Day: January 18, 2018

Today we visited the neuschwanstein castle which is located in Bavaria, Germany. The famous Disney castle was based off of this castle.  As we departed from the bus, we were hit with a fresh breeze of frigid air. Snow was falling ever so slightly and covered the ground around us. Above us stood the castle. A magnificent sight that protruded from the snowy trees around it.

The hike up took about 20 minutes with every step leaving a footprint in the snow behind. In order to pass the time and keep our bloody flowing, we decided to start a snowball fight. From this point on, the ascension now became filled with paranoia as we never knew when a snowball was going to come flying into our bodies. After about twenty minutes of laughter, adrenaline, and snow in the face, we finally made it to the castle.

The inside of the castle was magnificent. From the intricate carvings of wood to the numerous paintings scattered throughout, everything came together to create a masterpiece. My favorite part of the castle was the garden, filled with lights and plants and rushing water, where King Ludwig would spend his time in solitude. As awesome as the castle was however, I do not think I could live in such a gigantic place away from the daily bustle of life.

We covered a lot of miles today, but we did make stops at three significant places.  The first place was the Dachau Concentration Camp which is just north of Munich.  Visiting the camp is a very sobering experience when you realize how horribly some humans treated other humans.  Unfortunately, some atrocities are still committed today.  We were able to walk around, seeing several original buildings and some re-built buildings.

After leaving Dachau, we drove north to the city of Nurnberg.  The city is infamous for being Hitler’s “home” city and for the war crimes trials after WWII.  Much of the city is rebuilt and is now a vibrant/modern city.  Outside the city we stopped at the Zepplin-platz or the grand stands where Hitler held many rallies for his supporters.  It is currently used for watching car races.  We had some time in the center of the city to find some lunch.

Our final stop was Leipzig, Germany, where we are staying for the night.  Leipzig is known as Bach’s home town and as the place were protests about the Berlin Wall began several years before the wall came down.  After checking into the hotel, we had supper at the Ratskeller restaurant.  It was an excellent meal.  We then went on a short walking tour past Bach’s church and much of the center of the city.