Day 1: (Fussen) After spending the night in a Spa/Resort in the German countryside, we headed to explore two castles outside of Fussen in Southern Germany. The first castle we saw was called Hohenschwangau. Built in the 19th century by Bavarian King Maximilian II (father of Ludwig II), Hohenschwangau served as a summer home and hunting residence for the royal family. We toured the inside of the perfectly-preserved castle and viewed the vivid Romantic artwork on the wall depicting local legends and history.
The second castle we visited was called
Neuschwanstein and sits on a neighboring hill to Hohenschwangau. The castle was constructed by Ludwig II (family friend and brilliant composer Richard Wagner was known to visit) and served as inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland. As a girl with a love for happy endings, I found Neuschwanstsein to be my dream fairy-tale palace.
Day 2: (Munich) In stark contrast to the fairy-tale that was Day 1, Day 2 left me pensive and deflated. Upon arriving in Munich, we visited the Dachau Concentration Camp about 45 minutes from the capital of Bavaria. It was a gloomy, rainy morning which seemed fitting as I walked through the same gates that prisoners of the past walked through to enter the camp. What struck me upon arriving at the site was the vast emptiness that seemed to take up most of the enclosed space. Other than rows of barracks, a museum and a bunker, most of the camp's lot was completely empty. I first explored the museum and watched a horrifying film about what went on at this camp- opened in 1933 as the Nazi's first concentration camp. What left me most disheartened was that this was one of the less severe camps- more like a holding place- although tens of thousands were killed here between 1933 and 1945. I walked through prisoners' cells and was overcome with numbness. It's a strange feeling going to a place that I've read so much about. It was almost like I knew that Dachau existed somewhere but I just couldn't believe it was somewhere I would ever go. There was always a part of me that hoped I would never walk on the same concrete where generations before me had been dehumanized, yet another part of me wanted to know. To keep the wounds fresh in my mind and in the minds of others, so that we, as humans, can rally under the promise never again.
After the camp, we headed back into Munich to explore the Marienplatz, which is part of the Old Town. We visited St. Peter's Church and watched the wooden figures come to life, spinning to music at 5pm at the Rathaus-Glockenspiel. we also saw the Royal Palace/Theatre (yay) and shopped around. We couldn't leave Munich without a stop at Hofbrauhaus, the world's largest and most famous bier hall to try out the massive pretzels (not kidding, they were bigger than my head).
All in all, an incredible few days in Germany- wish I was able to stay here longer to explore more!!
xoxo