May 18 - Prien

We stayed in the beautiful town of Prien for one night, at the Bayerischer Hof.... cute, cute, cute, right in the center of the village. Chocolate ladybugs on our bed pillows, wonderful little hotel owned by a German family. Before dinner, we walked around the village and found the cutest little candy and bakery shop... such creative chocolates, truly beautiful cakes, and the most charming little petit fours that looked like little jewel boxes. They looked delicious, but it seemed a shame to actually eat them.

The dining room of this small hotel was lovely... all wood tables and chairs, with plates and steins and clocks arranged around the perimeter of the room. Once again, I ordered salmon and salad, and roasted potatoes. For someone who never eats white potatoes, I found the German potato dishes too delicious to resist. Especially the warm potato salad that we had for lunch in a couple of the towns--- made with mild vinegar, not mayonnaise.

We walked around the streets of this little town of Prien... up and down all the cobblestones, looking in the windows of the shops that were already closed, and walking into those that were open. There was a tiny butcher shop which also sold fresh vegetables. And another shop that sold sliced meats and cooked foods, neatly arranged behind glass counters. Every store had its speciality... no mega-markets here in Prien, nor in any of the other small towns. Clothing stores for women, separate clothing shops for men. Adorable stores filled with children's clothing and shoes and toys.

Outdoor cafes with small tables and chairs..... people sitting with tall glasses of beer or tiny cups of strong coffee. A lot of the residents had their dogs with them, on leashes, and the dogs would sit quietly underneath the table until their owners were ready to leave. We saw dogs in restaurants (both inside and outside) in every town that we stopped in. In most cases, the waiters would bring a small dish of water and place it underneath the table for their four-legged customers.

We loved Prien... the streets, the shops, the people, the feeling that was there. It was clearly a German town with a touch of Switzerland thrown in-- we could be wrong about that, but that's how we perceived the design of the town. And, of course, this small village of Prien had a large and beautiful church, and we were lucky enough to hear the organist practicing on the church's ornate instrument when we walked into the church for a look-see. We just loved it there, but we were stopping for just the one evening and one night..... we were on our way to see Ludwig's castles.