Today was the start to our second day in the beautiful city
of Munich, though our journey took us high into the hills of Germany where we
all got to pretend to be princes and princesses for a day. We started the day
by getting on a double decker bus and traveling towards the outskirts of the
city of Munich. We had a VERY enthusiastic tour guide who spoke of the monarchy
in the 1800’s in Germany, taking us on a journey to the past to when Ludwig II of
Bavaria was in power.
Our first stop on the tour, the Linderhof Castle was one of
Ludwig II’s three castles. The rooms in
this gorgeous castle were filled with golden lining and extravagant décor, one
of the reasons Germany was in such debt during the time. Not only was the
castle beautiful on the inside, but also on the outside. The building was
surrounded by gardens and statues that left you enchanted and amazed.
Next on the tour we traveled to the village of Oberammergau.
We watched the picturesque landscape go by while traveling to this town of
5,000 surrounded by the snow-topped Alps. When we arrived we walked through the
town admiring the shops and views. The town also had a large theater where the Passion
Play is performed from June-November no matter what weather every 10 years.
This play consists of real animals, local actors, costumes, and large crowds
wanting to watch the history. The origin
of this performance dates back to the time of the Black Death when townspeople
pledged to perform such a play if their town was spared this massive epidemic
(what they really did was boil their water!).
For our final stop we went to another of Ludwig II’s castles,
Neuschwanstein. This was one of the most breathtaking places I have ever been
too. We took a bus to the top of the mountain where the castle was and crossed
a bridge, Marienbrucke, to get views of the castle. When I first walked out to
admire the scenery I could not speak. All you could see were the rolling hills
of Germany, lakes surrounded by different villages, and the castle from which
Walt Disney took his inspiration. All you wanted to do was to stand there and
look over the landscape and take in every moment. The enchantment around us
felt surreal as if you were in a Disney movie. While on the bridge we noticed
these locks. Each had two names of a couple or names of best friends and a
date, possibly an anniversary. What this lock represents is the bond of forever
because once the lock is on the bridge the people who have put their lock on
throw their key into the water. This was so heartwarming to see all the locks
of those who are in love or friendships in which they feel will last forever.
While the bridge was hard to leave, it was time to see the
castle. When inside we saw what it was like to be Ludwig II. We learned he was
very involved in music and loved the composer, Richard Wagner, and his operas. Each of the rooms in the castle was filled
with different paintings on each wall that told a story from a Wagner opera. Your
eyes were always on something new in each room and amazed at the detail. He
liked being removed from most everyone and enjoyed the privacy; finally, we
learned he only lived in this castle for half a year. This was my favorite castle to visit because
of how beautiful it was.
We ended the day by going to a Turkish restaurant. We were
all very tired and the meal was just what we needed to end the day on a high
note. Today was just one great day of many to come.
Eliana
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