Archive for August, 2011

What hath God wrought?

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
A view of Icicle Creek near Leavenworth

The earth is the LORD’s,
and all its fullness.
Psalm 24:1

We think we live in the most beautiful part of the country. The Pacific Northwest has so many visual delights. And our favorite place in the Northwest is Leavenworth. It has a special beauty we haven’t found anywhere else.

If you’re a photographer, beginning, talented amateur or professional, Leavenworth and the whole of Wenatchee Valley provide ample opportunity to practice your craft.

Ohme Gardens Park, owned by Washington State Parks and administered by Chelan County, is a photographer’s paradise with one mile of stone walking paths. Take a look at their gallery for inspiration. Open April 15-October 15. They have a lot of special events and host weddings and other special occasions. See the website for admission information and hours.

Photographers in Leavenworth find inspiration all through the village and in the surrounding area. Icicle Valley Photography by Reed Carlson is a local photography studio that documents the changing seasons and sights throughout the Wenatchee Valley. Get a taste for the amazing sights around Leavenworth by viewing Mr. Carlson’s Mountain Hikes Gallery.

The view of surrounding mountains from Front Street

Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
Psalm 24: 3

The landscape in the Leavenworth area is a photographer’s dream. Get your batteries charged and buy a bigger memory card. Don’t believe me? Check out Jesse Cunningham’s Landscape Gallery. Stunning views of the Central Washington Cascade Mountain Range among other locations. And for a look at a gallery of Leavenworth real estate photographs, read this recent blog entry by Mr. Cunningham.

Regardless of medium, Leavenworth makes a beautiful subject any time of the year. Visit galleries throughout Leavenworth to see how painters, sculptors and photographers have captured the beauty of Leavenworth and the surrounding area. Doug Miller Art Studio are one such galleries. Visit our Art and Galleries page for more about the art of Leavenworth.

A window on Front Street

And I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in His inhabited world.
Psalm 8: 30, 31

For more photographs from throughout North Central Washington, visit: Photos of North Central Washington State are organized by type and place. View galleries of photos of Washington State dams, bridges, State Parks, and North Central Washington Communities like Leavenworth.

Posted in Leavenworth, See | 2 Comments »

Who are the Accidental Bavarians and why are they stalking Leavenworth WA?

Friday, August 26th, 2011
From Mountain Home Road

A summer day, high above Leavenworth

We get a lot of questions about who we are and what we do. Especially when folks see our website or when we ask for information to include on the site or we take pictures of their business. I thought it’d be a good idea to let you know more about us.

Who we’re not:

  • We are NOT compensated by the Chamber of Commerce nor connected with it, other than membership
  • We are NOT connected to, nor paid by, the City of Leavenworth
  • We are NOT connected to or supported by any retailer or innkeeper organizations in Leavenworth
  • We are NOT a lodging or reservation service
  • We are NOT paid for reviews or endorsements (although we do take some advertisements)

Scotte enjoys the free wifi outside SOUTH (the food’s great too!)

 

Who we are:

Simply put, we love Leavenworth, Washington and get a lot of enjoyment from visiting and blogging about Leavenworth. Accidental Bavarian is a website dedicated to Leavenworth and meant to give first-time and returning visitors information they need to plan a great vacation in Leavenworth.

We’re Scotte and Renae Meredith and we live, love and work in Spokane, Washington, when we’re not in Leavenworth. Scotte’s day (and sometimes night) job is as a contracted programmer and developer for a theater management software company. My, Renae’s, day (and often night) job is as a theater designer and costume coordinator for the drama department of a local college. Both of us enjoy traveling to Leavenworth and to other cities around the country where our kids and grandchildren live.

So, why Leavenworth, WA? We first visited the Bavarian village in the Cascade Mountain Range many decades ago. Scotte had been several times and enjoyed introducing Leavenworth to me. It quickly became our favorite place away from home. Our infatuation with Leavenworth led us to plan many special occasion weekends there. Family trips through the state were planned to travel Highway 2 so we could stop there, for an afternoon or a night. Each time we were in Leavenworth it never seemed long enough, and we were soon dreaming of how we could get to Leavenworth more often and for longer.

Renae outside one of her favorite shops, Kris Kringl

Scotte, who’d designed websites for his business, came up with the idea of creating a database driven website about Leavenworth. We were both excited about the possibilities right away. How about a website that talked about Leavenworth for people who love Leavenworth as much as we do, but not privileged enough to live there? What if we could create a website that helped newcomers and returning visitors plan their trips? And if, while we’re working on the website, we wind up feeling almost as if we’re there, then that just gets us bonus points. Working on the website gives us more reasons to schedule time in Leavenworth, staying in new places, making new friends and acquaintances, eating new food and taking lots of photographs and writing new blog posts.

That’s how Accidental Bavarian was born. After spending time thinking, dreaming, planning, writing and coding we launched the full version of our site 18 months ago. Scotte does the coding and database writing and management, I do most of the writing and photography and we collaborate on design. Since launching we’ve learned so much, met so many great people and been able to visit Leavenworth much more often than years past. We also hear from a lot of people who are planning a visit to Leavenworth and want advice about where to stay or eat and things to do during their stay. We’ve had inquiries from future Leavenworth tourists in the U.S., Canada and Australia.

We have a lot of fun with our website mascots, Fritzi and Mitzi. Sometimes it’s just fun to put words in the mouths of little bouncing yellow balls.

We’ve also added a Facebook page and a Twitter account. It’s great connecting with people from all over the state, country and the world who want to hear more from and about Leavenworth and Washington State travel.

Fritzi & Mitzi

We’re excited about the launch of the latest version of the website, Accidental Bavarian V. 3.0, coming in a few days. We’re adding a lot more photographs, a larger page format and room for select ads on each page. We’ll have pop-out reviews and ratings, and new travel related quotes. The reviews will be expanded as we visit Leavenworth and the surrounding area more and more often. Our future plans include mobile versions for use on iPads, iPhones and other smart phones, and community photo albums.

Do you have other questions for us, or for Fritzi and Mitzi? What else would you like to see on the Accidental Bavarian website? We’d love to hear your suggestions and ideas.

Posted in Leavenworth | 2 Comments »

Weekend in September

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

Front Street in Autumn

It’s August already. The “end of summer” blues are just around the corner. I can feel it coming like a train climbing Stevens Pass. If you’re like me you’re probably spending time online or perusing your favorite travel magazines, looking for inspiration for a weekend getaway to celebrate the cooler weather of fall, or to eke out the last few rays of summer. Leavenworth, Washington is my favorite place for a weekend getaway anytime of year, but in the golden days of late summer and autumn the Bavarian village is at its best.

You can find out what’s happening in Leavenworth by checking in with the Accidental Bavarian Event Calendar. Click on the month you’re looking for and every event that we’ve found and that businesses and festivals have alerted us to is listed here. You can also check in with TNBT (The Next Big Thing) where we list events happening for the following two weeks or so. If you look at September’s events now you’ll find the Leavenworth Quilt Show, and Leavenworth’s original festival, the Washington State Autumn Leaf Festival. One of our favorite itineraries is to arrive on a Sunday, enjoy festival activities and then enjoy the quiet side of Leavenworth on Monday and Tuesday. Or use the event calendar to plan a visit without a festival, if crowds aren’t your thing. Though once September starts, there are festivals in Leavenworth every weekend until Oktoberfest ends on October 15th.

Use the key word search in the Event calendar to find other stuff to do during your visit. You can find special events like concerts, a Night at the (Nutcracker) Museum, wine tastings, winery tours, the county fair and live music. You’ll also find links to ongoing events like the Leavenworth Community Farmers Market, on Thursdays and Village Art on the Green.

Cascade Mountains in the fall

For places to stay on your long weekend check our Stay page. You can search for a favorite place or one friends have recommended or look by category. If you’re looking for a weekend cabin then check with Comfy Cabins for cabin and condo rental listings. Follow them on Facebook and they’ll post about any last minute openings for a spontaneous getaway, sometimes with a booking discount or special offer.

Looking for traditional German food while you’re in Leavenworth? Check our German Food page for some of our favorites. You’ll find places like Munchen Haus with outdoor seating, savory flavored grilled sausages with all the trimmings like housemade sauerkraut, and German beers on tap. Or sit at a window seat in Café Christa, overlooking the Gazebo, and enjoy German specialties like Jaeger schnitzel, mit spaetzl und apfelrotkraut. Jori also has German beer on tap and a fine selection of German wine.

You’ll find lots of other kinds of European and America fare in Leavenworth. Check our Eat page for ideas for everything from gelato to pizza. You’ll find Italian, Asian, cafe fare and lots of chocolate. Scotte and I usually can’t find time to eat all of our favorites during a weekend visit. That’s okay we always know we’ll be back soon. And we never leave without a stop at the Cheesemonger’s Shop and Fudge Hut for continuing enjoyment once we’re home.

Be sure you make time this fall to visit one or more of the many fruit orchards strung out throughout the Wenatchee Valley. The Cascade Foothills Farmland Association has interactive growers maps. You can also request an AgTourism Driving Map. Visit orchards that have been cultivated by the same family for generations, vineyards producing fine Washington wines and wine tasting rooms in Leavenworth and the surrounding area.

Plan a weekend in Leavenworth. Visit Accidental Bavarian for places to stay and eat and things to do during the months of September and October. It’s just the thing you need to bridge the gap between summer and autumn and chase away the back-to-school blues. And be sure to check back frequently. We’ve got some surprises planned for fall.

Posted in Autumn Leaf Festival, Leavenworth | Comments Off on Weekend in September