Munich is a relatively metropolitan city. It's fairly industrial, so not the most "picturesque" European city, but it has a couple of architectural treasures hiding within its walls.
We first went to this quaint market, where I fell in love with everything there.
Afterward, we went dirndl shopping. Then we went on a bike tour of the city.
Here's the opera house.
Der Glockenspiel.
And this building:
This was a church built solely out of limestone.
This building was almost entirely destroyed in WWII - only the center remains. As you can see, the glass construction on either side is a reconstruction of the original building.
And Springfest! This is the inside of one of the beer tents - the Hippodrom.
This is me trying a beer that's larger than my face.
At the festival, I saw this poster of the American flag with the Springfest icon - two children, a girl in a dirndl, a boy in lederhosen with a beer, a pretzel and a Munich heart cookie around their necks.
On Saturday, we took a day trip to Neuschwanstein, the castle of the mad king Ludwig II - who stole money from the government to construct his castle. Neuschwanstein is also the castle that inspired Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle - and understandably so. It's absolutely gorgeous.
And the area surrounding the castle is simply stunning. There's this lake surrounded by hills and mountains.
This is the view from the castle.
After Neuschwanstein, we got ready for the second night of the festival. This time, I tried Weissbier - "white beer" - which is absolutely amazing.
On Sunday, we went to the Dachau memorial. It was an incredibly sobering experience. The gate to the camp contains the words "Arbeit macht frei" - translated work makes freedom.
This wall reads, "May the example of those who were exterminated here between 1933-1945 because they resisted Nazism help to unite the living for the defense of peace and freedom and in respect for their fellow men."
These are the reconstructed barracks.
One of the two crematoriums.
This is the entrance to the gas chamber. It's a large room with a couple spouts on the wall. Above the door is "brausebad" or "shower room".
At the edge of the camp - a trench and a barbed wire fence on the other side.
After the memorial, we hopped back onto our eight-hour bus back to Florence.
An amazing weekend spent. Munich is a gorgeous city, Neuschwanstein was absolutely incredible, and Springfest was so much fun. Dachau, such a sobering memorial, was insanely informative. Words can't suffice to explain what an experience it truly was.
♥ Em
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