Rainy Day Munich (2012/2013).  The castle trail eventually led us to our Alpine home in Garmisch.  After a good night’s sleep and a nice warm breakfast we decided to take the train to Munich, only about an hour away.  The rain fell hard but the day was beautiful…

A few things I remember about Munich —the sea of cream colored taxis seemed an elegant addition to the streetscape.  To my senses, they were so simple and lovely.  The architecture.  Because so many buildings were at least partially destroyed during the war, it was common to see a building made up of pre-war and post-war sections.  The city’s architecture exemplified the past and the present coming together in ways I’d never experienced, and provided a lot of food for thought regarding devastation, renewal, and the complexity of our collective history. How different the city would have been had they completely mowed down the partially destroyed buildings and started from scratch.

More Munich here, here, here, and here.

Outside the Wall, Rothenburg, Bavaria, Germany (2012 / 2013).  The surrounding countryside offered a spectacular view of the walled city.  As we explored, we spotted a darling little structure like nothing I’ve ever seen so we had to pull over and shoot a photo — definitely a smile inducing little building.

And, oh that sky….

The Walled City, Part II.  (2012/2013).  Walking along the wall, enjoying the view…

The Walled City, Part I. Rothenburg, Bavaria, Germany (2012 / 2013). 

This charming little town is said to be the inspiration for the village in Pinocchio, which makes me want to see that movie again.  As we roamed around Bavaria, it seemed pretty evident that Walt Disney gathered vast amounts of inspiration from the region.

Rothenburg’s history dates back to 950. The town has survived many wars, battles, and even the Black Plague.  The town is surrounded entirely by a wall, which protected the city from attack, and is said to be one of Germany’s best preserved walled-towns.

Highlights include a beautiful church, many cafes and shops, a Museum of Torture… It’s quite a place!  Favorite part of our visit?  Walking the wall that surrounds the town, and viewing the city from high. It’s always nice to step away from the crowds, and experience a place with stillness and quiet.

Keeping with our tradition of sampling the pastries of each new region, we tried the Schneeballen, which is their specialty of egg dough fried and covered in confectioner’s sugar, or chocolate.  A Bavarian donut! Yum.

Bad Wimpfen, Germany (2012/2013).  This charming little town nestles up to a winding river.  So beautiful, so graceful.  We found shelter from the rain and got lost in the view…

(Third photo by Josh.  Sometimes he takes pictures of me taking pictures, without me realizing, and it kind of warms my heart.)

One of my favorite stops along the castle trail was a picture perfect village called Bad Wimpfen.  As soon as we arrived the clouds broke, so we trekked around town in the pouring rain.  Pouring rain!  I wish I could have shot more photographs, but I was afraid to pull out my camera for fear of getting soaked.  Blooming tulips provided a beautiful contrast to the grey skies and the architecture was truly something to behold. 

Along the Castle Trail, Germany (2012/2013).  We decided to take the scenic route from Heidelberg to Garmisch and drove along the Castle trail.  A trail of castles is not something you generally find in California, so we were pretty excited by the idea…

Our first stop was this castle built around 1200 A.D., a classic no frills kind of castle perched high upon a hill.  The stones were beautifully worn and textured, and the architectural details seemed powerful and graceful all at once .  Ready-to-burst rain clouds were a perfect addition to the morning’s mystique.  There’s something about a dark, damp castle on a rainy day that puts the imagination on overdrive. 

The stairway to the top was very dark and steep, and truthfully, kind of scary. About what you’d expect to find in an 800 year old castle, I guess.  We laughed at how you’d never find this sort of staircase at a public place in the U.S., especially unattended.  I guess the building codes in Europe are a little more adventurous (as people who build, we can’t help but think about these sort of things!) There weren’t any other people around so we had plenty of time to wander and wonder, and live out our time as King and Queen of this Bavarian hideaway.

Our next stop… a charming little village along the river, just as the clouds break.

The View From High, Heidelberg, Germany (2012 / 2013). 

Foto-Karten, Heidelberg, Germany (2012/2013).

Around Town, Heidelberg, Germany (2012/2013).  Heidelberg was a  welcoming city, and a perfect introduction to our stay in Germany.  We admired architecture all around town, trekked up to the castle, enjoyed our first german sausage and a delicious dinner in the company of some friendly Americans who relocated to Heidelberg years ago.  They gave us some helpful travel suggestions, promised us that the beer really is as good we’ve heard it is, and left us feeling very excited to drive along the Autobahn…!

More Heidelberg here, here, and here.

One Year Ago, Today Josh and I boarded an airplane headed for Frankfurt, Germany.  We landed in Frankfurt on a cold but blue-sky day, and spent the next three and a half weeks wandering our way through Bavaria and Paris.  Three and a half weeks!  What a dream…

Although I’ve already shared many photos from our adventures, over the next few weeks I plan to share a whole lot more.  I know it will make me happy to spend some time with my photos and relive our time there, together.

So here we are, day 1.  Up in the air, blissfully anticipating all that we’d see during the next few weeks.  We landed in Frankfurt in the early morning so we were greeted with a fresh new day. After only an hour or two in Frankfurt, we already felt like we could go home happy.  Instead, we rented a car and drove to Heidelberg, and the happiness continued…(well, happiness and a nap.)

Tomorrow, Heidelberg…

In Light, Boston (2007/2013).  This morning I awoke thinking about darkness and light and how my personal response to mankind’s (seemingly endless) cruelties is to seek beauty anywhere and everywhere.  I guess finding and appreciating beauty is my coping mechanism.  I’m learning that the ability to see beauty in something every day is a form of exercise that keeps my spirit healthy and strong.  Our world is so clearly full of darkness.  Thankfully, it’s also filled with kindness, comfort, and light in shades of gold and blue…

Metro in Orange, Paris. (2012/2013).

In Windows, no.3 Heidelberg, Germany (2012/2013).  I hope your Easter is filled with much love and color!

I had a lot of fun working on these photos.  Color exploration felt pretty infinite and it took all the restraint I could muster not to share all seven versions with you. 

All, what is, lives.  Salzburg, Austria (2012/2013).  While exploring Salzburg, we took a stroll through Petersfriedhof (St. Peter’s Cemetery), a small but beautiful cemetery so lush with greenery and flowers in bloom. 

What struck me about this cemetery is that it’s set in a busy part of town rather than the quiet, lonely outskirts.  Of course, it dates back to 1627, so who knows where it originally sat in relation to things.

With people passing through all day, this place feels so full of life, as if it’s residents are still somehow a valued part of the community.  We learned that it’s the responsibility of family members to tend the graves, and sure enough we saw several people on their knees lighting candles,  planting flowers and pulling weeds.  I read somewhere that pansies are the most popular flower planted, because the name means “thoughts.”

Also, if you look closely at the next-to-last photo, you’ll notice the windows of the catacombs carved into the rock.  Passageways, chapels, pretty amazing stuff…

Wishing you a very good Good Friday.