History and Beauty of Leavenworth

We ventured out in the city; to explore, to shop, to eat, to enjoy, and to take advantage of everything it offered.

Something we loved right off the bat was the German. The majority of the signs were in German. I guessed what this one meant - but also pulled out Google for the official translation: "Welcome to Leavenworth." Yep, my guess was spot on! ;)

They had some cute older gentlemen at a wagon downtown, they were all dressed in the traditional German Lederhosen attire (like in this photo from here).

I felt silly asking for a picture with them but they volunteered to take one of us.

After taking the picture the guy started telling us about the history of Leavenworth and everything the area had to offer. A synopsis of his history lesson is:

After World War II, two soldiers who had spent time in Austria came back to Washington. They discovered that the setting of Leavenworth, a city within the mountains, reminded them of Austria, a place they had grown to love. They began building homes and shops with the Bavarian feel that they had discovered in Austria. Since then, the city has continued to grow, and the Bavarian motif has remained.

The maypole in the center of the city:

And now, for picture overload, here are some photos of the buildings along the main street where we went shopping. It was only approximately half a mile long, but so full of character!

Beautiful city correct? I love the Bavarian character of the building's architecture and decor.