Greek Sun, German Rain

August 9, 2013

For six weeks this summer I never had to take the weather into account. Everyday I knew it would be hot, sunny, and clear skies in Greece. I never had to check the weather in regards to my plans. The sky always cooperated. Well, the Greek forecast has spoiled the heck out of me. Today I was going to go to the tallest mountain in Germany, Zugspitze, however the German skies were not in my favor. Not even thinking to check the weather last night, let alone right away when I woke up this morning, I packed up, checked out of my hotel (there are no hostels in Garmisch-Partenkirchen!), and set out for the train station. Upon arrival it began to sprinkle and as soon as I was examining the ticket prices to get up to the peak (50€ in case you were wondering - holy crap!) it began to downpour. Lucky for me I had packed a poncho so my stuff was safe and dry, by it seemed my plans were now foiled by the forecast. The station had a live feed of the view from the top of the mountain. It was all rainy fog. I decided it wasn't worth shelling out the dough just to see a bunch of fog. This is the kind of thing you need a perfect, clear day for. So, alas, Zugspitze will have to wait. Another day, another summer, another forecast. I hope my fellow travelers can learn from my mistake: unless you're in Greece in the summer ALWAYS check the weather before you try to head to tall peaks and allow yourself more than one shot (i.e. stay more than one night!) at a great view. But, as I'm sure you all know by now, I can find the silver lining in anything, so now I'm on a bus to Mittenwald, another picturesque Bavarian town, for a few hours of exploration before meeting friends in Innsbruck. Hopefully it's not raining there!