I started my journey Thursday night flying from Heathrow to Munich International. Airports in Europe are crazy intense, winding, and huge! So I finally made it to my terminal to fly out on Luftsana. I was in a plane full of German businessmen who must have been coming back from their week of work, so funny to listen to them speak their accents are so harsh! I made it into Munich a bit late but thankfully was able to find Trevor as soon as I exited the terminal. We made our way down to the train trying to figure out how on earth we were going to get to the hostel! Thankfully the train systems are pretty easy to figure out once you have gotten your ticket and they announce quite a bit in English. We were exhausted from the travel and yes we did get lost a bit trying to find the hostel, which is literally 2 minute walk from the huge main train station... whoops! Once we got there though we hit up the fantastic bar lounge which was booming with all kinds of people.
The next morning we decided we would do a day trip to the Neuschwanstein castle, the one we know the best as the one Walt Disney was inspired by! We took the train to Fussen (2 hours) and then took the bus up to the mountain town. Once we got up there we had to buy our tickets and then you have to hike up the mountain to get to the castle. We decided to be different and to take the horse carriage up! It was so pretty and a lovely experience :) finally we got to the top and walked up to take many, many pictures of the gorgeous castle! Finally we had tour of the inside of the castle. I guess I didn't know that it was never finished and I don't think anyone really ever got to live there, which is so unfortunate because the rooms that are done are so ornate and detailed, it's stunning! And every window has the most breath-taking view (pictures don't even do it justice)! Unfortunately you can't take pictures inside the castle so I only have my lovely memories, but if you google it, I am sure tons of pictures will show up. The throne room was my favorite, it had this huge chandelier that weighed literally a ton! King Ludwig was for sure crazy, he had every room painted with scenes from operas he enjoyed, and his favorite animal was a swan... I don't think I have ever heard of anyone loving swans haha I found that extremely interesting too. All in all the place was incredible, something everyone should see. The Bavarian countryside is so naturally beautiful I really enjoyed it. After we got back from out castle adventure we changed and headed out for dinner. Our hostel map laid out some of the most famous beer halls in the city so we decided to try out some authentic german food. It was a mad house! All the waiters/waitresses wear traditional German outfits and can carry sooooooo many mugs of beer, it is impressive!!!! We had a wonderful time people watching, the atmosphere is so much fun. You just walk in and sit at these huge picnic tables with lots of random people. We sat across from a group of Asian tourists who apparently didn't know how strong beer is in Germany... needless to say they wanted to cheers constantly by the end of dinner haha it was definitely a great night!
Saturday morning we got up early to head to Dachau which is only about a half hour from Munich. I was nervous about how I would react to it, actually seeing a concentration camp for the first time. It was a really chilly gray day to set the mood even more. We got audio guides and started walking around the camp. Most of the camp has been destroyed, only a few buildings are actually authentic, the bunks have been rebuilt as replicas so you can see what they would have originally looked like. The museum part is authentic though, it was wear people were checked into the camp and basically had all their freedoms stripped away. Honestly I can't even explain how eerie and depressing it is. Like you just keep wondering, how did this happen? how could people do this to one another? How could you be that brainwashed? It's honestly mind-blowing. I really didn't take many pictures, I just didn't think it was appropriate. It was just something I knew I needed to see first hand and experience. I learned so much more than I originally knew. I couldn't believe how many people were imprisoned there and how many were killed. The place became an execution spot. I honestly tear up recalling it. The worst part is the crematorium though. I think I was in there for literally a minute before I felt physically ill. I couldn't handle it, the thought of all those innocent people... it's beyond awful. Parts of me wanted to burst out crying at so many points during our visit. All in all it was a really moving experience.
We came back to Munich early afternoon and decided to grab some lunch and explore the city center. The place was crazy packed! The shopping scene there is incredible, just store after store in this huge plaza. We browsed in and out of a few places, mostly to keep warm! Also we stumbled upon the big cathedral and decided to go in to check it out. The thing was literally massive! The highest ceilings and the biggest crucifix I have ever seen! Again you will be able to tell I fell in love with yet more stained glass windows haha I am just so intrigued by them! They are so beautifully done and detailed with scenes from stories from the Bible and saints. After exploring we took a bit of break and then got ready and headed out for another authentic German dinner. We even topped that dinner off with some flaming apple fritters mmmm... delicious! Right around the corner from the restaurant too was the most famous beer hall in Munich, Hofbräuhaus! The place is soo big! It has multiple levels and a German band playing. Needless to say this was a perfect last night in Munich! We enjoyed the fun, loud, and crazy atmosphere and even ordered the biggest pretzel I have ever seen. Literally the thing was bigger than my face haha It was very very good :) I say we get them in the states! Eric and some of his friends met up with us there too! It was a great last night!
Needless to say the weekend was an A+ (as my dad likes to put it!)! We had a wonderful time and saw a lot! Germany is a wonderful place and I can't wait to go back! It is full of great people and stunning views both in the city and the countryside. I highly recommend Munich or Munchen as they say, to anyone traveling in Europe!
This week is busy once again! Full of classes, work, actual homework :( haha, and then we are leaving for Dublin on Friday morning! Going to be another wonderful week in Londontown!
Miss all you guys back in the states! Hope everyone is doing well!
xoxoxoxoxo from London and a very Happy Valentine's Day to everyone tomorrow!
With a pretzel that size you have to have a LARGE beer! Uncle Bob
ReplyDelete