Bavaria

Southern Germany is Bavaria. It is a land of Alps, castles, rich history, and beer. We loved the small town of Fussen! Out our hotel window we could see high mountain peaks with snow - more each day! The town thrives on tourism. Most come to see the two castles just outside the town, the newer one being the one that Walt Disney used as a model for his Disneyland castle. Both were very interesting! The nearby town of Oberammergau is famous for it's paintings on the sides of buildings and for woodworking. It was a nice day trip for us. I also had my second hair cut and color in Europe, which turned out fine! Much easier to arrange in Fussen than in our last stop, Munich. I just had to walk across the square! Before we came to Munich, we stopped overnight in Dachau. First we visited the site of the concentration camp which has been preserved much differently that Auschwitz. It was interesting to see how the Germans portrayed it. Few of the actual facilities remain but their museum was filled with more photos, propaganda and news stories of the time. We found it to be honest and very interesting. Munich is a big city and we were glad (me especially!) that we turned in our car out near the airport and came to our hotel by taxi. At more than a million people, there's lots of traffic and one needs to know the way around! We've enjoyed the Marienplatz, or central square, and the outdoor market on Saturday. We also went to the Munich city museum but were disappointed in their treatment of events surrounding World War II. The Nazi party considered Munich it's birthplace and perhaps there is more to be dealt with here, even today. Tomorrow we leave for Israel and the pre trip portion of our Grand Circle Egypt trip! We are very excited to see the Holy Land and then to see the Nile and all the wonderful sites of Egypt. More from there as I find internet connections! Photos: the view from the window in the older castle near Fussen, building exterior in Oberammergau, the "new" castle which Ludwig dedicated to Richard Wagner.