a week at Edelweiss

On Monday morning at Edelweiss in Germany we ate breakfast together.  Then Lena and I watched Elliott walk down the hallway towards a week-long series of lectures.  And I looked at Lena and felt that old sinking feeling that I always get when Elliott walks away to work after a long weekend or trip together.  (The first day Elliott went to work after our honeymoon I sat in his lap and cried.)   

But Lena and I bucked up and did some exploring, and after awhile the hours, and then the days, were passing by, filled with a new routine in a new place.  Garmisch, Germany, is in the middle of the Bavarian Alps and oh. my. goodness. those mountains are beautiful!  That first day Lena and I went on a long walk into a meadow beside the hotel.

In the evening we took Elliott back to the meadow so he could enjoy it too!

Lena and I also found a playground, where Lena learned how hard it is to climb a rope ladder:

And we hung out with our friend Liam, who helped Lena learn to walk and taught her that the picture on the mailbox was a "horse... horse... horse."

We also played in our room, where Lena loved pressing the buttons on the safe, playing in the curtains, reading books, and napping, which I always enjoyed too.  

The hotel had bikes with baby seats on the back, and so Lena also went on her first bike ride!  She thought it was a-okay, and I loved it.  (See the video below.)

We also spent untold hours in the pool and hot tub (where cameras and water don't mix) and Elliott and I got a babysitter for a couple of nights that we were there so we could go to dinner and a banquet with other conference attendees.  Not bad, not bad at all!  In fact I think we're ready to go back anytime the Army needs us there.