What a busy few days it has been... where to begin?? Last time I ended by talking about my host family and my host dad's party Saturday night. All of that weekend was pleasantly relaxing, doing homework with the rain patting on the window, shopping with some of the gals, watching movies with more of the fam, and venturing off to try a new church on Sunday morning. Perhaps that semi-relaxing weekend was preparation for the next one!
After completing my differential equations lecture Thursday night, I had two hours to kill before departing for München. We played some ping pong in the AIB, got McDonald's (I swear they like it more here than in America), and then headed off to the bus stop. And yes, you read correctly, we took a bus all 560 kilometers across Germany. Thankfully, the small periods of sleep were enough for us to enjoy a full day from about 6:30am until midnight in which we took a tour of the town, full of detailed history, ate lunch (and some insanely pretty and yummy pastries/ cakes) in the cafe off the town square, rested in the hotel for a bit, briefly explored and took pictures in the Englischer Garten, then met up for a delicious, authentic German dinner.
Day two of Munich was by far my favorite becaaaaause... we got to be royalty for a day in Fussen! Before even reaching the Neuschwanstein Castle, we were spoiled with the beautiful scenes of Bavarian countryside flying by outside the window. First were the many forested acres where the pencil-straight pine trees jutted up to the sky. Then came the view that made us Texan folk quite excited-- our first glimpse of the sprawling Alps, deep blue and white against the bright backgrounds of clear, cyan sky and bright, green grass. The next hour or so gradually brought us closer to these distant giants, showing us quaint villages of classic southern German houses-- white walls, terracotta roofs, and architecturally simple-- that nestled themselves in the valleys of hills and the banks of rivers. Once we arrived to Fussen, we explored the town a little while waiting for the rest of our group and then began our trek into the foothills to the fairytale castle. The views were incredible, from the small hike up the mountain to seeing the tall castle standing established in front of the towering mountains to the reflection of the distant village and mountains reflecting in the vast expanse of the nearby lake. These views could be seen from nearly every room of the castle through small windows-- just big enough to capture the view without obstructing the murals that covered every inch of the walls in all the important rooms. I can say without doubt that this castle is the most ornate, elegant, intricate, and astonishing work of artistry and taste I have seen so far in my life. So many beautiful and meaningful paintings, detailed and precise wood work lining the murals and furniture and covering the ceilings, precious stones and metals, thick fabrics with rich colors and classical patterns, religious overtones, and sculptures to name a few. It was gorgeous and I'm so happy to have finally checked this visit off my bucket list.
Sunday brought with it some sad yet important circumstances as we visited Dachau. Munich is a town full of history, much of which I was introduced to in the city tour, such as its unfortunate past as a birthplace of Nazism. It was certainly sad to feel the sense that so many individuals, humans of worth and value, met their end in that dreadful place. The people that dedicated Dachau as a monument to the memory of those imprisoned there, however, did an exceptional job through the informational audio tour, the three chapels, and the pieces of art that represent a history of pain as well as the resiliency WE must possesses to preserve a future free of evils such as those. After paying our respects to the past, we returned to central town and to the Englischer Garten to the joys of people playing with their dogs, music, watching the birds at the lake, and just enjoying the weather and friends. That night we went to the iconic Hofbrauhaus followed by some good ole American football (aka watching the Super Bowl at 12:30am).
Not going to sleep until 4am that night was actually helpful in making the 9.5 bus ride back to Bonn more bearable (I slept a lot), though having the chance to see a great deal of Germany in one day was very cool. This is a long post, so I am going to sign off. More on actually being studious later.
Auf Wiedersehen!
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