Small German town knows how to do it

In southern Germany, near the Austrian & Swiss borders, the city of Füssen is a medieval wonder. A small town just a couple miles away from the area's largest attraction, Neuschwanstein Castle, it's where most tourists find hotels and restaurants for their visit. And a major stop along the ancient trade route from northern Europe to Italy.

The streets of the center of town, blocked off to traffic, has great public areas, beautiful buildings and great plantings. It's amazing how the Europeans value urban greening, especially of tourist areas. How does it all get paid for? It's not cheap to have dozens of areas, like the one above, and keeping them maintained for the better part of the year.

Of all the great buildings, this one with the trompe l'oeil mural was our favorite.