My train pulled into Munich station after a 10 hour train ride from Denmark, which included a ferry (I didn't even know they put trains on ferries). I was greeted by oddly dressed Germans in pirate, witch, princess and, uh, ethnic costume. At first I assumed I walked into the worlds worst flash mob, instead it was the beginning of Carnivalé. Given Munich's placement in Bavarian territory, it was a bid tradition.
It was just my luck. The whole central area in Munich was a slow crawling amorphous blob of people wrenching their way down crooked streets to get their fill of brats and beer. Who was I to deny this tradition? I joined in and had one of each. Word of warning: the Germans measure in litre, so when you have options of .2, .5 and 1, 1 is not a manageable beer size. Not to mention that the happy waiter at the bierhaus will gladly fill and place an enormous litre beer in from of you. They call it Hugo, appropriately so.
The crowds cleared as I ventured into the streets away from down town. This was a perfect opportunity to explore. I peered in every church and any public building that had an open door. Gothic architecture and stereotypical Bavarian houses were abundant, as were the enormous public parks.
Unfortunately, I was not in Munich for long before I was on my way to a city outside of Augsburg.
Ulm (pronounced oo-ilm)
It was sold to me as a medieval hamlet. Even better, it was a hamlet that my friends parents were willing to house me in. Here I was treated to a family that was more than willing to show me all their town had to offer. Here I experienced true German food, outside of sausages and flasks of beer.
Each place I was brought to had its own charm.
Ulm was a modern small city resurrected from destruction while maintaining parts of its medieval history. Its claim in the region was having the tallest church spire, which I climbed, and found out half way up that I have a crippling fear of heights.
I was also taken to ancient basilica's that was taken by Napoleon and later rebuilt in Baroque style. I walked in old monasteries and saw what a Catholic community in the middle of Europe actually is - hint, they say god bless you when you walk into their towns.
Neushwanstein Castle
Ludwig II was a slightly insane inheritance king of Bavaria starting at the age of 18. He enjoyed Wagner and nice things like mountain top castles instead of things like state affairs. For better or worse, he used his power to create 5 castles during his rule. Unfortunately, he died at a young age for unknown reasons, but he left opulent castles as a cash cow legacy for what became the country of Germany. Disney liked it enough to model its castle after.
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