Earl Moore Photography
Western Entrance to the Old City, Munich Germany


Not only did I bring home wonderful experiences and photos from Europe but I brought some type of “bug” that has been kicking my butt since Sunday night with a sore throat, cough, and perhaps a low grade fever. The worse is I can’t sleep well with my head stuffed up, making it harder to work through a bit of jet lag. Oh well…still worth it. ;-)

Earl Moore Photography
From the top of Zupspitze

The following reflections and thoughts are simply my opinions based on my experiences and observations — other people’s milage may vary.

I found Germany to be a beautiful place, but I’ve been there before so I knew it was. The parts we visited were clean and well maintained. The transportation infrastructure is above the standards we maintain in America. On the roads, the makes, models and conditions of automobiles seemed superb. As you would suspect a majority were VW, Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz and while some of them may have had high milage I didn’t see a single “clunker” — perhaps this is due to stricter inspection, safety and environmental regulations. Noticeable was a lack of personal pickup trucks and large SUV’s — I didn’t miss them.

The countryside and mountains in southern Germany are indeed lovely and striking. Someone commented some of the countryside reminded them of scenes along the Blue Ridge Parkway in America — I can see that but the Alps take it to another degree. Only the Rockies are as impressive in America.

The German people are friendly but reserved — very matter of fact. It’s expensive…especially in Munich (or at least the part we were in.) Europe as a whole is ahead of America on the subject of environmentally sustainable lifestyles. We have much work to do and there needs to be a change of American expectations and values.

Smoking…has no one spread the word about smoking and lung cancer to the Europeans. It was noticeable how many people, especially younger people, were smoking in Munich as well as other European cities we visited. From all the America brand cigarette logos spotted, I’m ashamed to say cigarettes may be one of our most successful and deadly exports. We’ve tightened the screws on the tobacco industry in America and they’ve simply marketed stronger elsewhere in the world.

When taking photos on a trip like this I find myself pulled in two directions. Friends and relatives of course want to see the sights most tourist take snapshots of so I try to capture those scenes as best I can, tossing in a little uniqueness when possible. Yet I also want to spend time discovering and making photos of aspects which perhaps only appeal to me. Sometimes I don’t feel terrible successful at either.

This first photo was taken from the Hotel Königshof, in Munich, Germany, where we stayed. It’s looking toward the western entrance to the Old Town section of Munich, Germany. The second photo is from the top of Zupspitze, the highest mountain peak in Germany.

You can find additional photos I’ve posted HERE. Thus far there are only photos from Munich posted.

I will post photos from other locations to the same page soon.

Update: 9/20/2011 – I’ve added photos from the Ettal Monastery and Zugspitze Mountain to the gallery link above. This should cover the first leg of our trip — Germany.


15 Comments

  1. Balancing the ‘tourist’ shots and the ones I want to take for myself is always a challenge when I’m somewhere new. I’ve never been to Munich, but I hear it’s lovely – and it’s good to have a room with a view!

  2. I too have never been to Munich but after reviewing your outstanding images I’m ready to board a plane. Thanks for bring us along!

  3. After looking at the gallery at 500px, I would also like to see Germany. Very nice photos, especially Ettal.

    • Ken, I wish we would of had time to see more of Germany but we could only spend a couple of days there. It’s definitely a place I’d consider for revisit.

  4. Never been there but would like to visit. I can relate to your observations. I even feel there are certain areas in the US where people smoke than others and some places are maintain more environmentally sustainable lifestyles than others. I enjoyed the gallery and looking forward to seeing more.

    • Monte, it was something that struck both Bonnie and I as we were walking down the street…the number of people smoking. Thanks

  5. Sounds like it was a great trip. I love the photos and look forward to spending time looking through the others. Get well…

  6. I’d say I would completely agree with all of your reflections Earl. Europeans are far, far ahead of Americans when it comes to the environment, energy efficiency, and taking care of their infrastructure. It seems quite ironic about the smoking though. Because energy is so expensive there, including gasoline, it is no wonder they developed such advances. But laws and regulations drive it probably just as much. I get a kick out of how big a deal it is when gas here reaches $4.00 a gallon when Germany has been upwards of $7/$8 / gallon for years. When gas goes that high, you won’t see many SUVs or trucks here either.

    • Mark, sometimes I think gas prices going up here wouldn’t be such a bad thing long term. Perhaps it would get movement on alternative fuels/energy and mass transportation.

      • Fully agree Earl. Unfortunately higher energy prices is the only way people seem to begin to dig into alternatives. We are spoiled by relatively cheap energy.

  7. Thanks a lot for that wonderful series! I especially like the sunset photograph from Munich, the skyline silhouette against that gorgeous golden sky is absolutely stunning. The images you took at the top of Zugspitze are also very impressive. I’m glad you’ve had such a great time in Germany.