This weekend has been jam packed with traveling. Kris and I rode our first night train to Munich this weekend and both of us agreed that it was miserable. We were crammed into a small, and hot room with four other people for 8.5 hours. I managed to get about one or two hours of sleep before the sun rose at around 4:45am over the German countryside. Nevertheless when we arrived in Munich at 7:30 we immediately headed to Castle Neuschwanstein after being picked up by Kris's dad Eric and his boss George who works in Munich.
We arrived at the castle around 10 and decided to go for a couple of rides on a sled/luge ride that was built into the side of the hill. Kris and I didn't realize how fast we were moving until we almost crashed into the person in front of us on the first ride down. But on our second try we waited at the top until we had enough room to go full throttle. Kris managed to get both rides on video with his camera so I will post those soon, but to give you an idea we were shooting down the aluminum track at what felt like over 30 mph at top speed. Banks were built into the turns and with every lean I could feel the blades of grass slapping the top of my head. It was a great thrill and start to our weekend!
We then hiked up the mountain to Castle Neuschwanstein (which is the castle Walt Disney designed his after) and toured through the nicknamed Swan Castle because of King Ludwig II's favorite animal. Trust me when I say there were swans everywhere... Everything from sink faucets, to tapestries, sculptures, and chandeliers was covered with Swans.
Even with the ridiculous interior decorations, the castle was extremely impressive even though the second floor of the interior was never finished. I have attached a picture of a postcard I picked up to give a view of the castle since my camera magically ran out of battery on the night train but don't worry I had Kris take plenty of pictures for me. After the castle tour we took a sky lift to the top of the nearby mountain for lunch while we watched hang gliders take off in the afternoon sun. The food was a welcome relief and the view of the town, castles, and lake below was breathtaking.
I had already been convinced to buy a home in Bavaria by this point no matter the cost simply because it would be worth every euro cent! And my decision would only be reinforced throughout the weekend. Next we drove to find a certain Herschberg Castle south of Munich because of a letter my Mom showed to me before we left for Europe from my grandfather who was stationed there at the end of World War II. The letter mentioned vague descriptions of the surrounding area and the view of the alps as well as the fact that the room he stayed in had been used to hide Mussolini after he was evacuated from Italy late in the war. We figured it would be worth a try to investigate but whoever lives in the castle now wasn't home and the private property was not accessible. I don't know if that was the castle mentioned in the letter but I will be looking into it further this summer to know for certain.
We then drove to a nearby lake and sat down at our first authentic biergarten on the shore and had a half liter of the famous Augustiner Helles beer which was so smooth and refreshing it was hard to believe. The company is one of the last privately owned breweries in Munich and has been in operation since 1328. Needless to say it was very impressive, especially since the only sell their beer to bars and restaurants that have been personally inspected to ensure the purity and quality of every aspect of its service so as to keep up their reputation. After a day in the Bavarian countryside we thanked George for escorting us and went back to the guest house we were staying at in Furstenfeldbruck. When we had recovered from a day of walking the three of us went out for dinner and local biergarten hopping where I tried my first Weissbier and Dunkel which were both so good that before we knew it we had made it to four different small biergartens and had accumulated almost three liters of beer in my stomach. But soon after that we called it a night in preparation for our excursion in Munich the next morning.
SOOO...... That was Saturday!
Bright and early Sunday (7am) we took a train into town to taste a local white sausage that is served with spicy mustard and I think is considered a local delicacy (Fact checking needed). We sat down next to a couple young German guys who turned out to be in high school and invited them to our table for beer and breakfast. We quickly befriended them and ended up finishing a liter of Weissbier for each of us as we talked. They recommended some of the local attractions as well as which tourist traps to skip which was very helpful throughout the day.
We then watched a puppetry scene of sorts built into the clock tower that went off at 11am, followed by a steep climb up another clock tower dubbed 'Old Peter'. The views were amazing and we could only begin to imagine what else Munich could offer us. Next we decided to take the train to BMW World north of us near the Olymic Park from the 1968 games. The pictures speak for themselves, but the entire complex was Mind-blowing! We got to sit in a few cars and motorcycles on display on the main floor before crossing the street to the BMW museum. Its hard to describe how amazing it all was but in a few words, BMW designed their buldings as beautiful, stylish, and bold as the cars that were in them. On the tour we went through the history of the company and the different cars, motorcycles, and engines they had designed and as an upcoming Mechanical Engineer I came to understand how much they appreciate innovation, quality, and the absolute perfection of everything that carries the BMW logo. This museum was a must see in Munich and I would especially recommend it to any architects and engineers out there.
(Side Note: Munich has an unbelievable train and bus system compared to Atlanta and most other American cities which is why we and all the German citizens are able to drink this much on a regular basis. Simply because they don't need a designated driver thanks to public transportation.)
Next up was a visit to the English garden and Chinese tower just east of us. While the names sound strange for a German city, the park was filled with locals enjoying the afternoon sunshine and beer at the biergarten surrounding the Chinese tower where a band was playing for all to hear. After another half liter there we took the train north to visit the infamous Dachau concentration camp memorial site. It was certainly a change of mood for the day but it was definitely worth it and it left a great impression on my mind that I will remember for a long time. I also hope to add to the list of World War II sites that I visit this summer past this one, including Normandy and Bastogne if I can fit in trips to them.
Back to Sunday evening... We spent the end of the day in downtown Munich again before heading back to our hotel and even though we thought we had seen everything exciting nearby, we stopped for several street bands including one that absolutely blew our minds with creativity and stage presence. I will post a link to a youtube video of them that was taken at their performance, but I would recommend taking a couple of minutes to listen to these guys because they were excellent. We then ended the night at the tourist trap called the Hofbrauhaus where I tried my first Radler beer which isn't particularly strong since it is mixed with half lemonade, but it was certainly refreshing after a full day of walking around. And that, was the end to my crazy full weekend.
Cheers!
Brian
We arrived at the castle around 10 and decided to go for a couple of rides on a sled/luge ride that was built into the side of the hill. Kris and I didn't realize how fast we were moving until we almost crashed into the person in front of us on the first ride down. But on our second try we waited at the top until we had enough room to go full throttle. Kris managed to get both rides on video with his camera so I will post those soon, but to give you an idea we were shooting down the aluminum track at what felt like over 30 mph at top speed. Banks were built into the turns and with every lean I could feel the blades of grass slapping the top of my head. It was a great thrill and start to our weekend!
We then hiked up the mountain to Castle Neuschwanstein (which is the castle Walt Disney designed his after) and toured through the nicknamed Swan Castle because of King Ludwig II's favorite animal. Trust me when I say there were swans everywhere... Everything from sink faucets, to tapestries, sculptures, and chandeliers was covered with Swans.
Even with the ridiculous interior decorations, the castle was extremely impressive even though the second floor of the interior was never finished. I have attached a picture of a postcard I picked up to give a view of the castle since my camera magically ran out of battery on the night train but don't worry I had Kris take plenty of pictures for me. After the castle tour we took a sky lift to the top of the nearby mountain for lunch while we watched hang gliders take off in the afternoon sun. The food was a welcome relief and the view of the town, castles, and lake below was breathtaking.
I had already been convinced to buy a home in Bavaria by this point no matter the cost simply because it would be worth every euro cent! And my decision would only be reinforced throughout the weekend. Next we drove to find a certain Herschberg Castle south of Munich because of a letter my Mom showed to me before we left for Europe from my grandfather who was stationed there at the end of World War II. The letter mentioned vague descriptions of the surrounding area and the view of the alps as well as the fact that the room he stayed in had been used to hide Mussolini after he was evacuated from Italy late in the war. We figured it would be worth a try to investigate but whoever lives in the castle now wasn't home and the private property was not accessible. I don't know if that was the castle mentioned in the letter but I will be looking into it further this summer to know for certain.
We then drove to a nearby lake and sat down at our first authentic biergarten on the shore and had a half liter of the famous Augustiner Helles beer which was so smooth and refreshing it was hard to believe. The company is one of the last privately owned breweries in Munich and has been in operation since 1328. Needless to say it was very impressive, especially since the only sell their beer to bars and restaurants that have been personally inspected to ensure the purity and quality of every aspect of its service so as to keep up their reputation. After a day in the Bavarian countryside we thanked George for escorting us and went back to the guest house we were staying at in Furstenfeldbruck. When we had recovered from a day of walking the three of us went out for dinner and local biergarten hopping where I tried my first Weissbier and Dunkel which were both so good that before we knew it we had made it to four different small biergartens and had accumulated almost three liters of beer in my stomach. But soon after that we called it a night in preparation for our excursion in Munich the next morning.
SOOO...... That was Saturday!
Bright and early Sunday (7am) we took a train into town to taste a local white sausage that is served with spicy mustard and I think is considered a local delicacy (Fact checking needed). We sat down next to a couple young German guys who turned out to be in high school and invited them to our table for beer and breakfast. We quickly befriended them and ended up finishing a liter of Weissbier for each of us as we talked. They recommended some of the local attractions as well as which tourist traps to skip which was very helpful throughout the day.
We then watched a puppetry scene of sorts built into the clock tower that went off at 11am, followed by a steep climb up another clock tower dubbed 'Old Peter'. The views were amazing and we could only begin to imagine what else Munich could offer us. Next we decided to take the train to BMW World north of us near the Olymic Park from the 1968 games. The pictures speak for themselves, but the entire complex was Mind-blowing! We got to sit in a few cars and motorcycles on display on the main floor before crossing the street to the BMW museum. Its hard to describe how amazing it all was but in a few words, BMW designed their buldings as beautiful, stylish, and bold as the cars that were in them. On the tour we went through the history of the company and the different cars, motorcycles, and engines they had designed and as an upcoming Mechanical Engineer I came to understand how much they appreciate innovation, quality, and the absolute perfection of everything that carries the BMW logo. This museum was a must see in Munich and I would especially recommend it to any architects and engineers out there.
(Side Note: Munich has an unbelievable train and bus system compared to Atlanta and most other American cities which is why we and all the German citizens are able to drink this much on a regular basis. Simply because they don't need a designated driver thanks to public transportation.)
Next up was a visit to the English garden and Chinese tower just east of us. While the names sound strange for a German city, the park was filled with locals enjoying the afternoon sunshine and beer at the biergarten surrounding the Chinese tower where a band was playing for all to hear. After another half liter there we took the train north to visit the infamous Dachau concentration camp memorial site. It was certainly a change of mood for the day but it was definitely worth it and it left a great impression on my mind that I will remember for a long time. I also hope to add to the list of World War II sites that I visit this summer past this one, including Normandy and Bastogne if I can fit in trips to them.
Back to Sunday evening... We spent the end of the day in downtown Munich again before heading back to our hotel and even though we thought we had seen everything exciting nearby, we stopped for several street bands including one that absolutely blew our minds with creativity and stage presence. I will post a link to a youtube video of them that was taken at their performance, but I would recommend taking a couple of minutes to listen to these guys because they were excellent. We then ended the night at the tourist trap called the Hofbrauhaus where I tried my first Radler beer which isn't particularly strong since it is mixed with half lemonade, but it was certainly refreshing after a full day of walking around. And that, was the end to my crazy full weekend.
Cheers!
Brian
