As I mentioned in my post about my travels to Norway being the first solo overseas travel I have taken in quite some time, the genesis of my time in Norway can be found in Germany, where I traveled with some friends. I had to break off from the group early and head back to the US due to my more condensed work schedule. Where I got to dabble in the streets of Olso for a day before taking a one ting flight back home.
Germany always held a special place in my heart prior to ever seeing it. There are the obviously familial connections of having lineage to both Hamburg and Nuremberg that drive my longing to see the Vaterland, but I also took German for several semesters in college. My dad also spoke some German, though he was also English, Scottih, oh so very Scottish, and a closet Irishman. His side were the Nurembergers from 2 generations prior (making me fourth gen German immigrant). Taking the opportunity to go was just a matter of time and circumstance.
I traveled to Ireland and Seattle (a place I spent several summers where my grandfather eventually retired) with my friend Jared. He came across some excellent food and drink deals at the Oktoberfest, and so we planned our trip.
Baden and Konstanz
After landing at the Flughaven in Frankfurt, and renting the most eloquently German car we could, a Mercedes E Series, our first sites were driving south, through the Black Forest to the German-Swiss Border on Konstanz, and the lake of the same name. We stopped at the spa town of Baden in the State of Baden to recharge from a long flight and what was becoming a long drive. Baden is nestled away in the scenic Black Forest in Germany’s south. After a recharge for a few hours and seeing some of the modern German architecture of Baden, we stopped for dinner in Freiberg. Freiberg is a college town at heart but it’s appearance is out of fairy tales of yore with cathedrals ad gate houses with rounded spirals, brown, red and grey rocked brick shops and homes that date back to the 16th century and gothic gargoyles lining place of worship.
After resting for the night in Konstanz, we cut through Switzerland and Austria The route taken as Highway 13 along Lake Konstanz (German for Constance, the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire) in northern Switzerland. This part of the Swiss countryside resides in the foothills of the Alps with rolling fields and valleys leading into Lake Konstancz. Little scenic farming villages and towns such as Egnach, Rorschach and Roggwill dot the sloping fields along this drive until you cross into Austria. There is no shortage of pretty chalet style lodges and homes with their old exterior and gentle sloping roofs. More of the drive was spent driving through the mountains and villages of northwestern Austria, which also being an EU state like Germany meant seamless borders and the only difference being different colored road signs.
(More on Baden and Frieburg)
A Fairytale Land of Castles that Inspired Disney
Upon reentering German soil into Fussen and Schwangau, the air became scented with the scent of mulled wines, and smoked bratwursts. Being in the foothills. Of the Alps, the weather changes very constantly, much like being on a coastal town. The day in Fussen and Sshwangau were oscillating between a chilled mist and sunshine with low Laing clouds over the foothills and the lake. Perched upon two hills are two castles the last Bavarian King, Mad Ludwig II constructed much to the chagrin of the Bavarian treasury and residents. It is perhaps, through local legend, that such avarice and gluttonous spending led poor Mad Ludwig to be foun dead in a lake in our just outside of Munich. Across the valley is another castle, or Schloss in German, called Hohenschwangau, which was built first and served as a more functional residence to Mad Ludwig
Upon traversing the long windy path up the hillside and over looking Forggensee Lake sits the grandeur that inspired Disney’s Magic Kidngdom, Neuschwanstein Schloss or New Swan Stone Castle. This is the castle that is epitomizes romantic Bavaria and fairy tales with its white and grey stones, and blue topped spires. Built in the 19th Century as a tribute to Ludwig’s favorite composure, Wagner, nearly every room was inspired by a musical piece composed by Wagner or an opera based on his catalogue The interior smells of old oak and cedar used in the elaborate furniture and wall trimming. The ceilings and walls are adorned with murals of Wagner movements. Perhaps more impressive is the view of Forggensee Lake, Hohenschwangau Scholls and Austria to the south by southwest. It is also a good place to enjoyer a quick beer (Hofbrau) and snack at the catheters I before venturing into Fussen and Schwangau at the bottom of the hills. I would like to think the good people of Bavarian since made their money back on the tourist investments into visiting this site and lower Bavaria. Ludwig never intended for his precious castle to be open to the public, nor Germany to be unified soon after his suspicious demise. That is a testament to the often underrated German sense of humor and irony.
The most underrated place in the shadow of Ludwig’s grandeur are the quaint Beirhalls and bratwurst haus of Schawngau and Fussen approaching Lake Forggensee. We ventured into Schlossbraustuberi next to the Museum of Bavarian Kings, which is also a very tried and tue German tradition of having museums to all things German history (and second only to the museums of lighthouses in Scotland and Ireland). Traditional German brats are often boiled in a bowl of water, served with fries and it is not uncommon got have a dunkel dark lager with the email. Currywurst is quite good if you don’t have it often.
After passing through Fussen, and back into Austrian territory, we found ourselves at the site of the 1936 Winter Olympics in the merged town of Garmisch-Partikirchen. Garmisch and Partikirschen shares a little on IOU’s history having been two towns merged into one district under the reign of the Third Reich. Hitler often stayed in this town, at the exact guest house, e stayed at while bunking here. The hotel had the premier seats for the long jump in the ski event. Music like many tragic elements of Germany’s past, the Germans find ways to use its infrastructure for more modern and positive outlets. The ski jump is still used to this very day to train a new generation of Alpine sport athletes. By morning, we were off to our primary objective, Munich, not more than an hour into the heart of Bavaria.
Munich and Oktoberfest
Before anyone travels to Munich for Oktoberfest it is important to note that most of the city shutdown for these two weeks starting on September 16th and culminating on Unification Day on October 3rd, much to Mad King Ludwig II’s lamentations. What you would experience during that time is not the normal, everyday life of Munich. If you are looking to explore Munich and its beautiful gothic and renaissance era art and history, I encourage a trip outside the Oktoberfest celebration. Also, Lederhosen and Dirndls are not everyday garb in Bavaria.
We consumed more beer than what I thought my stomach and liver could ever possibility handle. It is true. Beer is served in liters at most bierhalls and tents at Oktoberfest. This is approximately 35 ounces per serving or just under three 12 ounce bottles for those of Americans stuck on the arcane English Standard measurements. The bierhalls and tents come in all shapes and sizes at Oktoberfest it’s the infamous Hofbrau bierhaus holding 12,000 festive revelers. We did see it, after three other bierhalls. It is the tourist focused hall.
The more rustic ones like the Kafer Tent gives you more of the German experience. Oktoberfest is more than just hoisting bier steins and chanting ziggy zoggie oy oy oy. It is a feast to celebrate the harvest for the upcoming fall and winter. It is how the Oktoberfest marten style of lager was commissioned by then Bavarian King Ludwig II. This is the dark amber, malty, and slightly stronger lager than the golden pilsners. Both are entirely appropriate to the proper Oktoberfest experience. We engorged ourselves on rotisserie chicken roasts, sauerbratens, pretzels as large as our kompf, and pork schnitzel. Kafer Tent is definitely the one I would recommend to those really looking to celebrate German food and drink.
The Lowenbrau bierhall is the nice median between the more quaint Kafer Tent and the massive beer fest at Hofbrau. It is a large enough bierhall to accommodate several thousand festival goers, while serving hearty German roasts and live German music. Finally, it is an opportunity to drink Lowenbrau once again. It is a German Pilsner that I nave not seen distributed in the United States for many years. It is the quintessential German beer.
Munich is home to many great breweries, all of which are brewed in accordance to the 1516 beer purity laws known as Der Reinheistgebut. This mandates that German beer is made to the finest standards and to the purest of ingredients being wheat, barley, yeast and hops. I wa able to sample Hacker und Pshorr, Lowenbrau, Spaten, Paulaner and Hofbrau. I am a Bayern Munich football fall, so I often drink Paulaner and Hacker und Pschorr as often as I can. Any of these beers will serve your palate well.
One site to definitely visit while in Munich is the Glockenspiel at City Hall. It is a gothic era clocktowner with intricate mechanics and stone artistry. During key hours of the day, the clock while chime bells and tunes while figurines dance a carefully crafted ballet for onlookers in the Marizenplatz (Main Square). Munich was spared much of the devastation of World War II as allied powers understood its historic and cultural significance, and sought to preserve once it was known the Third Reich was on the losing side of the war and forever a villain of history. Kyoto and Nara were also spared this fate for similar reasons. I would not recommend Oktoberfest as a solo traveler unless you are meeting friends in Munich. A group is a far better experience, and easier to secure reservations for the smaller and medium (both of which are quite large, as in thousands off people). Bookings months in advance is advisable.
Dachau – Hope in the Bleakest Hour.
I never felt atmosphere so heavy and thick. It is the atmosphere that changes one’s perspective on life. I am not a superstitious man. But the spirits of the past are present at the most tragic of places to remind us of what happened. So we can overcome the devils of our nature.
One cannot broach the subject of Germany without acknowledging the horrific psst that lead to the extermination of six million Jews, and five million other targeted minorities, religious groups and political targets. World War II directly lead to the death of 50 million people worldwide. If there ever was an apocalypse, the two world wars were undoubtedly it. We were close to forever being ruled in darkness, and the light of humanity being dimmed and perverted. Germany however should not be singled out for being the perpetrator of the most heinous of war crimes. Nearly every nation has a record of exterminating the other. Germany has an obligation never to censor its history. To each us the errors of its past. But it could have happened anywhere. Germany was a democracy. It has arts and industry. It was an advanced society. Yet it fell to tyranny. It could have been any industrial nation. Japan knew this too. Russia as well. Even the United States and Canada with slavery and the eradication of indigenous peoples has the stain of mechanized and systematic death on its hands. It is a cautionary tale that must never be forgotten. Any country could become what Germany was.
It is a solemn obligation to remember, learn and still feel the weight of history, lest we repeat its trauma and errors. Dachau hosts the very first concentration camp erected and operated by the Nazi Regime. It was in operation for 12 years until Allied forces liberated the camp in 1945. Over 40,000 lost their lives here. It is less than 15 miles from Munich and accessible by train from the City Center/Innenstadt.
One does not, or at least should not, visit a Concentration Camp or cemetery for those killed in war or political persecution for “fun.” One goes for understanding history and humanity. I firmly believe we have a duty to know, and to keep telling these stories if we ever make the hopes of world peace possible. It is forgotten in Russia at present day. It was only 80 years ago. It is still living history.
The emotions were heavy, the air was think and still. The only noises are the occasional wren and doves cooing. Nature itself knew the depravity that happened here, and to honor those lost. Even the rays of sunlight were thick and heavy, with an eerie dust to them.
The lessons taken away from visiting Dachau highlighted to me that our history courses still do not even touch the tip of the iceberg on how something like the Holocaust could happen. It was the first of 1,500 camps constructed throughout Europe. A whole society was mobilized for this. So were its allies in the Axis nations. Dachau is unique in regards to it being one of the few camps actually on German soil. It was hidden in the woods, away from the town of Dachau. This was what led to a very dark sensation in me.
The regime KNEW what they were doing was evil. It wasn’t a perversion of nationalism or a destructively misguided belief another group was an existential threat to the German way of life. It KNEW it was exterminating people. They kept it away from the German public. They hid it from the towns. They kept it out of sight and out of mind. It makes one wonder if the everyday average citizen saw it and experienced it, would there have been a larger resistance? Would there have been more courageous Germans outside of Colonel Von Stauffenberg, and the White Lotus student protesters who all gave their lives to restoring German honor and human dignity against a truly evil and tyrannical regime.
Dachau itself was not an extermination camp. Auschwitz was the meat grinder that oversaw over two million souls executed by the cruelty of pens and cable wires, the coldness of rifle barrel steel and the suffocating toxins of zyclon gas. It was a labor camp and prison first for political enemies from the German resistance, minority parties and captured Soviet officers. The living conditions may have killed more inmates than the planned executions. People slept and ate on top of each other in cramped wooden bunk bed slabs. There was squalor and illness rampant. This is before the poor nutrition and cruelty of the guards are factored it. As referenced before, 40,000 were executed here. Many more, which numbers may never be fully calculated, died from the harsh conditions. Execution walls still have the bullet holes from ordered terminations.
But, I walked out of there with hope. The site chronicles through photos and journals of those who were imprisoned here, and those who helped liberate the camp. THe photo that struck a chord in me was the photo of liberated survivors, who were ghastly thin and malnourished. Any of these men and women would be forgiven of they ever lost hope in life and faith, but the shine in their eyes, and faint but determined smiles in the photos the day they were liberated in April of 1945 resonates with me to this day. They never gave up. They never lost faith, even if they questioned it. They never lost the one thing the Nazis could never,, ever take form them, their on sense of self and dignity.
We can all live better lives by channeling the strength of the Dachau survivors. They are history’s heroes. The sun was still shining when we left Dachau and returned to Munich. Needless to say, we had a few more beers to process the heavy lift of history we experienced. And we are able to do so from a position of privilege thanks to those who helped end that regime.