Day 186 - Wangen im Allgäu

Street leading up to
Ravensburg Gate

You know when you are at Disney's Epcot and the centre lagoon is surrounded by a variety of buildings from nations around the world? Well, one of those countries is Germany, and I swear that they modeled their showcase after Wangen im Allgäu, our weekend destination. This historical town is where my cousins live and their flat is located right in the heart of it. When we drove in, it was like we had escaped to a Disney film. The buildings looked so traditional, they were almost too good to be true.

The town has a main street with restaurants and shops within buildings whose looks range from medieval to baroque, and at its centre is St. Martin's Church, a 9th century building that has been renovated a number of times over the centuries. It is within this church that Jonah's confirmation is to take place. There is also the Ravensburg Gate, which was originally built in 1472 and further altered in appearance in the early 17th century.

Our afternoon was taken up with a quick tour of the town starting first with Andrea's parent's house, which is only a stone's throw away from the flat. Her father, Otto, is a third generation commercial painter and lives in the house his grandfather built. It stands, as do many of the houses, on the original wall that protected the town in the middle ages. On the one corner is a wooden statue that was built into an alcove within the wall. 

After visiting the church we stopped for a quick drink and ice cream before finishing our tour at the town's mini-golf course. There an intense competition took place between Ange, myself, Sascha and the two boys -- Canada vs. Germanyv -- and in the end it was our hosts who emerged victorious. We chalked it up to local knowledge -- and we are sticking to that story...
 

German Beer of the Day - Edelstoff, Augustiner Brewery, Munich, Bavaria