Munich - Deutchland macht Spass!

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All in all, Peter and I stayed in Munich four nights. It was a great base from which to make day trips to smaller Germany towns. The first day of arrival was spent walking around Munich exploring the great sites. The first stop was Marienplatz, with ten minutes to spare till 1 o'clock. We waited around for the Glockenspiel to chime, but nothing happened. Little did we know that it only plays at 12 and 5 everyday, so I was a little disappointed. Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel was one of the first things we learnt about in my German class in N.Z. I remember we had to ask for directions on how to get there in a mock interview....gerade aus und die zweite strasse links... Luckily, however, on our last day in Munich (as we were waiting for the night train to Rome), we made sure we were at the Glockenspiel at 12 and saw the performance...it goes on for at least 15 minutes. Our first night in Munich we had dinner at a local Italian place, and the waiter was from Albania. He claimed he had moved here when he was five years old and can speak five languages fluently - how cool is that! It sounds like most people here are multilingual and it is spurring me on to learn more I think.

Our second day excursion was to Neuschwanstein Castle. The train ride was beautiful (I actually stayed awake for once), rolling hills and castles. Peter and I had Bratwurst for lunch and meandered our way up the very, very steep hill to the castle. Other more sensible people took a horse and cart - I felt so sorry for those horses, carting loud tourist up and down the hill all day. The walk was probably one of the best parts of the day, however, because it afforded a breathtaking view over the valley and the town of Fussen. I can imagine why Ludwig chose this spot for his castle. The sight of the castle was not so impressive up close, as it did look like modern set design, rather than an old castle (probably because it was only built in the late 1800s). However, the nature surrounding it was magical - waterfalls and green trees galore. We braved the crowds and took the tour inside the castle, which was interesting. He certainly loved Wagner - every room is dedicated to one of Wagner's works...My favourite rooms were the Swan room, where even the doorhandles were in the shape of swans, and also his private bedroom with the painting of 'Tristan and Isolde' overlooking an impressive wooden bed. He certainly was a romantic, with is own private cave built into the house...I can see why the government thought him mad. The history of Ludwig was very interesting and when I get home I think I would love to read up more about it...especially his wife Sissi.

The next day we day tripped into Salzburg and apart from Dresden, this place has probably been my favourite also. I wish we had more time to spend here (we only had one afternoon to explore). We took a bus tour of the city, taking in the site of Mozart's two residences and also their local brewery. I particularly enjoyed seeing the sites of the 'Sound of Music', posing in front of Leopold's castle (the sight for Captain Von Trapps house), singing 'The Hills are alive' (Peter thought I was nuts) - the photos we have of this trip show a very sensible Peter (who doesnt pose for photos) and a very 'Posy' Alex... We had the famous Mozart balls (chocolates) for lunch (a very healthy lunch) and wandered the cobblestone streets of the Altestadt. I LOOOOVED IT! When we return to Europe one day, a return visit to Salzburg will certainly be on my list. We also meandered through some gardens (the name escapes me now), but it was lovely, as flowers were blooming. Peter was on a mission to find a toilet before our bus trip, so we were rushing to get to the toilet, ascending a set of stairs, when an old lady said something to me in German...at first I didnt know what it was...so walked past her, but then turned around, wondering what it was...Peter said he heard 'steigen' which means climb. So I walked over to her and apologised, saying I didnt understand German and would she like some help...In perfect English, she replied: Yes please, can you help me get down the stairs..Im struggling! After we helped her, and she wandered off into the beautiful gardens, I got so emotional....blubbering in the middle of Salzburg, because she reminded me of my gran and I thought of how much my gran would have loved the gardens in Salzburg.

The next day, a day trip to Rothenburg ob de Tauber. We got up very early to beat the crowds and for the 3 and a half hour train trip ahead of us. It was worth it though. This place is how I expected Germany to look. Even though it was very touristy, it was nice to wander the cobbletone streets with fountains at every corner and taking in the beautiful views from their surrounding wall. We went to their Torture Museum, which was fascinating, as they displayed all kinds of instruments of torture and history of witch hunts. It certainly made me very grateful for living in todays world, as they even placed bridles on women who complained and mocked them in the streets. I also took a few photos of Shame masks that I will take back to school with me to threaten kids who are: chatterboxes, tattletales, and liars....hehehe...

Our final day in Munich was spent catching up on sleep and wandering around the city. We spent the afternoon in the Deutches Museum, which Peter absolutely loved. He was like a kid in a candy store - admiring machinery and technology. After about hour four, I decided to wait for him in the lobby - there is only so much mining machinery you can oooh and aaaah over. One of the interesting exhibits they had there though was the glass blowing exhibit...they made many beautiful things! We then reluctantly said goodbye to Munich, boarding a Night train to Roma

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