Vacation pictures, like dreams, are only interesting to those who experienced them.
But I’m sharing mine anyways, so if you hate looking at other people’s travels, this is your chance to find something else to do, before you are swallowed into a seemingly bottomless pit of Germany pics. (Hey, I did my best to edit these down, but I was away for a month after all).
Berlin was my first stop and definitely my favorite city, perhaps in part because I was high on jet lag and from the euphoria of being back in Germany after an 8 year hiatus. The weather helped, too—65° F or higher all week!
If you look closely below you can see me and my good friend Laura (who was my host sister during my senior year of high school) taking window-selfies. She’s a shutterbug and flea market gal, just like me, so between the two of us shooting and/or shopping every two steps, we didn’t get all that far in this giant city. Which is just fine by me; I always enjoy living like a local rather than a tourist when I travel.
Up next was a mini stop in Dresden to visit Laura’s sister and her family. Because most of the city was obliterated in WWII, and very little construction took place during the Soviet occupation, much of the city center has just been rebuilt in the last twenty years. The former historic buildings have been restored exactly as they were before and are just stunning.
We spent six hours at an amazing flea market on the banks of the Elbe river. Yes, SIX—though not genetically related, there must be some family Bastian in me; we are all seriously addicted to thrifting.
I scored my dream hipster finds: a gigantic antler shed, and a vintage school chart from the GDR. They were a pain in the ass to schlepp along for the remaining three weeks, and even caused me to be detained in customs on the flight home, but at just $27 for BOTH, they were worth the hassle, don’t you think?
We then went to Cottbus for the weekend, where I partied studied with the German teens back in 2003. It was so refreshing to get a break from the big city for a few days, enjoy some home-cooked meals—like white asparagus!—and breathe in the country air.
After my country sojourn, it was off to Munich for a week to visit my second cousins.
In case you can’t tell, that pretzel is bigger than a dinner plate. !!! If you’ve never been to Bavaria, you must go for the pretzels, they are divine. And check out these guys! So quaint.
There’s one more batch of photos I want to post, but I’ll save them for another day to keep your eyes from bleeding. You can always check out more (way, way more) on my Instagram feed, #travelinthemaking.
Now I’ve got to get off the computer before my eyes start bleeding. I’m off to gather supplies for my next project. What are you working on or dreaming of this week?
LOL! I took a peek at the Instagram pics. The international “no dog poop” sign is CLASSIC! It reminds me of the “in Greece, we do not put paper in the toilet” sign I saw a few years ago. The generic symbology was a total fail…words were DEFINATELY required to get the idea across. (Or maybe I’m not good at hieroglyphics?). Anyway, it was funny enough to make it into our travel photo album.
Ha! I love funny international signs. That pic might make the cut for the next post, we’ll see.
That school chart is AMAZING!!!
I’m in love with it. Perhaps a little too literally.
Nice shots! I’m going to tour the Instagram as well.
Thanks, Jim! I love Instagram, don’t you? So many inspiring pics all on my phone!
Heimweh! Your pictures are bringing back fond memories of my time in Bavaria!
Aaahh, it’s so gorgeous, isn’t it? When were you there, and where? What’s your favorite Bavarian food?
Beautiful isn’t a strong enough word to describe it. I was there from 2006-2007 in Nuremberg, Munich, Augsburg, Salzburg, and Vienna. As far as foods go, too many to choose from! I love sausage, schnitzel, apple strudel, and pretty much anything an old German woman makes. I’ve never been the biggest fan of meatloaf but an older woman made me some and it was the most amazing stuff I’ve ever tasted. Oh and I love cinnamon roasted pecans in Marienplatz! Divine!
Haha, I know just what you mean about older German women! They know how to do things right. 😉 I think the food often tastes better over there, there are much stricter regulations about what chemicals/hormones can go in ingredients, and you can taste the difference!
Beautiful travel photos! I’m hopefully going to get to Germany next year. I’ll definitely be trying to visit some of these places. Thanks for sharing these!
Thank you! You definitely should go if you get the opportunity. I’d also suggest Heidelberg as a beautiful city to visit. Thanks for stopping by!
Detained in customs?! Still absolutely worth it! Love these photos Marlene!
Thank you thank you Rachel! Yes, they needed to be sure it wasn’t from an endangered species, and that there was no brain matter on the antlers (ew). Luckily it passed on both counts!
Ah gross! Glad that bad boy was cleaned nicely for you 🙂
Your photography is always *stunning*. I so enjoyed following along on your IG, but it’s nice getting a little description of everything on here too!! Still can’t get over that pretzel O.O
Aww, thank you so much Amy! I can’t get over that pretzel either, I’ll be seeing it in my dreams for years.