Blogging while backpacking through Europe is not easy. Especially if you're lazy like me. We just left Venice today and arrived in Rome. And as much as I would love to type up about our most recent experiences, chronological order wins over in this case; I still have to write about my last stop in Germany. Last, but not least. We were able to stay with a friend/colleague of Alex's from work who lives just outside of Munich. Not only was he and his family the most hospitable people we've ever met, he even took us around the Bavarian countryside, which can only be reached by car or a private tour bus. From the very moment we arrived, he took us around Augsburg, showing us the main historical buildings and highlights. My favorite was the Fuggerei, the world's oldest and probably the most aesthetically pleasing social housing. I was blown away as to how pleasant it was to walk around in this area.
Dominic (Alex's friend) took us to the local beer garden for dinner. I'm pretty sure the beer gardens in Germany are different from the ones in, say, New York City. This place was the perfect place to get food and drinks on a warm summer evening; the food was cheap and delicious, and the Radler (a mixture of beer and lemonade) was absolutely delicious and refreshing!!! (Dominic was the designated driver, so he has, in his hands, a 'smaller' glass of juice).
The next day, we set off for the Bavarian countryside. We got to see the famous Neuschwanstein Castle, built under the orders of the Fairy Tale King, Ludwig II of Bavaria (because he loved fairy-tales).
We also visited Linderhof Palace, a miniature Versailles, if you will. Ludwig II was so impressed with Versailles on his visit to France, that he decided to build a miniature version for himself. I think one could appreciate the building and the gardens of Linderhof more than Versailles, due to the more reasonable scale.
Ludwig II even wanted his very own grotto, and had one built so he could watch operas being performed in the artificially conceived space.
It doesn't get any more Bavarian than beer and sausages; Dominic was a real pal giving us recommendations on which local dishes to try. We had the Bavarian white sausage at the BMW World, which was delicious; and my personal favorite was the sausage salad. It was sliced sausage and sliced onions in a light dressing; absolutely delicious!!
On the days we didn't have our wonderful guide, we ventured around by ourselves. We took the train to Stuttgart to see the Mercedes-Benz Museum, designed by UN Studio. Aside from looking at pretty cars that I would never be able to buy, I was hoping the building would be as interesting as well.
Conceptually, the building is really cool; 'a unique cloverleaf concept using three overlapping circles with the center removed to form a triangular atrium space'. Unfortunately, it's hard to appreciate the spacial qualities of the museum, as opposed to looking at a physical model of the building. And it could be a bit disorienting walking on the ramps of the museum. However, the cars are a real treat for the eyes, and the history behind Mercedes-Benz is really interesting.
Another highlight was our trip into Munich; a beautiful city with a mixture of historic buildings and wonderful architecture. This city is the host for its famous Oktoberfest every year; perhaps one year we can come catch the event. But for this trip, we walked around, taking in the beautiful architecture that surrounded us.
We stayed in beautiful Bavaria for about a week, and we still didn't get to see everything it had to offer. It's definitely worth a trip designated just to Bavaria; delicious food and beer, really friendly people, beautiful cities and castles, what's not to love? Our heart ached as we said good-bye to Dominic and his family, because we knew we wouldn't experience another city the way we experienced Bavaria. But we put our backpacks on, held our heads high, and made our way into Switzerland. But not before stopping in Baden-Baden, a town famous for its historical roman baths, as well as their fabulous spa!
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