Our first night we booked a tour to Griesbrau, a local microbrewery. There were only about 15 of us on the tour, so it was very relaxed and intimate.
Our "tour guide" was Wolfgang, the Brewmeister at the brewery. We couldn't have asked for a better guide. He was very funny, friendly and entirely Bavarian.
Wolfgang started off the tour by explaining the basics of making beer. The 3 ingredients to make beer, according to the German Purity Law of 1516, are water, malt and hops.
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| Different types of malt |
There are 2 types of fermentation: top fermentation and bottom fermentation. Top fermentation produces wheat (weiss) beer, while bottom fermentation produces helles and dark beer.
Griesbrau is a microbrewery, so all the beer produced is either consumed at the brewery or sold in the tiny shop.
The best part about doing a beer tour in such a small brewery is the service! How often can you say that the Brewmeister not only brewed the beer you drank, but poured it for you as well! Wolfgang was very generous with the samples and every time we "prosted", he added a little more to our glass.
After sampling a few beers, Wolfgang brought out the beer schnapps. Served warm in a tiny stein with whipped cream on top, it looked like we were drinking a tiny, little beer.
After the official part of the tour was over, we went to the restaurant and ordered a delicious pork shoulder with dumplings and red cabbage. This is one of our favorite German meals!
We were then quizzed on what we had learned about the beer brewing process. Chris and I both passed the test and earned our official Bavarian Brewmeister certificates.
The next day we took another tour....this time of the town of Oberammergau and the nearby Alpine Coaster, a 8,530 foot long sled ride attached to a track.
We took a chairlift to the top. The weather was a bit dreary, but the view was beautiful!
Before we took the coaster down, we stopped at the restaurant at the top of the mountain for a drink and a warm meal. We tried the highly recommended Ettaler Kloster Dunkel beer, a local monastery's specialty that is on the list for the top 100 beers in Germany.
We also ordered some hot chocolate to warm us up from our cold ride up the mountain!
We both also tried the cheese dumpling soup.
I wasn't able to take any pictures while I was riding the coaster....it reaches speeds up to 25 mph!
After the thrill of the coaster, we drove a short distance to the town of Oberammergau. This town is famous for its Passion Play, a tradition that has been passed down since the first play was performed in 1634.
The first play was the result of a promise that the townspeople made to God after praying that their town be spared from the Black Plague. They bargained that if no one else in their town died from the plague, they would put on the Passion Play every year. Now the play is a such a huge production, it is only put on once a decade. More than 2,000 people from the town are involved in the production of the play. Our tour guide told us that the actors spend months getting into character by growing out their beards and trying to be as authentic for their role as they can.
In order to be in the play, you must be a citizen of Oberammergau. The roles are passed down from generation to generation. If your father played the role of Joseph, it's a good chance you'll one day get to be Joseph as well.
It's a shame we won't get to see the play...the next one won't be until 2020!
Another thing the town is famous for is woodcarvings. The town is on the old Roman road that went from Rome to Augsburg. The townspeople needed something to trade for the highly valued salt, so they began carving intricate figurines out of wood.
Although the weather was still dreary, the town itself made up for it with its charm! It was a quintessential Bavarian town, complete with flowers in the windows and frescoes painted on the walls.
The St. Peter and Paul Church is modest from the outside, but very ornate on the inside.
This cross is believed to be the original one from the first Passion Play in 1634.
After visiting the church, we enjoyed strolling through the quiet streets and buying a few final Bavarian souvenirs.
For dinner that night, we took a taxi to Gasthof Fraundorfer. This dinner turned out to be one of the highlights from our trip. In addition to the great food, the atmosphere in the dining room was that of a beer hall at a volksfest.
An accordion player sat in the corner and played traditional Bavarian folk songs. Guests were seated at long tables and were very interactive with the music. It was great to see that both the oldest and youngest guests were all singing and dancing along to the same songs.
Then we witnessed a true Bavarian performance by some local boys dressed in their lederhosen. The Schuhplattler is a folk dance in which the dancers stomp, clap and strike the soles of their shoes (Schuhe), thighs and knees with their hands held flat (platt).
The accordion played while the boys danced. They would move around the restaurant between songs so everyone could get a view of the performance.
We both went with one of our favorite meals...jagerschnitzel. Who could pass up pork covered in a creamy mushroom sauce? I prefer mine with spaetzle, while Chris enjoys his with french fries.
And we couldn't leave Bavaria without enjoy apple strudel one last time!
The next day we took the train home, and I tried to soak in the Bavarian countryside as much as possible.
We've gotten so used to driving around with gorgeous views of farmland, picturesque towns and rolling hills!
We have loved these past 3+ years in Bavaria. The people are friendly, the towns are quaint and the food is delicious. One of the best things about Germans is their modern-thinking mentality while also embracing their heritage. They take pride in their traditions that have been passed down for generations, but they also are innovators when it comes to things like solar energy and recycling.
We are excited to be stateside soon, but will miss so many things about living in Germany. We are fortunate to have taken part of so many cultural experiences and traveled all across Europe.
