BAUMHOLDER, Germany — It is the season for hiking, biking, sightseeing, relaxing and connecting with family. Many Soldiers and family members packed up and vacationed at Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in the Garmisch region in June during their block leave to reunite after a 14-month deployment in Iraq.
Edelweiss Lodge and Resort is offered to military families and has special packages for Soldiers who are on rest and relaxation leave or have just completed a deployment.
“Having the resort is a great advantage to us stationed in Europe,” said Heather Benoit, family member.
“It is cost effective, especially because the prices are in dollars. You get to see a ton and you do not have to pay an arm and a leg. There is so much to do. We were able to go hiking, see castles and travel to zoos in the surrounding area,” she said.
Long revered as one of the most desirable destinations in the Bavarian Alps and Germany’s premiere winter and summer sports center, the Garmisch-Partenkirchen area is an idyllic location nestled at the foot of sweeping Alpine vistas and home to the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort.
The resort’s collection of recreation, entertainment, fitness, dining, beverage and hospitality services are designed to create an enjoyable vacation experience for military personnel, officials said.
Benoit traveled to Garmisch-Partenkirchen with her two children and husband who just returned from Iraq. “The kids could go to the pool, and my husband and I could do what we wanted to, whether it was relaxing in the room or enjoying a peaceful meal.
“It was a great way to reunite. Another opportunity we enjoyed was going on family outings without running into a lot of people we knew,” said Benoit.
Benoit said she likes the idea of a vacation area for just military families. “If I want my kids to run around they can without having to worry because it is a military facility. It was a very comfortable feeling for both my children and me,” said Benoit.
According to the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort website the resort is 56 miles from Munich, 34 miles from Innsbruck and thousands of miles from the ordinary. The Edelweiss Lodge and Resort delivers an authentic alpine adventure sure to be memorable for the entire family.
One of the castles the Benoit’s were able to visit was the world famous Neuschwanstein Castle which is a little over an hour away from Garmisch.
Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century Bavarian palace on a rugged hill near Hohenschwangau and Füssen in southwest Bavaria. The palace has appeared in several movies, and was the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty Castle at both Disneyland Park and Hong Kong Disneyland.
“I enjoyed going to Garmisch. It was really relaxing,” said Staff Sgt. Christopher Benoit, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery. “I did not have to wear the uniform of a Soldier in Garmisch. I could let go, be away and just be with my family,” Garmisch was just one of the trips during their time off. They also took day trips throughout Germany.
“It was nice to be able to travel around our area without traveling long distances. We may feel like we are in the middle of nowhere being stationed in Baumholder, but we are really close to many places if you drive an hour or two,” said Heather Benoit.