One last blog

Coming home. Tired but what fun it was!

One last day

We are tired and ready to come home. But we had just enough energy to tour some sights in Munich one more time. Along the way we found a few surprises that made the trip even better.

A Baroque church named Asam Kirche, after the man who had it built for himself and his brother. It is beautiful it it's very own extravagant way.

The interior decoration abounded with angels.

Shelly admires the towers of the Marienplatz.

The city farm market is full of so many delicious fruits and vegetables.

The Frauen Kirche is much plainer in style but I find it even more beautiful for its simplicity.

Legend has it that this is the footprint of the devil. When you stand in this spot you cannot see any of the side windows so he thought the church could not flourish without light. When he stepped forward and was engulfed in light, he turned himself into a wind to try to blow the church down. The wind still whistles between the towers.

One last dinner with our friends and companions.

And back to Munich we go

My friend Shelly and I decided to be adventurous today. We took our own car and drove the winding paths and autobahn to Munich. Then we got tickets to the S-Bahn and headed downtown to the city. The architecture there never fails to astound me. There is attention to detail in every building. 

At lunch I took the waitress's recommendation to try a local Bavarian dish. Quite to my dismay it was lieberkassen. This is kind of like Germany's version of Spam. I had a little but settled for the soft pretzels they serve with dinner and sweet spicy mustard. Upon meeting back up with the guys, I was soon to realize that the pretzel was a good choice. I did not take a picture; perhaps I am trying to forget.

The Hofbrauhaus is a famous beer restaurant where patrons store their own mugs for use there. It is a long waiting list to get a spot for your mug but anyone can eat there.

Streins under lock and key.

A tower of macarons.

A room with a view

The guys went to work; the girls went shopping. Visited a few small shops in the old town below the castle. We had to visit Ziggy, one of the few remaining master glass workers. His shop is a favorite not just for the beautiful things he makes but because he is so interesting and animated.

We stopped to have a late lunch overlooking the river that divides this city from Austria. We topped the night with a late dinner of ice cream. Glad for a great friend to enjoy the day with together.

Lunch overlooking the river. Yes, that is Austria on the other side.

Such a great friend; enjoying our day together.

Yes, we do eat some healthy food here.

I thought I was ordering a bowl of strawberries but this is what came (or at least that is going to be my story).

Finally here!

A very long day of driving! Rain, trucks, construction, and just plain old traffic jams. But eight hours later we finally arrived in beautiful Burghausen. (Don't spell it wrong or you will end up in one of four other cities in Germany) We took a walk down to the end of the castle before meeting friends for dinner. This is one of the most picturesque places I have ever been. This old village nestled in the mountains has splendid little surprises around every bend.

The old town below the castle walls. The land just over the river is Austria.

The church steeple rises up out of the village.

The view from the other side of the castle - a beautiful lake used for recreation.

Our walk down to the castle.

This part of the castle was built in 1523. Pretty old, right? But not as old as....

this part that was erected in1080. It is amazing that buildings here are five times as old as our country.

A peek inside the walls of the castle.

Old windows and doors are some of the character of this building. Every door has it's own unique symbol. There must be a story to it - may need to pursue that.

A walk through the park brings us to someone famous

Upon a walk to the outskirts of town, we happened upon a beautiful park where we sat to enjoy the quiet on a Sunday morning. In the park were two statues which we admired as usual. Since the rain threatened to send us inside, we decided to visit the Bartholdi Museum. Here we found the collections of a famous sculptor. Among many other things we saw Bartholdi's original models for the statues we had seen in the park. He worked through the models, making them in different sizes and compositions until he had something he liked. Some are crude and they become more intricate as he refines the details. You all know Bartholdi's work - the sculptor of our famous Statue of Liberty in NYC. It was easy to see why he was chosen for this incredible gift.

Models for the fountain sculpture in the park.

The actual fountain sculpture.

Early prototypes of our Lady Liberty.

A working model of Lady Liberty's ear. This model stands about 4 foot tall.

A beautiful carousel ride at the park.

A group of fans of the Tour D'France from the Netherlands complete with Viking horns.

And it's off to France we go....

Today's adventure took us only about 60 km away to the charming village of Colmar, France. It is just a puddle jump over the Rhine River. It's streets are narrow cobblestone passageways and is more pedestrian than car friendly, making it a great place to meander through. 

Our hotel is located right in the center of the old town. We took a gondola ride down the canal the French call "Little Venice." It was as beautiful as one could expect. We had to crouch very low in the boat sometimes in order to pass under the bridges.

We also visited the cathedral and the Underlinden museum. The museum houses the Isenheim Alterpiece. It is a huge polyptych with beautifully painted panels depicting Christ's life and St. Anthony. I have taught about this piece many times but it was so enlightening to see it in real life. The museum also houses several of Martin Schongauer's paintings. I had only studied his engravings in the past but his paintings were astounding. This was such a treat!

It rained twice since we arrived today but both times we were sitting under a canopy having a meal. 

The area known as Little Venice as seen from our gondola.

Brightly painted houses line the canal.

The cathedral at the center of town.

Schongauer's Virgin of the Roses.

We had to eat French Fries while we were here - delicious!

This is a tasting room for the local Colmar winery.