On Tuesday, we hopped in the car and took the Autobahn down to Bavaria, which was a couple hours' drive from our hotel.



The countryside was gorgeous, as was all of Germany, with the gentle rolling hills and everything being so green. But what was most striking was the Alps. As we approached Germany's southern border (on the other side of which is Austria and Switzerland), the Alps became visible. What was most amazing is how abrupt the transition was, from the mostly-flat German countryside, to the sheer cliffs and majestic peaks of the alps. There are no foothills, one moment it's flat, the next, it's the Alps with a capital A.