Munchen:The Real German Experience

Gotta catch up on all of these bad boys before life really gets crazy.  Went to Munich two weekends ago and had a really good ole Bavarian time.  There is something different about Bavaria that makes an experience in that region so much more different than the rest of Germany.  Our journey started out a little rough.  We left on a 7 am train out of Reutlingen and when we reached our first stop on the line the train come to a complete stop and turned off.  We sat there in confusion for a long time not understanding any of the announcements on the speakers.  Finally out of pure frustration I turned to a German version of a Guido sitting next to me and asked what was going on.  He told that there was a body on the tracks and the rail was shut down until the police cleared the route.  This was a major problem for us because we were going to miss our connecting train with reservations that we had already paid for and we would miss our reservations for a tour at Neuschwanstein (Cinderella Castle) later that afternoon.  We got of the train and managed to call the castle and get our tour switched to Sunday.  We then chilled at a coffee shop until we could get on another train to take us to Stuttgart and then Munich.  The kicker of this whole ordeal is that we realized later on that it was Friday the 13th.

When we arrived at our hostel later that day we settled a little and then went exploring into the main city center.  Munich is gorgeous and the best part about it is that everything is so centrally located.  For dinner we went to the Augustine Kellar.  That night we just explored Munich and got familiar with the city.

On Saturday we visited the Residence which was the Bavarian Palace for multiple royal families.  Not only are there 130 rooms to see, but the treasury also contains the crown jewels.  I think I want this for Christmas.

After a morning in such a grand palace we were ready for Mike's Bike tour.  We dressed in coats and scarves and running shoes because it was so cold and raining.  We had a great tour guide named Tony who spent 4 hours that afternoon showing us everything that Munich had to offer we even stopped at the Chinese Pagoda beer garden for lunch and listened to a live brass band.



 

 

I don't know if you can really grasp how great "Tony the Tiger" was, so maybe this will help.  He stole my camera......

 



 

 

We ended the tour tired from laughing and so full of sights.  We saw the surfing bridge, the English Gardens, the square where Hitler first tried to overtake Munich, and so much more plus the rain for the most part held off.  That night we went to the infamous Hoffbrauhaus and I experienced a real beer hall and even had my first full liter of beer. 

 

 

We even met a new friend.  One of our roommates at the hostel was by herself and came out to dinner with us.  Zara was from Australia and she was so sweet.  Time seems to stand still in beer halls and who knew over three hours we would emerge completely stuffed from good Bavarian food and hoarse from singing with the brass band.  There is such a camaraderie in halls like this.  You sit next to complete strangers and end up meeting some amazing people who are from all over the world and are experiencing the same thing you are and singing the same drinking sings in German.

 

 

On Sunday we visited Neuschwanstein and even though I have been there before it never ceases to amaze me how crazy Ludwig helped create such an ionic piece of architecture.  I was hoping for a sunny day but we had some clouds, but that did not dampen the beauty of the castle.

 

 

Even though there was little issue bad luck on a very unlucky day, we had an amazing time and a very real German experience in Munchen.  Sometimes in Reutlingen I wish I was studying in Bavaria, which just has a different atmosphere than Baden-Wurttemberg but, than it would the magic out it.  Bavaria is just that: pure German magic.

 

Auf Wiedersehen,

Chels

 

 



Back From the Land of Luther and Bach

So I have not written on of these bad boys in a while so it is time to get on that.  I have been recuperating from my travels to Leipzig, Wittenberg, Eisenach, Erfurt, and Wurzburg.  99% of this was with my prof for our Luther and Bach class and then Sarah and I took a side trip at the very end to Wurzburg.  So this is gonna be a long one, but I will include pictures for the people like my mom who just like the pretty pictures;)

The beginning of our trip to Leipzig was not without its issues.  Our second train was so late that we missed all of our connecting trains afterwards and thus our reservations, but we were so lucky and made trains in time with seats.  Leipzig has a famous orange beer so that night we went to a famous brewery and tried it.  The next day was all about Bach and music in Leipzig.  We went to the Thomaskirche where Bach worked and taught and then went across the street to the Bach Museum.  Other places we visited include the oldest coffee house in Europe, the Stasi museum, Mendelsohn's house, and the Grassi Museum.  Below I am having a moment with my man Bach.

 
The next day was Wittenberg where it was all about Luther.  We visited the house and school where he lived and taught as well as the Castle Church where he posted the 95 Thesis and St. Mary's church where he preached.  Sarah, Allie and I stayed later than the others to shop and go to an English church service.  You would not believe it but there were two Valpo graduates at the church and one of them was the coordinator....it was unbelievable.  This is the door where the Thesis was posted.


Eisenach was our next step where we went to the Wurzburg Castle where Luther was held in exile and where he translated the bible into common Germanic language.  After the castle we visited Bach's house and a museum there.

Erfurt was a blast the next day.  We went to the monastery where Luther stayed and studied as well as the Cathedral where he was ordained.  One of the highlights was stumbling upon this church that had opened up there tower to the public so we climbed all the way up and looked down on the city.  Dinner was with the whole group at Luther Keller which was like Medieval Times.  This cathedral was one of the major highlights


The last day Sarah and I broke up our travels back with a stop Wurzburg.  We visited the Residence, which is Europe's second largest palace and my gosh was it fantastic.  Not only was the inside gorgeously painted and sculpted but the gardens were also exquisite.  After that we visited the cathedral they had which was very different from the other churches we had visited, because everything was stark white.  The next stop before we made the last leg home was the Marienberg Fortress at the top of the hill and above a vineyard.  We made the long sweaty hike but it was definitely worth it.  The gardens of the Residence were my favorite by far.

This was an amazing trip but it was good to be back in Reutlingen which feels more like home everyday.  It has also been great coming back to all kinds of new international students who are so fantastic and great new friends to hang out with.  Tomorrow morning I will be heading out to Munich and Fussen to see Neuschwanstein.  A week from tomorrow we will be taking our other class trip to Berlin and then with some free time I think I will be doing the Rhine Valley and a day at Oktoberfest.

Auf Wiedersehen,
Chels