TODAY, IN BAVARIA

It was an overcast, cloudy sort of day today, but the temperature was hovering between 70 - 75° by mid-day.  Bits of sunshine managed to escape through the clouds from time to time making it a rather pleasant day for a day trip to Walachensee, Germany, near the Alps.

From our new apartment, the Alps are a stone's throw away.  Today we left the apartment at 11:00 am and within 20 minutes we saw them rise from the horizon. It is a good feeling to know that they are this close.  Now, on a weekend we can head for the hills (um, mountains) to get away from Dodge.

When you live in a large city, nature and the outdoors mean so much more.  We find that scenes like the one above so close to our home are extremely valuable to us.  It doesn't matter what direction we drive, we are always presented with pastoral scenes that restore our souls.

"Say hello, cutiepie and greet my readers!"  This fellow was eating out of our hands on the side of a road.  He and a fellow colt were both grazing in a field with their mothers.  Isn't he gorgeous?

He wasn't the only pretty face we saw today.  My, my, this cow stopped her grazing to give me the evil eye.  She was in good company with her mates in a pasture at the foot of the grand Alps.

Talk about gorgeous.  I told the hubby today that it is a good thing that our apartment is only on the 2nd floor and we couldn't see the Alps from there.  I want to come upon them and feel thrilled each time as I was today.  I'm afraid that if they were visible each day I might tire of their grandeur.

This is the Walchensee surrounded by majestic mountains and full of clear Alpine water.  The skies have cleared, as you can see, and provided a perfect day for us to enjoy.

These two fellas had the right idea.  Notice how clear the lake is.  Oh, and what you may not realize is how cold the water is.  No swimming today for us, thank you.

Instead, we chose to go here, lakeside, and have a cuppa.  There's the hubby waiting for me to finish taking photos.  He is ever so patient with me.

These were planted in the garden and these below.

I am not an expert on flowers, so I can't tell you what they are.  I have a feeling the peach colored ones might be Dahlias, but I'm not positive.  The wine colored ones grow on a stalk like snapdragons do.  But again, I can't identify them.  I just know I love them both equally.

I don't think I will ever tire of the perfect fairytale German villages in Bavaria.  There is a certain pride in what is traditional and German and Bavarians work hard to keep their villages authentically German.  Wouldn't you just love to go inside?  Well, you can!  It is a guest house open to the public.

This is another guest house in Walchensee.  I love the facade and the paintings around the shutters.  I'm guessing there is a whole industry of special painters who are able to conform otherwise bland homes and buildings into these glorious masterpieces of German art.

No, I don't think I will ever tire of admiring the building or the art in these small Bavarian villages.  What a delight for the eye!

Even the less grand buildings still maintain their integrity and German charm.  (Notice the scarecrow in the garden.)

Yes, it was a perfect day at the Walchensee admiring the landscape, the livestock and horses, the lakes and the mountains.  Oh, did I mention the trees?  The forests were so green and abundantly fertile.  Bavaria has had a great deal of rain in the past months, as you can tell.

I am sure we will revisit this area.  We were back home by 4:30 pm with plenty of daylight to spare.  Hubby wants to ride his bike around the lake and I've spotted a spa on the edge of the lake that is also a guesthouse with saunas, whirlpools, and massage treatments.  Whoo, hoo!