Gettysburg Reunion in Deutschland!

The last month has been a crazy whirlwind for me, and I am just finally finding the time to update my blog. I'll start with a magical weeklong journey through Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna with two of my Gettysburg roomates, Kara and Meredith.

Kara and Meredith arrived in Germany at the end of February and they were rudely asked by the customs worker, "Why would you come to Germany in February." To be fair, Germany is at its best in the spring and summer when the grass is green and the sky is blue, but I don't think it is the custom guy's job to deter tourists. Regardless of this unfriendly greeting, Kara and Meredith were ready and excited to see Germany and Austria. I met them in Munich and we started off our journey exploring Bavaria--what Americans think of when they think "Germany." Of course, no trip to Munich is complete without a night of drinking at the Hofbräuhaus. Kara with her Maß and Meredith demonstrating the effect a Maß will have on one.We did a lot of sight-seeing our first few days in Munich including a trip to the concentration camp Dachau, the Marienplatz (seen here from the balcony of the Peterskirche), the Neue Pinakothek and the Pinakothek der Moderne, and another beer hall.

We took a day trip to the beautiful Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles that are just south of Munich in Königsschößer. King Maximilian I built Hohenschwangau as his summer home in the Alps and Neuschwangau was started by his son Ludwig II, but was never completed. The two castles are nestled into the Alps and the views in the area are just breathtaking.

Meredith, Kara, and I outside of Hohenschwangau. You can see Neuschwanstein in the distance on the left.HohenschwangauNeuschwanstein--the inspiration for Disney's Cinderalla Castle.

After Munich, we travelled down to Salzburg for the a daytrip, although I think we all wished it was longer because Salzburg was an adorable little city. Highlights included Mozarts Geburthaus, the view from Mönchsberg, and of course, the Sound of Music Tour. Although the joy of the Sound of Music Tour was slightly dampened due to an overcast day that led to us not being able to see "the most beautiful view in the world," as our tour guide so nicely put, but that did not stop the three of us from singing the My Favorite Things and I am Sixteen, Going on Seventeen to our hearts content.View of Salzburg from Mönchsberg. Festung Hohensalzburg across the city.The Gazebo where Liesl and Rolf sing "Sixteen Going on Seventeen." They shot the actual dancing in a fake gazebo in Hollywood, but this is the one that was used for the outside shots.The rows of trees leading up to the von Trapp family house where the Captain sees his children playing in their curtain dresses. We were going to make curtain dresses for our trip to Salzburg, but decided the hostel would not have appreciated that.

After Salzburg, we continued on our journey to Vienna. Highlights in Vienna included the Stephansdom where we took a tour below and saw skeletons of plague victims and Hapsburgs' innards in the catacombs, a museum dedicated to the Roman encampment Vindobona, act 1 of the opera Carmen at the Staatsoper, the Freud Museum, many beautiful churches, and the Zentralfriedhof which contains the tombs of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Strauss, and an honorary mounment to Mozart--being buried there would give me an inferiority complex.

Stephansdom

Kara and Meredith with Roman ruins from the encampment Vindobona.Franz Schubert's tomb.The Freud Museum--located in the building where Freud lived and worked.

After Vienna, we took a train back to Munich where we stayed one more night before Kara and Meredith flew out the next day. We went back to the Hofbräuhaus (made a few more friends) and on Saturday when back into the center of the city. The Mother Nature decided to be nice and it was a beautiful day with sunshine and blue skies. A perfect ending to a perfect Gettysburg Reunion in Europe.

Kara, Meredith, and I at the Hofbräuhaus.

The Rathaus in the center of Munich with the Frauenkirche towers in the background.The Glockenspiel in the Rathaus.

After enjoying the beautiful weather, I accompanied Kara and Meredith back to the Hauptbahnhof where, after a tearful goodbye, they headed to the airport and I headed back to Erfurt to get ready for my next adventure...

Coming Soon-Drinking Coffee with a Purpose: The EU/NATO Conference