A lesson in Bavarian history

When we were planning this trip, we realised that it was going to be the perfect chance to tick a place off our “to go” list.   Staying in Kempten meant we wouldn’t have too far to drive and so last night, I crossed my fingers that we’d wake up to another fine morning.

As soon as I opened the curtains, I was thankful I’d rubbed that lion by the Residenz the other day!  The forecast was good and those clouds were going to burn off once the sun rose.

Fortified by a decent breakfast, we set off to the South East.  Can you guess where we’re headed yet?

The roads were thankfully quiet and we marvelled at the colours of this wonderful landscape as we left the motorway.

Those of you who know us well won’t be surprised to learn that we were the second people to arrive this morning.  To hear that ours was one of the two cars in the car park and we were there well before anything opened!

Having parked the car, we looked up and gasped.  There it was…Neuschwanstein, all wrapped in plastic. 

Before we could do anything else, we had to go and buy our tickets, once again braving the various road building equipment to get there.

Getting here early was a Good Thing, because the tickets are timed and we were able to plan our day perfectly.  The chap in the office recommended we visit the “other castle”, the one few have heard of, first.  From there, we’d take the shuttle bus to Neuschwanstein and pick up the 1155 tour there.  OK.  Seemed like a plan.

We took a steady walk up to Hohenschwangau, then, enjoying the sunshine and feeling pleased we had our day sorted.

We had plenty of time before our timed entry, so sat and chatted on the ‘phone to Karin for a while.  Her advice about not sitting in the front seats of the horse drawn carriage wasn’t needed because, sadly, the horses weren’t working today.

Unfortunately, it’s not allowed to take photographs inside the castles, so to get an impression of the breathtaking wall paintings and other treasures inside, you’ll need to follow this link.  We were a group of around twenty of so with an English speaking guide and enjoyed the explanations of the decor. In one room, we recognised the legend of Lohengrin on the walls, spotting a swan here and there before learning that the swan was the motif adopted by Maximilian and his son Ludwig, who built these castles.

Having recognised that, of course, we saw swans everywhere (and of course, recognised “schwan” in all the placenames, too)

We caught another view of Hohenschwangau later, on our way up to Neuschwanstein.  Isn’t this just the most beautiful countryside?  We hadn’t walked all the way up here, but had caught the bus half way.  How thankful we were later, that we had done that, for there were many more steps to climb!

Of course, this was the “main event”, we thought.  We made our way to the entrance and remarked how much more solid it looks once one is up there at the gate.

This “fragile” failrytale castle appears to be nothing of the sort when close up, but a strongly built structure in several different materials.

Sitting in the yard waiting for our tour time, we watched hundreds of people arriving – a tour was leaving every five minutes and we couldn’t imagine how this place would feel in high season.

No photographs inside once again – because this would slow the tours down, we were told.  Hmm.  Ours lasted not much more than half an hour and though we saw all there is to see inside the castle, we felt we had been rushed through.  This castle is mostly unfinished, so there are just a handful of rooms to see.  These are lavishly decorated and again, the wall paintings are beautiful.  The swan continues to be the principal motif here too, on door handles and carved into wooden furniture, though in a large group of about 60 people, there wasn’t really time to linger. 

We learned that Ludwig II had built this castle in homage to his hero, Richard Wagner.  The wall paintings referenced many of Wagner’s works and there was just one likeness of Ludwig himself in the place – though there were several representations of the composer.

Having seen what there was to see, we made our way out (through the gift shop, of course) and walked down the path back to the village.

This being Germany, half way down was a very nice restaurant offering lunch and snacks.  We resisted the temptation to stop here and carried on to the bottom, fearing that once we stopped, we might find it hard to get started again! On the way down we congratulated ourselves on our decision to catch the bus up as we passed so many people puffing and blowing on the long, long upward walk.

But having reached the bottom of the hill and walked to the lake, this table seemed like the perfect place to take a breather.  With such a view of the lake and the mountains, what more could we ask for?

The village was getting pretty busy now but we weren’t quite done.  We’d seen advertisements for the Museum der bayerischen Könige and having seen the two castles and learned a little about the people concerned, we wanted to know more. This seemed the perfect place to do exactly that.

Newly opened just about a year ago, this was a model of its kind.  We ran the gauntlet of a couple of groups of ladies with talkative guides and made our way through the very clearly laid out exhibits.  We learned lots – about Maximilian and his two sons, Otto and Ludwig, then plenty about Ludwig’s life and mysterious death.  We loved reading about Luitpold, whose work to restore Bavaria following Ludwig’s extravagance was so admirable and of Rupprecht, his grandson, who valiantly continued his his work in the face of adversity.  We thought fondly of another Rupprecht we knew; a member of Karin and Jürgen’s family, who proudly explained to us the origin of his name.  Having learned a little about the Crown Prince after whom he was named, we could quite understand that pride.

Having read such touching family history, so clearly told, I very much appreciated the note on the wall which said “Nehmen Sie ein Platz” (take a seat) and spend five minutes listening to Wagner’s Lohengrin.  The blue robes in the picture were laid out in front of me and I marvelled at the exquisite goldwork border, the ermine edge and the faded blue velvet. 

You might have guessed that, as we drove away, we were talking about our favourite parts of the day.  The museum was undoubtedly up there.  The two castles were amazing and did not disappoint, though having negotiated the buying of tickets, travelling between the two, walking up steep hills and countless stairs here and there (more than 160 up and then 160 down in Neuschwanstein alone), we realise that the time actually spent in each castle was very short indeed!

However, since the Marienbrücke was closed today, the facade of the castle was wrapped in plastic and there were no horse drawn carriage tours, perhaps we’ll have to come back?

Gladly.

On our way

Sadly, it was time to leave München behind and drive south into the lovely Bavarian countryside.

It wasn’t really so hard – after all, look what a beautiful morning we had.

Our route took us to the edge of the page, as always, firstly to Starnberg and then on to Andechs where our guidebook recommended a visit to the Kloster.

The pair of us make for willing pilgrims when given the nod, so off we went, up the hill towards the abbey.  We had quite a bit of company too, surprising for a Tuesday morning.

Opening the heavy wooden door, we stepped inside to be greeted by a breathtaking interior.  We wandered around quietly taking it all in, trying to catch a glimpse of everything our guidebook had noted as being remarkable here.

The very old votive candles, some dated from the 17th and 18th centuries, for example.

I found these framed paintings rather interesting too.

And the sun was shining on Carl Orff’s resting place this morning.

In a small chapel upstairs, a large group was enjoying a long and rather detailed talk about the treasures within.  We waited outside for a while, enjoying the chance to take a closer look at one or two of those paintings

not to mention the lock on the door to the chapel.

We stood for a while, working it out…

Well, with priceless holy relics to protect, I suppose such a lock – or four – is necessary.

We gave up waiting for that group to move on, so left them listening intently to their guide and went out into the warm sunshine once again, stopping by this charming wood carving of a little Bavarian band to take a photo on the way back to the car.

Driving along the Andechtsee, we tried to sneak a look between the trees to get a good view of the lake, eventually screeching to a halt in a small layby.  This was the view from there – lovely, isn’t it?

As we neared Kempten, the high mountains rose up on the horizon, a taste of things to come.  We were told that fresh snow had fallen in Austria yesterday, and sure enough, on the highest peaks, we could see the unmistakeable evidence.

We arrived to find our hotel in the centre of a building site and an afternoon walk to explore the city revealed yet more men at work.  A quiet half hour in the sunshine of a lovely square was disturbed by an endless stream of tractors, little construction vehicles, a man with a jackhammer… The waitress rolled her eyes.  “Telekom”, she said.

Kempten is a pretty town with a long and interesting history.  Having acclimatised ourselves to the building noises, we stepped carefully around the barriers and avoided the holes in the street to enjoy an interesting walk around the centre.  We identified suitable places to eat this evening and gathered in one or two essentials (toothpaste and chocolate!)

Thankfully, this evening, the work is finished for the day in this neck of the woods.  We are settled on the tenth floor of the hotel and have grand plans for tomorrow, when we hope the sun will shine and the sky will be clear.  Fingers crossed!

Ready to go again?

Ok, let’s fetz… 

We’ll continue our mooch around the city centre, stopping by the statue of one of the Maximilians outside the Bayerische Hof hotel (are you keeping up with all of these Maximilians?  I’m not!) 

A little further along, there’s a shrine to Michael Jackson at the foot of another statue, because he once stayed at the Bayerische Hof.  What an eyesore…what a mess.  And poor old Orlando De Lassus, whose statue is defaced. What do you think?

But just around the corner, we spot another memorial.  This it marks the spot where Kurt Eisener was killed.  I’m sure you know all about him without my explanation.

We are heading for Gmund, where we passed by yesterday, spotting an interesting paper construction in the window.  Being Sunday, and being in Catholic Bavaria, the shop was closed, so let’s take another look.

Beautiful paper, lovely attentive staff, very expensive goods!

But a small purchase is ok, isn’t it!? (in a big bag!)

This is the grand part of the city, where large and very impressive buildings have brass nameplates bearing the names of Swiss banks and multi national corporations.  Where the drivers of BMWs reverse down one way streets and are not particular about who they inconvenience.

Me.

But the shop windows have small, elegant displays and we can ogle them free of charge.

Oh, another Maximilian!  Turning the corner from that delightful little tableware shop, we’re suddenly in the grandest of avenues.

Looking one way, there is the Theatiner Kirche and the Feldherrn halle.

 

The other way, there’s a wide road leading to the Siegestor

and right in front of us is the entrance to the Hofgarten

and the Residenz.

You know what I also spotted?  A Starbucks.  With free WiFi.  I think it’s time for a little something, don’t you?  Maybe I can google that knitting pattern as well!

It was so lovely to have emails from friends, to reply to them and have a little conversation.  Maybe you were one of them?  Did you groan when I replied “we’re in Munich, actually…”?  I hope you forgave me if you did.

Leaving Starbucks behind, let’s stroll down the street and take a little look in the Hofgarten, shall we?  But first, look at that poster for an art exhibition.  Doesn’t it remind you of a work by Caspar David Friedrich?  Well, reading a little more of the artist’s background, perhaps that’s not surprising.  Were we staying a little longer here in the city, perhaps we’d visit the exhibition, but sadly, time is getting a little short.

Here’s a little different art to keep us interested.  These pieces are inside the gallery which runs alongside the Hofgarten and depict scenes from Bavarian history.  Of course, you’re familiar with all of that, aren’t you?

Walking back along the front side of the Residenz, our attention is captured by these lions.  Did you spot that chap over there?  Notice what he did?

Without breaking step, he gave that little spot a bit of a rub.  Rubbing the nose of just one of the four lions will bring you good luck.  Rub more than one and the luck will be cancelled out, I understand.  I hope you didn’t rub all four?

So, my hero and I rubbed just the one nose each and off we went.

Oh my, in this part of the city we come across one grand building after another, don’t we?  Unsurprisingly, this is Maximilian Square, and that’s the theatre over there.

The side of the Residenz is screened off whilst renovations are taking place, but did you spot the couple peeking out of the window?

Who can they be?

After the shortest of stops to admire the beautiful clothes in this shop, let’s go on further down the street.  I think this is where we were yesterday.

I thought so.  Here we are at Dallmayr, the German equivalent to Fortnum and Mason.  Come on, we’ve got to go inside, haven’t we?

The coffee smells divine, as do the smoked foods down in the fresh food hall.  Oh my, I’m not sure about weisswurst in a tin, though, are you?  Surely, they can’t taste the same as the fresh ones.

But it seems like a good place to buy a gift for our Swiss host whom we’ll see later in the week, wouldn’t you say?  But perhaps we’ll stick with coffee and chocolates and leave the tinned weisswurst here on the shelf.

Oh, what’s that opposite? I had forgotten about the felt shop!    A queue stretches almost out of the door and I think that it’s just enough to look in the window.  I hope that’s ok with you too.  If I was after some thick felt, this would be the perfect place, but you know what?  I have no idea what I’d do with it right now!

Let’s keep walking, because look, we’re back in Marienplatz.  The Viktualienmarkt is just a short step away and en route we could call in and get that yarn in the wool shop, now we know what we’re looking for.

But my feet are beginning to ache, my hero tells me his back is aching too and perhaps you’ve had enough?

We’ll walk back to the hotel, past the “Maibaum” and in no time, we can put our feet up for a while.  You know, that sounds like a really good idea right now!

That golden sign from the Hofbräuhaus means we’re very nearly home.  We’ve packed a lot into the day and for now, it’s enough.  It was so good to have your company though – hope you enjoyed your day in München as much as we did!

Komm mit: Walk with us in München

Unfortunately, though, you’re going to need an umbrella because the sunshine we had yesterday afternoon has gone and it’s a rather cold and wet Monday morning here.  Never mind, we have warm coats and comfortable shoes.  We’ll turn right out of the hotel and walk down here past the Hofbräuhaus, towards the market, where we might find some breakfast.

The streets that were buzzing with people yesterday afternoon are pretty empty today, but that might be a good thing!

The good people of the city are going about their business, which means this is Transit van central…be careful as we dodge one or two to cross the road.  The elderly gentleman isn’t too happy with us for doing that, though, and makes a loud comment to that effect!  Ooops!  (but we are in a pedestrian zone….)

Here we are at the entrance to the Viktualienmarkt where we plan to have a mooch around and find something for breakfast.  It’s all very well staying in a posh hotel, but 40 euros (each) for breakfast is extortionate, don’t you think?  Come on, let’s see what’s going on.

Hmmm…those sausages smell heavenly, but perhaps not for breakfast?  I know my hero enjoyed his traditional weisswurst the other day, but I think I’d prefer something a little sweeter.

That bakers looks more like… A stehtisch will do us just fine, won’t it?  We’re not ready to sit down just yet!

One ham and cheese breadstick and a hazelnut pastry later, we’re ready to go!  Sorry, I know all those lovely pastries look yummy, but we’ve had an elegant sufficiency, haven’t we?

The cheese stall looks great, but right now, we’re not quite in a cheesy mood.  How about you?

I think this looks more interesting, doesn’t it?  It might only be October, but those cute hearts and stars could be just the thing for the coming months.  Aren’t they sweet?

Actually, there are more.  There are red/green hangings, with little horses and bells….

and there are some with lavender stars and blue ribbons….

and more, with green, brown and ecru.  Oh my, the German aesthetic really appeals to me.  Do you get it as well?

Having made our selection we venture a little further, past more stalls selling similar things.  The scents of star anise, of cinnamon and cloves attract us a little closer, but none of these stalls are as friendly and inviting as the first.  Shall we move right along?

The next place to catch our eye is a bookshop, specifically, a travel bookshop, because my hero has left his maps at home and if there’s one thing a hero needs, it’s a good map.  Expecially since we’re moving on tomorrow, into the countryside.  We choose a good map of Southern Germany, Switzerland and Western Austria and complete the transaction with a friendly shopkeeper.

That’s when I spot the knitting and beadwork shop opposite!  Wolle Rödel has a good selection of yarns and suchlike, but did you remember the details of that Purl Bee pattern I was going to knit for my hero?  No, I thought not.  They don’t seem to have wifi here either.  Never mind, we’ll look later and come back here.

Following the street round, we suddenly recognise Rindermarkt…where we stood and watched the tail end charlies of the marathon yesterday.  Those stone cows are a clue as to the origin of the name – it’s always fun when suddenly, all the pieces of a new city begin to join up, isn’t it?

Kustermann is here and the shop windows are so appealing, I think we need to go inside, don’t you?  Now, before we do, let’s talk a little about European household stores.  Table setting is very important here and the quality of kitchen implement second to none.  Here, in Kustermann, one can buy every gadget and utensil ever imagined, and then some.

 

For example, the Weisswurst Lifter, because, of course, one needs a special tool to separate the sausage from the pan.  Really.

But, you know, I think it’s a little München joke, don’t you?  We share a smile and move right along, past the beautiful pans, the lovely glassware and crockery, fine table linen and candles until we are back at the doorway.  Kustmann, if ever you decide to open a shop in Cirencester, we will be your best customers!

 

Back on the wet street, we spot a shop window full of slippers.  Do I need slippers?  Not really…but these are slippers of first class quality, of non slip soles and felted wool uppers.  Let’s go in and take a closer look.

Except, this is a German shop.  It’s not a shop to look around but one where we have to sit and wait for an assistant to bring the slippers to us.  The shop walls are covered in boxes of slippers organised according to size and manufacturer.  Do you feel intimidated by all of these boxes and the rather fierce looking shop assistant?  I do….shall we move on?

We reach Marienplatz once again and find everyone standing, looking up.  What’s happening?  Of course, it’s 11 o’clock and the glockenspiel is playing.  The figures are moving around on the town hall clock and suddenly we are in Camberwick Green (or was it Trumpton?!) 

It’s still raining, so shall we stand under our umbrellas along with everyone else and watch the show?  The world and his wife are here, along with all of their children.  How many languages can you hear?

Oh, really?  You’re bored already?  Oh, go on then, let’s go into the wonderfully named Hugendubel bookshop (like a Barnes and Noble or Waterstones) and take a look around.  There’s bound to be a few interesting things in there…I love German craft books.

Well, who’d have thought it….Christmas has arrived here.  That lovely soft green and silver, together with the gentle brown-grey tones look so pretty.  Are you going to persuade me to bring one or two bits home, then?

Half an hour must be enough, isn’t it?  Though finding a way out is a challenge, I agree.  Let’s walk a little further along the Kaufingerstrasse, because I think I can hear music.  Hang on…are those Salvation Army chaps there?

Well, no, not exactly!  They appear to be Russian, members of the Red Army choir and the sound they are making is amazing.  That wonderful Russian bass voice is so deep and low…I could listen forever.

Go on then, put some money in their box and see if they know “Lake Baikal”.  They do?  Oh, let’s stand and listen! 

Filled with nostalgia and a little “heimweh” I think it’s time to move on, don’t you?

What do you reckon to some of these shop windows?  Though the goods on sale are of high quality and contemporary in style, don’t you think they look just a wee bit quaint?

But wait, let’s step aside as these two walk past.  They are trying to catch the eye of people passing by and are wearing very strange, clown like clothes.  Are they your friends?  (They remind me of Mr and Mrs Fang from a book I read recently)  Oh, they’ve caught a small family walking closely behind us – I hope that small child isn’t scared of a man with a large red nose and peculiar hat!

Let’s scuttle down this side street and wait till they’ve passed.  Take a break and relax a little.  There’s plenty more to see and do but for now, I’m ready to put my feet up for a while.

Join us again in the next post, eh?

and then…

I know, you think we do nothing but eat and drink when we are here.  Well, to tell the truth, you’re probably right!  But in our defence, we’d walked a fair bit and built up quite an appetite, and the Wienerschnitzel really did taste as good as it looks.

Our hosts were the delightful Tosta family.  Volker’s company Edition Nordstern had published the music we had come to hear and we had another lovely meal, sitting around a table sharing interesting conversation in a lively mix of German and English at the same time.  We walked through the city to find an outdoor table for coffee and icecream – the weather was beautiful and we basked in the sunshine for another hour or so before we each returned to our hotels to change and get ready for the concert.

From our hotel it was a good three quarters of an hour’s walk, over the river and past the Friedensengel, high on top of the column.

The Autumn colours along the bank of the River Isar looked lovely in the early evening, though there was no time to stand and stare!  The pre-concert talk was due to begin at 6pm and we didn’t quite know how much further we had to go.  Cobbled pavements and heels don’t make for a good combination.

Of course, we reached the Prinzregententheater in plenty of time and found our way to the Gartenzimmer, where the talk was to be held.  Unlike the CBSO pre-concert talks, this one was absolutely packed with people, all eager to learn something about the opera we were to hear – a rarity in modern times.

I knew nothing of the music and am ashamed to say that I didn’t get a great deal from the talk, either, finding it hard to follow an academic presentation auf Deutsch. 

However, as soon as we stepped inside the stunning theatre and settled into our seats, I was happy – just being here was enough.

Our seats were fantastic.  The steep rake of the auditorium and lack of an orchestra pit meant that sitting in Row 6 was to be on a level with the performers, who were just about close enough to make eye contact.    Though it was a concert performance, the five soloists really got into role and it was easy to follow the story as it unfolded.  The choir were superb – orchestra too – and the whole ensemble came together magnificently.

The performance was broadcast live on Bayerische Rundfunk and is to be issued on CD shortly, too.  But, as was agreed around a table afterwards, with Volker, Sabine, Johannes and their friends, there is nothing like live music to stir the soul and lift the spirits!