Our trip to Garmisch was straight out of a classic fantasy novel. The mountains surrounded the town and shades of green and blue painted around the town. It took about 2 hours to get there, but it was totally worth it. Before we took off, we were each given a choice to participate in different hikes, I took the hike to "Philosophenweg." Philosophenweg or Philosopher's Trail is a short, but extraordinary, hike found above Garmisch-Partenkirchen
A hidden church
At the start of the trail, we found a pilgrim church called “Franziskanerkloster St. Anton.” We took a quick detour to the church for a peek before heading back to our main hike. It was a little church hidden above the trail behind Partenkirchen’s towering dark-green trees. Before the church, we entered a covered stairway and found, hanging on the ceiling and walls, memorials to local men killed in the line of duty during the first and second World Wars. The memorials are wooden plaques containing portraits and the names of the fallen; along with the year when they served, their birth, and death. Everything about it was eerie and depressing, yet I could not help but feel amazed at what we’ve found. Throughout the camp, we learned the horrors done by the Nazis and understood that we shouldn’t lessen their atrocities, however at that moment, I could not help but notice how human they appear in those photos--a sobering reminder of what is to come once a madman is given power. The church was empty when we entered, and inside are religious statues and stunning fresco paintings that crawled around the ceiling. There were historical paintings of the liberation of the village and one in particular struck me. It was a painting from 1945 that portrayed the liberation of the village by US troops.
The Philosopher's Trail
On the Philosopher’s Trail, we found benches with famous quotes by known Philosophers. I’d say the quotes complimented the hike alongside the beautiful view of the mountain and the nature surrounding it. We would pick flowers from the trails and pretend we were on a journey inside J.R.R. Tolkien’s books.
We met the end of our hike with a beautiful view of the plains stretching towards the mountain and each of us participants expressed our amazement on our ways. I took this time to take a photo to remember this unforgettable sight and bask in its majesty, my roommate Juan from Colombia composed a song on the spot. The other participants from other groups were still out on their little adventures so we took this time taking photos of each other. I gave my camera to my friends, Mihajlo and Thomasz, who took some cool photos of me along with other groups (and selfies) while we rested under a tree.
