This is the place where Swarovski makes beautiful, shiny crystals, and we all know I love shiny things, so Andy said we were definitely going this time.
It wasn't the most beautiful day, but it was a beautiful drive. The drive from Garmisch to Wattens, Austria is only about an hour. As we were driving along, a castle just popped up on the side of the road. Seriously, it came out of nowhere.
We don't typically stop driving too often to take pictures. However, I had to stop and get a picture of that castle. I can't really tell you the significance of this castle, though. I tried to do a little research, but didn't come up with anything. All you need to know is that it was in the side of the mountain and looked amazing. Being a good photo op is a good thing for a castle to be.
The drive is also beautiful because it is through the Alps. If you ever get the chance to see the Alps, take it. I told Andy that they are the mountains you think of as a kid: the right color, pointy, and in some places they are snow-capped. They are ideal for kindergarten drawings everywhere.
I thought the clouds were ruining the view, but now as I look back, they really didn't. We could see the mountains perfectly. We could also see what looked like a train track running through the mountains. I just kept saying, "How do you build a train track like that? And honestly, who looks up and a mountain and thinks, 'Yep, that's where I want the train to go'?"
I feel like often times on my blog I say, "Ooh, look at the pretty mountains. Look how beautiful it is here. Look at the castles...blah blah blah." It really is gorgeous. I hope you don't get tired of hearing it. But really, I would encourage everyone to come to Europe and see it. I know I am having a once in a lifetime experience right now. I always dreamed of visiting Europe; I never thought I would live here.
One of the best parts of driving through Germany is seeing all of the little villages in the countryside. Apparently, Austria has this too. I find myself wondering about the life stories of the people in these villages. Has their family always lived in this place? Do they enjoy the view every single day or does it get old? If they live in the mountains, where do they go for vacation? Is most of their food from right here? Because there are a lot of farms. What are the schools like? Perhaps one day I'll meet someone who can answer these questions for me.
After this nice drive, we made our way to Swarovski. They have an interesting outdoor space. First we went into this maze. We didn't know it was the shape of a hand until we looked at it from above. We also didn't know there was only one exit/entrance. I thought the maze was fun because I was just following behind Andy as he was saying, "Dead end. Another dead end. I'm going back out the way we came." I would have probably been in there forever.
Swarovski also has a fun outdoor play area with a mini zip line. Evan was a little hesitant to ride at first, but as you can see, he loved it. He even rode by himself a few times. In case you can't tell, my husband and son are just alike. It is wonderful watching them together.
One of the things that makes Andy a great dad is that he loves to have fun like the kids. Who needs a sibling when you have a dad like this?
This is the weird grass face/fountain that makes up the entrance to the crystal museum. This was just the beginning of wondering, who designed this?
There were lots of strange items inside the museum. They had the most unexpected things made out of crystal, like a pair of gloves for a giant, mannequin robots that came apart and went back together, and some pretty strange artwork. However, there were some things that I really enjoyed, like the giant crystal inside the entrance. (Andy, feel free to stick that in a ring for me!) The coolest room in the museum was this dome-shaped room made out of crystals. It reminded me of cerebro from X Men. I seriously felt like Professor Xavier! Unfortunately, though, the pictures didn't turn out because of the light in there.
What's the point of a giant crystal jellyfish? Who cares, it looks awesome! I feel like if you had one of these in your house, it could be quite the conversation starter.
Every woman needs a bra made out of crystals. You know, just in case you get too comfortable in your regular bra.
Golden staff? Yes, please. It will go with my crystal bra and I can rule the world! Really, I just like this picture because of the background. You can see a beautiful wedding dress, and you can see my husband patiently waiting for me, which is also a beautiful thing.
The best part of the museum? One of the world's largest Swarovski stores! I got a shiny new pair of earrings. Let's be honest. You might say you're going to Swarovski to see the museum, but you're really going to buy something pretty. Too bad they don't sell the bra.
Our first time leaving Germany was fun, but as far as I'm concerned, Austria may as well be Germany. The food was the same and everyone was speaking German. However, cell phone towers know the difference. On our way back, my phone decided it wouldn't work because we were in Austria. That's all dandy, except that we used the gps on my phone to get there. Zero data connectivity. Luckily, Andy got us back to Garmisch just fine. Take that, technology! It's always an adventure with us.
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