I Wish I Were a Disney Princess

Alpine Cow

Saturday November 5^th, 2011

The day started with a 200+km drive South through Bavaria and into the Alps.

About halfway through the trip our GPS routed Joe and I off the highway and we drove through some very small towns and through farmland complete with nonchalant cows.

We also drove over a very large extension bridge, under which, an expansive, teal blue, placid lake. Luckily, the Germans seem to know they have gorgeous scenery along their roadways, and have built numerous little stop offs for those who want to photograph their surroundings.We parked the car and walked out across the bridge to take pictures of the mountain lake. After taking our fill of pictures, we continued our drive.

BOOM! Around a corner, rising out of the crags is the joy of (possibly) Mad King Ludwig II, Schloss Neuchwanstein. This castle served as Walt Disney’s inspiration for Cinderella’s castle in Disneyworld, and it is easy to see the resemblance. 

Neuschwanstein Castle

During his reign, Ludwig was declared mentally ill and removed from the throne and from Neuchwanstein. Shortly thereafter, one day, he mysteriously died in the lake of Castle Berg where he was held under house arrest. No one knows if he was murdered or committed suicide, or died as a result as an accident. He was 41 years old.

Neuschwanstein Castle

A mere 6 short weeks after his death, Neuchwanstein castle opened as a museum for tourists.

You can hike up the mountainside for 40 minutes, or you can take a bus (paying of course) to near the top, and then hike only 15 minutes. There was no escaping a hike. We opted for the bus ride, and I'm mostly glad we did. I say mostly glad because the driver, who makes this drive probably 20+ times daily, took the turns very quickly, and the road edged up to some perilous drops, which were visible from the bus windows. It was quite nerve-wracking.

The castle is literally situated above the town, and then rises up even further.

Neuschwanstein Castle

It is wonderfully imposing as you approach. Then you walk through the gate house, and it rises even further above you. It was at this point, I knew I wanted one for my very own. Not necessarily this one, any castle of similar size and awesomeness will suit me fine.

We bought tickets to tour the inside, and I think it was well worth it, even though we were not able to take pictures inside. Despite the exterior grandeur, the inside is unfinished in areas, and much less romantic in the furnished chambers.

We toured the throne room, which was designed to look like a Byzantine church, and the throne was to be on the altar, but it was never built. The guide book even speculates that Ludwig never intended to use it as a seat of power, but that it fueled his imagination of what a leader should be. The book also says that he struggle between his duty and his desire. It is assumed that Ludwig was homosexual, and suffered as he tried to reconcile the views of Christian duty at the time with his desires for romance and love.

He covered the walls of his castle with paintings, reminding him that true happiness will be achieved by the pious in Heaven, the guides assume this was to remind him that his pain would be eternally rewarded.

These murals were very interesting to look at, though they are not considered technically proficient. They depict scenes from Wagner's operas, including Tristan and Isolde and Lohengrin, the story of the Swan-Knight. Ludwig particularly identified with the Swan-Knight, and incorporated the Swan into much of the decor, one room has 350 images of swans carved into the woodwork, on tapestries, in the paintings, and as part of the decor.

We toured Ludwig's bedroom, and when I saw the views from his windows, and his reading nook, I was ready to move in here-immediately. Now this was a European King bed. It is a custom made bed of dark, intricately carved wood, and much is larger than normal due to Ludwig's height. He has a washstand next to the bed, the faucet in the shape of a swan, and water comes out the bird's beak. http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/palace/schlaf.htm

Neuschwanstein Castle

After we finished the tour, we hiked out to an expansion bridge to take some distance photos before we headed down the mountain. We rode the bus again, even more perilous going downhill because the driver seemed reluctant to hit the brakes. Next was a quick bite to eat at a local hotel restaurant, our fist German food!, and then the drive home.

Dinner

So far, we have been having dinner out. I have noticed that Joe prefers food that is not German, such as Thai, Mexican, Spanish, etc. AS of yet, we have not been to a German place. I think this is because on these other international menus, he can identify food words he knows, and can have a rough idea of what he is ordering. I think that tonight we will have to find a place that serves German food. I want some schnitzel and some pretzels and some potatoes.

Friday night we went to a Tapas place. Not ideal when you want a meal and are presented with snacks, but the menu was in Spanish and then the descriptions were in German. It was actually really nice. I could read and understand what we were ordering.

And the translation to German from the Spanish entertained me. They also brought out silverware out in a little packet with a napkin, the 2^nd place we have been to that has done so. It’s very handy and convenient.

German Cars

In the US if you drive a BMW, people automatically make certain assumptions about your income and personality (rich prick). However, in Germany, BMWs, Mercedes, and Volkswagens are EVERYWHERE. The semi-trucks are made by Mercedes. There are BMW station wagons and minivans for the soccer moms, sorry football moms. Furthermore, these vehicles like to go fast. They were designed to be driven on the autobahn, which in some areas literally has no speed limit. Lest they disappoint the cars, the owners drive them fast. Joe has been enjoying the luxury of driving as fast as he wants, but no matter how fast we drive, there is still someone driving faster than he does. So far, this trip he topped out at 218kmh, which is 135mph. The funny thing is, the car does not object to this handling. It does not whine, the road noise is bearable, the ride felt smooth. Almost makes me want a BMW to cruise around in back home. We will see.

A Leisurely Drive

Regensburg IKEA
Regensburg, Germany

On Friday, Joe came home from work early, maybe 1:30 local time. As we needed some new pillows, we went to the local (local!) IKEA. Man I love this store, in all languages. It is so awesome. We wandered around and found some furniture from our old apartment, priced out some futons for when guests come to visit, and got a few things we felt we needed. Joe picked up a bigger cereal bowl, I got a bigger teacup, and we got a bigger casserole dish. I cannot make Thanksgiving dinner in a dish that will not hold even a leg of turkey. We also grabbed some hangars and some actual useful pillows.

Kurnberg, Germany

After we left IKEA, we drove around the outskirts of Regensburg. We learned that 5 houses can comprise a village. In Kurnberg, one of the locals waved at me as we passed. We were in lots of farmland and forests. The leaves here are changing and it is quite beautiful.

We later ended up in Burglengenfeld. We were taking some pictures of the town, when an old man approached, and started telling us about the history of the town. He was very well spoken and very knowledgeable of the area. He told us that the castle on the hill was made of fire-stone which is not mined in the area, but there is a quarry in Tel-Aviv. He thinks the Romans had Jewish slaves cart the stones here to Burglengenfeld. I did enjoy listening to him tell us stories, and considering I thought he was going to ask for money, I was pleasantly surprised when he just wanted to chat, and mad at myself for making assumptions about him. 

Burglengenfeld, Germany

These Boots Were Made for Walking

A portion of the Roman Fort
Regensburg, Germany

And that’s just what they’ll do. I am so glad that before we left, I bought some shoes that were designed to be walked around in Fitflops. I bought the blogs version and the boots version. Like the fitflops flip flops they help to align your spine and give you a workout while you walk, etc. Whether that is true or not, I have not yet determined. I can tell you that they are very comfortable to walk around in and do not make your feet hurt. This is great when you are walking into town daily.

The cities are really designed for walking, not for cars. My dad says it is because people were walking long before driving, and then asked how old my town was, we both got a little chuckle when I told him it was in the year 90 that the Romans built a fort here. The town is seriously old, even ancient. Definitely caters to pedestrians.

On Thursday night after dinner, we walked around old town Regensburg. We saw architecture from 179, 1236, and the 1800s. It is amazing to see so much history from literally centuries ago. It is hard to believe that we, as a race, created something that has lasted for so long.

Regensburg Cathedral
Regensburg, Germany

Weird

I am trying very hard not to call anything I encounter weird or unusual. I realize that if the German people were to come to my country they would find many things different from their homeland, but that does not make either of us weird. As such, I am just saying different, because it is different from in the United States.

There are quite a few differences. For instance, on the roads, there are not yellow dividing lines between oncoming traffic. This can make it a little confusing when lanes are disappearing. It makes me wonder how they know which side is which. I think it must be intuition.

I do not know if our shower is the standard for all of Germany, but I can tell you the specific shower in our apartment is different. It has a glass door that opens out and wedges onto the tub, but it does not go all the way across; it only covers about 2/3 of the shower. So the floor can get wet with splashing, and you get cold while you shower. I do not quite understand the advantages of this arrangement, but at least it is clean so I cannot complain.

One major difference is the water, or wasser. By default, it comes with gas (carbonation). This I truly do not understand, it must be a taste thing. Water is supposed to hydrate you. Carbon dioxide will dehydrate you. Combined together, and you have made a completely pointless beverage. We were able to buy bottled water on the base that does not have gas so at least we are hydrated, and it does not come out of the tap that way, so we can drink it at home. In restaurants, we have been ordering non-water things. Joe prefers bier or Coca-light. I favor apfelsaft, which is apple juice and quite tasty.

Jet Lag?

Since we travelled for approximately 24 hours and did not sleep during them, my concept of days and time has been skewed. It also does not help that I thought Tuesday was the 2^nd, not the 1^st. Also, I thought Wednesday was the 3^rd, and on Thursday when told it was the 3^rd, I thought the day had gone on FOREVER! I have also been unsure as to the day of the week, further adding to my problems.

I also got the bright idea to quit drinking pop during this trip. I am extending this to all carbonated beverages, so I have not ordered any wasser mit gas yet, or any bier. I may have to lift the ban if we got to an awesome bier place, but at the moment, no bubbles! This has contributed greatly to my feeling jet lagged. My head has been throbbing most obnoxiously and I have felt very tired, both symptoms of caffeine withdrawal. Between my desire to sleep odd hours and the time change, my poor brain is all kinds of confused.