September 30, 2016 - Leavenworth, WA (YRE)

You could wear lederhosen or a dirndl to do a volkswalk in Leavenworth, and you would not look ridiculous. Every single building in Leavenworth looks like it was transported here directly from Bavaria. This place is Over-The-Top Cute.

We started our walk at the Icicle Inn after enjoying our first look at Leavenworth as we drove through town to the start point.

We passed several Alpine-themed hotels with gorgeous flower boxes and several buildings with murals that kept to the theme.

Pizza delivery, German-style.

Upon reaching Front Street, we entered the really touristy part of Leavenworth. We strolled through several blocks of Bavarian shops and restaurants, stopping to buy some delicious imported mustard. We heard polka music and thought it was being piped in until we arrived at the bandstand. There was yodeling, too.

A Maypole?

When we reached the Festhalle the street was blocked off and they were setting up for Oktoberfest (of course).

We bypassed this area and followed some back streets to a trail that followed the Wenatchee River upstream toward Riverfront Park. This was quite a change of pace, but not unwelcome. We followed the trail (which is a XC ski trail in winter, past a playground and over a bridge, where we admired the crystal-clear water and the steelhead hanging out in a shady part of the river. The trail continued to Blackbird Island, a peaceful spot just a stone's throw from all that Bavariana.

About this time we remembered passing the Munchen Haus and we were feeling a bit hungry, so we interrupted our walk to have some lunch. The Munchen Haus has a limited menu but a well-deserved reputation. They serve several different types of sausages, several mustards, sauerkraut, pretzels, and German potato salad. And several types of beer plus one type of cider. Real health food, ja? It was quite tasty, and the guys especially enjoyed our lunch. It was hot so I gulped down my cider and I got pretty buzzed. I made an executive decision that we were doing the 5km walk, and we just had to get back to our car to complete it.

Munchen Haus

On the way back we passed a boutique that lured me in and I bought a necklace. This is so unlike me. I was still pretty buzzed. I have never felt a buzz from cider before. I guess I never had German cider.

Walk Route (5km): B+

Walk Instructions: B

The map isn't the best. Grab one of the free tourist maps that are everywhere, and you will always know where you are.

Just before you get to Leavenworth you will come to a nice fruit stand/quilt shop. We had to stop. Oh, the apples!