Castles, forests, folktales, and food–the longer we're here, the more Nathan and I are falling in love with our new home. Here are some of the unique and beautiful things we're learning about Bavaria (the southeastern most state of Germany).
Castles: They peek out of the trees as you drive through the countryside or languish on the lake shore as you pass them on the ferry. Each one has its own personality and captures a little piece of German history. In this picture is the most famous of them all, Neuschwanstein Castle (up on the hillside), built by King Ludwig II. The golden beauty in the foreground is Hohenschwangau Castle, built by Ludwig's father, Maximilian II.
The inner courtyard of Hohenschwangau Castle.
Kodak Moments: Munich isn't like Rome or Vienna, where you see an amazing postcard picture on every corner. Instead it's more like a game of hide and seek. The moments of beauty pop-out and catch of you off guard as you walk through the city. This is St. Lukas Church on the edge of the Isar River.
These arches form one of the entrances to Alter Südlicher Friedhof, the oldest cemetery in central Munich. It was originally established as a plague cemetery by Duke Albrecht V in 1563. It continued as an active cemetery until 1886.
Festivals: It seems like most months of the year you can find a festival or crafts fair to attend somewhere in the region. It's been a super fun way to experience the local art and culture. Soap making, wood carving, glass art, and felt products are some of the most popular we've found. A lot of the locals also use festivals as a great excuse to . . .
. . . wear their traditional lederhosen (leather pants and checked shirts for men) and dirndl (colorful dresses and aprons for women).
Biergärten: Just about every park, shopping area or even mountain top in Bavaria has a little biergarten where you can take a rest and get some inexpensive classic German cuisine. During the summer they have outdoor seating as well. So what's unique about biergärten? If you want, you can bring your own picnic to enjoy! No food purchase required, just a drink purchase. One day this summer I met Nathan for lunch at one of Munich's most famous biergärten, Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower). If you're not a beer drinker, I'd recommend a Spezi (like Nathan's enjoying above). It's a yummy Coke and Fanta mixed soda.
Green Places: We really enjoy how much nature fills the streets of Munich. Trees stretch their arms over many a street, flower displays are in many a city square, and parks abound. When walking through the park we often spot these little guys enjoying the leaves.
Since we don't have a car, we bike most places. On his way to the office Nathan often peddles through the largest park in Munich, Englischer Garten. Its 910 acres offer a lot of beautiful biking and hiking paths.
Stopping to enjoy the view, Englischer Garten.
Cycle City: Speaking of biking . . . Munich is definitely a bike-friendly city. We love the fact that we don't need a car and get lots of exercise doing our errands by bike. As you can see above, we're not the only ones who think so. These bike parking areas are throughout the city and are usually packed. This picture also shows the other popular form of transportation in Munich, the Ubahn/Metro (designated by the blue "U")
Local Quirks: Not far from Nathan's office is the local palace, the Munich Residenz, which is now a museum. Just outside the museum entrance you'll find this lion face guarding the door. He's become a local good luck symbol and most folks rub his nose as they walk by.
Chocolate: We are totally getting addicted to German chocolate! It is delicious, especially heisse Schokolade (hot chocolate). We've found that hot drinks are almost never served in a mug, but instead in a tall glass (as seen above) or a tea cup. I like the TALL glass version, more chocolate to drink!
Ferry Rides: We've only gotten to visit a few of Bavaria's many lakes, but at almost all of them you can find a ferry to take you around to the different lakeside towns. We've found it to be a relaxing and fun way to see the local countryside. This is especially true when you have a friend to chat with. Here is one of the ferry landings we've seen.
Hiking: Germans LOVE to be out in nature. So it's easy to find hiking paths almost anywhere. Even though we live in a large city, we can take a short train ride and find yourself in the wilderness. We spotted this unique fence on one of our excursions.
The mountain forest scenery is breathtaking.
It's not uncommon to find crosses along the paths and especially at the summit of mountains. (Can you find the cross in this picture?) We've asked around and haven't discovered the reason for the crosses yet. I'm very curious about them.
Standing on the summit, looking at the foothills of the Alps.
