Leavenworth, WA

We finally made it to Leavenworth!  After deciding that we would remain home over the holidays, we booked our reservations for the week before Christmas.  Leavenworth is a quaint, little, Bavarian town nestled among towering mountain peaks.  Although, it wasn't always the German-themed, tourist destination it is today!  In the 1960's the town leaders had a bright idea to revive its economy by changing the town's appearance to draw visitors.   But this was no mere facelift!  They completely renovated the downtown area and created a series of festivals for each season.
We rented a condo less than a mile from downtown, and our first meal after arriving was a hearty course of German fare: sausages, sauerkraut, spaetzle, pretzels and beer.  We were fortunate to get dumped with snow the following morning, so we did some sledding in the town square.  The Christmas lights were breathtaking!  It truly was magical to see the town all it up for the holidays.  The storefronts were equally beautiful, and we enjoyed popping in and out of all the local shops.  Our Leavenworth vacation was such a restful time for our family!  We are already making plans to return in the fall for the Salmon Festival!

Bubba's first snow!

The girls and I did some ice skating!

Bye-bye Leavenworth - see you soon!