Back from Deutschland!

I'm back! It was a wondrous 11 days in Germany. Now I have over 2000 photos to weed through and enhance, but here are a few to get you started. Len and Marlene and I and 30 others on this Globus tour traveled over 1700 miles by bus through Germany as we visited Frankfort am Main, Remagen, Cologne, Hamelin, Berlin, Leipzig, Nuremburg, Rothenburg, Munich, Garmisch, Oberammergau, Lindau, Gengenbach, and Heidelberg.



Berlin's "mascot" is the bear and they did with bears what Chicago did many years ago with the cows -- with various groups decorating them and later auctioning them off for charity. Here I am with one of the Berlin Bears (though I much prefer orange and blue Chicago Bears!)



Below is Neuschwanstein Castle in the German Alps of Bavaria, one of 3 built by King Ludwig II (the 'Mad King.") It is located in the vicinity of Garmish-Partinkirchen and Oberammergau near the Austrian border. If it looks familiar to you, it's because Walt Disney used it as the model for his castle in Disneyland and Disney World.



While in Munich we attended the show in the Festival Hall of the famed Hofbrauhaus and enjoyed the Bavarian dancers and musicians as well as the beer. Since I don't care for beer (though I did try it) I did indulge with the largest pretzel I've ever seen. As you can see, even my big mouth couldn't do it justice!



Our cruise on the Rhine River was another highlight. Behind me you see one of the numerous castles dotting the hillsides. Though you can't make them out, the hillsides are abundant with terraced vineyards on the steep slopes, the fruit of which becomes the world famous Rhine wines.



Here I am atop Zugspitze ("windy peak") - one of Bavaria's tallest peaks at 9,724 feet. A few feet from me is the border of Austria, so we were in two countries after the cable car ride to the top.