Munich

Day 9... in Munich this time:

So we arrived and checked into our LOVELY hotel (not that the hostel wasn't fine, but a hotel is definitely more comfortable) before going out to dinner.  We had one Rick place in mind, but it was totally packed so we went to another on the same square.  Only outside seating, but we found a spot under the heaters.  And halfway through our dinner, a nice older man sat down and talked to us (in decent enough English) about the city.  The food was amazing and it was such a welcoming start to the trip.

Day 10:

The sun was shining, it was a walkable city, and the metro system can be crazy cheap if you figure it out right.  Already I liked Munich more than Berlin.  Also, since it's smaller, there are more people and shops to look at when you're walking (we realized that walking with nothing to look at gets very boring... we started singing the theme song to the Odd Couple in Berlin).

 

We started in the historic part... The New Town Hall and the Clock Tower, Marienplatz, and the Three Main Churches (St. Michael's, Frauenkirche, and St. Peters... Martyr Bones and All!!).  It all kind of felt out of a fairy tale.

Then (passing the Hofbrauhaus) we went to the Residenz, home to the Wittelsbach family.  It was so beautiful.  Think Versailles, but fewer pictures of Louis.  Paintings and fabric walls, big grand halls, and amazing furniture.

I really loved Shell Grotto with the Mercury killing Medusa fountain (apparently, there used to be red wine instead of water... what an effect!).

 

Plus there were two tiny rooms right next to each other that I think were my favorite.  One was COVERED in mirrors and gold and had tiny (think like 4 inches tall) pottery everywhere!  The other room was no bigger than a walk in closet, was totally red, and was covered in mini reproductions of famous works of art (again, each mini painting was about 4 inches).

Next we took a nice beer break at a cafe and enjoyed the sun (have to say, I love the Augustiner wheat beer).  Unfortunately, we missed our reservation (at the place that was too crowded for us to get into the night before) because the buses were way off schedule.  So we went to a cool, artsy cafe/restaurant.  Still delicious.

Day 11:

First we went to the Deutsches Museum.  Kind of like the German version of the Smithsonian (smaller, because it's only one museum, but still very large).  Some things weren't in English, so we just kind of perused by.  Some real highlights were the boats, the planes, and the clocks.

 Next we went out of the city a bit to the Dachau Concentration Camp.  Dachau was created in 1933 for political prisoners but would later become the model for all other concentration camps under Hitler.  It's maximum capacity is 6,000 people, but when it was liberated by US troops in 1945, it was found with 32,000 people.  Of the 200,000 people who came to the camp over the 12 year period, over 43,000 of them died.

 

The front gate says "Work Brings Freedom" and the slogan written on the roof of the maintenance building read: "There is one path to freedom.  Its milestones are: Obedience, honesty, cleanliness, sobriety, diligence, orderliness, sacrifice, truthfulness, love of the fatherland."

Every day they held roll call and if one person was missing, everyone had to stand motionless until that person was found (death was more likely than an escape attempt).  Torture and work to the brink of death were a way of life and those who couldn't work were used for scientific experiments.  The food was barely enough to survive and had little to no nutritional value.  And on top of all of this, the camp was hit with a typhus epidemic.

A little out side of the main camp was the crematorium.  A gas chamber was built but never used for mass exterminations.  (Brausebad means shower in German).

 

Walking through Dachau is quite somber.  From the barracks, it's clear that there is no comfort and one can barely imagine what it would be like to live with no protection from neither the elements nor the guards.

Luckily it was a warm and sunny day and the museum exhibits, while they do stress the horrible injustices, were not horribly graphic.  After we came back to the city, we treated ourselves to a much appreciated rest before a great dinner at the crowded restaurant that we had tried to get into for two days.

Day 12:

Castle day!  It was nice to end the trip on such a cheery day trip (not that Dachau wasn't important, but clearly it's not the most uplifting place).  We went to Neuschwanstein, the castle built by "Mad" King Ludwig (note: Ludwig is German for Louis).  He was "Mad" because he was obsessed with the Middle Ages and built tons of story book castles.  He died under "Mysterious Circumstances" ... ie found dead with his psychiatrist next to a lake.

But the Castle and the woods around it are so beautiful (and just made me realize how much I'm going to miss working at camp this summer)!  You hike up a mountain and get rewarded with amazing views of the castle and the valley below.

 

Inside, photos aren't allowed, but I did my best anyway.  Thing is, it isn't an especially pretty castle.  In fact, because it's Faux Middle Age style done in the 19th century, it all looks kind of phoney.

 

We decided to call it an early night because we each had super early travel arrangements the next day.  I had 12 hours of train trips... Munich to Paris and Paris to Montpellier.  But, for half the ride to Paris, there was the cutest pug next to me!  What a great way to end the trip :)

 

Overall, Lez and I really enjoyed our travels.  It was really great to see her (it's so hard to see her much during the year anyway when she's in NY and I'm in PA) and we had a lot of fun!

Stay tuned for... good byes.

For more pics, click on the bejeweled skull: