PINCHING MYSELF

There are days, such as today, when I have to keep pinching myself to see if it isn't all a dream.  Small Bavarian villages, Alpine lakes, clouds that appear to be floating through the sky suspended in air with invisible strings and a crisp blue sky enchants me once again .  Today was such a day; unreal as if the true perfect balance of nature conspired together to create a day so gentle and pure that it defied the imagination.  Today was a day that I wish could have gone on forever.  It was really that good.

We are fortunate to live within 15 minutes of Starnberg lake and 30 minutes from the Ammersee (Ammer lake). If you look closely at the photo I took of these sail boats idly floating on the calm surface of the water, you will see the Alps in the background.  On this day, they are nearly blue on the horizon.  Depending on the weather they can appear gray, blue, and even purple.

The weather was gorgeous so we took a stroll along the shore admiring the German architecture until our thirst got the better of us.  A small cafe suited our needs and the husband decided to do an iced coffee that looked mighty tasty.

I stuck with my usual, and Apfelschole (apple juice with spritzer water.)  Since it was so beautiful outside, we chose a small biergarten nearby.

Of course, we could have went rowing or kayaking, took the ferry to the other side of the lake to Herrsching or played miniature golf.  Instead, we chose to soak in the afternoon sun and people watch.  We were not alone.   Nearly every available park bench on the promenade was taken.

Bikes, strollers, skateboards, and rollerblades made their way past us as we took in the sights and just chilled.  People of all ages and ethnic backgrounds passed before us.  Most everyone was keen on taking the ferry to the other side of the lake.

We chose to while away the hours with the beautiful lake in front of us and gardens like the one above, behind us.  Bavaria has so much natural beauty to offer.  I still pinch myself from time to time to check that I'm really here and living so close to nature.  It has surpassed all of my dreams.

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!  

WHY I LOVE GERMANY

Hardly a day goes by that I don't marvel at our fortune of living here in Bavaria where nature is so abundant and accessible.  But for a few moments walk outside our front door, we can be immersed into settings like the one above of the river Würm that meanders throughout Munich.  These idyllic panoramas crop up at the most unexpected times.  At the turn of a path, at the bottom of a foothill, and even in your own backyard.

When my family and friends ask me why I want to continue living in Germany, it is difficult to explain the part nature plays in my decision.  Nature appears almost everywhere, so why Germany?  I think it is because the Germans learned to respect nature and protect it long before the Americans did.  Because the European cultures were developed far ahead of America, the idea of conservation in the rapidly developing nations took place in the early 1800's, especially in Germany.  They learned early on that their resources needed to be protected and cultivated lest they lose them altogether.

Bavaria was one of the frontrunners in terms of forestry.  With the Alpine lakes and streams providing the cities with the most crystal clear mineral water, Bavaria has taken measure throughout the centuries to protect their natural environment.

Nature play an enormous part in the lives of Bavarians.  They are avid hikers, bikers, and skiers.  Rafting, canoeing, and water sports of all kinds are popular here.  Alpine walking is growing in popularity and has captured the imagination of the over 60 set with it's great benefit of helping to reduce the side effects of aging such as arthritis, muscle and bone degeneration, and heart disease.  On any given day the amount of people out-of-doors would put most American cities to shame by comparison.  It is sad that we, as a nation, have given up our connectedness to nature and have allowed ourselves to be prisoners in our own homes and slaves to our automobiles.  I know I sound like Thoreau, but living in Germany has created a need that I never knew existed in me.  A need to be a part of my natural environment.

Here in Bavaria, the Bavarians take every opportunity to provide natural beauty around them to coerce them to appreciate what nature has to give.  From small gardens, to ponds, to little vignettes such as the cascading water over stone steps, they care for and nurture what has been provided for them.

I am certain that it is because most Germans live in small apartments and prefer to be outside that they have been diligent in creating spaces where people can congregate outside.  Small cafes with outdoor seating, fountains with stone stools and steps for people to rest, and benches tucked alongside of paths cutting through forests and prairies are plentiful and attractive.

It amazes me the number of walkers or bicyclists who will stop in the forest, on a mountain side, or alongside a castle grounds somewhere and pull out a blanket with a picnic basket and enjoy the day admiring the view.  I have purchased a blanket with a plastic backing for such a purpose.  I have also bought a picnic satchel for my bike with one side for storing plates, utensils, and the all-important wine bottle, and the other side that is insulated to store cheeses, bread rolls and fruit.

But, if we hop on the bikes and forget the bike satchel, we know that we can always find a neighborhood beer garden along the way.  The trouble is to decide which one to try,-- there are so many to choose from.  For example, we can choose Nuremberg sausages, roast chicken, pork ribs, or "frikadelle mitt baguette", a German type of hamburger.

Either way, we will be spending our days outside enjoying the fresh air and hearing the birds sing until the sun sets.  What can be better than this?

THE GREAT ASCENT!

Sufer

For those of you who actually do follow my blog, and I know a few of you do because you are so kind to leave a comment from time to time or email me: I apologize for not alerting you to the fact that I was hosting my 11-year old grandson for three weeks and my blogging came to a virtual stand still. (If you are reading this and would like to follow me on my blog, just click "Followers," at the bottom of the page.  I would love to follow you as well). 


It was fantastic to spend my days doing things 11 yr. olds like to do.  He left to go back to Michigan on Tuesday and I was in a real slump yesterday.  I missed him so much. 


 But, today is a new day and the sun is finally out shining!  I am back to blogging and my photography, so you will hear more from me in the coming days, for sure , lucky you (ha, ha!)


The lake above (I know!  Could it possibly be more idyllic?) was on our way up the Alps, through Switzerland, to Splugen Pass.  We chose this route to Italy because of the vistas and we were not disappointed, they were just amazing.  


Here are a few we especially enjoyed.

Hubby and grandson on a bridge over a river in the Alps

(They're smiling, but I was a nervous wreck photographing this--I'm standing across the one lane road of the bridge while cars whiz by, a shockingly steep precipice behind me.  I couldn't wait for this shot to be over!)

Mountain Majesty

I am an Ohio gal, born and bred.  Seeing the Alps is never boring to me. (Sure beats corn fields mile after mile.)   I am continually in awe of their beauty and strength.  One day, I would love to live in the mountains and breathe the fresh air daily.  

At the Summit of Mt. Spluga

His right foot is still in Switzerland......

and his left foot is in Italy!


(How cool is that? In two countries at the same time?)

Looking back at the Swiss Alps

Looking back at the mountain pass is an exhilarating  sight.  You can't tell, but we are at least 3,000 meters high when this photo was taken.  That leaves a heck of a lot of mountain below, and looking down while your husband navigates the hairpin turns into the numerous switchbacks and tunnels is NOT recommended. 


Altitude and motion can cause queasiness; just ask my grandson who nearly lost his lunch during this drive.

Telephoto lens view 

(You don't think I'd actually go up there now, do you?)

Trickling waterfall into bubbling creek

This is more my style!


 We were treated to many more waterfalls, rivers, and pristine aqua blue lakes on our way down the Alps into Italy...but, more about that in my next blog...

Can You Say, "Moo?"

What a friendly face, don't you agree? As it so happens, this kindly bovine was the first to greet us in the hills at Quarten. Standing on the side of the road, she and her pals were doing what cows do (chewing their cuds, I'd imagine) and watching the cars roll gently by. She didn't know that the paparazzi was in town, but she gave me her most photogenic view and CLICK, she became the star of my blog. I couldn't imagine a more attractive ambassador to the Swiss Alps than her. Throughout the day we were greeted by many cows sporting bells around their necks while grazing high up on the grassy hillsides. And am I glad for that! Without them, Toberone, Lindt, and Cadbury would just not be the same!


So much has been written about the Swiss landscape that it hardly bears repeating that it is one vista after another. With it's mountains, hills, rivers, and lakes, there is hardly another place on earth that bears so much beauty in one location. A very small country considering that it is only 220 kilometers, or 137 miles from north to south. At Lake Maggiore palm trees grow at 630 feet above sea level and just 65 miles away, the 48 mountain peaks rise 13,120 feet above sea level and are capped with snow all year long.

It was at this plateau in the pre-Alps that we took our first steep drive and Uncle Fred began to worry about our five-point turn on the steep slope we shared with the grazing cows. It was just the beginning of Fred's worries, unfortunately, I don't know which he stressed over more; the Alps or the Auto Bahn. Both were treacherous.

It wasn't long before we reached Mulehorn and parked the car to stretch our legs near the Walensee where we watched as children dove into the crisp, cool waters of the Alpine lake from a three meter diving board. What fun! Nearby were sailboats and wind surfers out for what certainly had to be one of the warmest days since the beginning of Spring. From here we traveled on in our journey to Filzbach. Our dear Uncle Fred was taken by the countryside and at every turn exclaimed, "By gosh, just look at how beautiful this view is!" We were still a few miles from our destination for the evening so Steve decided, as he usually does on occasions like this, to take the "road not taken" and "explore."

There were two shots that I missed on this bit of our journey that I wish I could share with you. In Filzbach we spied a tractor that had just stopped mowing the grass on a hillside. The remarkable thing was that it was perched at the top of an incredibly steep hillside at an incline of nearly 85 degrees. Everyone in the car was plain gobsmacked! It defied gravity and how it didn't tumble end over end down the precarious precipice, we could not fathom.

The next shot I wish I had been prepared for was of an elderly man in Molls pulling an ox cart steeped with barrels of hay down a twisting, hillside. He held each handle of the cart behind him while taking baby steps down the path. Again, another gravity defying feat I wish I could have documented, for no one would have believed it.

Speaking of witnessing unbelievable sights, there is one event I did document that still has me scratching my head and asking myself, "How does he manage it?" I'm referring to my Uncle Fred's uncanny ability to strike up a conversation with a total stranger from a foreign land resulting in a friendly hug or a handshake.

Here he is with a Swiss Miss in Amden who was out with her dog raking cut grass from her field to store in her silo for the cows this coming winter. She was quite taken with his charm and willingly obliged to have her photograph taken with him. Abandoning her work just to have the privilege of posing with an American who advises her to, "Keep smiling and to just put one foot in front of the other, is Inga. Incredible!

Speaking of incredible, you wouldn't believe the spot I found for the perfect tee shot. Too bad a couple of Swiss guys who were nearby and taking a moments rest
previously claimed it for a perfect location to do their gliding. Standing dangerously close to the edge is my hubby Steve and his mum, Jaci, on the summit of the best golf tee I've ever seen.

I had to wonder....just where the woman's tee would have been placed?

It was getting on in the day and Hotel Rossli at Murg was our final destination for the day. Hotel Rossli is nestled lakeside amongst seven peaks of the Alps. It's striking splendor was our days' unexpected gift. If you are ever remotely in the vicinity, you will not want to miss this experience.

Our hotelier was waiting for our arrival where she greeted us and then invited us to help ourselves to her garden where she guided us to her cherry tree atop her garden. There we gathered ripened cherries from the tree still warm from the sun-kissed afternoon. They were the most juicy cherries we have ever tasted.









Here is a photo of Fred, Jac, and Steve under the cherry tree overlooking the Walensee tucked snugly between seven peaks of the Alps.


As the day wore down, daylight was quickly turning into evening. We were able to enjoy the last glimpse of the sun as it set between the mountain peaks, leaving a rosy hue over the lake...... Little did we know what lay ahead.