Europe Trip: The Bavaria Files

I know you were expecting more of the same professional-level blogging that this pretty girl has been providing all trip.

But just when you were getting comfortable with the soothing rhythms of Ms. Overby’s writings … BOOM, a Mackenzie blog appears. This entry harkens back to mid-fall for our trek through Germany’s southern region of Bavaria. If only there was a video I could post that would most accurately sum up this region …

BANG! Cute kids in lederhosen flailing about like the weird inflatable things at a used car lot. Now for all intents and purposes I could just drop the mic right there and walk off stage cause Germany isn’t getting much better than that, but for the sake of our endearing fans, I will elaborate further.

We set off from just south of Munich with the hopes of hiking the entirety of King Ludwig’s Way. King Ludwig was apparently super rich and had a fascination with medieval lore, including castles, knights and dragons. Basically he is one of my idols. Anyway, he built a bunch of cool castles around one of the most beautiful stretches in all of Germany. How could we not hike it?

YOU SHALL NOT PASS!

Kidding, not even wooden Gandalf could stop us. As you can see from our collection of colorful pictures, the fall season was in full effect. The air was crisp, the days were getting shorter and leaves were changing, all to the beat of our marching steps.

Candidly, Bavaria is one of Cassandra’s favorite spots on earth. She loves the culture, loves the food and loves the scenery. Cass had been excited for this leg of the trip since the early stages of planning. I believe she ordered over 500 helpings of Weinerschnitzel over our 10-day excursion (note: figures are estimated). It was with this sentiment as our backdrop that we stumbled into a small German village, exhausted from a day of hiking. The lovely couple that rented us a room owned a small dairy farm in town. We knew this because the barn was attached to the room we were staying in. Being in such a small town, we thought it prudent to inquire early about where to best rustle up some grub. The landlady informed us that everything in town was shut down due to the yearly village talent show. She then invited us to tag along, if only to experience of a bit of the local vibe and get some food.

What we ended up walking into was a full-blown fall festival talent show. Think Oktoberfest without all the drunk tourists. This was traditional Germany with all the “fixthins.” We had lederhosen and dirndls galore, songs, skits, cheesy jokes, beer and sausage. It was a true “Rick Steves eat your heart out” moment.

I even rallied the next morning to help the farmer with his cows. All in all, it was quite the authentic experience, the kind that every traveler hopes for but that can never really be planned.

Our next hike brought us to the fantasy, nerd-inducing castle of Neuschwanstein. This castle was the basis for the castle built in Disneyland. Constructed on a large cliff and surrounded by a river, it lords over the valley below.

Ok, why not one more.

After doing a few swipes with my stick sword, ala the hero in Sleeping Beauty, we continued along our crimson- and gold-painted trail. Trekking though meadows and forests, we continued to live out the fairytale to the last step.

And with nothing else left to say, I leave you with another bit of the hilarity that is the act of being German.