Castles, pirates, and a concentration camp

This past weekend I took a trip to Munich, where I did and saw a surprisingly wide variety of things. When I arrived on Thursday, I did my usual tour of the city, hitting the major sights including Marienplatz and the Frauenkirche, which are the two landmarks of Munich. But aside from that, I did not stumble across anything especially noteworthy, which I suppose in itself is noteworthy for such an important city, historically and demographically speaking...



Anyway, on Friday I took a day trip to Füssen and the infamous Neuschwanstein Castle. As you are all probably well aware, this is the castle that was built by "Mad" King Ludwig II, who had extravagant fantasies of creating the ultimate fairy tale castle. Tragically, he died under mysterious cirmcumstances before the castle could be completed, and it was sold off in an attempt to alleviate some of the tremendous debts King Ludwig II had accumulated. But history has saved it from destruction, and Disney has made it legendary as the model for its own trademark castle. Just downhill from the Neuschwanstein castle is the boyhood home of King Ludwig II, the Hohenschwangau, which is far more modest than his creation, but still owned by the King's remaining family. I had the opportunity to see both, and together they were quite a treat. Like any romantic American, I am fascinated by a history where castles could possibly be the norm and by the embodiment of childhood fairytales, but what made these two castles so incredible and worthwhile were the breathtaking surroundings.



I have learned one important thing about myself while in Europe: I am a mere country girl at heart. Before coming here, I thought it possible for me to live in a big city, and to leave behind my close proximity to nature without much heartache. But since coming here, and traveling from big city to big city, and living in Erfurt with a population of 200,000 I have found that the places I like most have either fantastic views or beautiful parks. I loved Konopiste in Czech Republic because of the rugged, undomesticated nature that kept the castle honest, and I fell in love with Vienna and its huge, picturesque city park. Füssen and the two castles, therefore, won a special place in my heart for the beauty of their surroundings. I think the picture below sums it up pretty well:

This is a view from the path up to Neuschwanstein castle. Just imagine having a view like this out your windows! This is MY idea of a dream come true.

The next day I took another trip out of Munich, but this time a much more somber one: to Dachau concentration camp. Dachau was one of the first concentration camps to open under the Nazis, and one of the last to be liberated at the end of World War II. The policies established here made it a prototype for all other camps under the Nazi regime, and also served as the headquarters of SS training; every officer to enter the SS passed through the SS camp located on the site of the old armory and weapons factory, just outside of the concentration camp. Countless prisoners were held here, and countless innocent people died under the cruelty the SS practiced on a regular basis. Even now as I write this post, I cannot find the words to express my comprehension of this important and evil place, so I will just relay what I wrote in my journal afterwards, in a moment of hard-earned clarity:

'When I got to Dachau, I had great trouble wrapping my head around the terrible atrocities that happened there. Like Stonehenge, it had a presence, but this one was heavy and full of responsibility. When going through the crematorium, I expected to feel haunted by the souls who had been released there, but I felt nothing. And then I realized that they had no reason to linger. They were at peace, free from fear and torment, and had already moved on. The horror was all that remained; not the horror of individual suffering, but the horror of mankind in coming face-to-face with its own potential power towards evil, pain and hatred. The place was a warning and a reminder for humankind--an example of human beings at their best (the incredible power of faith and will to survive under such heinous conditions) and at its worst (in causing so much undeserved pain just because they could). Dachau serves as an important lesson, which becomes even more important as the reality of what happened there passes beyond living memory and into the realm of history.'

These were the two sites I most wanted to visit while on my trip to Munich, and this left me with free time to indulge in a bit of American entertainment: Pirates of the Caribbean! The third movie, I found out from a flyer at my hostel, was showing in its original version not far from where I was staying. So of course I could not pass up the opportunity! This is the first movie I have seen in a movie theater for probably six months, if not more. And for any normal American college student, especially one who loves the idea of going to a movie and eating buttery movie theater popcorn that you can only get at a movie theater as much as me, six months is an incredibly long time to go. It was an evening very well spent; the movie was fantastic, the seats really comfy, and still somehow uniquely German. I did not feel transplated back to the United States at all, especially since I don't know of any theaters in America that serve beer, have assigned seating, or let you bring in your own food (quite revolutionary, I know!).

To conclude, my trip to Interlaken in Switzerland will be my last, and most expensive, trip. After that, I have to settle down and begin writing my papers, preparing a presentation on American folk music (in German!), and pulling notes together for two final exams. I figure it is finally time to do the studying instead of the traveling, or people back home will have to start yelling at me (you know who you are!).

It has been quite an adventure, hasn't it?