Germans have pastimes and passions that are, unlike Americans, readily apparent even if you never speak a word to a single German during your visit. Walking, gardening, dogs and, especially in Bavaria, beer, with Bratwurst and Brochen coming in close behind. In fact Bavaria is appropriately spelled with a capital B, and in my travels I have adopted the B for all that I enjoy most in Germany - Bamberg, Beer, Bratwurst, Brötchen and Burg (German for castle). To bottom out the B list let's throw in, as the photos here show, Blossoms. The people here will plant flowers anywhere they can drop a hand full of soil and when the season is right, Germany explodes with flowers gardens and window boxes. One of the most pleasant aspects of driving in the country is passing through all the villages with all their windows adorned with blossoms of every imaginable color. Some villages have even adopted particular plants or colors, and the theme is carried throughout by their residents.
 

 Gardens, both public and private, consume Germans throughout the nation. Those Germans that reside in the city, such as my good friend Günter at left, Have life-long leases on city-owned garden plots where they build elaborate little garden houses, as his at right, grow favorite fruits and vegetables for their own consumption and otherwise spend most weekends and many evenings relaxing. They also have a passion for a tidiness that extends from the home to the garden and even into their autos.