Travels: the new and the old Germany. "I love this day!"

It was a business trip to Leipzig and Dresden, Germany for an annual conference.  I took some vacation time to explore Germany and ended up on a fantastic journey that took me everywhere from Oktoberfest in Munich, to the Land of Christmas in the Ore Mountains on the Czech border, to Neuschwanstein Castle (think Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World), Nuremberg (before the Nuremberg Trials, it was a beautiful, medieval town for hundreds of years) and an architectural tour that ended appropriately on a rainy, cold day at the Brandenburg Gate.  It was a great adventure.

One day my good friend and fun traveling companion, Jane, blurted out, "I love this day!" 

She perfectly summarized this dreamlike trip through storybook villages, rich, history (sometimes painful) and modern cities.   Highlights: