So my stomach is still killing me (I hope not literally, because I never have sat down and written the final blog post to be posted in the event of my demise, and this would be an anticlimactic one to end on), but that didn't stop me and Chandlord from getting out and enjoying Bavaria. We left Munich and drove to Schloss Neuschwanstein, the castle that Walt Disney based the Disney castle on. This ended up being an all day excursion, since we hadn't booked ahead and so couldn't get tickets immediately - the next three hours worth of tours were sold out, but at least we were able to get in. While we waited, we drove back to a v. picturesque village and had lunch on an outdoor patio; Vidya had a delicious lunch that made her full, while I had a delicious lunch that made me hurt. Then we went back to the entrance area, had a cup of tea, and caught a bus up to the top of the hill to see the castle.
King Ludwig II built the castle in the 1800s, inspired by Wagnerian operas, and was the only person who ever lived in it. He spent less than 200 days there before he was declared mad, taken away, and found dead under mysterious circumstances shortly thereafter. I will describe it more when I upload some photos, but suffice it to say that the castle was both quite impressive and a tremendous example of why most monarchies have failed in the last century, since it was a huge waste of money. But, that village is getting plenty back from the millions of tourists who come there every year, although I doubt Ludwig built it with the intention of promoting tourism.
We got back to Munich around seven and met up with our hitchhiker from the wedding, who brought along a couple more people. We started at a biergarten, but a powerful storm suddenly overtook us, so we relocated to a Cuban restaurant and spent several hours talking. It was a lovely way to end our time in Munich; we leave for Augsburg tomorrow, which should be lovely. And now I should get some sleep and let my stomach attempt to heal itself - goodnight!
3 comments:
Did you like the throne room without the throne? Go to Dachau if you get the chance. It's not far from Munich.
There is an awesome little B&B in Ruette, Austria if you find yourself south of Munich.
http://www.gintherhof.com/
Sadly we missed both Dachau and austria, but hopefully I'll make it back to both someday! Either way, I'm glad I was just crashing a wedding in Germany rather than having to do work (and pay) for it ;)
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