Day: November 22, 2006

What do you think of when you think of Germany? If it’s mountains (or at least rolling hills), Oktoberfest, castles, and lederhosen … well, those things that are all part of Bavaria. Last weekend, we received our first taste of Bavaria when we visited Anna’s long time friend (and someone I had heard so much about), Gabi and her family in Franconia (a part of Bavaria, or Bayern in German). She says it’s a very “special place” and was the one who pointed out to me that all those quintessential “German” things are actually Bavarian. We learned that they are a justifiably proud people who had an autonomous government until 1871 when Prussia won the Franco-Prussian war and the German states (including Bavaria) proclaimed their union under Prussian rule. This is after Bavaria had been defeated along with Austria in the Austro-Prussian War a decade before, where Prussia was deemed the aggressor. So, with that short history lesson, let me introduce you to our friend, Gabi, and the rest of her family. 🙂

These pictures are apropos as we spent many hours around the table catching up (as was the case for Anna and Gabi) and getting to know each other (for the rest of us). This is Gabi’s mother preparing one of the delicious meals we shared with them.

It was a great experience to stay with them. Their family owns a farm and many of the things we ate were either produced there or somewhere in the local area (plus her father is a hunter/fisherman … not an easy task in Germany). Being aware of where your food comes from was something that I often neglect (as I suspect most Americans do). However, that was not the case there. It was an interesting lesson to hear the virtues of knowing more about your food. Here is a picture of Gabi’s father.

While Anna wasn’t quite sure, at first, about the food recommendations that Gabi made, everything we tried at her house was delicious! I have to say, even though I love Wisconsin cheese … European cheese is WONDERFUL!

This image shows Gabi’s boyfriend, Phillip. He and Gabi met at the university and have now been dating for several years. They were very cute together, plus it looks like he fits in seamlessly as part of her family. Anna and I were very thankful that all four of them could speak English very well. Our German is progressing (albeit slowly) and if we would have had to rely on that, virtually nothing would have been communicated! It was also cute to watch as her father went from a little unsure of his English skills (he hadn’t spoken English in a while), to completely fluid by the end of the weekend.

Here is another image of her mother.

Of course, no trip would be complete without a little adventure, right??
Well, there is no shortage there. We got to visit a couple castles, a crypt and a beautiful opera house built by a princess.
Here was the crypt. As you can see, at some point, someone decided that all the bones should be neatly stacked up in the entranceway. I don’t know who that was, nor why, but it certainly made for an interesting sight.


This is the opera hall built in the mid 17th century by the Prussian Princess Wilhelmine of Bayreuth. She was the sister of Frederick the Great, the “Enlightened Despot.” Both Frederick and Wilhemine were close to another savant of the time, Voltaire. This friendship was a powerful influence on them personally and the building she created.
We learned much watching a video that details the history of the theater. While it was in German, Gabi was kind enough to offer us a translation. Here is the interior of the exquisite main hall.


With that stunning display of 17th century architecture, we bid Gabi and her lovely family farewell. We can’t wait until we go back again and explore more. Yes, Gabi, Bavaria certainly is “special.”
So, until our next adventure…
–Jim