Leavenworth, WA

A trip to Leavenworth is like taking a trip to a Bavarian alpine village. If it weren't for the English-language signage and abundance of large American vehicles, you could really imagine that you're somewhere in magical Bavaria.  Leavenworth is nestled in the eastern foothills of the Cascade Mountains and thus is much warmer and dryer than the towns and cities on the western side. It was another one of our stops as we traveled east along Highway 2. 

Once a railroad and lumber boom town, it has been cleverly transformed into a very popular year-round destination. In order to avoid the weekend crowds, we chose midweek to go there. It was still quite crowded, but we had no problem finding a parking spot in town or grabbing a table at one of the popular beer gardens. The only problem was the heat. By the time we got there, the temperature was hovering around 95 degrees. Yikes! That's a little too hot for my taste. In spite of the sweltering summer air, we managed to shuffle around from one shady spot to the next; I even dragged my big Nikon along and snapped a few photos of the colorful architecture and flowers. 

Have a look at Leavenworth's world famous Bavarian village...

If you like shopping, wining, and dining, this place is for you. And if it's as hot as it was when we were there, you can always go tubing in the swift waters of the Wenatchee River to cool off  - all while drinking an ice cold German beer!