Military resort caters to active-duty and families

Our journey began with a 13-hour flight from Jacksonville to Philadelphia and on to Munich, Germany. After another short flight to Bremen, Germany, we arrived, minus Dane's suitcase, and were greeted by my aunt and cousin. We happily picked up our rental car. I was a little intimidated about driving, so my cousin, Nicole, took the wheel. Our first two days were spent in the city of Cloppenburg with family members. After buying several new and much warmer outfits because the weather was chilly and rainy, we spent a day at a nearby amusement park and zoo. The first thing I noticed here was that there are very few safety regulations on the rides. Most of them, you just hop on and go.

Also, many of the zoo animals roam in areas free of cages or fences. You could literally walk up and pet a hippo or kangaroo although signs tell you not to touch the animals.

The Zwinger in Dresden, Germany features numerous galleries including more than 2,000 paintings by master painters and museums. The Zwinger was built from 1710-32 by August the Strong and was used as a performance house. It features magnificent baroque buildings and a courtyard with numerous fountains and gardens.

Our next stop was downtown for some spaghetti ice cream at one of the many cafes (yes, it looks just like spaghetti!). We later headed back to my aunt and uncle's house for a typical German meal of meats, cheese and bread.

Northern Germany's landscape is very lush with massive trees and brick homes. Every house has a well-manicured garden and some even have small barnyards. The streets are immaculate and you won't see a piece of trash anywhere! My only complaint was that the sun stays up until 11 p.m., since we were so far north, and the birds began chirping at 4:30 a.m., when the sun rose. It made sleeping somewhat difficult.

Our next stop was Dresden, Germany (formerly East Germany), after a five-hour drive. Once again, Nicole drove since I wanted to see how she managed the Autobahn. After checking into our hotel, we hopped on a bus and train and headed downtown. Thank goodness, Nicole is German and could read the signs.

Dresden is a remarkable city made up of massive historic buildings mixed in between new, modern high rises. The city was almost completely destroyed during World War II and most of the historic buildings are covered in black soot from the bombings and years of pollution.

Kaylee LaRocque and her son, Dane in front of Heidelberg Castle in Heidelberg, Germany during their recent visit to Europe. The castle was built in the early 1200's as a residence for the royal dynasty of Electors Palatine who ruled the German empire. The castle was later expanded into a fortress in 1508 to prevent attacks from neighboring enemies. The castle was heavily damaged during the Thirty Year War (1618-48) and was destroyed by France in 1693.

It almost gives you the feel of being in Batman's Gotham City. Nearly, every building, street and bridge is somehow tied to the Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, August II the Strong, who ruled this area from 1697 to 1706 and again from 1709 to 1733.

When the Soviets rebuilt the city after the war, they built mostly concrete, cheap housing complexes which makes many areas look like ghettos. With new money coming in from the west, there is construction everywhere and conservation of historic buildings has become a priority. Today, Dresden is a popular tourist area and is being restored to its past elegance.

The next day, we again headed back to town and walked what seemed like 100 miles up and down cobblestone streets taking in the sites including the Green Vault, which features an incredible collection of royal treasures; the armor museum, full of swords and weapons from previous eras; and a history bus-tour around the city and outlying suburbs. We ate lunch at one of the many outdoor cafes overlooking the Elbe River, watching tourists taking pictures, and the river ferries travel up and down the river.

We then hit the road again heading south, dropping Nicole at the train station in Nuremberg, Germany, so she could head back home. After lunch at the train station (the cleanest train station, I've every seen), Dane and I hit the road to Garmisch. Driving on the Autobahn was much easier than expected, although you can only pass on the left and unless you are continuously driving 180 kilometers/hour, stay out the fast lane! We even survived driving through downtown Munich which was challenging, through underground tunnels and trying to follow the signs.

Six-year-old Dane LaRocque is on top of the world at the summit of Zugspitz, Germany's hightest mountain.

We finally arrived in Garmisch, at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort. I truly think it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. Massive mountains, meadows of wildflowers, waterfalls and the typical Bavarian homes, surround the resort. As you walk into the doors of the resort, the first thing you see is the huge stone fireplace, rocking chairs and leather couches. We could have easily lived there forever with all the amenities the resort offered.

After checking in, Dane and I rented bicycles and rode downtown for some apple strudel and ice cream. Unfortunately, the lock broke on our bikes and we ended up walking several miles back to the hotel taking in the scenery of the local neighborhoods. We then hit the pool and hot tub and had dinner at the resort.

Of course, one of the most popular tourist attractions here is Neuschwanstein Castle, one of three castles in the area built by King Ludwig II. After stopping at the Ettal Abbey, a beautiful monastery, to take pictures and buy souvenirs, we drove through the countryside to the castle in the pouring rain. There are three ways to get to the castle, horse carriage, bus or walk a very steep 40-minute climb. We chose the horse carriage. Although the castle was never finished, the rooms that were are definitely worth seeing. There is also a magnificent waterfall nearby that on a nice day is worth the walk.

Neuschwanstein Castle, also known as "the Disney Castle" was inspired by Bavarian King Ludwig II. As construction continued in the 1860s, the project was deemed too difficult on the mountain site and was never finished. Today, the castle is one of Europe's top tourist sites.

The next day, we decided to visit the summit of Zugspitz, Germany's highest mountain. Little did we know it was going to be quite the excursion. After walking about five miles to the train station, we hopped on two different trains (going straight up the side of the mountain) before we made it to the halfway mark. A cable car took us to the summit, which overlooks Lake Eibsee and numerous small towns nestled within the Alps. It was like being on top of the world - a cold, snowy world. The cable car took us back down and we again took two trains back to where we started. We picked wildflowers on the way back to the hotel. Later, we again rented bikes and headed to town for more apple strudel and one last night of swimming in the resort's pool.

In the morning, we drove through many small towns in Austria to get on the Autobahn and head to Mannheim to visit more family members. Arriving in the city, we found my aunt's apartment. She took us to a park on the Rhine River and to meet our cousins at a restaurant.

The next day, our cousins took us to tour Heidelberg Castle (again in the rain) which was built in the 1300s and later destroyed by the French in 1693. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the castle and made the tour very interesting.

Later that evening, we headed north to Frankfurt, to Nicole's house where we spent the night before heading to downtown Frankfurt for our last 24 hours before flying home.

Another cousin, Ingo, spent the day touring the city of Frankfurt with us, which included a trip to the tallest bank and building in Germany; a visit to the dinosaur museum; and a walk through Romerberg, a historic market square. That night we had dinner with Ingo and his wife, Dani.

The next morning, they came and got us and helped us return the rental car and made sure we got to our terminal for the long flight home and back to reality.