July 7

July 7th (sunny and warm)
Had a great sleep and woke up to a lovely breakfast with Susi’s parents. After that, we drove to some of the world-famous ski resorts and old Tyrolian-style homes in and around Oberstdorf and to just take in the breathtaking scenery. Seb constantly reminds me that we are in “Bavaria” and not Germany. On such a beautiful day, it really was spectacular. What really impressed Georg and I was the extreme pride that the people of the Allgau have about their heritage and traditions and the sense of community we observed. Thomas, Steff’s boyfriend put it succinctly when we were leaving. He said that “everything in this area is still as it should be” – that says a lot. Lovely people and Susi has a wonderful family.
We brought our own lunch and had a picnic of buns and salami at a glaciar-fed river. My stomach was a bit in my throat all day because of the mixture of drinks last night, but I managed fine sitting in the front seat. The roads are very winding with many switchbacks traversing the mountains.
Seb and Susi introduced us to many of their friends and family during the day, but it was especially interesting to visit with Susi’s sister Petra on their dairy farm. I had no idea about the process and found it very educational. We had delicious cake and coffee with Petra before the four of us went for dinner at a neighborhood pub. The best part of the evening was while we were walking from the pub, there was a traditional Bavarian band playing on the street and a beer garden. Both Seb and Susi belong to a similar band group comprised of about fifty musicians that also perform in different towns and villages and for various celebrations. It was such fun to be part of the evening drinking beer from the beer garden and talking with the locals.
PS Just a note to wish Ryan a Happy 30th Birthday today.