Ich berühre Schnee

As the sun rises I can see it has been snowing. By 0830 it’s lightly snowing again. But I know from the weather report that this is all we’ll see in Munich today. I check the other weather reports and decide to head to Gamisch-Partenkirchen. They have solid snow fall forecast. At 0930, after a couple of false starts, I head out the door. I walk to the Hauptbahnhof so I can experience the soft, whispy snow still falling. I’m unexpectedly hit by a sudden emotional surge and feel quite teary. This is special. I guess experiencing snow was number one on my wish list for this trip, so it’s a bit of a relief.

When I get to the station, the train is waiting. It’s a double decker, so I head up stairs for a better view. The train is busy.

At 1032 RB 59449 leaves calling at Pasing, Tutzing, Weilheim, Murnau, Ohlstadt, Eschenlohe, Oberbau and Farshant. To start with, it’s the same route as Monday, but very different now with a dusting of snow.

We arrive at Garmisch-Partenkirchen at 1154. The town is very busy. I head off, walking through a park and then tracing a river for a while. At times the snow gets a little heavier. It’s so strange. It’s dry; neither me nor my camera are getting wet. And it’s so powdery and fluffy; like walking through really fine polystyrene. It’s a wonderful experience.

I head back into the town. I could catch the next train but decide to stay longer. I walk along the main streets and look in the shops. It’s snowing all the time and there are plenty of “pinch me” moments as I turn each corner to take in a new view.

I return to the station to catch the 1507 train back to Munich. As I settle in my warm seat I notice that the snow is falling more heavily. I consider getting out to spend another hour there but decide against it. As the train pulls out of town I see it’s seriously falling now; probably would not have been so good. I’m glad I decided to leave. It was a magical experience and the best part is I still have a week to go; so I should be able to get plenty more snow-time.