first for everyone else. It was a steep climb and scary to see the cable car go up so fast. 

But the view from the top was quite spectacular. Not much snow at the base but plenty at the top. We spent the whole day on top of the mountain sledding and eating some of the finest German cuisine. 

The hats from Santa came in handy! 

The girls also wanted to go to ski school for the day so we got them all set up. They both actually had a good time.... a little frustrated at times for them but they enjoyed their time on the slopes. 

We also went to the Gorge one day but it was a quick trip because I am pretty sure I was illegally parked. Then, one night, both girls got a stomach bug and were laid up for just over 24 hours. They were headed to the toilets every hour or so.... so we just kept them in the room and they watched tv. Then on the next day, mommy came down with the bug as we were getting ready to head to the airport. It wasn't a fun drive to the airport and nor a fun plane ride home for her.

But, we had a great Christmas and we were so glad we were able to share our favorite Christmas destination with Poppy and BB. We were able to play in some snow, eat some food other than Italian, and spend time with family.