The ride today is short and scenic with increasingly dramatic views of the big peaks.

We drop our stuff at our hotel and head for the mountain. The Zugspitze is climbed, biked, or as most people (and we, after all it’s supposed to be a rest day!) do, via train and tram.

The train converts from regular rails to cog rail about a third of the way up and takes you up most of the rest of the way (then a cable car or hike) at 15-20 percent grade through a tunnel in the mountain.

With a glacier...

...that people are sledding on.

One of the hiking trails up from the top of the train. We are zipping over this on a cable car, however.

Unfortunately, it turns out we’re not actually at Germany’s highest point. That is another 500 meters over narrow and sheer rocks. The warning says it’s for alpine experts only, but we see a lot of tourists out there so after brief deliberation, we agree that I will make the climb (I have a family altitude record to maintain.). Eric bravely stays back to document the summit attempt. We take this cutesy matchy-matchy picture, just in case I am lost at the summit.

I mean, if this guy can do it, I surely can…

Besides, I’m wearing my hiking sandals!

Committed. Kind of…

Climbing up the ladder

The last few steps are on a ledge that is about 2 feet wide. That’s why I look like a scaredy cat

I made it!

And a few shots from the top - first, back from whence I came…

They have constructed quite a facility at the almost-top, so we decide to take a look around, but first we eat our picnic lunch.

Including another pound of these incredible local strawberries

Which we bought from one of the many giant strawberry berry vendors like this (not at the summit)

Elder-alpenstomper

Official 2950m marker

Tundra

Germany’s highest beer garden

Germany’s highest brat (about 10m higher than the ones served in the highest beer garden

A few shots as the mist rolls in - this one makes it look more like Everest!

The clouds have rolled in quite quickly, so we decide to head back down – just in time, as a huge thunderstorm breaks while we’re sitting in the train, and they stop running the train to the top. Once again, our amazing rain luck holds…

We wait out the storm in one of our new favorite Euro-markets, restocking our picnic supplies and continuing our inventory of bizarre European snack foods

We walk back through town as the storm ends…

And a last shot of the Zug from our dinner spot (mediocre Italian food, not pictured)