Germany Adventure – Day 8

Last morning in Germany

Saturday 27^th September 2014 – Travelling Day

Waking up this morning was bittersweet, the view was still incredible but it was to be our last day in Germany.  The view of the mountains was fantastic as the sky had cleared and you could see the mountain peaks with the sun reflecting off them and the snow was now gone (I had mixed feelings about the melted snow too).

We packed up and dragged ourselves to breakfast which of course was lovely and I managed to have a nice chat to an English couple sitting beside us.  They were travelling through Germany by car and said the roads were magnificent from the castle along the Western border of Germany through the mountains and to do it myself if I ever got the chance.  By this stage I was already about ready to live in Germany and the thought of driving around in a car in lovely weather like it was did not help my mood in having to go back to England!  The couple were a lovely pair and were also on their last morning at the motel but they certainly were more cheery than we were having a lot more of their German adventure to go.

We were on time for our train and able to have our last European bagel at one of the train station restaurants.  A man dressed in a dirndl was around the station selling things and it was too good to not get a photo.  Connor asked ‘her’ to pose for a photo and for a 2 euro bottle of vodka (or wodka) he happily posed as Connor’s “German girlfriend!” (I’ll add the photo to the blog if and when Connor shares it with me).

2 Euro Vodka

Connor and his German girlfriend

Sadly it was then time to part ways, after establishing the German word for ‘airport’ we got on our two separate trains and were on our way back to two separate countries. Connor was off to Frankfurt airport to fly back to Brisbane and I just needed to get to the Munich airport and fly to London.  I got my ticket from the machine and had a lady come up to me and speak German, I explained that I didn’t speak German and she assumed I was English and went on her way.  Before I had finished another lady came and spoke to me in German too (it’s only now that I realise the poor ladies may have been looking for each other) but she simply replied “English? That’s okay” and went on her way.  Once more the Germans are very understanding of people not speaking German and Svenja explained that most people when travelling speak English first as it is more universally spoken throughout Europe.

German train ticket

I then found my train platform downstairs and the train was there within a minute. I had the timetable and the map all worked out however it now seemed a lot lonelier having no-one to talk to (although the Americans on the train were certainly quite loud and boisterous about their Oktoberfest hangovers).   I was quite a few hours too early to even check-in my bag so had to entertain myself at the airport.  I ordered some lunch and that was the first time I realised I had to speak German without anyone to translate.  Luckily all I needed was the words on the menu which I understood and to use my German manners which is easy enough (I refused to take the easy route out and go to the McDonalds which actually had directions on the main airport signs as to its location).

German police van

It wasn’t too long before I was on my flight (yay no delays) and the cabin announcements were made even longer with both English and German announcements.  It was quite late at night when I arrived in London and so passport entry was even easier (especially as it was a flight within Europe) and I got down to the bus station only to discover I missed the hourly bus by ten minutes!  So another wait it was and I was certainly missing Germany when not one person was happy or smiling in London at all and the weather was cold, although at least it wasn’t raining.  The bus came on time and back to Oxford I went. Now I have since learned a different stop that I can get on and off to get onto the airport bus from Oxford (which I hadn’t realised before going on this trip) so next time I won’t have to walk through the Oxford club strips.  However this time I hadn’t realised this and again had to walk through Oxford clubs and it was early Sunday morning (after a big Saturday night).   It was an interesting experience last time and this time was no different.  In amongst the drunk students, people dressed in black-tie formal attire and homeless people begging for money or busking there was also two policeman chasing someone down on foot (who was stopped and arrested by other policeman in a patrol car).   Things certainly weren’t boring however it did make me miss Germany a little more as the Oxford buildings and castles with the gargoyles were now seeming more dreary than usual as I walked past the chaos.  Luckily I have now learned how to avoid the club strips when travelling to the airport and so hopefully my trips in a couple of weeks won’t be as eventful!

London from window on iphone

London from window on iphone

Munich airport

Germany Adventure – Day 7

Friday 26^th September 2014 – Munich & Oktoberfest

After such a big day on Zugspitze yesterday it was an effort to get out of bed however the view of the mountains and the thought of exploring Munich and Oktoberfest soon had us down to breakfast and then off to the train station.  Most of Bavaria gets into Oktoberfest and every train station I was at (including the airport) there were people in traditional dress.  However I decided against wearing my dirndl to breakfast and so after breakfast I changed and we headed off to the station.  The lady must have seen us leave as she came outside to ask “My guess is you are going to Oktoberfest? Yes?”  As we heartily replied that we were she answered “Have fun!” Such a lovely couple indeed to make the extra effort to come out and chat even after talking at breakfast!

Clouds over mountains from balcony

It seemed we were continuing our luck from yesterday as we missed the last train by ten minutes and so had a half an hour wait for the train.  Connor suggested we go and find somewhere to have a cup of coffee but we decided against leaving the train platform as losing another half an hour would not have been helpful.  However the view of the mountains certainly helped the wait go quickly!

Once on the train we enjoyed being able to see the landscape this time (seeing as it was later at night when we had last done this trip) and did take a “before Oktoberfest photo” not knowing how the day would play out and how we would be looking after our day.

Before Oktoberfest

Still a “Before Oktoberfest” photo

It didn’t take Connor all that long before he fell asleep on the train (clearly I wasn’t the only one worn out from climbing mountains).  I’m not really one for sleeping on public transport (or even in a car now) and was lucky to have good company in myself 😉 as Connor slept for nearly half an hour!

Exploring Munich

We got out at the Central Station and decided to explore Munich on foot at our own pace.  Now if you have ever walked in a city with a street photographer you will understand how my walk with Connor through Munich was.  This walk included checking out alleyways and sides of buildings that had interesting angles and intriguing lighting.  It certainly was an interesting way to view the city and I have certainly found myself now back in England looking at certain man-made objects a lot differently now too.  Street photographers are also on the lookout for interesting people and it was actually kind of impressive how Connor could often sneak a shot while walking past different people and places without missing a step.  This street walk also took us into a place to get a cup of coffee.  We walked in and tried to pick what kind of place it was.  There were coffee machines but also alcohol behind a bar, and long tables in a small space with lots of bowls and decorations that you would use for a party.  Connor ordered a coffee to go when the man replied “Are you sure? Why not stay and take 2 minutes to sit down and relax!”  Well who could deny such an invitation, after all we were really starting to become accustomed to the relaxing pace of Germany.  In Australia there is usually a push for take-away things as it is all about getting as much business as possible and everyone is always trying to rush through their day.  We enjoyed the atmosphere and then Connor got talking to the owner, established that they do have a party business, and got a great photo of him and his bar (his ex-partner was too shy to get in the shot).

After our nice coffee stop we continued on until we stumbled across Konigsplatz Square (German for “The King’s Square”).  These 19^th century buildings were indeed quite impressive and have an interesting history.  If you want to read more check out the middle of this blog http://jp-switzerland.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/visit-to-munich-germany-nov-30th-dec-2nd.html (The blog also talks about other sites in Munich and Neuschwanstein Castle including photos of the inside of the castle and photos outside with snow!).

After admiring some of the artwork left out for people to enjoy we explored an Egyptian Museum and there was indeed a lot to see.   I kept my jacket on as walking through a museum in a dirndl seemed a little disrespectful.  Sadly we didn’t get to see all of it the whole way through or explore Munich as much as we liked as we had decided that we were going to go to Oktoberfest that afternoon.

But first it was time for lunch (attending a beer festival before eating didn’t seem very appealing).  We had an excellent lunch at a small restaurant, with music playing and once more great food! (I am still missing the food in Germany).  Then we were off to Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest is like a giant show in Munich (Connor said it reminded him a lot of Brisbane’s Ekka) just with more beer and costumes.  Most people are dressed in a dirndl or lederhosen (girls are able to wear either) and the majority of people are already quite cheery when they get there from pre-drinking (even pre-drinking on the trains).  There were more people in the one place than I had seen in a long time and walking through the crowds was difficult.  The lines to get into the beer halls or onto the rides were quite long (a mixture between drunk adults and kids enjoying themselves and showing off on these rides).  We had a look around and soaked up the atmosphere but it was very hectic (I definitely recommend going with a group if ever you decided to go to Oktoberfest).  Now during Oktoberfest the standard drink is a 1L Maß glass of bier (which is our heavy beer) however Steve also informed me that they often have competitions as to who can drink the 3L glass the quickest using machines to help pump the beer into your body faster.  It is no wonder there are a lot of people who end up in hospital with alcohol poisoning during the weeks this event is on!

Bucket List Worthy – Drinking a Maß in a dirndl at Oktoberfest

Munich Beer Garden

German Train Timetable

To end the evening we found a nice pub-style restaurant and enjoyed one of the nicest roast pork and crackling I have had and more of the sweet bier that I actually liked! (Yes Dad was proud to hear that story).  It might have been nice beer but I still couldn’t drink a litre of it and so Connor graciously helped me with this challenge.  We then got our Oktoberfest cookie and some added lollies for the train ride home, read the German train timetable and hopped on the train to Garmish.

This train was strangely enough at a different platform to the two we had been on previously and looked a lot fancier.  As Connor assumed we were probably in first class I immediately wanted to get off and get on the right train.  But Connor stubbornly refused and wanted an adventure (having managed to talk his way into first class on a train previously) and so I was persuaded into staying (against my better judgement and instincts to get off the train).

We soon got going and then eventually realised we were on an ICE train – an expensive across country train that goes faster than the standard trains and doesn’t stop at as many places (such as Farchant).  I also remembered that our train ticket DID NOT cover the ICE line!

We were on the wrong train

Sure enough the ticket lady came over and wasn’t overly impressed when she saw we had the wrong ticket.  Connor worked his magic (I was staying well and truly out of this one and for the first time grateful for my complete lack of German although her English was quite good) and managed to get away with only having to pay for one ticket on the train rather than two (but still more than an all-day group ticket for four people on the regular train lines).  The lady was quite nice and we found we had made a friend as she was quite understanding, she was just simply doing her job.  We settled in to enjoy our lollies – only to find that they were absolutely horrible and perhaps in our tipsy state we were not thinking clearly when we decided to buy them!

After Oktoberfest

At least being an ICE train the trip went fast, although it of course did not stop at Farchant and so we had to get off at Garmish and once more take a taxi back.  Therefore I am not sure if really saved too much time at all in the long run!  Nonetheless it was a great day and only a little dampened by the recollection of knowing tomorrow we were leaving Germany.

Sunset in Germany

Germany Adventure – Day 6

View from the hotel balcony

Thursday 25^th September 2014 – Zugspitze (The highest peak in Germany)

Wow, to wake up in the morning to a mountain-view was absolute heaven. Even nicer to see it in the nice warm room but of course I did have to brave the balcony to take some photos and video as it was too gorgeous not to! I was soon wishing I had packed my ugg-boats though and had to put on some layers before too long as it was a little cool with the wind blowing-in from the mountains. The man running the hotel told us the night before it would not be a good day to climb the mountain (Zugspitze is the highest mountain in Germany at 2, 692 m above sea level) but it is what we had scheduled to do and it seemed a nicer day enough so we pushed through. (The Germans considered a nice day to be no snow as on a clear day you can see mountains in four different countries from Zugspitze’s summit – Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. However as Connor had never seen snow before and I had never seen falling snow we really didn’t mind either way how it would play out). We went down for breakfast in a very cute, quaint dining room that also looked out to the mountains and included a buffet-style breakfast – perfect for loading up before our mountain adventure!

Farchant

Mountain river

We then asked the couple the best way to get to Zugspitze and they explained that with our room ticket we got a free bus pass for a bus that would take us to the Zugspitze train station in Garmish – what a bonus! We just had to first take our room card to the information centre. So with some kind of directions we set off and walked through the lovely little town of Farchant with its variety of small stores such as ones selling cow bells, goat bells and wooden statues and even included a lovely river running right through it (and no sorry we didn’t test the temperature).

Wooden figurines

Wooden figurines

We soon realised that perhaps we didn’t have all of the directions as we couldn’t find the church they were talking about (unusual to not be able to see or hear a church) so we consulted Google Maps again. It pointed us to go left and said we had quite a walk to go (not what we expected but not much we could do about it) so we turned left and went a few paces and then saw a sign that said “information” in English which pointed us to turn off our path (well thanks for helping us turn left Google Maps but that was about as helpful as you got). We then followed the signs, sort of like a treasure hunt to find each one, until we found the information building next to a very small church.

After waiting our turn we got to the counter and Connor once more in Deutsch explained that his German was horrible. The lady laughed and said her English wasn’t the best. But she laughed a little more and said you usually expect to hear that with a movie “a horror movie” and so hopefully Connor’s pronunciation was correct otherwise he may have been saying ‘My German is a horror’ instead of ‘My German is horrible.’  But we got our bus cards and were informed we needed to go and find a tree that the bus stop is under.  Luckily this time we were given the extra information of it being on the main road and under a tall tree without any leaves on it. This was relatively easy to find as there were people standing under it and we managed to work out the bus schedule and that we were in the right spot but just had to wait (thankfully Germany uses the same sort of bus maps Australia and England do).  We were soon on our bus to Garmish.

View of countryside from train

On the train to Zugspitze

We arrived in Garmish and it didn’t take us long to find the Zugspitze train station, seeing a line at one of the information boxes we decided to try our luck inside (and hoped the person inside spoke a little English).  Connor explained his Deutsch was horrible again and the lady laughed. We asked for two tickets to Zugspitze and she explained we could take the train all the way up or the train part-way up and then a cable car the rest of the way up (which our ticket was valid for). We decided to take the train the whole-way up and then take the cable-car the whole way down so we could see as much as possible. The lady explained it was a horrible day to go up (again because of the clouds and snow) and we explained we were leaving on Saturday to which she replied she could change our tickets to Friday at no extra charge.  We had already decided to go to Munich and Oktoberfest on Friday and it was already 10am so too late in the day to do the hour-and-a-half trip to Munich. The lady explained that the weather would be better on Friday but Connor replied that he was sure it would be fine and she replied in English “Haha I don’t think it’s just your German that’s horrible.” Haha yes poor Connor but I did have to laugh out loud with her – she thought we were fools of tourists going up in snowy conditions.

Zugspitze travel map

We got on the train and had quite a lovely view of green country-side and the forest as we climbed up the mountain. I had read some reviews and someone wrote that their husband went on the train and found it very boring and long where she went on the cable-car and loved it. Well Connor and I both agreed that perhaps it was just what you were used to and your perspective as if you are used to forests and green fields then perhaps it is a boring trip but for us we quite enjoyed it and snapped a few photos while we chatted away. It didn’t take long before we got to the station where you could switch to the cable car but we stuck to our plan and stayed on the train and most of the other people got out so we were then quite comfortable with plenty of room. We continued up some countryside and facing the right direction I didn’t suffer from any motion sickness at all (which I can get quite easily at times). We soon went through a tunnel and realised we were actually going through the mountain and so up and through the rock tunnel we went. It seemed strange to see advertisements on the tunnel walls of a mountain but I guess you can’t really escape those anywhere. It wasn’t really that long of a trip at all and then we were at what we first thought was the top. The announcement then said we needed to transfer to the cable car (this was in German and English so we could understand it).  We left the train and got out into a warm building with a nice café and restaurant and then saw that there was snow outside and so of course we had to go outside before going on the cable car!

Connor seeing snow for the first time

Being the mature adults that we are we calmly viewed the snow and took some photos and videos and then…. Haha who am I kidding we acted like the two big kids that we are, we had to pick it up and crush it and throw it!  We were soon freezing though as we weren’t wearing proper boots or gloves – although we did have some on and two Japanese girls were there building a snowman and were saying loudly “Cold, cold hands” and yes they didn’t have any gloves on at all!  We went back inside to get warmer and decided we would go on the cable car to the summit.  We walked to the cable car area and realised we were two-minutes too late and would have to wait for the next one that leaves every quarter of an hour.  Well we didn’t find this too disheartening at all. We had walked past toboggans coming in and soon realised they were free and there was enough time to try them so off we went!  After discussing how we would be able to stop we each had turns going down the mountain (now these toboggans are not made for tall people so it was interesting to say the least).  We both ended up using our legs to stop at different times and cold, wet jeans was not the best experience so I was grateful to have my thermal leggings on underneath but Connor’s legs weren’t as lucky having only one layer of clothing on – ha helps to be a cold frog at times, you plan ahead! (Although I must admit I did forget a beanie – thank you Connor for sharing your spare!).  By this stage it was snowing and it was getting colder, you could even hear the snow falling!  I first thought there was a popping in my ear until I realised it was the snow and you can even hear it on the video.

Snow on first stop on Zugspitze

Snow selfie

Nearly 3000m above sea level

So after our bit of fun in the snow we realised that the cable car was probably due and back we went again – only to find out we had only just missed it again! This time we decided it was time for a hot chocolate or a coffee and ventured inside. Connor’s coffee was apparently okay but my hot chocolate was horribly sweet – and coming from me who has two sugars with all of my hot beverages you know that is saying something.

Minus 4 degrees temp

We then decided to go back and wait for the cable car only to just miss the last one again!  This time we stayed put and waited for the next one.  We were lucky to be two of three people in the cable car and so had lots of room to take in the view.  Exiting out of the cable car we then had the option of climbing the stairs or taking the lift.   Opting for the stairs we were amazed at how hard it was to climb – clearly we were quite high up as we were out of breath pretty quickly.  We went outside onto Zugspitze’s summit, took in the view, took some photos and took part in a snowball fight! (I had two sets of gloves, two coats and thermals and yes I was still cold).

Snow at the summit

The summit of Zugspitze and the top of Germany

It started snowing a lot more and we decided to go back inside and go back down to the restaurant and have lunch.  On our way back down we saw that there was a bar in the restaurant.  Now being in a bar at the highest point in Germany I stated that we had to have a drink.  Clearly Connor must be to use to hanging out with the sober me when he asked if I wanted water or soft drink until I pointed out that we needed to have a hard drink seeing as we were in a bar at the top of Germany.  We  decided as I had never tried scotch before, and it was a day of firsts, that scotch would be our drink of choice.  After getting our drinks we went back outside to add some ‘ice’ (fresh snow) to my scotch and we toasted and drank scotch on the summit of Zugspitze!

Drinking scotch at the top of Germany

Restaurant at the summit

After downing our drinks we were clearly ready for some lunch and decided to try the restaurant at the top of Zugspitze, and we were prepared for not the best food knowing that we were on top of a mountain.  We went into a very nice looking, warm restaurant with a view of nothing but white snow or icicles all around.  We ordered some food and found that it was some of the best food we had eaten in all of Germany!  Apparently my “This food tastes so good it is almost a shame to eat it” was considered by Connor to be one of the silliest things he had ever heard me say but I still stand by it!

Cable car view from iphone

After two amazing meals we decided it was getting later and we should head down as Connor was yet to explore a forest.  We went down in the cable car jammed pack with whom we found to be high school students from Holland who were there with their German teachers (originally from Germany and teaching German in Holland) – yes it seems I was finding teachers everywhere.  The teachers had been on the cable car before and graciously gave us some room to have a look and take some photos (Connor took most of the photos as I chatted to the teachers.  Yes I do seem to find teachers everywhere but I certainly empathised with them knowing how sleep-deprived they would be on a school camp).

Cable car view

Cable car pano

Bottom of cable car line

We got to the bottom and the urge to go to the lake and take some photos was a little too much to resist.  We did test the water and I found it surprisingly warm but only to realise that was because my hands were still quite cold from the snow!  (Touch phones are not the best idea in the snow as you often have to take off your gloves to use them).  However after taking our photos (and I think you’ll agree it was worth it) we decided to walk around the lake to a bridge to get a view of the mountains and walk through the forest at the same time.

Lake

The forest wasn’t as dense as the other forests and we didn’t find any real mushrooms as I think it was too cold being so close to the mountains.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed the soft walk through the forest on the different paths and saying “Hallo” to the people walking and cycling that we passed.  As you can see the photos were definitely worth the walk.

 

We then decided to head back and it wasn’t until I heard that it was nearly 7 o’clock and remembering I had seen a sign about the last cable car being at 4:45pm at the top of Zugspitze we realised the last train was probably not far behind it.  Our walking pace back got a bit quicker and we tried to decide on a Plan B (it would be quite a walk back to the Garmish train station and we were both quite tired).

Cable car (taken from other side of lake)

We got back to the train station only to realise our fears were correct and we had missed the last train by a good while.  However passing some buses in a parking lot we figured we would ask someone and find out if there was a bus back to Garmish.  We found a man who didn’t really speak English at all but luckily ‘bus’ is pretty much the same in Deutsch and he told us the time of the next bus (pointing at the time on his watch to clarify) and pointed us in the right direction.  The bus stop was soon found and on it had the exact time the man had told us, so “danke schön” kind and helpful stranger!  The only thing we could do now was wait as it was a good half an hour at least before the next bus.  It didn’t take me too long to move off the park bench and lie down on the soft green grass (haha clearly still too much of a bush kid but the grass looked a lot nicer than the park bench and I was enjoying the warmer weather while I could).

We got our bus back to the station and a train back to Farchant (yes we were able to get out this time) and had a very short walk back to the motel.  By this time we were very hungry and so set off for a restaurant.  We found a lovely Italian restaurant run by two Italians that didn’t speak much English at all.  But with our broken German, English and Italian we once more enjoyed a delicious meal and were both starting to consider moving to Germany just for the food!  Absolutely exhausted it was a nice short walk home as we chatted about our day and planned what we would do in Munich tomorrow – including Oktoberfest!

Germany Adventure – Day 5

Dachau Concentration Camp Entrance with Svenja and Connor

Wednesday 24^th September 2014 – Dachau Concentration Camp, Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Farchant

*Please note– A big part of this blog and this day was the Dachau Concentration Camp and therefore it is a little confronting and quite emotional.  If you feel you won’t be able to handle the stories and images feel free to skip to the end of the blog which is a little more cheerful or you may just want to skip today’s blog completely.

Today certainly was a day of mixed emotions. It was this morning I said goodbye to Alwin & Nicky, as they were off to visit their friend Heidi in Austria whom they had not seen in over 20 years, and it was a little like saying goodbye to Mum and Dad again.   They graciously invited me to visit them for Christmas although unfortunately my Contiki tour takes me through north of Germany early December and Christmas will be spent in Budapest.  Today was also my last day with Svenja but also the start of my German adventures with Connor (who was in Germany for a couple of weeks for work).  Connor and I had both decided that we wanted to visit the concentration camp and see this part of history first-hand, we were indeed told it would not be a nice day but it was something we felt we had to do.  We were very grateful to have Svenja agree to come with us, especially as it was to be Svenja’s third visit (only those who have been to this place will know how very much we did indeed appreciate this as I am quite certain I would probably not be able to visit twice… let alone thrice).

Now one of the reasons I was on Facebook a bit when in Germany was this was the only way I could contact Connor while he toured around Germany to meet us.  A few nights before we decided he would find somewhere to stay in Dachau and we would meet him at the concentration camp in the morning (Germany is very open about its history which includes free transport to the camp and free entry to allow everyone to see it).  However it wasn’t until the night before that I got the message Connor sent the morning before saying he was going to Munich to find accommodation – during Oktoberfest!  Oh no.  I am not sure if Connor forgot it was Oktoberfest or just thought he would try his luck as he didn’t have any accommodation pre-booked and I did have a little panic attack when I read his messages after getting back from Austria and it was then dark (accommodation in Munich during Oktoberfest is often booked out well in advance as tourists come from all over the world).  I was very relieved however to speak to him that morning and find he found accommodation in Munich (a hotel and not a bench at the station which may have been Plan B) and very close to the central train station where we planned to meet – now that was luck!

So after a train ride to the city Svenja and I played “Find the Aussie” in the Munich central station, which was relatively easy and then the three of us were off on the next train to Dachau.

Gate entrance

“Work will set you free”

After we caught the free bus to the camp we learned that you could take a guided 2 and a half hour tour for 3 euros or an audio tour in your language for 3 euros, no one was keen to be there as long as 2 and a half hours so we opted for the audio guides and to go at our own pace.  You can also just tour the camp without any guides and there is plenty of information at all of the signs in German or English (and occasionally Russian).  Connor and I took some photos while we waited for Svenja to find the toilets…And we waited…And we waited… And then we realised we had lost the German…in Germany!  Luckily she turned up after not too long a wait and we started our audio tour.

Dachau Concentration Camp

“May the example of those who were exterminated here between 1933-1945 because they resisted Nazism help to unite the living for the defence of peace and freedom and in respect for their fellow men.”

We visited the monuments that were around the place first and the feelings you felt as you viewed these were very strong and you were constantly overwhelmed by feelings of compassion and horrible sorrow. The artwork that is on display next to the wall that reads “Never Again” is quite a confronting piece and the faces of the bodies show a horror that no one should ever have had to endure and is hard to understand. The colours in one of the artworks represent the different people, cultures and nationalities that were impressed (but according to the sign inside the museum because it was made and designed around 1960 it was decided to “not include symbols for gay or black people”).

Chosen artwork that was voted upon

View of artwork from the back

“Never Again” wall next to ashes of an unknown concentration camp prisoner

The perimeter was surrounded by a brick wall topped with barbed wire, a watch tower, an electrified fence, a ditch and then a strip known as “The Death Strip.”  When I had first heard of the death strip and viewed photos I thought it would be the strip of land in between the fence and the wall where prisoners were clearly trying to escape. However the death strip is where you can see green grass and if a prisoner touched a toe onto this strip they were shot dead as they were assumed they were running away.  Guards often purposely made prisoners fall behind and forced them to touch this strip so they could shoot ‘an escaping prisoner’ and receive a bonus.

Perimeter fence

Death strip, gully and electric fence

Watch tower

Looking through the barbed wire down the death strip

Harsh brick walls topped with barbed-wire

We came across the Jewish monument first with English, German and Hebrew written around the monument that included a hole in the roof to let a beacon of sunlight enter in.

Jewish Monument

Inside the Jewish Monument

The second was the tall Catholic monument that also included a monument behind it for the people from Poland.

Catholic Monument

Inside the Catholic Monument

Polish Monument

Polish Monument behind the Catholic Monument

The next was the Protestant monument and something looked strange about it but I just couldn’t work out what it was until I read the sign.  Because the prisoners had to be present for roll call mornings and evenings standing still for hours on end in no matter what weather (sometimes even the dead had to be dragged out for the roll call) and right angles were favoured in these roll call assembly areas the designers of this monument did not use any right angles at all.  You also could go in and light a candle or write a message or prayer and I must say it was a nicer atmosphere around and in these monuments rather than what you felt walking around the other places of the camp.

Protestant Monument (no right-angles)

Protestant Monument

Inside the Protestant Monument

The last monument was the Russian monument and the gates were closed so you could not go inside although there were many gold statues packed inside the small but tall monument.

Russian Monument

Throughout our tour of the camp we noticed that no one looked happy or was smiling.  The emotions of the place clearly affected everyone who was there and it was the first place where I did not see someone take a ‘selfie’ as it really didn’t seem appropriate and even taking photos at times did not feel appropriate and was only done when necessary.

Outside of second crematorium (larger one with the gas chamber)

We then got to the crematoriums and some of the photos on the signs and in the museum of the many stacked up, starved looking dead bodies was horrific.  The first crematorium had two burners but after a few years were already working over capacity and they had to build a new building with 4 more. Horrible I know, but this is history that did happen. They, more often than not, killed the people by hanging them in front of the ovens before using the ovens to then cremate the bodies.

Old crematorium that was soon working over capacity

Newer crematorium

Newer crematorium

In the new building was also one of the gas chambers that was disguised as showers (although the Germans claimed these weren’t really used).

Sign over gas chamber entrance

Gas chamber disguised as showers

This was all a little overwhelming and surreal and seeing a path going through some trees we decided to take it and have a little break but also to find the monuments for the people that were shot in that area.

“Grave of Many Thousands Unknown”

We then walked down the lane that once had barracks running along either side (the Americans knocked these down).  But went into one that had been remade so people could see what it was like.  The Dachau camp was made for 2,000 prisoners however it mainly held at the onetime over 200,000 prisoners (that is not a mistake there were more than ten times the amount of people in this camp then there ever should have been).  Some prisoners were sent to a camp in Austria which was a long, cold hard journey over the mountains where they were stacked in trains or had to walk and it was often the sick, disabled and injured prisoners who were sent there as they more than likely died along the way. A lot of prisoners were made to start the journey there when the Germans heard the Americans were coming.  The Americans were so angry when they saw the bodies and the terror and starvation that a lot started lining up and shooting the German SS soldiers until someone had to stop them.  It is hard to imagine what they all would have been feeling.

Lane in between the barracks (Hitler liked the look of roads/lanes with trees on both sides)

We also went into the museum to read the stories and histories and see the photos.  It is very emotional and hard to read and see.  Except unlike when watching a scary movie instead of telling yourself ‘This isn’t real’ you realise ‘This was real, and this did happen’ and it becomes even more horrible and surreal. I had to sit down a few times and have a break in the museum (it was very emotional) and I kept thinking and my body kept giving me signs that I needed to escape and get out and not feel so trapped however I also knew it was history and that I should understand what happened and how some people may feel (after all that war is a big reason as to why my family are Australian). It was comforting when both Svenja and Connor had to stop and sit down with me at different points and both said the exact same things I had been thinking and feeling.

The first bunks were nicer looking and even had shelves for prisoners’ personal belongings.

Newer bunks

No privacy in the toilets

Wash basins

Lockers and benches – Everything had to be spotless or the whole barrack was punished and so a lot of punishment went on between the prisoners themselves to stop the whole barrack from suffering the consequences.

The newer style bunk made to fit more prisoners. They would cram as many people as they could onto the bunks – sleeping head-to-toe.

We went through the museum and watched videos and testimonies of some people who were imprisoned at the camp and how they were involved in soccer teams and so forth.  Reporters once came to check out the camp and so they fed the prisoners up before this, made them build a lake to swim in when the reporters arrived and organised soccer teams to make the camp look more like a ‘holiday retreat’ rather than the horrific concentration camp that it was.

We did not get all the way through when we realised it was nearly 3 o’clock and that we still hadn’t had lunch and collectively agreed that we needed to leave.  I honestly think that was the fastest we walked the whole trip as subconsciously all three of us were taking bigger, faster steps and feeling the need to get out of that place and get as far away as possible.

End of Dachau

Munich building

Munich

We travelled back to Munich and decided to find a restaurant for lunch (well the other two decided as frankly I was ready to eat just about anything and was very disheartened to walk past bakeries with food smelling so good).  We found a nice restaurant and opted to sit outside in the fresh air as Svenja helped us to decipher the German menu to decide what to eat.  Connor’s beer was by far the hardest thing to work out and the waitress was not impressed with his first choice stating that it was too small and once settled on a larger glass she was much happier “Yes, this is bigger, better for the man.”  One of the things that seems to be common in Bavaria is telling people if you don’t like what they are doing – including waitresses who don’t like what you order it seems!  She returned with a decent sized glass and Connor after tasting it said it was the nicest, sweetest beer he had tasted and to try it.  Svenja in a matter-of-fact way replied “Yes of course it is sweet, it has lemonade in it.”  Haha yep we did have to laugh and now understood why the waitress was so annoyed – Connor had ordered a shandy!  Although it certainly was still the nicest shandy I have ever tasted.  So after calling the annoyed waitress back again (granted they were a little busy but not too badly) Connor ordered a full-strength beer that got an approving nod from the waitress (as well as a ‘bloody tourists’ eye roll).  Next to our table we were then joined by four elderly gentlemen who had just returned from Oktoberfest and quite friendly and chatty.  We established that they were all from different countries but living together in Switzerland at present (one was a teacher from England who was travelling to Australia soon, one was from Germany and perhaps the most sober of the four, one was from the Philippines, and I am sorry to have forgotten where the other man was from but for arguments sake let’s say Switzerland).  They called themselves ‘The Old Geezers Club” and seemed to be having a ball away from their families (one was even a great-grandfather) and enjoying each other’s company.  Sadly we couldn’t talk too long as we were running out of daylight and had to make it back to the medieval shop to pick up Steve’s sword and axe head that hadn’t arrived on Saturday.

Now I had a ball in the shop the first day I went there but now it was Connor’s turn (and I got to enjoy not being the only tourist fascinated by everything).  This time the shop keeper’s son was in and when Connor asked to take photos of and with the weapons he was more than obliging.  In fact he even allowed Connor to take down the biggest sword in the shop to have a hold of (I actually had to step outside of the shop in order to get the whole sword in the photo).  After having a good look around and a play we packed up the axe head and had the sword wrapped but carried it through the streets of Munich. I must admit it was very nice to just be able to have a little fun and enjoy ourselves with the idea of carrying a sword through Munich (although we did have to keep it away from Svenja when the ticket machine wasn’t working as she threatened to use it on them).

Connor with a dagger

Connor with the largest sword in the medieval shop

But it was then soon time for Connor and I to say goodbye to Svenja (although knowing that this was Svenja’s and my fourth meeting we knew we would certainly see each other again), grab our bags and head to Garmisch-Partenkirchen on the train (after Svenja taught us how to use the machines – very easy when you can switch them to English!).  I had booked a hotel, before I left England, near Zugspitze as we figured it would be easiest to access to climb Zugspitze the next day and only a little over an hour train ride to Munich for Oktoberfest the next day (after my not so good experiences in England I certainly wasn’t leaving the country this time without having my accommodation sorted).  Being old friends who had so far been on very different German adventures (Connor seeing and staying in the cities of Cologne & Berlin) the conversation flowed easily and the train ride went quite quickly (the train even had a map of the countryside on the table which I am sad to say I don’t have a picture of but Connor might have).  We then decided to check out Google Maps and see where our hotel was in relation to the train station, we saw that it seemed to actually be next to the train station in Farchant one stop before Garmisch-Partenkirchen.  So we decided to get off at Farchant not knowing if we were making the right decision or not we gathered our gear and got to the door. Connor pushed the button and the door didn’t open, he pushed it again and it still didn’t open, after a few attempts at the door we were soon too late and the train was off. Oh well it looked like fate had decided we were going to the Garmish train station after all.  The relaxed atmosphere of Germany had rubbed off on us as we were both calm and relaxed and not worried at all – we were on an adventure after all!

Now Connor having travelled some of Germany by himself actually could say a few phrases in Deutch, which I will admit impressed me, and Svenja informed us that his pronunciation was indeed correct.  Connor has also now grown quite a moustache and beard and had learned the word for “moustache” in German.  A man sitting next to the door that we couldn’t get out of had quite a moustache and the man, his wife, Connor and I had quite a laugh at the mutual respect the men then shared over their facial hair when Connor said “Moustache” to him in German.  At the next stop Connor had to leave his new moustache friend behind as we found a taxi (which was quite easy) and showed the driver the directions to the motel which we were grateful he knew just from the address.  Connor stated “My German is horrible” in Deutch and the taxi driver replied that his English was “horrible” but with broken German and English we were grateful to only have a ten minute taxi ride and arrive at what looked like a very cute and quaint hotel in lovely fresh, mountain air.  Upon entering the hotel we found the man at reception was expecting us and easily switched from German to English for us and made our stay quite comfortable.   The rooms were comfortable and from the balcony even in the dark you could see the mountains, you could also hear the wind through the trees and the cow bells in the distance.  Being later at night we soon forgot all about finding food and decided to get some sleep for our big day on Zugpsitze tomorrow.

Photo of our hotel on the last morning (Hotel Garni Zugspitz, Farchant)

Germany Adventure – Day 4

Tuesday 23^rd September 2014 – Neuschwanstein Castle, Austria & Autobahn

Once more poor Steve was off to work but I am grateful for the time I got to spend with him on the weekend and hear the stories he had to tell as they will be a part of this blog too.

The four other adventures had a nice breakfast that involved Vegemite that Alwin brought over from the Australian store in Hessen, Germany for me and Svenja.  Steve likes his jar a little too much to share – I think he is the only non-Australian (who has also never visited Australia) that I have ever seen eat Vegemite straight from the jar and enjoy it! After establishing the difference between toast and bread (German’s call a bread like our gluten-free bread ‘bread’ and bread like Australia’s ‘American toast’ and instead of soft bread rolls they like them quite hard with a very strong crust) we set off for the Neuschwanstein Castle.  Which as my mother informed me is the castle that inspired Walt Disney and therefore all of the Disney cartoons and characters.

I was happy enough to let Svenja drive and so off we went in two cars (due to Vitus needing a lot of room) driving through more of picturesque Germany.

When we arrived we soon realised it was a popular place, especially on such a lovely day, and so Alwin generously waited in line to buy tickets for the tour of the castle while us girls and Vitus read the signs about the Royal Castle Hohenschwangau (the parental home of King Ludwig II who built the Neuschwanstein Castle).

Royal Castle Hohenschwangau Information

Alwin, Nikki, Vitus & Svenja at look-out

With an hour wait for our tour we hiked up the mountain to the castle (we were all fit, able and willing but there are buses or carriages to take you to the castles if you wish but dogs are not allowed on the buses). We made some friends in a New York couple and kept hiking to the look-out and the bridge to capture some great photos of the countryside and of the castle itself.

We then toured the inside of the castle, Alwin and Nicky graciously took an English tour with me (rather than the German tour), although the tour guide spoke broken English with a bit of German so it was hard to keep up with him at times. We weren’t allowed to take photos of the inside of the castle but if you want to know more about it and see some photos of the inside check out these links

http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/palace/interior.htm

http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/palace/tour.htm

Neuschwanstein Castle from bridge

Prince Ludwig II was crowned king at eighteen and was therefore quite a young king. He didn’t like people too much so he built his castle out-of-the-way near the forests to be able to also go hunting. He had a liking for swans (but I call it more of an obsession). The door handles were golden swans, the curtains had printed swans, the roof had painted swans, and there were pictures and statues of swans.  The castle had heating and running water and the tap going into the King’s bedroom was, yep you guessed it, a swan.  Even the ice-cream, cake and sweet moulds in the kitchen were swans! The castle has a mixture of gothic, medieval and more modern furnishings and design as the castle was built during those changing times so they weren’t a contradiction back then.  The king was medically diagnosed to be crazy after a few years and he was found drowned in the lake the next day (I will let you decide what happened there – as nothing is officially recorded).  I think the faces on the side of the castle are a good indication of what the King’s personality may have been like.

Side of castle

Castle entrance

Vitus & Svenja waiting

Svenja and Vitus had to wait outside or at the restaurant due to dogs not being allowed in the castle (however Svenja and Steve had already done the tour of the castle).

After sharing a couple of lovely pizzas with Svenja and her parents (which really was like being home with family), we were on our way to Austria to where Steve & Svenja participate in a medieval battle re-enactment.

It was quite anti-climactic entering Austria as there was a sign in German, Svenja stating “We are now in Austria,” and that was about as exciting as it got. We did stop to fuel up in Austria and I got to drive again (granted it was only parking the car but it was in fact still driving in Austria).

Driving in Austria

Aqua mountain water

We then arrived at the battle grounds and castle ruins. (Steve & Svenja please feel free to correct me with this story).

The battle they re-enact started with two Austrian brothers who were Protestant. The eldest Protestant son was given the castle and the other brother turned Catholic. The catholic brother went away and came back with attacking army and attacked the army from a fortified building they built…and lost.  They then built a castle on an opposite hill, once completed they attacked the Protestant castle from both sides….and lost again. They then built a castle on a hill on the other side so they could attack from high above on both sides and below from the fortified building…and finally won!

Austria castle ruins photo from car

We went to visit the ruins but unfortunately they were closed for reconstruction so I could only get photos from a distance – but thankfully Steve passed on his knowledge of the story and hear the map shows the years of the armies fighting against each other and information about the story they re-enact.

Austrian castle ruins sign

It was there we split up so that Svenja could take me on the autobahn. A little bit more exciting going through a tunnel to cross the Austrian/German border.  Now most people push the limits of their cars with the open speed limit on the autobahn however we first got on and had to go 80, than 60, then 40km/h! Haha yep road works! Thankfully they weren’t long and we got going at a quick pace.  Driving a small Nissan that isn’t made to go the huge speeds some do on the autobahn it wasn’t all that much different to driving on a highway in Australia except that when passing a car at a high-speed you just don’t slow down and keep that high-speed going (best part is no kangaroos to watch out for haha).

40km on autobahn

But we got home and had Bavarian sausages (white sausages that taste nice but quite herby) and a very nice sweet wine that is closer to grape juice than wine which is probably why I really enjoyed it (yes I actually found a wine that I like). I have also learned that locals are helpful to watch when eating local cuisine as often there are some things that you aren’t supposed to eat. The white Bavarian sausages are a true test of this as I watched everyone peel their sausages and questioned if you eat the skin or not. “Well you can but it’s not very nice.” Ah yes, thanks for the tip! 😉

It was here I sadly said goodbye and thank you to Steve for his hospitality and stories and even got a “Maybe we will see you in Australia” which I am sure Svenja was even happier to hear than I was.  Because tomorrow I would also say goodbye to Alwin & Nicky in the morning as Svenja and I go to meet up with Connor to visit the Dachau concentration camp.

Neuschwanstein Castle