Thoughts on Edelweiss

During our trip to Germany we elected to stay at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort. After purposely avoiding it the past several years, we (or I) decided to give it try -- mostly because of the great reviews from trusted friends.

Well, being there with our friend, who is a principal of an elementary school in Germany, gave us a quick reality check and reminder of why we have previously chosen to steer clear of the place. "Hello, Mr. M!" "What are you doing here, Mr. M?" "Will you ski, Mr. M?" "Why not, Mr. M?" "Can we talk about this or that school issue, Mr. M?" "Do you like to drink beer, Mr. M?" "Who are those people you are with, Mr. M?" "Mr. M, do you come here often?" (Okay -- so maybe it's a bit exaggerated, but just a bit to make my point.)

Give me a break, people.


Mr. Duncan and I are fairly anonymous in our current roles within the school system, but we haven't always been so. I (excuse me for my ability to be quite frank) do not care to spend my free time away from work surrounded by people from work; it's just awkward for me.

When you are a teacher or administrator, this group of people from work includes students and, essentially, their parents. This resort, well, it's created especially for those students and their parents, so that's what you get when you come here. No offense at all to the families -- none at all. We didn't get quite the reception that Mr. M did, but I did see several kids I know, as well as a few colleagues.

I wonder if the witty doc who heads up the behavioral health clinic who I spied several times over the few days gets the same feeling? Imagine -- vacationing with your mental health patients. Must be difficult. Must be.

The amazing Mr. M was extremely polite and accommodating to all the greetings -- as he should be; when you accept the position of school administrator, or even teacher, you give up certain public privacy's. It is not uncommon to see a student or parent every single time that you step foot on the post. Some respect your privacy. Others want conferences in the commissary.



What we did like about our stay there was the abundance of children; there were little people EVERYWHERE, and that's a good thing for our singleton. Overall, however, we were not as impressed with the place as we thought we would be. One thing is for certain, we won't be asking Mr. M to meet us there again. Ever. (Though he was a good sport & barely complained, we value his friendship.)



We hear that there are excellent ski lesson opportunities for kids, and, well, maybe we'll try that some day. Though, I'm not real convinced that we'll raise a winter sport young one. We will likely return despite this poor review. Edelweiss is easy. Sometimes, we just want easy. I mean, come on, they have ice machines on every floor, Starbucks in the basement, and a big screen tv with kid movies in a section of the lobby. Easy. Oh wait, did I mention that all the staff spoke English? My German is weak. At times -- easy.

On a side note, we did stay at the Hotel Forsthaus in the area a couple of years back and found it to be quite comfortable and accommodating (and a better deal). There were many Americans there as well, but it was a different experience nonetheless.