Today started pretty early with a driving tour of the city of Munich. We saw a memorial dedicated to those who died in WWII and another dedicated to the 30,000 Bavarians who perished during the Napoleonic Wars. It’s very interesting to me how “real” all this history is here…and how little history of such things exists in the US. I am understanding in a whole new way how “young” our country is and how sheltered we tend to be because of The Pond.
We stopped by the Nymphenburg Palace where Ludwig II was born. His father, Maximillian, lived on one side of the Palace and his mother on the other. There are beautiful snowy swans gracefully gliding across the large reservoir of the ornate fountain that is the centerpiece of the courtyard. Magnificent!
Maximillian had a mistress named Lola Mantez. When Ludwig II was 18, Maximillian left his wife and abdicated the thrown to marry Lola. Unfortunately this union did not last long, and Lola left Maximillian and went to the US. She lived in Grass Valley, CA, for a few years and made her living as a dancer for the gold miners. After a time, she went to Australia, but eventually came back to The States and went to New York. She died there in a hotel room. She was 40 years old.
After the Palace we went to the site of the 1972 Olympics. It was really cool to see the hanging roof of the Olympic Stadium and the Olympic Village, which is now used for student housing. In between the two is the site of the BMW Museum and Showroom. We climbed into several of the cars, took pictures, and enjoyed the high-technology of the place. Some saw the new prototypes they are working on!
From there we returned to the Old Town. St. Mary’s Square is where the Glockenspiel is located. We were there last night to see the soldiers play a lullabye for the baby as his mother put him to bed. It was short and sweet, and I think we were all expecting a bit more. Today we were there at noon when the bells rang, and all 4 sections of the Glockenspiel moved and danced, complete with a jousting event! It was amazing – this Glockenspiel is one of only five in the whole world.
It was cold and rainy today, and I think all of us were happy to get back on the bus and head for Fuessen. We had a fairly free afternoon, so about half of us decided to go up to tour Neuschwanstein. So interesting! Built by Ludwig II, the castle/palace towers over the town of Fuessen like a sentinel keeping watch. He is known as the Mad King of Bavaria, but he actually was quite bright. His architectural projects employed 1000’s of people during a time when work was scarce, and even though his tastes were extravagant and expensive, he used a lot of his own money to fund them.
The tour of the castle includes only 17 rooms – the 17 that Ludwig II saw completed before he died. There were plans for 100 more. The outside of the castle is finished, but due to his untimely death, the inside was never completed. Most of the paintings and frescos are dedicated to the characters of Richard Wagner’s operas and are painted in the style popular during the 11th and 12th centuries. The overall design of the palace is based on Wartburg Castle, including a Singing Room. Ludwig had visited Wartburg once and was so impressed with the room that he put one in his new castle.
It was incredible just being there. The clouds were rather low, so some of my pictures are a little blurry with fog, but I have several that turned out beautifully as well. I am grateful to have the chance to return there next week with Ken – maybe the sun will be shining!
Oberammergau and The Passion Play tomorrow. It just keeps getting better and better!
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