Where to begin?
We left Marburg on Friday afternoon – we took the regional train to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof then an ICE (Inter-City Express) train straight on to Munich. We got to our hostel tired and starving, freshened up, and headed out to one of Munich’s famous Biergartens. There we met Udo, a slightly drunk German footballer from Frankfurt, who insisted on practicing his English. Despite his very good English and our intention of learning German, he would not speak German with us. Due to our extreme hunger, the terrible and sketchy service, and the cramped and loud space, most of us departed in search of food and beer (and were successful). After stuffing our faces with traditional German food (Bratwurst or Currywurst) or some less traditional dishes (chicken nuggets and spare ribs), we relaxed and enjoyed the France vs. Uruguay football game. There we hung out for a good part of the night, then went back to the hostel to unwind and get some sleep.
The Biergarten where we ate on Friday night
The next morning we got up in time for some breakfast at the hostel and headed out to walk towards Marienplatz (the main square of the city). On the way, we stopped in a few churches, such as St. Michael’s Kirche and die Frauenkirche (a very famous sight in Munich). St. Michael’s Kirche was magnificent – we weren’t sure how they hid such a huge building into the façade along a busy street. The ornamentation was incredible (and much easier to appreciate after an in-depth art history class). We went down to the crypt area of the church and saw König Ludwig II’s coffin (and final resting place) along with those of other members of the royal family.
Die Frauenkirche
Outside of die Frauenkirche
We then got to Marienplatz around 11 am, in time to see the “Glockenspiel”. It turns out that the Glockenspiel is quite lame and not really worth the 15 minutes it took up… but perhaps it’s one of the things that tourists “just have to do” in Munich… Basically, at 11 am, 12 pm, and 5 pm, the clock rings and these wooden life-size figures come out and spin around and dance, if you will. I felt like I was watching what became of Disney’s rejected Small World figures.
The Rathaus (city hall) of Munich, where the Glockenspiel takes place
From then on, our group split up. Some people opted to take a tour of Dachau, one of the first concentration camps opened in Germany. I chose to stay within the city with two other girls, our teacher, and someone from last year’s Marburg trip who happens to be working at BMW in Munich at the moment. We took the S-Bahn (Strassenbahn, or street train – a trolley system) to Nymphenburg. There is a palace that belonged to the royal family (and was the birth place of König Ludwig II). We toured through the open part of the palace and then meandered the grounds, which were beautiful. Lots of nice open fields, paths, and streams. We saw at least two couples getting their wedding photos taken there. Despite complete exhaustion from all the walking we had done already, it was quite nice to stroll around the palace grounds.
Nymphenburg Schloss (palace)
Soon after, we took the S-Bahn to the Deutsches Museum, a technology museum. We got to it at 4pm, and it closes at 5pm, so we were able to get in for free. I managed to get myself slightly lost in the mining exhibit, which consisted of multitudes of tunnels arranged under the museum. I eventually got myself out, but didn’t like the silence that reverberated throughout the exhibit as I attempted to find my way in the dark tunnels shortly before closing time… The museum itself was very interesting, and I wish I had had some more time in it.
That night, we went to another Biergarten to watch the USA vs. England game. We watched the first half there, but when we learned it was supposed to rain, we headed back to the hostel and continued to watch the game in the bar under our hostel. The game was relatively uneventful, since we tied with England 1-1. But at least we didn’t lose!
The next morning, we got up bright and early to catch a 7:52am train from Munich to (eventually) Füssen. A delayed train made us miss one of our connections, so we got to Neuschwanstein a little later than we had hoped, but it turned out fine. To get to the castle, you get driven to the bottom of it and then you have to walk uphill for about 20-25 minutes… but it definitely worth it! It was a cloudy, foggy, and rainy day when we went, but it was still one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The castle is extremely fairytale-like and definitely awesome (in the literal sense of the word). It’s location among the foothills of the Alps is gorgeous! Can’t blame crazy Ludwig II for wanting to build a home in that location…
Some background info on Neuschwanstein – it was built in the 1860s by König Ludwig II, who is considered by many to have been slightly crazy. He was building castles all over the place and spending the state’s money for such unnecessary work. He justified it by claiming that he was giving work to many of the state’s people, but that excuse didn’t work for the state. Eventually, he was forced to leave the throne and lived for a year elsewhere before he and his physician mysteriously drowned on a walk. Some suspect that he may have been assassinated because of his excessive spending. The ironic thing is that Neuschwanstein is now Germany’s most popular tourist destination, so it brings in millions of euro to the country each year.
Neuschwanstein from the foot of the castle
Amazing view from Neuschwanstein (the other castle is where King Ludwig II grew up)
We left Neuschwanstein around 3pm to catch a bus back to Füssen. Then we took a train fo Buchloe, then took a connecting one to Augsburg, then to Mannheim, then to Frankfurt, then finally to Marburg... five trains was a little intense, but we all made it back around 10:30!
It was a very busy weekend that was definitely memorable! We are now starting a new week! I do not have class on Mondays (today), so I should be a little bit better rested.
That’s all for now! Expect more updates in a couple days!
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