hello & howdy!
back today with more pages from my bavarian travel journal and some more pics of our travels in verdant green germany.
ready?
bavaria, it seemed to us, was a real walker’s paradise. paths lead to nearby villages, mountains huts, waterfalls, meadows, and directly into the steep alps. if one was inclined they could walk across the entire country on a vast network of walking trails!
the germans surely are robust nature enthusiasts who don’t miss an opportunity to walk and bike their way across their country. we saw many on bicycles with walking poles sticking out of the packs they carried on their backs. we saw young and old alike making tracks here and there on their feet or on their bikes.
i brought my travel journal home essentially complete, but i have a few unfilled pages where i’ll probably add some photos or collage of one sort or another.
maybe a few more small watercolors from photos…we’ll see.
another thing you’ll find a lot in germany are pretty cakes, pies, and tarts on display in nearly every cafe. so many delectable treats to choose from.
i brought a small bag of collage ephemera and along with various tickets and cards I picked up along the way, made quick work with the small adhesive roller (glue) i brought with me. this sketchbook made a really good travel journal. the pages are heavy weight and lay completely flat.
the villages we visited dripped with charm. from the carved wooden balconies & shutters, to the neatly piled stacks of wood and overflowing planters. such love and attention lavished upon these outdoor spaces.
everywhere, pleasant places to gather for a meal, conversation, or quiet outdoor writing nook.
i imagined bavaria would be quaint, but didn’t think it would be like moving through the pages of a storybook.
it seems the thing i painted and drew most often was the view outside our front and back balconies!
in bad tölz we made the acquaintance of lisa when we stopped in her tiny quilt shop to sample her wares. i’ve written about our visit on one of these pages of my travel journal (and attached her card).
she made these potholders and hearts with some typical bavarian-style fabrics. can’t wait till the box i mailed myself from germany arrives on my LA doorstep!
if i was moving to this area i would recruit her to be my first friend. i often think about meeting new people in the new home of my future. how does one plunk oneself down into a new town and new life where one knows no one?
you don’t know either? okay fine. i’ll go forth as a guinea pig and report my findings. stay tuned it will be awhile before I have to stick my oar on the bank and push away from shore in my little rowboat.
we enjoyed eating dinners out on our big balcony. it was chilly, but that didn’t stop us!
if you took a fun voyage of your own this summer do let me know. hope you’re well in your little corner of the world. see you soon!
I enjoy your travel sketchbooks so much! And now you’ve added another place to my bucket list! I’m in Lisbon now and love it, but I could do with a smaller, quieter town about now. Fortunately that’s coming up later in the trip. Thank you for sharing!
ooh sounds exciting. where to next? it’s been almost a decade since we went to lisbon. thought it was so very beautiful. are you enjoying the trams?
I have some experience in the area of moving and beginning again. You look for shops, clubs, groups that interest you and then be brave and join in. I have discovered that people already have friends and lovely lives. They are not typically in search for new friends. So, in my opinion, it’s the new people that have to be assertive and reach out to like minded people. If you have kids in school it’s much easier than those of us who do not. Now days, there are many Facebook groups that cater to every hobby and interest group you can think of. Go on a search. It is also my experience that it takes two years to feel at home in a new location. People also tend to make immediate conclusions as to what a new person it like, usually from appearances. Given time, they discover where your real passions and talents lay. It just takes time. Be patient. You’ll find your tribe!
i hopped over to your blog…so fun to read about your time in japan!
Beautiful photos; but, oh man, I love those journals. Priceless. 😅
why, thank you jane!
PRECIOUS AT2 – YOU ARE A DIVINE ARTIST and commentator extraordinare (sp?)
love Bavaria thru’ your eyes and your watercolors are fab. Thanks for taking me with you again. Hi to Sister. AT1
how i loved seeing you and meg last summer up in your new home. THAT sister and i got to visit. xoxo
Loved your paintings, and photos. I fell in love with the little outdoor scene with the pastel peachy pink cups with the gold rims. Did I read that you got a clock…and didn’t show us? Is it a cuckoo clock? I adore clocks and especially cuckoo clocks. Laughed when you said you got lost and ended up in Austria, AND your little strip tease. You are a hoot, Mary Ann! Staying home this summer due to husbands health, but luckily I have an unobscured View of Mt Rainier to gaze upon every day, so I don’t feel cheated. It doesn’t suck to live here.
never thought i would resort to changing clothes in public but i was SO HOT if i didn’t get my undershirt off i would have died. whew!
oh i remember how i loved to gaze upon the great white watcher last summer….divine.
We don’t go away in June, July or August, partly because Cornwall is so lovely – why go elsewhere when we have such fabulous beaches and fishing villages? Having spent so long working 7/7 in the pottery and then 14 years away in France, we want to explore every corner of our home county. If you get the Poldark series on BBC tv you’ll know how lovely the scenery is and how rich in history. Cornish miners settled in every part of the world where mining took place. Will we see you here one day? x
almost sure it will be next summer!!!! we’re in talks now. can’t wait to see you.
Love seeing your journal entries…. I got to go to Wales (my grandfather was born there) and England (many other ancestors born there) for several days in June and wish I had emulated you. I did smush some flowers in a small journal, but didn’t write enough. Took a gazillion pictures and am slowly going through them making copies of some and adding to a scrapbook of sorts. My sister and sister-in-law say Germany is next for our travels. Can’t wait! My gggrandather was born somewhere in Germany. I hope to find out where sometime soon. Need a translator for ancestry.com searches. Bavaria looks heavenly and what a treat to be the only Americans/English speakers around! Hope you are well and enjoying being home.
well we are switching places then because next summer the uk is our most likely destination! i’ve never been!
Awesome, as always! I love your trips and that you take us along. Thanks you for you!
Makes me want to visit Germany. I can practically hear the oom-pa-pa and faint yodeling from here…
I am glad you are the one that told the story of taking off your shirt on a public street in Lindau. I did edit that part out of my version of the adventures of the day. It’s a way better story with it! My package arrived from Bavaria yesterday!