Author: RebWhite

Munich, the White Rose movement, and Taylor Swift

I know that this week all started with Holly and me thinking about seeing Taylor Swift, but the trip has turned out to be so much more than that, starting with Dachau. Today was my last day to learn more, following up on pieces that I had seen or learned about this week. 

I decided to get back to some of the history related to WWII and to walk around Munich some more, just learning the city a bit. I started with trying to find where the Holocaust memorial plaques were placed – it’s an ongoing project. Munich decided they wanted to move from the “stumbling stone” approach that they and many other European cities have used – plaques in the ground where people were taken, the name, date, reason, date when the person died and where. Munich is now putting plaques on the sides of building where people lived as a more respectful way of honoring victims of the Third Reich instead of possibly walking on them if not noticed. That being said, I did notice the ground plaques; we all thought people looked down more than up. But – glad they’ll have both.

I was looking online to figure out where to go to see some of the new plaques and found a woman who’s passionate about WWII, loves Munich and gave a lot of information and ideas. Munich WWII Sites: 26 Eye-Opening Spots You Need To Know

I wish I’d found this sooner. There’s a tour she notes that I’d have loved to do, but it was booked up: Munich: Resistance against Hitler – Historical Walking Tour | GetYourGuide

Tricia wanted to get out in the early morning before it got hot to see one of the plaques as well, so we went together to the closest one before she went back to rest her foot. This plaque was within .4 miles of the hotel: 4 members of the same family. 

I then continued on and found this – I’d read about it, but still found it so confusing. After 2009 which Michael Jackson died, fans set up a memorial on the statue of the composer Orlande de Lassus across from a hotel where Michael Jackson stayed. A number of people are not happy about this memorial and every morning go spread bird feed at the base of the statue in hopes that the birds will destroy all the daily contributions of fans. 

I was trying to find the plaque remembering Albertine Neuland,  I did find her house before Kristalnacht when she was thrown out, which made it clear that no one was immune or safe because it was a gorgeous house.

I never found her plaque, but I did find this website. She died when America refused her entry because of her age despite her son in America who did everything he could to get her to the states. 

I kept walking and found myself in a neighborhood with a lot of Arabic shops and restaurants mixed in and just saw regular Munich since I was quickly out of the main tourist areas. A lot to people were in cafes and as I passed one group, I heard “Oh, mein gott” and I thought – I do know some German!

I found more plaques as I headed towards LMU and also passed this:

I arrived at Ludwig Maximilian University assembly hall and The White Rose Resistance to the NS Dictatorship Museum. Here are photos of Sophie, and of 6 of the 7, a memorial in the hall, and the hall. 

Sophie threw pamphlets from the balcony, was seen by the janitor who turned her in.

Briefly, 7 people, 6 students and a professor initiated a resistance group spreading pamphlets as far across the country as they could, starting in Munich, right next to Hitler and the regime headquartered here. 3 of the students were medical students and had already been sent to the front. They saw what was being done to the Poles, to the Russians and had to speak up. Unbelievably brave. 

The museum was incredible. I was immersed, reading about all 7 of the people who were the leaders, what happened to their families, how the word spread. I read everything. When I walked out into modern day Munich, it was jarring. A link for a bit of the story: The White Rose Opposition Movement | Holocaust Encyclopedia

Within a few blocks I saw another acknowledgement of someone killed. The addition to the sign said this:

Then back to the hotel and Tricia and I decided to use the credit (love how they do that, as if you weren’t paying for it) that each person got at the hotel for incidentals and went to a late lunch in the hotel restaurant. It turned out to be an incredible meal and enough to hold us through the rest of the day/concert.

And now, the Taylor Swift concert. Flynn came to Tricia’s and my room and used the hair dyes I’d gotten and gave me tips for make-up and getting more color into my hair. Then – we were off!

First, I have to say – the concert was so totally worth the trip, though the rest of the trip put it into perspective. But my goodness, Taylor Swift is incredible. She made you feel like everyone there was beloved and she was so happy to see all of us. She thanked the crowd of 74,000 plus acknowledged the crowds of people on the hills behind the stadium, 2000? I heard estimates of that additional crowd. Some waiting since 5 that morning to be able to see and hear what they could from above. 

It was truly fun to be there with Flynn who knows EVERY word and gesture and sang along with every song. She was adorable. I sang along with what I knew and just enjoyed the rest. We left the hotel at 5 and got back at 1am and it never stopped being fun. Well, actually I thought the opening band was boring and ended up reading my book on my phone. Kylie told me that Paramore was actually a big pop band and very popular. I mean the lead was cute, but nope, the music did nothing for me or anyone else in our group. But the minute Taylor started revving the crowd and then appeared – totally great. What a great way to end an amazing week!

Salzburg to Munich

We had a relaxed morning and then took a car to the train to a car and back to our hotel in Munich – we even got the same rooms!

Holly realized we needed to make sure we had transportation to the concert for the next day and went down to talk to the front desk. They said, taxis, their cars, all had been booked up for weeks before. Holly then got the bright idea to see if she could reach the driver who’d taken us back and forth for the train and he said yes! So great and he was amazing. So – that’s set. 

We didn’t have plans so went over the beer garden and market for lunch and then decided to go out to Nymphenburg Palace Park. 

The market was a scene and I had bratwurst that was actually great. As long as I was having meat and fries, threw up my hands and went crazy, ordering a Coke too 🙂

It just didn’t seem right for Flynn to be in Munich and not see any palaces! Luckily for our energy and Flynn’s attention, there is really only one floor to explore at Nymphenburg Palace, but it’s beautiful and elaborate and gives a hint of the lives of Ludwig I and family. No photos allowed. There is a gorgeous park all around the palace and we saw a lot of people clearly out for their daily run running through the gates and then through the grounds. Pretty amazing. 

Flynn then decided she might like to live here and make it her own:

We then came back to the hotel, full from the treats we got after the palace and late market lunch so just had a quiet evening, so nice!

Salzburg

I started the day by walking over to the Residenz Platz to try to hear the bells caroling – there are 32 bells in the tower that are played by a barrel that turns and strikes the bells according to the tune chosen. But this ringing happened as 7am and I really love hearing bells. At first all the other church bells were ringing and this one didn’t play, then it started a few minutes after all others had quieted and it was a great way to start the day. 

Ok, today was a completely and totally wonderful day. I had moments of pure happy on the tour for Sound of Music, like I do at times on a Camino. It was the best having Tricia, Holly and Flynn with us. Flynn was a trooper because this wasn’t a flashback for her, even though she’s seen the movie. But for the rest of us, it was just great. 

Very cool surprise – our guide was a relative of the Von Trapps on the Captain’s first wife’s side. He was really passionate about his subject and had talked to a lot of the members of his family getting details and learning. He said when he went to Vermont and met Maria, he was startled because she was older and stout and didn’t look like Julie Andrews – but she was still warm and wonderful and told great stories. 

Peter gave us a really interesting synthesis between Maria’s autobiography and stories cousins and family told, the play with Mary Martin, and the filming of the movie with Julie Andrews, Robert Wise (director) and Maria Von Trapp. Robert and Julie wanted Maria with them the whole time to tell them how it really was and what it was like for her. 

So as we toured, Peter talked about Maria’s life, how Robert integrated it into the movie, and how the Von Trapp family felt about it all. 

I’m really hoping that someday I can come back and do it with Kaziah – a particular wish of hers – so I won’t put all I learned here, plus it would be a lot. But just know that when we watch the movie – it really did honor Maria’s life and wishes. So cool. And also, Christopher Plummer really was just as snotty and rude as we imagined after reading his complaints about doing the role. But they handled him! Maria was very strong.

It took us four hours in and out of Salzburg, in and out of the car, with a total of 10 min for a break, but it flew by. Salzburg and the country around it are beautiful. Since Peter drove us out to the church of the wedding scene and the meadows and mountains of some of the movie scenes, we got to see more than just the city. So green and beautiful. We had a perfect weather day to explore.

I’ll tell just the beginning story of Maria and how that melded with the movie. (Per Peter since it differs from Wikipedia.) We drove first to see the Benedictine convent (seen from below since you can’t visit, nuns, though far fewer, are still in residence) where Maria was. This was Nonnberg Abbey, the convent started in the 800’s by Prince Rupert with his sister as the abbess. Maria was born on the train as her parents left Tyrol on their way to Vienna. Since the authorities couldn’t give “train” as her birthplace, they put Vienna since they were on their way there. But Maria always considered the mountains her home and loved hiking. 

Maria’s parents died when she was young and she was fostered by relatives, but it was abusive and she left when she was 15 to live with a friend. She was very lonely, wishing she had family, and was trying to figure out what to do with herself. She went to a concert at the church. However, the concert was canceled and instead a Jesuit priest spoke. He talked being in the family of God and caring for others, what it meant to be in community with others of like mind and how they supported each other. Maria decided she wanted to be a nun so she would have a family and to go to Salzburg since it’s near the mountains. She rang the bell (the same in the movie) and told them she wanted to be a postulate. The two nuns she spoke with recognized that she didn’t have a calling, but needed a family. They then appealed to the Mother Superior who said they were meant to be her family and she could teach music at the parochial school.

Here’s Nonnberg Abbey. The bell isn’t there any more that the kids rang because tourists rang is so constantly, that they had to remove it. The four windows on the upper left are in the Mother Superior’s room and the scene with the “Climb Every Mountatin” happened in this room (via movie set). The movie scene was very close to the real scene when she told Maria she should leave the convent because “when a door closes, a window will open.” 

She did teach music, but she also really did cause chaos, since she ran, sang, whistled and generally behaved with more enthusiasm than decorum. Finally, the Mother Superior secretly pulled all the nuns together and told them had to pray and pray hard that a husband could be found for Maria. They prayed with their rosaries for 9 days straight and at the end, someone came to the convent asking for a governess for the youngest daughter of a Captain Von Trapp whose wife had died of a heart ailment and whose younger daughter had the same condition. Hallelujah!

So – there’s the start of Maria and the Von Trapps, many many more stories. Peter would point out something and say, remember when they…..in the movie. And Holly, Tricia and I would all say yes! So that’s where they filmed it and this is how it related to what really did happen in Maria’s life, which was often very close. 

Uncle Max’s real house and where the real and movie scene happened with the kids in the boat and the balcony where the Captain saw the boat turn over. The real story was a little different, but core the same. 

Max was an amazing person, strong, determined, kind. Started the Salzburg music festival in an effort to unite countries and people. He told people if they wanted to perform, they had to spend at least one summer living here in company with all others so that they could learn all were performers and people despite different skin, traditions, heritages. This was all part of his strategy go bring people together. I guess it really worked until Hitler came along. 

He had to flee (partly Jewish) with his American wife to the US and died of a broken heart shortly after getting to the US. After the war, the American Commandant wanted to give the house back to his wife. She said she couldn’t afford it, the upkeep, at all. A few soldiers under the Commandant were there who were Harvard students, and they loved what Max had tried to do. They said they could help. If she’d take the estate back, they had wealthy family and connections from Harvard and would help set up a foundation to bring in speakers from around the world, to continue Max’s wish to open doors between people. This became the Salzburg Global Seminar. (The Wikipedia link tells it a little differently). 

It’s the mansion on the right, blow it up and you can see the balcony!

Grounds near this mansion, all of this is really close to Salzburg, the bike path would be amazing. Saw this on our way to the row of trees where Maria got off the bus. 

Then on to the Gazebo where Leisl sang and danced. It used to be to the left of Max’s mansion, but there were so many visitors and they were so loud, that they disturbed the lectures going on in the Salzberg Global Seminar and it had to be moved. It’s now at the Schloss Helbrunn which is also an incredible place, though we didn’t see much. 

I liked this wikipedia entry for the actress who played Leisl.

Moment for Flynn:

Outside the Schloss I saw these and they stopped me in my tracks. These are two of the “stumbling stones” that mark name, date, why, end for a victim of the regime. 

He lived here:

These were a stark reminder of what was happening at the time and later of Sound of Music.  This is the train station that the family used – right near their house (actual house, not Max’s) to escape using their diplomatic performance visas.

Driving to Maria’s movie wedding church, we pulled over to see the Red Bull campus. I had no idea, but it’s owned 51% by the Thai whose herbs were the genesis of the drink and 49% by an Austrian group. The whole facility was built on Feng Shui principles to blend with the water and mountains. It’s under repair, but you can still see how incredible the feeling is. Gorgeous. And – turns out that the Austrian family have been huge sports promoters, but evidently also do a lot to support the local area and economy, especially during COVID. 

Back to Maria 🙂

The meadow behind and to the right is where they learned do-re-mi…

Here’s the church from the movie, Robert Wise asked Maria what her dream wedding would have been, she said in this church with all the locals celebrating at a party afterwards. So that’s what they did!

And here’s a bit of how the music might have really sounded since we were lucky enough to hear musicians practicing. 

And, finally, back in Salzburg, Mirabell Gardens where a lot of scenes from the do-re-mi song were filmed with the kids playing. 

And I didn’t get a picture of the stairs because there were so many tourists walking them and getting photos – but the stairs where they hopped up and down singing are behind me as I look at this trellis. And – that’s the end. It was magical.

This is just a bit of why the Mirabell Gardens are so named (the palace is on the right), the stairs are at the far end:

Back to Salzburg focus – during the summer there’s an incredible music festival, this year from 7/19-8/31 and we happened to be here for it. If I were to come back, I would plan way ahead for tickets and scheduling. Since it’s Mozart’s birthplace, they take that to heart and all kinds of music, opera, and types of performances are available in all types of buildings. Some free, some inexpensive, probably some very expensive. 

Tricia and I had decided we really wanted to see some concerts before we’d left for the tour and I’d arranged two seats at the Residenz for a piano concert and then 2 seats at Mirabell Schloss (palace for whole the gardens were made) for an evening chamber concert. Both so reasonable! Holly decided she and Flynn would rather try to find some gifts and just wander the city. However, when we got back, Tricia and I were too tired and hungry to go straight to the piano concert, gave up our tickets and the four of us went to lunch. 

After that, Tricia and I took the funicular up to see the fort. It was SO huge, I just couldn’t imagine what it was like up there. We had limited time which was perfect since we were pretty toured out. It was clearly a city within a fortress, different eras of buildings, and always used a pulley system of getting materials up there, animals pulling in the old days. Ach, probably horrible. 

We didn’t have time to go into any of the museums (maybe 3?), nor eat, 2 restaurants, 3 cafe/bistros, tower, prison, etc. In fact, I just walked around getting a video which I’ll share if it’s any good so Tricia could get a sense of it. She was sparing her foot since we were going to have to walk to and fro the evening concert. 

Then we went to the Mirabell Schloss concert and it was fantastic. A really good chamber group of 5 and a wonderful guest pianist who made the notes seem like water, just gorgeous. Haydn, Mozart, Hayden, Mozart. The acoustics in the hall were wonderful, and the time flew by. 

Then walked home at night. It was a perfect day. 

Salzburg

Of course, we’re here because of the Sound of Music (evidently Austrians do not get this avid interest, but finally decided to cash in on Americans’ crazy devotion), but oh, this city is so much more. It’s truly beautiful. We have a hotel in the old town, a Radisson – Altstadt Hotel – and it’s very old, redone, and the front desk people are lovely. The inscription on the paint outside says 1332 and 1992. 

Tricia and I are in a crazy room, the Kaiser Suite, which was the servants attic, I’m sure, but made into a great giant room. Tricia said she was game for the sleeper sofa, but I was up most of the night and watched her turn a 360, so clearly not that comfortable. We’ll share tonight. I also realized that if you’re in the attic, there are no opening windows, but the balcony, and the fun of it, and the luck for being short, all makes it a very fun and surprising room. 

We took the train from Munich and then a cab to the hotel, all so easy. We got lunch at a place that took forever, but was seriously good. The headline on the menu said the highlighted recipes were based on a cookbook from 1719 from the restauranteur and they had the cookbook on display! Amazing. I had one of the highlights, vegetables cooked in a pot, so good. Then we ordered a tray of apricot desserts to share, but they brought us all one and we were in heaven. Apricot cannoli, sorbet, stewed, cake, soup. 

Then Flynn took some time off in their room watching a show and Holly, Tricia and I did the Rick Steve’s audio tour. The buildings are beautiful, a lot of Italianate which I wouldn’t want on my house, but love to see in big grand buildings. There were bombings here too, but not as destructive as Munich. 

Turns out this the reason so much is Italianate is because this was the Rome over the alps. The prince here was also the archbishop so both religious and political leader for the area. He was the voice of the pope in this area. 

Even though Americans think of Salzburg as the home of the Sound of Music, which it is, people in Salzburg think of it as the home of Mozart. Even though Mozart left here at 25 and didn’t look back, Salzburg needed a big tourism boost and his sister and father helped create a museum in his birth house after he died. The Mozart Foundation started the Mozart Museum in 1880 and it’s great – it was my last stop for the day. His wife and two sons supported this and took care with his music to preserve as much as possible.

Walking into Mozart Plaza:

This is the Cathedral that St. Rupert started in 690? Something like that. The cool thing is that if you back way up, you can see the statue of Mary welcoming all to the city and she’s set so that two angels on the front of the cathedral holding a crown look like they’re putting it on her head.

Great fountain that was built in the 1600’s for horses to take a bath:

Amazing catacombs, don’t know the story, but so old. The view from the caves up top shows the churches basically on top of each other with a small cemetery where if you didn’t keep renting the space you go moved out – all of you and your monument. This is where they filmed the Von Trapp family hiding in the cemetery in the convent. 

So – a lot to learn and explore and I’m left with questions and more places I’d like to see, but lucky to even get 2 nights and a full day here. 

Sadly, Tricia’s foot was not better and she ended up going to a hospital to get it assessed to make sure she didn’t have a stress fracture. The main goal was to figure out if she walked, would she create more damage. After quite a lot of money (get medical insurance from now on), it turned out to be an infected bug bite. We discussed the fact that if she told people she was bitten by something at Dachau, there would be no sympathy. That was a whole other element of misery that the prisoners would have experienced that was never even mentioned. So many facets that can’t be comprehended. But for Tricia since we didn’t have a schedule or plan for the day, she was able to read, keep ice on and off and the antibiotics went to work. 

I met with my friend Rick Steves (Holly couldn’t figure out how I made a friend to explore with so quickly) and walked for a few hours through Munich. I’d made a list of things I wanted to see from Atlas Obscura and we covered all but two of the items. Oh, so interesting. I’m going to be strong and only say 8 historical facts:

Monks started the town in the 800’s and eked out a living salt trading. Then a Bavarian prince, Henry the Lion, started building a city around the salt trade, and built a toll bridge, walled the city, etc. 1158 was the start of this town. Munich for monk.

St. Peter’s Church built in 1368 is the beloved church for this staunchly Catholic country. When Luther started the Reformation, Bavaria (Munich is the capital) stayed Catholic. The best thing in this church is a skeleton in the box covered by jewels (glass?), beheaded for her faith. Her name is Mundita and is the patron saint of spinsters.

Munich was Hitler’s base and the building from which he ordered Kristallnacht was just to the right of the Glockenspiel. 

There were 10,000 Jews at that point because traditionally Munich had been very open to other religious practices. Then there were none. Munich came back to its open roots and now has a Jewish population of 10,000 again and a synagogue, museum and school in the heart of the city. 

When German cities started making the decision of what their look would be after the war, Frankfurt chose modern skyscrapers and Munich chose to recreate its history and it’s a beautiful city. The Nazi’s took meticulous photos of some of the inside of historic buildings and there were photos of the exterior of the city that existed and Munich was able to rebuild. 

That memorial to the women I mentioned before – “rubble women” was a term for the women who pulled bricks from each giant pile that used to be a building and saved the reusable  ones and piled the unusable ones up on the edge of the city.  These debris hills were then landscaped into grassy parks at the edge of the city.

The giant building that said “Residenz” that I’d taken to be high-end apartments, was actually a GIGANTIC palace started in the 1300’s and added onto for many royal families. 

Munich hosts the world’s largest Oktoberfest, going on since 1810 King Ludwig I’s wedding celebration was so successful that they repeated – every year, with 7.2 million in 2023.  

After the Rick Steves tour, I decided to visit the Residenz. Oh my lord, I could not believe how big it was, one section after another. 130 rooms that were on display. What I’d seen was just the front, didn’t realize the gorgeous building I’d seen yesterday was also part of it – couple blocks. I lost track of all the royal branches (all Wittelsbach for 738 years). By the end, even I, history lover that I am, wanted roller skates to get through more quickly. But it was amazing. The treasury was bigger than anything I’ve ever seen. This crown was from 1380:

I opened it and…

One of the courtyards:

And that’s all just a bit.

Then I came back to the hotel, double checked on Tricia, who was glad she’d taken the day and whose foot was better. Yay since she wants to explore Salzberg tomorrow. 

Holly and I decided we should go to a beer hall, because. We did go and I had a rotter, half beer, half lemonade which helped it be more drinkable. We went to the Hofbrauhaus, where the original brewery was built in 1583, rebuilt in 1800 and then again after WWII. It was huge and I asked a couple of guys in Leiderhosen if we could get a table. Oops, they didn’t work there. Turns out they were the musicians and ended up bringing their concertina and tuba and sat across from us to play and have beers. Funny. 

Germany, Castles

Today turned out to be really fun. Sadly, Holly and Flynn switched night for day and couldn’t go to sleep until 6am this morning, so there’s no way they could join the jaunt to Linderhof Castle, Oberammergau village, and Neuschwanstein Castle. And it was a long day so they definitely made the right choice. Tricia and I left the hotel at 7:30 and got back at 7. By the end, we thought it was wonderful. 

We learned a lot about Ludwig II, the 4th king after Germany became a monarchy in 1805. King Ludwig II adored his grandfather, Lundwig I, who built beautiful buildings and bankrupted the country. Then Ludwig II came along and loved building just as much, also nearly bankrupting the country. He won a war against Prussia, but that was very much an interruption in his studies of architecture, art, philosophy, science, etc. We were told he read a book a day.

We got to see two of his castles (palaces). The first was his comfort castle, the only one completely finished, and he spent a lot of time there, 2 weeks out of every month. Linderhof Palace was modeled after Versailles since evidently Ludwig II really wanted to be like the sun king, with his position affirmed by the gods. The palace was small, gilt and beautiful, but the real charm and beauty that caught the eye were the incredible grounds. A number of the outbuildings were modeled after scene descriptions from Wagner’s operas, someone that Ludwig adulated and became friends with despite the 40 year age difference. I thought the grotto was incredible – but only saw a short video of it since it’s under serious repair because of water damage. Here’s a description from the Linderhof website:

The Venus Grotto in the palace gardens is a unique construction designed as an artificial flowstone cave and the highlight of King Ludwig II’s illusionary architecture. This grotto not only depicts the 1st act of Richard Wagner’s opera “Tannhäuser”, but also reproduces the motif of the Blue Grotto in Capri by means of artificial illumination in various colours. For this purpose, one of the world’s first electric power stations was created. The grotto was erected in only two years from 1876 to 1877 by court building director Georg Dollmann and landscape sculptor August Dirigl. In the 19th century, it presumably was the largest construction of its kind even though it had been designed only for the king’s own private use.

From the front door, then the castle, then a small piece from the back:

The second castle we saw was named after Lohengrin, the first Richard Wagner opera Ludwig II ever saw (at age 13). Lohengrin was a mysterious swan-knight. Neuschwanstein was the “New-Swan-Stone” palace and there were over 100 images of swans in one room alone. It’s the castle that Disney modeled his castle after. In fact, Disney asked if he could buy the castle and deconstruct and reconstruct it in the US. No. But there was a painted panel of woods in the Singers Hall in the palace that Disney used as the model for the woods from Bambi. And sure enough, it definitely looked the same. 

The stories of Ludwig II were interesting and there were a lot of them. He was alone a lot and wanted it that way. In the Swan Palace, it was the king and 32 servants. He never held audiences and very rarely if ever had visitors, even though there was a throne room in both palaces. He installed the first phone in Germany in Neuschwanstein, but could only call his secretary, who was also in the palace, since no one else in Germany had a phone. He only had 172 days in the palace before he died at the age of 40, before the palace was finished. The royal family and ministers of Bavaria put the castle on public view within 6 weeks of Ludwig II dying to try to make up some of the money he spent on it. He was very Catholic, but had several Buddhist elements built into both castles. He struggled because being gay (legal at the time, but not for the monarchy) didn’t align with his position as king. He was probably murdered by his counselors whom he’d asked for funds to build a Taj Mahal in Germany. Oh, yeah, I could go on for a long time. 

Neuschwanstein was beautiful and a tribute to Richard Wagner and his operas, though Wagner never visited before Ludwig II died. In a departure from most monarchy, there were no paintings of Ludwig in either castle and his name was written only once in Neuschwanstein on a small panel – along with the architect of the building. It was about beauty and honoring others. Our guide was a lovely young woman, and both she and our guide on the bus spoke about Ludwig as if he was a beloved and quirky uncle. 

Happily for me, they didn’t allow photos in the palaces so I got to just revel. Unfortunately, they move people through so quickly (10,000 people a day at Neuschwanstein) that it didn’t really allow a long time to see details and the details were unbelievable, so many to absorb. But the overall impression was of light and beauty. It was so big that these are just a few shots I got:

We also had a 30 min visit of walking through Oberammergau village between palaces. This village became famous during the plague in 1633. The mayor of the village was determined to protect his village and closed the borders. But a soldier from the 30 years war was so homesick, he was allowed to come home. He died within 3 days and then 300 people from the village died after him. They then decided to put on a play showing the 10 stations of the cross, a Passion Play, with everyone in the village taking part – 2,000 people as actors, techs, musicians, etc. They built a theater a few years ago that can hold 5000 people. Here’s the note from their website: In 1633 the Oberammergau villagers promised to perform the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ every tenth year, in so far as no one was to die of the plague anymore. The villagers were answered by God and therefore in 1634 the first Passion Play took place. The promise has been kept until today. The 42nd Passion Play successfully ran from 14 May to 2 October 2022, after having to be postponed in 2020 due to Covid.

The other thing the village is known for are the paintings on the houses; themes from Christianity and Grimms Fairy Tales. Unfortunately, the fairy tales were mostly painted on houses that we went by on the bus so photos were a challenge, but I walked a bit and tried to get some photos just to show the skill and details. The Jungle Book photo was on a garage of a house. The woman of the house was walking up the stairs and I asked for permission to take the photo and she was so pleased and said yes! It’s 30 years old! 

The one below is the entire story of Hansel and Gretl

Unfortunately, by the end of the day, Tricia’s foot was really cranky. We had no idea what happened, it had started to hurt a bit on the bus/train from Dachau, but by the time we got back to the hotel today, clearly Tricia wasn’t going to be walking anymore. I wanted mid-eastern food and asked at the desk about a place that I could get take out from and were given a name close. We went upstairs to settle in and to order ice from room service and then it turned out half the menu was mid-eastern food! Wait, and everything was written in German, English and Arabic. How interesting. Turns out there’s a huge influx of visitors from the UAE and Dubai for medical services in particular. They bring the whole family, spend a lot and the community is pleased to welcome them. It seemed (from a very outside perspective) that there was a lot of blending between the communities and obviously, there are also plenty of residents who were Islamic as evidenced from the women’s dress. 

So – a great day and hopefully, Tricia’s foot gets better tomorrow.

Munich

I can’t believe it, but I’m back in Europe, so so lucky. This time I’m traveling with Tricia, Holly and Flynn and the initial impetus was a Taylor Swift show happening on the 28th here. Yep, totally joining the madness and it’s been really fun in the anticipation for it. Kylie told me a couple of months ago that I was WAY behind in learning all of TS’s songs and history. So – I’ve been learning and actually am very impressed with her energy and determination and I quite like a lot of her songs. Can’t wait to see the actual show!

But – since we’re going to be in Munich, Holly and I decided to make a week of it and then Tricia joined in when Kylie realized she couldn’t do the trip. 

Then – and big – I realized that Salzberg is only 2 hours away by train. Oh boy! Finally, finally, getting to see the Sound of Music city. When I asked Holly if she’d be interested, she said, yes! For one of her birthdays, she had a sleepover group and watched the movie at night and again the next morning. Tricia was totally aligned too. Flynn’s never seen it, but Holly’s going to try to get her to see it before we go. Of course, it moves in VERRRRRRRRY slow motion compared to today’s electronic offerings, so we’ll see how that goes. We’ll go to Salzburg mid-week.

Then, I realized that Dachau is only 30 minutes outside of Munich. And that’s a must in light of history and today’s reality that’s so wrong in so many places. That’s just a Tricia and me venture. We both feel like that comes first, so we’ll go tomorrow. Holly’s already been and the tours we’ve found recommended no one under 14 join. So Flynn and Holly will have a different day and we’ll join up later. 

Today the flight was easy, direct from Denver for Holly, Flynn and me and direct from Newark for Tricia.

We joined up at the hotel and then went out and had schnitzel for a late lunch/dinner since none of us had eaten for the day. I mean, Germany, schnitzel was a must at least once. And it was good! 

Holly and Flynn then got diverted by shopping and Tricia and I walked, largely re-walking a lot of what she saw earlier when she was waiting for the hotel room to be ready. 

This is a beautiful city! One of those European cities (maybe they’re all like this?) where you turn corners and there’s another incredible building to explore. So, the camera was out and my questions started popping. 

We’re staying in a great hotel, Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kimpinski Munich, booked ages ago so reasonable and right in the midst of Munich. We can walk everywhere! It was opened in 1858  as a hotel and was modern – running water, fast lights and baths, steam engines in the collars for hot water and heating. Pretty cool!

First thing we walked to see, of course, was the Glockenspiel, the only thing I remembered from when I was here with Eli and Kaziah years ago for 3 days when traveling back from visiting Kelly, Jerry and kids in Malta. Here’s a photo, but I’m really hoping I can catch it one of the 3 times per day that it’s open and operating. It takes 15 minutes to tell the story of the 1569 royal wedding of Duke Wilhelm V and Renata of Lorraine (one of the most expensive and decadent weddings of the Middle Ages), jousting tournament and dance. I can’t wait!

Here’s a website that has an embedded video of the whole thing if you’re really interested 🙂 Munich Glockenspiel – about the Glockenspiel Munichdestination-munich.com

We walked by a statue of Little Red Riding Hood . I wanted to how/why it came about and why there? And – found it! In Atlas Obscura.

We then walked through a small part of the English Garden, one of the largest inner-city parks in the world. It’s fabulous and very well used! We stopped and watched the surfers for a good while, but there were also people in the river, playing volleyball and many more things – including a beer garden that we didn’t even see. 

Here’s something Tricia and I both marveled at – a classic demonstration of delayed gratification. This big group, both men and women – college ish aged were standing in a 3 sided square. They were quietly chatting, laughing, and very orderly.  A water bottle was in the middle, every one had an open beer bottle at their feet and people in the two longer sides took turns throwing another water bottle at the one in the middle. We must have watched 20-30-more throws? (Tricia kept watching while I took photos of cool old mural panels showing history). Finally as we were walking away, one of the guys managed to hit the water bottle, his side swooped down in synchronized order to grab their beer bottles and drink while someone from the other side raced to the middle, grabbed the thrown bottle, righted the other, and raced back to his side to stop the drinking. Clearly the competition was to see whose side would finish their bottle first. And it was not going to be quick! 

And – The Church of Our Lady Munich, built in the 1400’s on top of a much older church. Beautiful and actually really full with a wonderful organ recital happening. Snuck a photo, but we really wanted to keep walking, so I didn’t sit. Plus, the whole giant cross thing hanging from the roof just didn’t call, though the building itself was wonderful light and welcoming. 

Fun story about this footprint: According to legend, the famous footprint in teh entrance tall was made by the devil himself. He made a bet with the master builder for his souls, that there would be no windows in the church. Upon return to the aforementioned place, he could not see any windows at first, as they were covered by the columns. Out of joy at the supposed ignorance of the people, he stamped up and left his footprint in the ground. But when the devil took another step forward, he discovered the windows and felt that he had been deceived. Angrily, he turned into wind in order to destroy the building. It’s probably the devil is still trying, because near the cathedral or at the entrance where the footprint is, you tend to feel a slight breeze. And it’s true, there was a breeze at that spot!

Here’s the beginning from Wikipedia, then the link if you want to read more. Worth the time. He was probably an angel or a bodhisattva. 

Carlo Acutis (3 May 1991 – 12 October 2006) was an Italian website designer who documented Eucharistic miracles and approved Marian apparitions, and catalogued both on a website he designed before his death from leukaemia.^[4] Acutis was noted for his cheerfulness, computer skills, and devotion to the Eucharist, which became a core theme of his life.

Yep, jet lag in full force – in the lag perception, wide awake and I could just keep going and I’ve only been here a few hours! Stopping now. 

Munich

Tricia and I went to Dachau today. The memorial is 30 min away, took a cab out and then a bus/train combo to come back. This is my only photo, couldn’t imagine taking photos of the actual site or images shown. We were really glad we went. We walked, listened, read, for 4.5 hours before we had finished learning as much as we could. They’ve done a wonderful job of telling the history. And the survivors were the ones who insisted that it be made into a memorial. I didn’t realize that this was the model for all concentration camps; the commander of Auschwitz learned his trade here. 

Madrid. 1.5 miles

We flew from the airport an hour away from Ribadesella to Madrid. Got to see our first full sunrise from the car – bye Camino del Norte!

Madrid, we got to our hotel and mostly thought we don’t want to walk anywhere. But then thought – let’s go see the Crystal Palace in El Retiro park. We had never gone, have always headed to the ancient areas. This was old too, just not as old. The Crystal Palace was built in 1887 as the official headquarters of the General Exhibition of the Philippines in Madrid. They’re doing remodels so no entry, but truly a beautiful building.

And, look! We’re still standing and smiling. 

The park was a great scene and it was a Wednesday! But the weather was perfect, 74 degrees, a bit of a breeze and so many talented musicians. We could have sat and watched for hours. Here’s a bit of 2 groups. The bassoonist and cellist had gone to the conservatory here in Madrid. The guitarists reminded me of the music from Chocolat. 

What a gift of a trip. A few people had asked how many miles we walked. I hadn’t totaled, but did so now and I walked 268 over the weeks. It didn’t seem that long, but I guess it adds up. 

It was a truly wonderful experience with Rick and friends, history, people, getting to practice Spanish, food, walking through so much incredible terrain. This camino – I totally recommend. I loved it.

Llanes to Ribadesella, 23 miles

First a note from yesterday walking the town. We actually were able to go into the cathedral and sit for a bit. And we could sit because it was the first church that didn’t smell overwhelmingly of mold. Of note were the two giant shells at the top of the rentable. This was clearly a camino church. And, unlike most others, it held regular masses. I would have gone just to see, but too long a day and it was very monitored. Tourists were not invited during that time except for the mass and I didn’t want to sit for a full hour. 

Today:
We made it! And we walked the whole thing, it just unfolded that way. We got to the point, the only point really, where we could easily get a taxi – and saw one waiting for a fare – but it was way too early. We both agreed we were having a great day, it was pretty and we kept going. Incredible, given that Rick broke 4 vertebrae, one shattered, only 4 months before we started the walk. 

Here’s a photo from last night, I got Rick to walk up despite the 97 stairs because it was such a pretty view, plus I wanted him to see the green path I hoped to walk to start our last day.

This morning, the first part of the walk right along the coast was such a gift. It was the green path from the top of the hill that we’d been on last night. Rick had agreed to do the extra 1.6k (on top of expected 20 miles) by going the coastal route which I really wanted to do. A wonderful way to start our hike. I mean, look at these photos – this is was what we walked. The one photo with the rocks down low looks like a man’s head, pointed out by a Spanish birder out for the early day’s walk. The other with the rocks sticking out from the side, he also pointed out – nature’s gargoyle.

Rick and I’ve both developed a system that works for us with water/electrolytes/food to keep us going on pace. I used fountains all along the way since I only carry a one-liter bottle. I have come to love the LMNT packets for electrolytes. I’ve also learned I need to eat every 2 hours or less – at 6 drank my wee protein shake before we left, morning snack at a bar on a beach, then my meat/cheese and roll, the “picnic” the hotel gave us for breakfast, then my Whole Foods protein balls, then my almond M&Ms, then my honey sting gummies – and I still had  a pumpkin seed back up that I didn’t open. 

Here’s our last camino breakfast! Looking over the cove with the monastery on the right.

The guide book had said that we would pass some monasteries on the way and that these early monasteries had it down, prime real estate alongside the town with the best views and access to the water. No kidding.

The first monastery we passed, the Monasterio de San Salvador de Celorio, a Benedictine monastery. Sign says 17th century, but online it looks like this building started in the 11th century, but info was pretty sketchy. It first presented as a pretty, well-kept small church on the path. Then we had our breakfast and continued up a little path on the other side of the beach to the promontory just to see the side view and it was huge! Plus a castle up on the hill. The monastery looked like it was in surprisingly good shape, couldn’t really discern the details for either this or the castle from this distance. 

And the castle/fort/place for bad monks? up the hill to the left:

The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores. I wondered about this one since “dolor” means pain or to hurt. Ok, “Our Lady of Sorrows.” Well, I guess she did have a rough life. Built in 1794, a youngster. And next to the Iglesia was a marine graveyard. Rick said it looked like an Andrew Wyeth painting. I think the boats are older than the church.

The Monasterio de San Salvador, also Benedictine, had a pilgrim refuge in the 13th century. For me, the visual just leads the imagination to think what it would have been like to come upon it after so many miles of walking in the 1300’s, 1400’s, 1500’s, how long? And then the changes that led to today’s condition. It’s been declared an asset of cultural interest. So enough money for a plaque, but sadly for the building’s sake, no more. But it is zoned for agriculture and heritage, so no condos coming in.

A chapel that was finally open, so calm and sweet, hearing the cow bells behind us. If we had had more time we would have sat for a bit. 

Walked in the meadows and hills, then get sightings of beaches or coves. 

And a dog’s chapel? We really didn’t know, but clearly cared for with many candles.

This was the town, Nueva, that we thought might be a stopping point. A pretty and very active small town, but what intrigued us was the theme of St. George and the Dragon.

Really glad we’re on this side of those mountains and we don’t have to cross them, but they’re beautiful to see in the different light changes we keep having.

And we finally walked into town, but it didn’t feel like we were dragging the last few miles, a nice change. The town, Ribadesella, is known, like Santillaña del Mar’s Altamira, for its caves. The Altamira caves have had to be closed for protection reasons and a museum has been opened up with a full replication – can’t imagine. In Ribadesella, you can see the real thing. You have to reserve long in advance for both. Someday – maybe we can return.

The town, Ribadesella, was conquered by the Romans during Augustus’ rule, then founded in 1270 by Aflsono X and like some of the other towns, developed around whaling. Then the wars totally impacted, from Napoleon, the Carlist Wars, and the Spanish Civil War. We didn’t se anything medieval, it seemed more Victorian on the harbor, if anything. But really pretty and inviting. Except since seen from tired feet, we just kept moving toward the hotel. 

When we finally got to the hotel too late for eating and too early for eating, a feeling remembered all too well from my early days on the Camino Frances, we were both heading towards hangry. We got showers, stretched with the roller to get time used up and still – when we had to walk back into town (ach) for food, there was none. Seriously, not a single plate of ANYTHING on people’s tables in the restaurants, just coffee, maybe a drink, not even tapas. When I asked at a restaurant if it was possible to find food anywhere, he said not until 8. Oh yeah, that was going to be a problem. 

The only thing open was an ice cream shop, so we got an ice cream, then saw a panadería that had empanadas and got enough to manage the evening. Really, we didn’t need much, just something. 

Then back to the hotel, walking the promenade a little just to see, and then Clarkson’s Farm and bed. I listened to the bells at 10, one last time for my Spanish bells. And I slept! It was a beautiful  thing.

Hotel Verdemar, clean, outside of town, half block from promenade that goes around the bay. Good to ask for high room, no restaurant though it had the illusion. And no one else in the hotel, except maybe one person.