We traveled to Bavaria for a very special event, one I must absorb and turn over in my mind before I write about it. As part of that voyage back in history, we spent four days in the Bavarian Alps. Here’s a short photo journal of that trip.
We stopped in Mittenwald, where the violin trade was practiced in Bavaria. They claim to be the first violin center that organized their sales as well as production. Eventually, however, the sales people took over the operation, leaving the violinmakers as employees, without the respect and control of artisans in other parts of Europe.
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| Ye Old Violin Shoppe |
One day the other people in our party went on a hike and I remained behind. For lunch, I sat outside, eating venison goulash with cranberries and dumpling and drinking apfel schorle. This is the view of Alpspitze from my table. The mountain felt so close I thought I might be able to reach out and flick the few wispy clouds off its shoulder. I resisted the urge as I was afraid it might break the magic of the moment.
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| Alpspitze in Untergrainau |
We made a trip to the top of Zugspitze, the tallest peak in Germany. A cable takes you straight up the side of the mountain, and I do mean straight. Then we came down the mountain on a cogwheel train that wended its way downhill through a long tunnel. German engineers are fearless.
The route up on the cable car is shown on this map–the red line that goes straight up the mountain.
Here is a look back at the cables we took up the mountain, gleaming in the sun.
For someone who’s squeamish about heights and tunnels, it was a feat of courage. But, oh, it was worth it!
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| Alpine Crags |
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| Alps from the Austrian Side |
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| Alpine Sunbathing |
We spent several days with a group of people from all over the world and stayed in an ancestral home called Huegel am Weg (literally: Hill on the Way). This a view from our window.
The Bavarian Alps are not complete without a trip to Mad Ludwig’s Castle.
Can everyone say “Disneyland?”
This is the view from his castle. I suspect he was not really mad, only an eccentric romantic (or is that redundant?).
