Three Days in Bavaria
There are many towns or cities along this beautiful drive which was first used by the Romans as a trade route in 15 B.C. The first we passed was Augsburg which was settled by the Romans. This was also the first town in which we spotted a Maypole used during the dancing celebrations started by the Romans and Celtics during the Renaissance. Bavaria’s colors for the Maypoles are blue and white.
We next came to a huge hole in the mountains and were told about a meteorite that landed causing a 16 mile hole. The town of Nordlingen is now located there.
Another interesting fact is that the part of Bavaria we were traveling through is at the 39th parallel which is the same as the north border of the United States and Canada and Paris, France. The weather in all three was the same. Getting closer to Munich we passed the Cheimsee Lake which is the largest lake in Bavaria. On the lake are two islands. On of the castles of King Ludwig II is sitting on the island he named Herrenchiemsee. He had built it as a replica of King Louis XIV’s Versailles. The other island is named Krautinsel which housed a convent for the Benedictine nuns founded by Duke Tassilo III in 782. The gardens which can be seen from the Romantic road are a sea of beautiful colorful flowers.
We entered the city of Munich which is known to the locals as Munchen through the arches of Feldherrnhalle. It is said that Munich is the “World City with a Heart” and the “Village of Millions” which titles date back to the 1100’s. A monastery was built as a stopping point for the salt trade route between Italy and Austria.
We began our tour with a visit to the Residenz Royal which was the summer palace of the Wittelsbach family in 1385. This building is now a museum which would take an entire day to see. The most impressive sight is the Cuvillies Theatre, a red and gold baroque extravaganza. We arrived at the Hotel Ludwig across the street from the Hauptbahnhof or train station. From our hotel room window we could see the gothic spires of St. Peters church which is the oldest church in Munich.
The next day we got back on the “Romantic Road” for a scenic drive to the medieval city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber or Rothenburg ( which means “Red Castle”), the city above the Tauber River. Walking through a door in the wall that surrounds the city, you feel as if you have just stepped back in time on the cobblestone streets to 1274 when the city was granted its charter. At the top of the wall is a catwalk that provides a view of the inside of the town as well as outside to the river. All the roads in Rothenburg lead to the Markplatz (Market Square) where you will find the Renaissance Town Hall and Cathedral. The square features a double faced clock on the town hall from 1683. This clock has mechanical figures who enact the most famous event in the history of Rothenburg. During the Thirty Years’ War in 1631 General Tilly and his Catholic League troops retreated through Protestant Rothenburg. Fearing certain destruction, the Mayor of Rothenburg, Nusch, made a bet with Tilly. If he could down the contents of a goblet filled with 3 Ã?¼ litres of wine in one gulp Tilly would spare his town. Tilly agreed, the mayor emptied the goblet and the rest is history. There are a couple of restaurants who serve coffee and german pastries, as well as shops that sell the famous Black Forest Cuckoo clocks , the well known Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas Store and many others. Down the street from the quaint shops is The Museum of Crime which features a unique outlook on punishment in the Middle Ages. Walking the cobblestone of this ancient town makes you feel as if time has not past.
After spending a day in medieval times, we came back to our hotel. Asking the desk clerk for somewhere special to eat, she whispered and informed us of a local restaurant that they don’t normally tell the tourists about. The name of this establishment was J. & W. Augustiners. When my companion and I entered the door, I felt like I had stepped into a movie scene. Everyone was speaking German and there was a beer stein in every hand. We were seated by a waiter at a table in the bar occupied by two German gentlemen. We tried to converse with them but only one spoke just a little English. We ordered and when our meals arrived they were much more than what we had ordered. Our companions turned out to be the owners of the establishment and wanted to show us German hospitality. So much so that they took us downstairs to their basement Lagerskeller to a locals only club. There was a Bavarian band playing while locals enjoyed dancing and eating at tables set into huge beer kegs. The thing that surprised us the most was seeing the locals with their dogs on leashes in the restaurant. It was a very special night to see how the people of Munich really live instead of seeing the tourist traps.
Our next day was a somber experience followed up with a beautiful sight. The first stop of the day was to Dachau. This was a Nazi Concentration Camp first established in March 1933. The camp initially held those who opposed the Nazi regime. It was also used to train the concentration camp guards. Even though a gas chamber disguised as a shower was built, there is no evidence that it was ever used to murder humans. Today the camp is a museum used to educate the public about that horrific time period in our history so that nothing like that will take place again.
Our afternoon put us in a brighter mood as we traveled the mountain roads to the Schwanstien CafÃ?© in the village of Steingaden where we ate a wonderful lunch. Even though it was March there was still snow on the ground and the mountains around us. This town of Schwanstien was at the base of the mountain where the famous Neuschwanstein Castle is located. This is the castle that Roy Disney made famous using it as inspiration for Cinderella’s castle at Walt Disney World in the United States. As there was snow and I could not walk up the side of the mountain, I was able to take the horse drawn carriage up the mountain under a velvet rug through the snow to the Konigsschloss Neuschwanstein( or royal castle) of King Ludwig II. This castle was the fantasy of the King they called Mad King Ludwig and even though its exterior was completed, the interior was not completed and the King lived in the castle only a few days before his death. From the slopes of the mountain the castle that he did live in, Hohenschwangau, can be seen. Ludwig spend most of his youth in this castle that his father had built as a summer palace between 1835 and 1855.
Upon returning to Steingaden, our driver was kind enough to stop the bus and allow us to take pictures of the largest Maypole in Bavaria.
This was a whirlwind tour and we really enjoyed the sights of Bavaria. If you wish to take a longer vacation there is so much more to see.
In the Pocket Guide to Bavaria which is published by APA publications there are 6 suggested itineraries for seeing Bavaria.
