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Published: December 19th 2008
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(December 8th - 9th) Germany round two! Originally we weren’t planning on coming to Munich (I know I know, it seems to be a running theme now as we get towards the end of the trip, but hey, its nice to have the flexibility to go where we please). But Brian noticed something in the travel book that I had overlooked. What’s funny is that after Brian told me we were going to Munich, I remembered a photo from the very first night I met Roy. He had just returned from his European vacation, and of all the pictures he showed me, the one that caught my eye was of Neuschwanstein Castle, the castle that inspired Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland. And although it’s a two-hour train ride, a ten-minute bus ride, and a thirty-minute hike up a hill (snow-covered for us thank you), it was an astonishing sight. The train ride alone going up into the snowy mountains was beautiful. Truly a winter wonderland. Although the hike up the hill left us out of breath and sweating in the freezing winter air, the castle was amazing. I hate to state the obvious, but it was like a fairy
tale. We spent time catching our breaths and admiring the beautiful view of the castle itself as well as the mountains and plains surrounding it. It was only at the start of our way down that we realized the horse and carriage ride up to the top was only 5 euros for the two of us (about 7 dollars). We laughed at the fact that we’d somehow missed it on the way up and instead got our fill of exercise for the day. As we enjoyed our peaceful carriage ride back down the mountain “Jingle Bells” and other Christmas carols played in my head. I’ve never been on a carriage ride through the snow, but now I highly recommend it, no wonder there are so many Christmas songs about sleigh rides.
If you’ve ever had the desire to go to the actual Oktoberfest in Germany, Easy Palace is the place to stay (the hostel we were fortunate enough to stay in.) There’s free Bavarian beer tasting at the bar, the rooms are incredibly warm with snuggly beds, and the grounds for Oktoberfest are only two blocks away. The story of Oktoberfest, as told to us by the bartender at
Easy Palace, is King Ludwig I and Therese of Bavaria were to be married, so they decided to have a three-day celebration in honor of their wedding. There was gambling, horse races, drinking, and dancing! The people liked it so much, when the first anniversary came around they decided to celebrate again. And again with the second, and the third, and so on and so on. Its been almost 500 years and no one seems to remember why they’re drinking in later September and early October for a now two-week celebration, but the tradition has carried on.
In the winter, the grounds for Oktoberfest is where they hold the biggest Christmas Market in Munich and by far the biggest one we’ve seen yet. So instead of getting sloshed off beer, hundreds of people are bundled up for warmth warming their bellies with mulled wine and buying Christmas presents of every kind. This market held the greatest array of various presents. There were handmade toys, clothes, bath products, music, trinkets from all over the world, jewelry, furniture, and several booths in which you could get an actual tattoo or hair weaves put in. Brian’s still a little upset he didn’t
get a weave done. He must have walked past the booth four or five times before pressing on. I must say that my before relatively “light” side bag is now getting more and more full with presents of all sorts, shapes, and kinds. Its hard to pass by when some trinkets we’ve never before seen in our lives and who knows when we’ll ever see again.
Sadly the last night we stayed in Munich, I was so exhausted I launched myself into bed and noticed a loud “crrrrackkkk.” I had accidentally broken one of the boards underneath the bed. Rather than just let it be, Brian of course had to inspect, and upon seeing that the one board was beyond repair, he decided to have a Kung Fu action sequence to finish it off. To my amusement, Brian tried jump kicking the board, breaking it over his head, and drop-kicking it in the air. One broken board, one headache, and a few splinters later, we had definitely had our fill of Munich.
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