Munich
After we'd spent a few days in Paris, we took a night train from Paris to Munich, Germany. When we made our plans, we had no idea that we'd be in Munich on the day of the biggest European soccer game of the year - the Super Bowl of European soccer. London Chelsea was traveling to Munich to play Bayern Munich to see who would top the European Champions League.
We got to Munich the morning of the big game, and by 9am the city was buzzing with excitement. Fans wearing red Bayern Munich jerseys and Lederhosen were partying downtown, chanting and signing their team's fight songs. It was a great atmosphere! (Unfortunately, Munich lost the big game.)
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| Munich football fans -- I didn't catch the ones wearing Lederhosen! |
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| In the English Gardens, where we had lunch with a couple from Ireland. |
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| The famous Glockenspiel at Marienplatz |
Fuessen
After spending most of the day in Munich, we rented a car and drove to a little town called Fuessen (which means "feet" in German). The town is situated at the feet of the Alps, so the name is appropriate.
In another stroke of good luck, we happened to be in Fuessen for a parade celebrating 150 years of the town's volunteer fire department. Being there for the parade, which was not a typical tourist attraction, made us feel like we were experiencing the local flavor. Melissa loved all the Lederhosen!
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| Our rental car |
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| Some parade-goers in Fuessen |
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| One of the firefighting wagons |
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| And a firefighting VW van! |
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| A band in traditional Bavarian dress |
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| Volunteer firefighters |
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| Neuschwanstein |
Our original reason for coming to Fuessen was to see Neuschwanstein castle, King Ludwig II's romanticized medieval castle built in the 1880's. During our tour of the castle, we learned that Ludwig was obsessed with the Middle Ages and nicknamed Neuschwanstein, "the Grail castle," imagining that castles like his would have figured prominently in mythic quests for the Holy Grail.
As you can see from the photos of Munich and Fuessen, the setting was idyllic and the weather was absolutely perfect!
The food
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| Meats in Munich |
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| Melissa enjoying a bratwurst |
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| And Mike |
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| Every meal in Germany = meat and potatoes |
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1 comment:
Wow. In Munich for the Champions League. If I remember correctly you were in France for the 98 World Cup. I suppose you will be making travel plans to Brasil for 2014? I like Mike sporting the B5 shirt in the picture. It looks like a grand time. No drunken hooligans tried to haul you off did they?
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