On the train again and Tom is still hanging with his oldies. Munich greeted us with wonderful weather and this gave us the chance to experience the biergartens and explore the city. First up Paul and I did a 'free' walking tour of the old city.....free apart from the tip that is expected to be given to the guide at the end of the tour. This included a visit to the Hofbrauhaus a beer hall in the city centre. Apparently Mozart lived around the corner and would often go there. I guess these days it would be considered his 'local'. We were also informed the beer hall was where the Nazi party held functions and decided on their policies. Another interesting place was the Cathedral 'Church of our Lady' with its two onion shaped dome towers located near Marienplatz. In the entrance of the interior of the cathedral you come across the legendary devil's footprint in the floor of the church. Long story about this and Paul will inform you all at a later date.
Another lovely part of the city was exploring the English Garden which is a large public park laid out like an English Garden hence its name. We discovered the surfing spots and spent awhile just watching the surfers do their thing on the wave that was created in a confined space on the water ways. Lots of cycle paths, shaded areas and of course beer gardens. One of these is right next to the Chinese Tower which has been burnt down several times but is always rebuilt to the original plans.
Just by chance we discovered the King's Square which has three temple buildings in the classic Greek style that appear to form a majestic statement to what would have been the main entrance into the city. You could almost believe that you were in Greece. Large statues adorn this area which is located off the main drag.
A day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle or the Fairy-tale Castle by train saw us climbing up to the top of the rock it is situated on. This castle was built for King Ludwig 2 who was King of Bavaria due to some unfortunate circumstances. Apparently he was rather shy, a good swimmer who met his death by drowning. Lots of rumours surrounding as to what happened on the fatal night of his death. Not long after he died the castle was opened up to the public in 1886......I guess everyone wanted to see what their taxes where paying for. Lots of swans around as this was the heraldic animal used.
It was also suggested by our tour leader that if possible a visit to a concentration camp should be one of the things to do. As I had already visited Dachau on my first visit to Germany I decided to forgo this and Paul went on the guided tour with out me. We haven't talked too much about it however the German philosophy is not to forget what happened in regards to the Nazi era. German high school students are required to visit two concentration camps as part of their education.
Munich was great fun however we needed to move on and Paris was our next destination. This was where we said our goodbyes to Tom who was off to Prague by bus.
Neuschwanstein Castle......Disney pays a royalty
for using this design.
Paul and the view
Autumn
The King and Queen
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