Friday, December 17, 2010

More Munich

Germany is littered with many many old churches, some very ornate. This one claims to have the finest Italian Rococo of any in Bavaria. It is located in the "Kloster Andechs" a Benedictine Monastery dating back to 1455. The story is the place burned and was rebuilt in the 1700's on the original foundation. They make a very strong and popular beer that was brewed originally for the Monks who had to stop eating for Lent and could only drink-apparently only this beer.

The hike up to the Monastery is through a long gorge or Clove and it sits at the top of the hills with a stunning view of the surrounding farmland and beyond the Alps.


At the foot of the hill, where the train stops from Munich, is a very large lake called the "Ammersee" which is one of the largest south of Munich. It's all (of course) too picturesque, beautiful, dotted with old churches, many small restaurants, beer gardens and right in the middle of it all, an organic grocery.
A large boat, maybe a ferry, travels across the lake during the summer but was done for the year by the time we got there.

One feature of the trip south which seems to be a European requirement is very tight zoning-villages do not spill into farm land or farm land is not cut up with various non agricultural uses-it's all very strictly delineated  with villages ending literally across the street from large unspoiled fields and cows grazing. I did see a few "billboards" but even these seemed to be temporary and on wheels, ready to be moved at a moment's notice. I have seen nothing that resembles Rt. 28 heading into Woodstock while I've been here. Maybe that could change in the north but here in the south it's very tidy, no sprawl, no visual pollution, very German like. Of course it goes without saying that every house is in perfect condition, there is not one junk car or old refrigerator to be seen for miles and miles.
More beauty...








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