Munich…history, a mad king, and beer

MarienPlatz and the glockenspiel

There is never enough time in any place I end up…I always leave wanting more.  I guess that's why I just have to keep going back.  After our week in Austria we headed back into Munich to hang out for a few days.  The kiddos went to stay with grandma and grandpa and Michael, Diana and I stayed in Michaels flat downtown.  I was basically on holiday since grandma and grandpa had the kids so I started planning a few things to do to tick off some more boxes on my "to do in Munich list"  Our first night I just needed a regroup night…did some washing, skyped with the family and just planned out the next few days.  One thing I have gone back and forth on doing is visiting a concentration camp.  I always have been torn on whether or not it would be a good thing for me to do but this time I finally decided that it was something a person can't fully grasp unless they experience it.  With the decision made I booked my self in on a tour for the next morning.  Michaels flat is in a prime location and I was able to walk to just about anywhere I needed.  I headed out towards MarienPlatz and met up with the tour group.  Now before I get into the actual tour I just have to say going on the tour made me really miss my new

Portrayal of death on the electric fence.  

place every few days travel time.  All the people on the tour were talking about all the places they had just come from and where they would be going next.  How many weeks they would be traveling for and how much they didn't want to go home.  Everyone was from different places and we all instantly started taking because that's just what you do when you are in that traveling mindset.  Especially if you are traveling alone.  It took me a few minutes to get back into that but I got there and it was great fun chatting with everyone.  Ok…back to the tour.  So it took some walking a train and a bus ride to get to Dachau concentration camp.  Upon our arrival I knew it would be a bit intense and when our guide started to talk I felt my self trying to really connect in to what it must have been like.  As he explained all the horrific stories and experiences these people had been through it just made me feel felt horrible.  Now Dachau was not a death camp technically.  It was more of a training camp for the SS and also a work camp however they did have a gas chamber and crematorium.  It is said it was used but not regularly and they have no idea how many people were actually killed in it.  Writing about it now and thinking that I walked in

Crematorium in Dachau

the same spot these poor people walked.  Placed my feet in the same room where they were tragically killed makes my heart ache.  The worst part about it for me is how open the Germans were about all these work camps and that people accepted that this is what they were.  Everything is the camps was run so orderly and intelligently.  Even from the way the death shower buildings were laid out.  Changing room where they were handed soap, next room gas chamber which had shower heads so people walked into their death voluntarily next room with outward opening doors (because if they were inward opening they couldn't get them open because of the dead bodies of all the people trying to escape) next room crematorium for immediate disposal.  Other people in the camp would have no idea what was going on.  It is such a truly sad part of history that you can't wrap your mind around with out experiencing.  I also learned on this tour that the German government has been talking about destroying all of the remaining camps.  I can understand their desire to wipe the slate clean so to speak and get rid of all evidence that this ever happened but I don't agree with it.  I have heard people argue that maintaining them is

Roll call At Dachau painted by a someone who was there

supporting what happened.  I understand where people are coming from with that but completely disagree.  What we learn in history books can not even compare to what you learn when you experience this horrific piece of history.  Destroying it would be taking a teaching tool away from people.  I know after seeing this combined with my experience in Nuremberg and Anne Franks house I will never be the same and have a new level of understanding and pain for what these people went through.  I also think about how hard it must be for Germans who are living with the fact that this is a part of their history but we

Drink big beers…it's just what you do in Germany

all have black marks on our chart…every country…none of us are perfect and we just have to learn from the past and not repeat it.
Now remember how I told you I was on the tour with a bunch or travelers well there happened to be a group of OC girls who I got on with and we ended up doing dinner and drinks that night.  Ended up being a super fun night involving a lot of really big beers and some random people from Arizona.  There were also some really big pretzels…not quite as big as the ones Kelsey and I had while we were there, which were the size of our face literally, but still good. It was a super fun night out and much needed.  The next day was a lazy day hanging out with Diana and going to a few towns in the area and also I was missing the kiddos a little so went with her to visit them which was nice.  In the evening I joined Michael and Diana for dinner with a few of their friends.  It was a really nice evening.  Tons of languages happening at the table though.  We were at a french restaurant so there was some french happening along with the German and English.  It was all I could do to keep up.  I truly enjoy it all though.  I love being surrounded by it all.  I have gotten so

A foggy day just added to the mystery of this castle

used to sitting at a table and just taking in all the conversations and working out what is being said.  I know eventually I will be joining in the conversations…baby steps.  My next tour I decided to take was ticking another box on my to do list.  I took a visit to the Neuschwanstein castle… or fairy tale castle as it is also known.  Unfortunately it was a rainy foggy day but it was still impressive.  Before I get to the castle bit I again had a cool experience with one of the people on the tour.  I ended up sitting on the train with a girl who was just out of the Peace Core.  I mean literally just out a few weeks.

Felt a little like I was at Disneyland

She had been living in Mozabique Africa with no running water, closest shop was 70 miles away and she was the only one who spoke english in her small town.  Gave me a whole new perspective on feeling lonely.  I know everyones situations are different and all our feelings are valid but I could not imagine what the last 2 years had been like for her and then to be thrown back into mainstream culture.  I know I went through culture shock my first time back to the states because I felt like a different person…she will have it times 100.  Anyway, it was a cool meeting and fun to let her talk all about everything she had been through because I don't think she had been able to do that and be really honest about how she was

Yep…walked on that bridge…crazy high!

feeling.  We kinda buddied up and cruised through the castle together.  It was such fun. Ok…back to the castle…So the story goes that mad King Ludwig had this castle designed in a very theatrical style and wanted it very elaborate however he had no intention of sharing it with anyone.  He was a bit of a recluse and lived only in the front bit of the castle.  He would not even let his servants look at him in the eyes.  We did get to walk through the castle which unfortunately was only 1/3 finished because Ludwig died before it was completed.  everything was beautiful and eclectic but made sense.  The room that got me the most was his theater.  He had a banquet style room made with a stage at one end which was gorgeous however we were told that he had no intention of ever putting on a play there.  He just wanted a stage.  I personally thing he would go in there and put on his own plays for himself but that's just my thoughts.  After we finished out walk through the castle we headed up to the view point bridge.  This bridge was crazy high and the planks were wobbly.  Well worth it for the view I got.  Even though it was rainy and foggy it was still beautiful.  So the castle was my last stop on my Munich adventure..

View from the crazy high bridge

The next morning we packed up.  Diana was taking the kids to her parents house for a visit and I was headed off to my next stop on my adventure…London here I come!  Stay tuned for my crazy times in London in the next post.  

Austria…a little slice of heaven and a lot of cows

So the green book isn't traveling with me this time.  I have left it safe and sound back in our new home in Spain.  Yes you heard that correctly we have a new house in Spain.  I will back up the story a bit so you can get the full bit of how this holiday began.    Due to a bunch of stuff I will not go into we ended up needing to move house in 2 weeks.  No big deal…at least for me since I had done the shut down your current life, pack it all up and move out in 2 weeks once before so I was ready for it.  It meant some extra time with the kids so Diana could look at houses but I wasn't bothered.  We ended up finding something and had it all situated and

House in the hills…and a couple of hammocks.

moved into the day before we left on holiday.  Good thing we did because our holiday started out a bit rocky.  I will give you the short version…Arrive at the airport (3 kids, 2 adults, 3 checked backs and 5 carry ons) Check in and proceed to the boarding area.  10 minute flight delay…no big deal.  Flight cancelled…really big deal!  Running around the airport trying to rebook but doesn't work.  In the end so grateful we moved in to our new house.  We got a flight for the next morning so we had to head back to our new home.  Nothing was set up so we slept on mattresses on the floor but, we had enough food in the fridge to create

Water straight from the earth…amazing!!!

 a dinner and a bottle of good red wine so we made it through.  Luckily everything went great with our flight the next morning and we arrived in Munich and got picked up by grandma and grandpa.  There was one other thing that had started…I was feeling a bit ill but didn't really know what was going on.  I explained it to Diana and she said oh dear….Now this might be too much info for some of you but I feel I need to add it for you all to understand how rough the start to our holiday was….What I had explained to her was a horrible bladder infection.  Anyone who has had one knows that the worst thing you could have to do is

The flowers and mountains were gorgeous

travel long amounts of time in a car.  Thank goodness for German pharmacies with amazing over the counter meds.  They did the trick and we were on our way…well for a bit we were on our way.  We stopped quickly for Luis to use the toilet and when I got out of the car the tire was smoking and smelled horrible.  All Diana and I could do was laugh.  The smoking tire led to another hour of waiting for the repair guy and figuring out rental cars.  We finally got back on the road at about 10pm.  Thankfully that was the last issue and we arrived at the house in the Alps and went straight to bed.  All of us slept in and the next day.  Waking up and walking out into the gorgeous sunshine in this amazing setting all was forgotten about how we got there.  We were all so joyful!  This place is exactly how you would imagine a mountain house to be.  There are 2 houses right next to each other which are rustic and cozy.  Inside there are low ceilings with huge wooden beams with dates carved into them.  It has been decorated in the perfect eclectic manner and is so charming.  I fell in love with it immediately.  Beate and Tomi are the most amazing hosts also.  I felt immediately at home and relaxed.  We worked out

Laying out by the lake while the cows roam around us.

sleeping arrangements which was Oliva and I sharing a bed and Luis and Maxime sharing having an adjoining door with us.  I had been promising Oliva she could have a sleep over with me for a while so I guess we have that crossed off the wish list now.  After rooms were situated the kids started to get a feel for the area and were really enjoying it.  The beauty of this place is that they can explore with out any worry.  It was nice to just be able to let them run, jump, play and just do as they pleased….with in reason of course.  Let's be honest I still need a bit of structure and boundaries.  It was just really nice watching them not worry about

Gondola up the slopes…no skiing but lots of fun still

 anything and just be kids.  Another treat about this trip was our friends who had come to visit us in Mallorca were joining us.  Yep that's right there would be a total of 6 kids and 7 adults.  In my mind not a bad ratio…it's rare lately that the adults out number the kids.  When they arrived it was like no time had passed.  The kids picked up right where they left off.  They just paired off and started playing.  One of our days we took off and went to a local lake.  It was quite an experience.  I have never been to a lake where you lay out and there are cows just wandering around next to you.  Warning…watch where you lay your towel

Hiking to find treasure

out..cow pies everywhere!  It really was crazy.  They were so close I could stroke them (if I chose to which I did not) as I walked by them.  It was a nice sunny day and we all lazed around on the shore or in the water till the kiddos got hungry and we went to lunch.  At lunch there was a lovely treat of a yodeler…I felt a bit like I was on a Ricola commercial.  It was fun to experience though. One of our other adventures was a bit of a drive away but worth it.  We went to visit one of Diana's friends who was also holidaying over here with her family.  We met them at the top of the mountain after a lovely gondola ride.  The views everywhere we go are so beautiful.  I really just could't stop looking around and taking photos.  At the top of the hill we had quick lunch during a rain storm but the clouds parted and the sun came out once we were finished with lunch.  Then it was off on an adventure treasure hunt.  The top of the mountain was set up like an adventure land for kids.  The hike we went on had loads of little activities and questions along the way that the kids had to get the right answer to or complete to move on to the next one.  As we walked there were amazing views every step of the way.  We had such fun.  At the

Just having a good time.

end of the hike there was this cool obstacle course that the kids played on for quite a long time.  Along the way there also were such fun little things for us to stop at.  The ladies posed in a boat as green men for me.  My favorite thing was this really cool chair carved on the top of a tree stump.  It was actually still connected to the tree stump and carved out of the top bit.  It was the perfect size for Olivia and she loved sitting in it.  After our mountain adventure we had dinner with our friends at their place.  When we showed up at the place I thought the house had a very interesting shape with a big rounded top floor that stuck out in a

A chair in the woods…just her size.

 way I wouldn't have thought that a house would be made.  I just figured that some architect had got super creative.  Turns out that it actually used to be the ski chair house.  The place where the ski chairs would pick up and drop people off at.  When I heard that I was so impressed.  How great that someone would save such a great building and turn it into an interesting unique house.  We had a lovely day and a late drive home but it was all worth it.  While there we did a few hikes which were also spectacular.  The first we literally could have left straight from the house to walk up the hill but with the kiddos felt like we should drive the first bit.  I was so impressed with all the kids.  They were troopers and even Olivia at 3 years old was making it up the hill.  She was making it up bits that even I stumbled on a bit.  My favorite hike we did was a glacier hike.  Well not ice glacier but the stones had been shaped when the glacier moved through.  As we climbed higher and higher the view just got better and better.  I couldn't believe it.  I kept stopping and taking photos all the way up.  Here are couple of them..

Playing some football on a glacier rock before the hike.

The crew starting out on the hike

Vaca Lola alone on the hill

Just a little show

Now no trip with these kids would ever be complete with out some sort of performance.  They created this whole choreographed production and even served drinks and snacks after the show.  It was really sweet.  At the setting for the show wasn't too bad either.  This is just one example of how this kids played together.  They were constantly either making up games, playing in the water trough or fountain, sweeping away slugs or swinging in the 2 hammocks (3 kids per hammock of course).  It was such fun to watch.  It was such a great time but flew by too quickly.  I was so sad when sunday came and we had to leave.  I was so grateful for an amazing trip with wonderful people.  I miss the great adult evenings with some phenomenal food and great conversation.  Walking barefoot through a meadow to find huge wild mushrooms and hiking through the forest.  I only hope I will get to experience this lovely spot again.  I was looking forward to the next stop on the holiday though…Munich.  So excited to get to spend more time there then I did last time.  Munich blog to come…stay tuned.