Leavenworth, WA - Almost like Germany

All the years I have lived here in Washington, I have never made it to the town of Leavenworth - until now.

Leavenworth is a small mountain resort town 2 hours east of Seattle. The town is modeled after a Bavarian village theme. When people learn that I'm German, they invariably ask if I've ever been to Leavenworth and then proceed to rave " It's just like Germany there". The reason I never had a desire to take the drive to Leavenworth was my fear that I would just be too repulsed by the "Kitsch" (cheap imitation) effect.

Well, I finally took the plunge over Thanksgiving weekend and was very pleasantly surprised. Leavenworth turned out to be a charming town with an alpine mountain backdrop. The food in the local German restaurant (Andreas Keller) tasted authentic, even down to the German mustard. The rolls and pretzels from the bakery were like any you would get in Germany. The shops are very touristy, but one can find German table cloths, curtains, groceries, music CDs, and of course Hummel figurines, nutcrackers and wooden smokers.

Many of the local sales people wore traditional Bavarian attire, such as Dirndls, Lederhosen and knit sweaters and most stores played traditional German music. The entire town was lit-up for Christmas and there was even a German Christkindlmarket.

It was a great experienced and I had a great time. Leavenworth is no substitute for a trip to Germany, but it's the next best thing.

Sandy Nelson
Realtor for Olympia area real estate
www.sandynelsonrealestate.com