Eisenach
This is the birthplace of Bach – we visited a Bach museum and were given a mini concert with some of the keyboard instruments at the museum.
Wartburg Castle 
Built in 1067 by Ludwig, who had a vision of the castle and cried out, “Wait, Mountain – you will become a castle!” The first two words in German roughly translate to “wart- burg.” This is where Luther fled and hid after he was stripped of all of his human rights for refusing to recant his writings against the church. It was here he translated the Greek New Testament to English in just 10 weeks’ time. It is a beautiful castle that holds over 900 years of German history.
Nuremberg
The tour through Nuremberg was a rainy one. We walked around the Imperial Castle then made our way down to St. Sebald Church. 60 percent of the city was destroyed in one hour on January 2, 1945. Incredible work has been done to restore the city and its churches.
Oberammergau 
This village was our home for two nights. Every 10 years the town is filled with tourists for the Passion Play. 100 performances filling 5000 seats, a play that includes all the townspeople in a six hour long performance. The next time the play will be held is 2020. The town is pure Bavaria with its chalets with flower boxes and the Alps draped behind. Lots of wonderful shops made Christmas shopping start early this year.
Neuschwanstein Castle
This castle, built by Crazy King Ludwig, is one of three he built in the 19th century. The castle was the inspiration for Cinderella’s Castle at Disney World. A lovely structure in a picturesque setting that captures the mystique of the land.
The Church of Weis 
In the middle of a small village this gorgeous church with its baroque architecture seems out of place. The striking image for me was above the altar, instead of a crucifix is a sculpture of Jesus being whipped. It catches your attention.
The Monastery at Ettal
Dietrich Bonhoeffer spent time here and wrote some of his book on ethics at that time. The monastery has its own brewery (welcome to Germany) and a beautiful sanctuary. We had lunch at a cheese shop – cheese and bread, butter and beer. The lunch brought back memories for me of when my family traveled to Switzerland in 1971. We would pack up bread and cheese for lunches. The first bite of bread brought back those memories.
Munich 
Our final day of touring took us through the third largest city in Germany behind Berlin and Hamburg. It is the home of BMW and many other corporations. We toured the streets, saw the Glockenspiel on the town hall, shopped, ate and drank in the German culture. Our day ended at the Augustiner Beer Hall – our farewell dinner.
Peace,
Charlie