The Semana Santa Saga: Part III

Where: Munich, Germany

When: Saturday, March 27 – Monday, March 29

Actual time spent in the city: 12 hours (from 11:30 AM—11:30 PM on Saturday)

How we got there: We took a rickety, 5-hour train ride from Prague to Nuremberg, which wasn’t the best way to be introduced to train travel because of the unsettling way the cars incessantly wobbled on the track. We had 6 minutes in Nuremberg to make our connection, and my pulse was pounding for about 3.5 of those 6 minutes until we found the correct train and jumped on board. While the Nuremberg train to Munich was much nicer than our previous mode of transport, it was packed to the brim; in the end, we had to stand for an hour before pulling into the head station of Munich.

Where we stayed: A convenient neighbor to the train station, Wombats Hostel was our last-minute choice of residence for two nights, and I’m glad we didn’t stay any longer than that. Wombats was probably one of the biggest party hostels I’ve ever stayed at while traveling around (which isn’t my cup of tea or even my choice of brew)… but it fit right in with Munich’s mentality of having a good time all the time.

What I say about Munich:

As the capital city of Bavaria, Munich has an interesting past and an important role in history. This is where the royal family ruled from the luxurious palace residence, served as the seat of the Holy Roman Empire for a time, and was a point of conflict during both World Wars. In fact, it is the city where Hitler and the Nazi Party gained momentum, and thus it became a target for the Allied forces. Today, the city is a mish-mash of modernity and of days gone by. Combine this sharply contrasting fusion of time periods with the numerous “bier gartens” and party-like atmosphere (one that rivals Madrid’s in some regards) and you’ll get a glimpse of Munich.

What went down in Munich:

With only a few hours to see the city on afternoon, SK & I did a lot of “drive-by sightseeing” around the city center. On a Saturday afternoon, it was a bit overwhelming with the large amounts of tourists and locals walking about, shopping, eating, and drinking. Nevertheless, we wriggled our way through the crowds to marvel at some of Munich’s impressive buildings.

• The Marienplatz is the central town square and home of the New Town Hall, a great piece of architecture whose distinguished attraction is the Rathaus-Glockenspiel, as shown below.

• Since Bavaria is the Catholic capital of Germany, there are quite a lot of large churches in the area, and we

  

  took a turn around a few of them. From the nearly 300-year-old tower of Heiliggeistkirche (Th e Church of the Holy Spirit), we had a panoramic view of Munich, and the lantern domes from dozens of churches shot up from the cityscape. The Frauenkirche (The Cathedral of Our Blessed Lady) stood proudly in the foreground, just to the left of the town hall as seen in the picture above.

• We were delighted to come across another Easter Market in the Viktualienmarkt, where gourmet foods, fresh flowers and topiaries, and painted eggs were on display and for the taking. I found a lovely set of flowers and twigs that seemed like the perfect wedding bouquet…but upon further thought, I didn’t buy it.

• We strolled through one of the world’s largest urban public parks, the Englischer Garten, which is actually bigger than NYC’s Central Park. The open grassy spaces were inviting, but there is more to this park than at first glance. A small artificial river runs through the woods and fields and almost everyday, you can find… surfers at “the wave,” trying their luck and defying local authorities. The Biergarten at the Chinese Pagoda draws large crowds in warmer weather, but it was as bit too chilly by dusk for me.

• When in Munich, do as the locals and tourists do—drink beer and eat meat! And so we did. But in moderation, I promise. My mouth might wish to be German, but my stomach just won’t allow that. Drinking beer is such a big part of the culture that you can even drink and drive… a bicycle? Nuts.

• We did go to the Hofbräuhaus, which according to Wikipedia is “arguably the most famous beer hall worldwide.” We searched for a seat and weren’t successful until we grabbed a table in the outside central courtyard of this massive establishment. Hilariously enough, it began to sprinkle and then rain after we had ordered our food and been served our wheat beers. So, we pulled out our one umbrella and we ate our food in the rain while everyone else packed into the small spaces under the awnings for protection. It was awesome.

What and where: A day trip to the town of Füssen, Germany and the famous castles of Neuschwanstein & Hohenschwanstein

When: Sunday, March 28 (From about noon until 7:30 PM)

How we got there: Local train from Munich to Füssen

The story of these castles:

• Schloss Hohenschwanstein (literally translated as High Swan County Palace) was was built in the 19^th century as the hunting lodge and place of refuge for King Maximilian II of Bavaria and his family. As far as palaces go, I thought it was rather “modest,” because it wasn’t very large or excessively adorned (Well…in my opinion, all palaces are excessively adorned, but I’ve seen plenty with much more ridiculous frivolities than this one). The bright yellow exterior of the palace gave it a happy, warm glow that was replicated inside by appealing wall murals, soft fabrics, and attractive furniture. It had a cozy, homey feel, and as our tour guide told us about the family history and traditions, I could easily imagine the queen reclining in her lounge chair in the warm sunshine or sneaking upstairs to her husband’s room via the secret passageway in the dead of night. I could imagine the king sitting at his desk, reviewing official documents or reading a book for leisure. I could see the children running up and down the stairs and play fighting in the lower courtyard.

• Schloss Neuschwanstein was King Ludwig II’s whimsical and rather eccentric project, produced by a desire to outdo his father’s palace and to capture the essence of Richard Wagner’s music. Yet, before he could completely finish the maniacal undertaking, King Ludwig II put the country in debt and was declared insane by Parliament and then dethroned. He and his physician were mysteriously found dead in a nearby lake not long after his dethronement. To this day, no one knows how he died. And since his death in 1886, the castle has been open to the public—and more than 1 million people visit every year.
• This was allegedly Walt Disney’s inspiration for his Sleeping Beauty Castle. Can you note any similarities?
• Also, a number of movies have been filmed here, like my childhood favorite Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!

A little bit about Füssen:

This quintessential Bavarian town was an ideal little stop between the grandness of its neighbors and the cosmopolitan vivacity of Munich. It was a cute, quiet refuge from the crowds, and interestingly enough, it’s the sister town to Helen, Georgia (my not-too-distant neighbor in the USA). I’d like to inform my grandfather, Pop-Pop, that this town and its surrounding countryside are where Steve McQueen filmed a lot of his motorcycle stunts for The Great Escape.

SK & I had a tendency to find ourselves in the film locations of several great classics, and our first stop after leaving Germany the following day was no exception…