Lois showed us the main sights of Marienplatz in Munich, since she
visited a month ago. We had dinner at the famous Hofbrauhaus. It is giant and
crowded, and apparently has been around since 1589. The tables are all
bench style, and we met a couple people originally from South Carolina. From
the outside the towers of the Frauenkirche look like they’re wearing silly
hats. In the daylight on the inside, the stained glass windows were colorful and detailed.
The rain held off, and we enjoyed shopping around the
Viktualienmarkt. There were special tents set up for Easter, which was exactly
what I was looking forward too. In Germany, it’s tradition to hang up painted
Easter eggs in bushes and trees. They were selling these hand-painted, real
eggs. There were also lots of other kinds of easter/spring decorations. My
favorites were some of the handmade animals out of sticks, straw, etc. I also
found some nice colorful, hanging signs. The market was filled with lots of
other things too: stands for honey, tents with flower bouquets, many meat
shops, vegetable and fruit vendors, and lots of cheeses. Even on the dreary
day, the square was bustling. Munich also has this fancy clock tower on its
Rathaus; at noon (actually 5 past, it isn’t so prompt), the clock puts on a
little six minute show. The carousel spins and statues dance; it’s really old
and really neat.
The afternoon was spent at Dachau concentration camp. I really
just didn’t know what to think. At liberation, the camp was filled with 32,000
when it was only built for 6,000. We watched a video that explained Dachau and
put it into context. It is hard to believe what people are capable of –
normally something I think when people do unbelievable
cool/intelligent/incredible feats. But in this case, it is sobering and
horrifying to think about the atrocities that took place just a few decades
earlier and the people behind it.
Sunday we got to finally see Neuschwanstein. I had been looking
forward to that for months. It is the castle that Disney used as inspiration.
The castle was built fairly recently, in 1869, and is unfinished because
construction halted with King Ludwig II’s death. I think the castle wouldn’t be
nearly as famous if it weren’t for the authoritative edge of the Alps in the
distance. When we visited, it was snowing, and the combined snow, mountains,
waterfalls, and castles created the memorable scene. The story of
Neuschwanstein is pretty interesting, or maybe strange. The king only lived
there for 172 days; after that, he was taken, declared unfit for rule, and
died. There were many rooms in the castle that the king wanted only for himself,
not to show off. Also, the castle is called “New Schwanstein” because the
lower, separated castle was originally named Schwanstein. It is currently
called Hohenschwangau and stands within view of the first castle.
The final Easter road trip stop was in Ulm, and there stood the
largest steeple in the world: 530 feet of intricate Gothic style.
This 4-day break was a blast. I saw some amazing, awe-inducing
sights, ate some wonderful home cooked RV meals, played a couple new games, and
spent many moments in laughter. Great people and great break.
Random Takeaways
Snow makes castles more fun.
Every German town has a cathedral.
How to flush an RV toilet
Some of the best views were of the countryside as we rode along. Definitely take time to stare out the window.
White sausages are meant to be eaten peeled.
No comments:
Post a Comment