Bavarian Charms

For many when they hear the word Bavaria, a number of stereotypes come to mind:  the large beer steins served at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, the dirndl skirts and lederhosen, the "cuckoo clock" houses, the picturesque Alpine villages, and Bayern Munich, the soccer power.  Bavaria has, however, so many more charms to offer.  I have already mentioned two of my culinary favourites:  Kasespaezle (although to be fair, this is also found in Switzerland and other part of Germany) and Kaiserschmarren.  So, I thought now I'd share a few more things about Bavaria we've encountered on this trip so far - and undoubtably there will be a lot more!

Today, we visited one of Bavaria's famous "charms", Oberammergau.  This small town, about a 45 minute drive from Fussen, is part of the district of Garmish-Partenkirchen and is best known for its Passion Play performed every decade.  It is also renowned for its painted houses and buildings, many with trompe d'oeil, and its shops selling religious wood carvings.  Although the weather had been predicted to be clear and sunny, we woke up to an overcast sky but thankfully no snow or rain to be seen.  Oberammergau can be over-run at times with tourists but luckily it was quiet and finding parking (free) was easy and close to the "Ortmitte" (village centre).  Along with a church, below are photos of some of the painted buildings. Before leaving here, we stopped for a light lunch at the Wolf Hotel where I had had lunch on my first trip to Europe nearly 40 years ago. The hotel advertises it is dog friendly and, sure enough, there were several people and 5 dogs checking in when I walked through the lobby. 

A church in Oberammergau

Inside the church

The Wolf Hotel where we had a "snack"

On the return trip, we stopped at the Wieskirche, a church not far from Fussen.  It is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site - although me, ever the cynic, wondered why because I have visited much more opulent and impressive churches in Europe; perhaps it is because it is deemed a pilgrimage church.  It is in the Rococo style with ornate gold and white interiors.

Of course, no visit to Bavaria should be without at least a glimpse of the famous Neuschwanstein Castle built by "mad" King Ludwig II.  On our way into Fussen, we stopped for a "photo op" but we have no plans to visit the castle (I've toured it 4 times!)  Still, it is another unique aspect of the region.

Back in Fussen, we had a brief rest before we walked to the Sportseiszentrum (ice sports center) home to the Fussen hockey team and the curling club.  This is where the national teams, including the juniors, train.  We stopped in to watch Holgi and Andy's daughters practice.  So, perhaps, this is another Bavarian feature - there are only about 700 curlers in Germany according to Andy so for such a little club (only 3 sheets) to produce a world class team is pretty impressive.  The two photos below are their daughters.

Later, we went for dinner to a restaurant not far from the curling facility called Beim Olivettenbauer where, thanks to a complimentary drink from our server, we discovered yet another Bavarian charm - a beer cocktail called Geissenmoss - made with dark beer, cola and cherry brandy.  I thought it would be disgusting but I was SO wrong!  It was very good.  The only problem is it is always served in 1 litre glasses. I'm not sure I could drink that much of it. Our sample size was perfect!

On the walk back to our hotel, the waning moon was shining on the town castle or is it a monastery?  Guess we will find out tomorrow when explore a bit more around Fussen.

Dinner at the pizza restaurant

My glass of Geissenmoss - sounds disgusting but, believe me, it is delicious!

The waning moon over the castle (or abbey)