The Er- comes from an old German word for "dirty" — the water was muddied when people would cross. As I explored, it started sinking in: I wasn't in quaint, beer-and-pretzel Bavaria anymore.

The Er- comes from an old German word for “dirty” — the water was muddied when people would cross. As I explored, it started sinking in: I wasn’t in quaint, beer-and-pretzel Bavaria anymore.