Lotti Does Leavenworth

My little stuffed cow Lotti, who I adopted in Switzerland last year, was missing her homeland.  Since I wasn't able to jump on a plane to Europe and fly for 11 hours, I did the next best thing.  I took her to Leavenworth.

We made it!

Leavenworth is a charming, German-themed village in Washington.  Located directly east of the Cascade Mountains, the stunning tall peaks framing this town give it an alpine character.  My buddy Kim and I had wanted to visit for many years, but somehow never got around to planning a trip.  Then last August I stopped for lunch in Leavenworth on my way to Winthrop and North Cascades National Park.  Grabbing a bratwurst from a nearby outdoor restaurant, I sent Kim a selfie.  My photograph set things into motion - not long after Kim made motel reservations for late October.  

 

Street scenes

All that Bavarian cuteness makes Leavenworth a wildly popular tourist destination, especially during the summer months.  But its busiest times are in December for Christmas, and of course early October for Oktoberfest!  We didn't know it when Kim made the reservation, but she happened to time our visit in between Oktoberfest and the Christmas season.  This happy accident meant we caught the lull between busy times, scoring cheaper accommodations and way less people.

The mountains rise up nearly vertically

When packing for Leavenworth I spotted Lotti sitting on a nearby shelf in my bedroom.  Her tiny bovine eyes pleaded with me to take her along.  Knowing Lotti was missing her home country, I placed her in my backpack.  This German-themed town wasn't quite Switzerland, but it was close enough!

Time to sample the local brew

It's a 5-hour drive from where I live to Leavenworth.  Much of the drive is through a very barren part of south central Washington.  However I was pleasantly surprised to see the surrounding vegetation in this area decked out in brilliant autumn hues, which made the drive so much better.  We summitted Blewett Pass oohing and aahing over the lovely golden larch trees scattered about the forest.  And arriving to our destination, I was surprised to see so much of the trees in town still displaying fall finery.  

And of course a pretzel to go with it!

After checking into our motel, which was conveniently located right across the street from the main dining and shopping area, Kim and I went in search of some genuine German beer and pretzels.  We found both at a local brewery.  Lotti approved!

Lotti finds the perfect hat

Hunger abated for the time being, Kim and I then decided to check out some of the souvenir shops.  Although chock full of the usual tacky t-shirts and refrigerator magnets, we did discover some tiny Bavarian-themed hats.  Just the perfect size for my little cow!

And so did I

I also found an alpine hat that called my name.  (But I didn't buy it.  I already own way too many hats!)

Beautiful morning walk along the Wenatchee River

After a restful first night in our motel, Kim and I awoke the following morning to lovely, but chilly blue skies.  Perusing a map of the town the previous evening, I discovered the Wenatchee River winds its way through the middle of Leavenworth.  And better  yet, the town had built a trail that followed the river's north shore.  After a quick breakfast, Kim and I decided to go check it out.

Fog and fall colors

The river was a mere half mile walk from our accommodations.  The trail began at a small parking lot.  Kim and I followed a dirt path that look us into a thickly forested area.  Tiny glimpses of the Wenatchee River could be spotted through gaps in the trees.

Lots of mountain views

Our timing for fall colors couldn't have been better!  Spotting a side trail that took me directly to the river's edge, I came out to a stunning scene.  The Wenatchee River was lined with colorful trees, their leaves various shades of yellow, orange, and red.  Tall, snow-dusted peaks anchored the skyline.

Perfect selfie opportunity

The scenery was absolutely spectacular!  We happened to time our arrival in Leavenworth to coincide with peak fall colors.  I couldn't believe our luck.

Lotti playing in the leaves

Lotti was enjoying the fall leaves too.

Stunning fall colors

Kim and I followed the riverside path over a bridge and onto an island.  The leaf color show continued and it took me quite awhile to cover any ground, as I was stopping every few steps to take pictures.

Reflections in a puddle

Our glorious path

More riverside color

I loved how some of the foliage colors were reflecting into the river's waters.

Fall colors seemed to be at peak

Kim and I walked by a tiny pond hidden back in the trees.  The yellow and red leaf color reflections in its waters were absolutely magical.

This small pond was absolutely stunning

I spotted a little dipper bird on one of the rocks, diving in the water looking for breakfast.  In the image below the bird looks like he's standing over a pool of gold.

Golden waters and a dipper bird

Another pond gave me perfect reflections of the nearby trees.

Perfect pond reflections

After spending a good three hours traipsing around the river, our tummies were beginning to grumble.  Time to head back into town and find something to eat!

Golden leaves

One can't visit a German-themed town without trying the local bratwurst.  Thanks to Google, Kim and I hunted down the highest rated place in town.  And if you're eating bratwurst, you have a a beer - it's practically required!

All that walking made us thirsty!

Our beer came in enormous mugs.  And believe it or not, this wasn't the largest size they had!

Time for a brew

However, the beer was quite tasty, as was the bratwurst.  A great find!

And a bratwurst

Kim and I spent our afternoon roaming around town, checking out all the cute shops.  Many of them had beautiful murals painted on the outside of their buildings.

Loved the murals painted on many of the buildings

Many of the shops were quite fun.  One bakery specialized in gingerbread.  (Of course, I had to buy some!)  There were other unique boutiques, many offering clothing, a couple specializing in outdoor sports, one Christmas decorations, another kitchenware, and a pet store with everything you could want for your dog or cat.  There was even a local landscape photographer who had set up his own gallery.  And his photographs were amazing!

Another view of this charming town

One building had a glockenspiel that put on a show every hour.  We finally happened upon it and got to watch the figures twirl around and hear the music play.  Kim got a video but I only took photos - and none of them turned out very good.  But check out the image below for a photo of the building.

Loved this bright orange tree

There was a huge tree across the street that was a stunning color of orange.  I also loved how the mountains rose up behind the downtown area.  Such a beautiful setting for a town!

A lady was giving horse drawn carriage rides

During the winter months, I'd heard Leavenworth offered horse-drawn sleigh tours.  But in the off-season we discovered they swap the sleigh for a carriage.  The lady running the business had her carriage and horse decorated in appropriate fall colors.

There goes the carriage!

Leavenworth also had a nutcracker museum.  Not into nutcrackers, Kim and I just window-shopped and moved on.

They had a nutcracker museum (we didn't go inside)

Gotta have a pretzel shop!

However, we did make it a point to stop at all the bakeries!  Especially any that sold pretzels.

Another view of my favorite tree

Lotti and I hangin' out with a giant nutcracker

Liked the skiing themed mural on this storefront

One of our favorite shops was a store that sold German-themed festival clothing.  They had an entire wall of lederhosen and dirndls, of every color and style.  

 

One shop sold nothing but traditional German clothing

Kim's favorite lederhosen

Lotti found a dirndl that she liked.  Unfortunately it was way too big for her little body.

 

Lotti liked this dirndl

For dinner, Kim and I chose an authentic German restaurant.  I wanted to try their beef goulash, so Kim and I split an order.  While waiting for our meal, we were entertained by a man playing the accordion not far from our table.  The guy was really good, and after he finished each song, we clapped loudly.  

It appeared Kim and I were the only ones in the restaurant applauding and watching the accordion player.  He seemed to appreciate our attention.  There was a large stein of beer on a table next to him, and I was amused when he grabbed the stein with one hand and took a big gulp, while continuing to play his instrument with the other.  That man was talented!

The accordion player in a nearby restaurant was fantastic

After fangirling the accordion player for a few songs, Kim and I asked him if we could get a photo.  Our waitress was happy to help out.  Kim also gave the guy a nice tip.

We split an order of beef goulash

Another advantage to visiting Leavenworth in late October was that the town had begun to hang up their Christmas lights in preparation for the holiday season.  Quite a few lights had already been strung into the trees and Kim and I were the happy benefactors.  After dark, we took a stroll around the local park and admired all the the pretty decorations.  

Christmas lights were being installed

It had been a fun day exploring this charming Bavarian town.  Lotti seemed to enjoy herself and appeared to be much happier now.  I have a feeling an autumn visit to Leavenworth might become an annual trip for Kim, myself and my little Swiss cow!

(Just a side note:  I was sad to hear that Leavenworth and the surrounding areas in Northern Washington were recently affected by last week's torrential atmospheric river.  I've heard reports of power outages, flooding, and highway washouts.  My heart goes out to everyone in the area that's been affected by this severe weather.)