New Year, New Country

                I’ve been destined to visit Germany ever since I was born. Not only do I have some German heritage on my Dad’s side, but also in the past my grandparents, Mom, and uncle lived there. A few decades later the same uncle and his family  resided there, my stepdad lived there, my cousin spent some time there, and even my Dad has visited the country on a work trip. It was just a matter of time before I finally entered the land of the Germans. The place where hamburgers were invented, where black forest cake first happened, and where the primary source of the Wisconsin drinking culture originated. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was delighted by the outcome.

                The best part of my time in Germany was the opportunity to spend the entire week with some friends of mine from Mankato. The three of us date all the way back to my sophomore year in high school, when I first started working at a Lebanese restaurant, thanks to a connection from my friend Emily (the same one who got married last December.) Here, I met Ben, then a college student studying nutrition at MSU, and soon after we were joined by Chelsea, a girl I already knew from high school band. We all hit it off, stayed friends, and I attended their wedding about five years ago. Fast forward to Ben’s Army post in Germany, with me not too far away in Russia, and a trip was born. I became auntie to their ten month old James, and had a wonderful time catching up with Ben and Chels. When you live abroad, your friends become your family, and at that point seeing friends from home was exactly what I needed.

Ready for a fun week with this little guy. 

                So, as an example of how they fulfilled the ‘wonderful hosts’ post, (they had lots of great hosts to live up to, but they met the challenge well) Ben, Chelsea and James were ready and waiting for me at the airport. We drove about an hour from the airport and entered the Air Force base to pick up some supplies – my first experience with American products in months! As always, the grocery store was a highlight for me.Then we went off base to Ben and Chelsea’s rental house, nestled in a cute little village area, with walking paths and woods all around. We had a home cooked meal, played Scattergories, and relaxed on the living room couch while James played on the floor – a perfect evening.

Sunrise in Heidelberg

Heidelberg Castle 

                The next five days were spent on a little driving tour of southwestern Germany. We began in Heidelberg, where James had a baby doctor appointment, so while Ben and Chelsea were with him, I spent the morning walking around the city. I walked up to the ruins of the old castle, which provided fantastic views over the city, I checked out what was left of the Christmas market in town, and really just enjoyed walking around a traditional, classic German town. The buildings were cute and pretty, there were tons of shops and cafes, and a beautiful old church. Heidelberg’s University is the oldest in Germany, founded in 1386. I visited parts of the old campus and even found the spot where Martin Luther himself gave a speech in defense of his 95 Theses in 1518, effectively beginning the Protestant Reformation. In addition to and equally important to viewing a trace of Martin Luther, I also had my first marzipan pastry from a real life German bakery, followed by my first German bratwurst a few hours later. I was well on my way to discovering more of my German heritage. 

                So, Heidelberg was an absolute delight, but we couldn’t stay any longer than the appointment, because we still had some driving to do. Our destination was to reach the base of Neuschwanstein Castle, just outside of a little town called Fussen, on the Bavarian border. We munched on fresh fruit, bread, meat, and cheese as our on-the-go dinners, further increasing my impression of the country. Chelsea had booked accommodations ‘near the castle,’ but none of us really realized how close it would be – we had a lit up view of the castle from our window.

                To refresh you, Neuschwanstein Castle, also know as ‘the Disney Castle,’ is the 19^th century Romantic  castle built by Prince Ludwig II of Bavaria. Walt Disney used the castle as inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle, an image recognized all over the world. Hundreds of tourists visit the castle each day, and early January was no exception. However, we weren’t planning to visit the castle until Sunday, so on Saturday we decided to drive about an hour away to Ulm, and visit the Minster Church.

                Anyone who knows our part of Minnesota will know the appeal of visiting the town of Ulm, as we have the little German town of New Ulm not too far from Mankato. We wanted to see the original, so after enjoying our delicious complimentary breakfast, taking a nice walk around the area, and packing up for a day out with Baby, we took off to explore. The beginning of our drive surprisingly revealed the snow capped peaks of the German Alps behind us, which we hadn’t been able to see in the dark the night before.

Ulm Minster 

Minster Interior

In Ulm, despite the clouds and rain, we still had a very nice afternoon walking around the old city center. Our first stop was the Minster Church, which I have since learned is the tallest church in the world. I have also learned that though it is popularly called Ulm Cathedral, it isn’t a proper cathedral since it has never been the seat of a bishop. It was originally built in the late 14^th century as a Roman Catholic church, then after the Protestant Reformation in the 16^th century it was converted to a Lutheran church. The rest of our afternoon was spent wandering and observing. We discovered a much smaller, but perhaps even more beautiful painted church, hidden away behind a park. We also walked on the old city walls along the river and admired the waterfront houses. On our way home we stopped for dinner at a nice German restaurant in Fussen, just outside of our hotel. There, I checked off Gluhwein from my ‘must do in Germany’ list, as they were still selling the warm, fruity wine that accompanies outdoor European Christmas Markets. After a little shopping and some hearty German food, we returned to the hotel ready for a good night’s sleep and looking forward to some more exploring. 

Enjoying my Gluhwein.

The next day was castle day. After breakfast and packing up, we were close enough to walk to the ticket office and arrange for the day. Because of their proximity and relation to each other, most tourists visit both Hoenschwangau Castle and Neuschwanstein Castle. Hoenschwangau Castle was Prince Ludwig’s childhood summer home, where he must have spent many hours gazing from at the site of his future castle. 

View from Hoenschwangau

Our tour of Hoenschwangau, which was originally a 12^th century fortress, then rebuilt in the 1830s by King Maximillian of Bavaria as a summer and hunting residence, revealed beautiful walls painted with classic tales of German folk heroes and fairy tales. They say these stories were what inspired Prince Ludwig II to build his castles, as embodiments of his fantastic imagination and realization of these stories. Another major influence on Ludwig was the German Romantic composer Richard Wagner (Ride of the Valkyries – you’ve heard it even if you don’t know the name), who was a frequent guest at Hoenschwangau while Ludwig was young.  Hoenschwangau was a nice preview and provided a better understanding for our next stop, Neuschwanstein.

The Wunderlichs

Located just a couple of kilometers up a hill from Hoenschwangau, we hiked up (of course I had to show up my grandparents, mom, and uncle, who rode up to the castle in a horse-drawn carriage in the 1960s – bonus points to me for getting more exercise than they did) to the castle and used the extra time before our scheduled tour to hike around the area. We found the famous bridge and peak that provided incredible views of the castle from behind.

Neuschwanstein Castle. 

Adventure Baby

Touring the castle, unfortunately, was more of a shuffle-like-cattle scenario, as it was full of people and we could barely hear our guide. They didn’t allow pictures, and it was over just like that. But, complaints aside, we were able to see the beautiful interior and décor of the completed rooms (he died before finishing the castle.) Neuschwanstein literally translates to New Swan Rock, in honor of the principality of Schwangau and the former medieval knights of Schwangau. Again, the primary inspirations for the Castle were the dramatic operas of Richard Wagner, who surely spent time playing the piano at Neuwchwanstein Castle. Do yourself a favor and listen to part of a Wagner song on YouTube, (you can find the link to Ride of the Valkyries here) in order to gain a better insight to Ludwig’s imagination. It was a lovely day exploring castles and being tourists.

The next day Ben had to work, so Chelsea, Baby and I stayed domestic for the morning, then spent the afternoon at Ramstein Air Force Base for some shopping, lunch, and bowling with Ben in the evening. My final full day in Germany was spent exploring the beautiful city of Trier with Chelsea and James, just an hour away from their house and very close to the Swiss border. 

Porta Nigra, Trier

Trier is the oldest city in Germany, founded in the 12th century BC, centuries before the Romans discovered and took over in the first century BC. It later become the capital of the northern Roman prefecture of Gaul. The Romans left their mark in a series of outstanding architectural feats, including the Porta Nigra, the former southern gate to the city, and the original location of the impressive Trier Cathedral. Since then, Trier has remained an important German city because of its Cathedral, its existing Roman ruins, its university, and many more features. In more recent history, Trier is also where Karl Marx, the legendary founder of modern day Communism, was born and raised. We tromped all over the city center to find his obscure little house and museum, tucked away in a side street off the main central district. It was a lovely day outside, we had a nice lunch, and we returned home feeling very satisfied with our day. Even Baby, I'm sure. 

Trier City Center

Trier Catherdral

My departure day came much too quickly. Before we all knew it, we had our last dinner together and had our last evening on the couch. However, by that point we had plans in the works for them to possibly come visit me in Moscow this spring, and I had decided to return to Germany for a week at the end of June. So, we knew goodbye was just for a few months. I was grateful for the time we were able to spend together, and can't wait to return to their cozy home away from home in the future. And now, my German ancestors can rest in peace knowing I have finally visited their beautiful homeland. Just don't ask me to learn how to speak their language, because it still sounds like gibberish to me. Auf Weidersehen!