Several years ago I was fortunate to witness the spectacle of raising the Maibaum or Maypole on the most beautiful public square. The Maibaum in Bad Reichenhall at the Florianiplatz is a tradition since the 16th century. The custom symbolizes fertility, the end of the cold season and the beginning of Spring. A town festival with traditional folk dances and a band playing followed. There … Continue reading The tradition of the Maibaum (Maypole)
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On one of my travels driving south of Munich, I stopped by Kloster Andechs, an Abbey near the Ammersee lake. The Andechs Abbey has been an important place of religious pilgrimage since the 10th century. From afar I saw the Zwiebelturm or onion dome of the Andechs pilgrimage church above the Ammersee. The rococo jewel is dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Elisabeth … Continue reading Andechs Abbey, a religious pilgrimage site
Visiting South Bavaria and Passau a couple years ago, I saw the largest cathedral organ in the world. Built in 1928, it has 208 registers with 17974 pipes. Since then, this instrument has been known all over the world, and till today brings visitors from everywhere to the three-river city The sound concept with five different partial organs, each with its own sound character, is … Continue reading Passau Cathedral has the worlds largest Organ
If you like Liverwurst, or Liver Dumpling soup, you’d appreciate the Liver Spaetzle, or in German Leberspätzle. Liver Spaetzle are a classic variant of Spaetzle, as they are popular throughout Bavaria and Swabia. They are often used in a hearty Liver Spaetzle soup or fried with onions. The recipe for Liver Spaetzle is easy to make yourself and can be used as the main protagonist … Continue reading Bavarian Leberspätzle (Liver Spaetzle)
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My daughter and I enjoyed some beautiful, sunny days early October in the vicinity of Füssen near the King Ludwig II castles. Since Neuschwanstein was under renovation, we were looking forward to take a tour through Hohenschwangau castle, which was also Ludwig’s and Otto’s childhood home. After buying our tour tickets we proceeded to take a horse buggy up a semi- steep hill, with the … Continue reading King Ludwig II childhood castle, Hohenschwangau
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In the first week in October 2023, my daughter and I spent five days in Oberammergau in the Bavarian Alps. It was a Saturday, an especially warm and clear day with blue skies. I have tried several times to reach the Zugspitze which is in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, but the weather was not ideal, but today were perfect conditions We started out at the Bahnhof in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, … Continue reading The Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain
The Almabtrieb is an annual event in the Alpine region of southern Europe which takes place in late September, early October. It refers to a cattle drive that brings the cow herd down from the mountain pastures to their barns in the valley During summer, cattle herds feed on alpine pastures high up in the mountains. This practice known as Transhumance, meaning the action of moving livestock … Continue reading Watching the Almabtrieb spectacle in Austria
The Watzmann mountain is not only Berchtesgaden’s landmark, it is also shrouded in famous legends and myths. Even today, the peaks of the massif are referred to as a family The Watzmann itself, with its 2713 meters of the middle peak, highest inner-German peak, as well as the Kleine (small) Watzmann known as the Watzmannfrau, and its 2307 meter frame with the smaller peaks, the … Continue reading The Berchtesgaden Watzmann Legend
