GERMANY: King Ludwig II and His Bavarian Castles

King Ludwig II was born in 1845 and at 18 years old ruled Bavaria for 22 years from 1864 to 1886.

When he was younger, he was considered quite handsome and was very popular.

But, as he got older he became “a bit quirky”.

He rarely appeared in public or attended any government functions.

He slept most of the day and stayed awake all night.

He created a fantasy world for himself inside his castles.

And then, he died mysteriously at 41 years old, and, to this day, no one is sure exactly how he died in a lake.

GERMANY: Medieval Bavarian Villages

Bavaria is full of cute little villages and towns.

It's almost like you see a cute little village and just think they can't get any cuter.

Until you get to the next little village and it's just as cute. 

Or cuter. 

And of course, we always felt like we had found some little hidden gem that no one else had discovered.

Well, sort of.

GERMANY: Hiking and the Honour System

John and I were looking forward to doing a lot of hiking in the Bavarian Alps and the Black Forest in southwest Germany. 

We had some challenges with the weather. It didn't want to cooperate. 

Turns out this has been the wettest weather in Germany since 1881.

Which would explain why everything is so green and lush.

We did get some hikes in, and, we got to experience the local hospitality with "honour system" beer tubs and schnapps tasting.

GERMANY: Munich

In German, Munich is called München, which means "Home of the Monks" and refers to its origins as a monastery founded around 750 CE.

A man from Munich is called a “Münchner”, and a woman from Munich is called a “Münchnerin”. 

I am not sure what kids from Munich are called, but the word “Munchkins” comes to my mind.

Munich is famous for its beer, their annual Oktoberfest celebrations and several of the largest breweries in Germany.

We’ll get back to beer and the breweries later.