Bavaria | Dachau | Hohenschwangau | Neuschwanstein

 

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Where are the words to describe perfection? Even “perfect” is used loosely.

The truth is, Bavaria made the prettiest places I’ve ever been look horrible. Mountains rose like orange and yellow waves above the cow-filled valleys. The lakes (which were numerous) appeared glass-like, unmoving, and crystal clear. Endless beauty. The sounds of distant cow bells, the smell of flowers, the color gushing from every tree, the lakes, the fog dancing on the mountain tops. This was true beauty. Surely this is what the land looked like in Genesis 1:31, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.”

The first night, we arrived very late at our Ferienwohnung, and snuggled in for a good night’s rest. In the morning, Dads visited the local bakery to get our breakfast, and when he returned, we ate our warm breads on the balcony while overlooking the breathtaking view of all that I explained in the previous paragraph. Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles were clothed in the dancing fog, and the jingle of cow bells filled the silence. After making ourselves look semi-presentable, we traveled to Lake Alpsee which is located just below the two castles, and began a short, carefree saunter around the brim of the lake. Perfectly clear, icy cold, and complete with a leafy, orange and yellow trim, it would’ve been enough just to continue our stroll around the Alpsee, however there is a boat dock which rents paddle and peddle boats to tour the lake in. We rented ours for an hour, and enjoyed the secluded, peaceful perfection. From the center of the lake, there were striking views of the two castles. After the boat ride, we progressed to the Museum of the Bavarian Kings which gave us an introduction to the complicated Wittlesbach House lineage and history. After spending several hours unpacking this complicated history lesson, we journeyed to Dachau Concentration Camp. This visit displayed historical facts and horrors which were hitherto unexplored by me. The day had a heavy air during and after our journey to Dachau, and we completed our journey for the first day by entering Munich and exploring the overly-busy Marienplatz, a shopping center similar to Michigan Ave. or the Magnificent Mile in Chicago. Exhausted and a bit grumpy, we returned home, and went to bed.

On this, the third day, we visited the two castles, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. Not only did we enjoy observing the exterior landscape and architecture of these buildings, but we also enjoyed English tours of the interiors. Hohenschwangau was our first glimpse of royal life. This castle was the summer home of Maximilian II, Crown Prince of Bavaria, his wife, Marie of Prussia, and their two sons, Otto and Ludwig. When Maximilian II died, Ludwig, as the oldest brother, gained the throne. He was only 18 years old, but nonetheless, he was hard working, respected, but a bit odd. He moved to Hohenschwangau to supervise and direct the construction of Neuschwanstein Castle later on in his reign. He made only one alteration to Hohenschwangau (according to our tour)–the addition of jewels above the bed to make the illusion of glittering stars. Although this castle was lovely to say the least, it is hard to remember the details after visiting Neuschwanstein Castle where everything is plated with gold or bronze. Neuschwantstein’s extravagance and advanced architecture exceeds the standards of excellence even in today’s culture. Despite his odd personality, Ludwig II had an eye for color, architecture, and beauty. Ludwig’s castles were inspired by his favorite composer, Richard Wagner, whom he became close friends with during his reign. If I attempted to describe his castles, they would be inadequate, an therefore, I will move on to the next part of our journey. We went to the Marienbrücke after Neuschwanstein. This bridge has a magnificent view of the Neuschwanstein, but it was almost not worth looking due to the humongous crowd that gathered on it. The claustrophobia and the ridiculous height made us almost skip this leg of the adventure. (Not that I’m really claustrophobic or afraid of heights, but there really were *too many* people on that bridge.) After snatching a few pictures, we headed back to the car, and made our way toward a Gasthaus for supper. On the way, we saw a Roddelbahn track, and thought it’d be fun to go for a ride. Our Ferienwohnung came with König’s Cards (Kings Cards) which allow free entrance to many attractions, including this Roddelbahn. (It’s always a good idea to see if your Ferienwohnung comes with free King’s cards–they get you all sorts of free fun extra activities!) We went to supper at the German Gasthaus, and went home for a good night’s rest.

Our fourth and final day, we packed up our bags, put them in the car, and headed toward Garmish, a town with a free gondola (with our King’s Cards) to the top of a mountain. On the way, we stopped next to a turquoise, clear lake, and took some beautiful pictures. We also found a dry lake bed, where we promptly scurried out and looked for fossils. We continued on our way, and stopped by Linderhof Palace, another one of Ludwig’s works. This manor was complete with a man-built grotto, a Moroccan house, a swan lake, and, of course, his Palace, devoted to the French royalty. We had an English tour through the interior, which was slightly less extravagant than Neuschwanstein, but still absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, as we continued to Garmish, we had a very large Umleitung, but made lemonade by going to Oberammergau instead. It was touristy, yet charming. We shopped a bit, and found another gondola that went up a nearby mountain (for free with the King’s cards). The views can only be described through pictures, of which I took plenty! Coming down the mountain was bitter sweet. The Gondola was surrounded in fog, making it hard to see, yet still absolutely beautiful. It was our last adventure in Bavaria.

Despite my obsessive love for Bavaria (especially the land around Neuschwanstein Castle) and my reluctance to ever return to a normal life, I could never wish to stay long-term. True beauty–that is to say, excellence–hides in places such as this, and should be experienced sparingly. Excellent workmanship is rare, precious, and (in my opinion) the most beautiful picture of our All-Powerful God. I would hate to become numb or unresponsive to this perfect beauty, and therefore, I cannot stay here long-term. The beauty of this trip exceeded any imaginative thoughts and hopes that I allowed into in my mind. Words to describe Bavaria are cliché and overused, and this makes my descriptions disappointingly boring, however, you can see by the pictures (which are apparently worth many words) what a beautiful place this was.

Check out my Instagram Photography Page — @pronewanderer — for more pictures!

Clara Huff