We are now leaving Fussen on the train to Munich. This train differs from the one we took to Fussen in two major ways: a) it's older with windows that open and no air conditioning; 2) it's in the morning. The consequence of these stark differences is that there are visual, audial and olfactory signs that we're in farming country. The odors may be odious to some, but they are comfortably familiar to me, and I don't think I've heard a cow bell on a cow in over 40 years.
Fussen means charming-old-German-town-near major-tourist-site in German. Take the words cobbled, Bavarian, quaint, Alps, lederhosen, beer and schnitzel, combine them in a way that seems pleasing to you, and you'll have a fairly accurate mental image of the town. Most people go there to make the trek (5 km) by foot, bus, bike or car to see the two castles: Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, which are not, no matter what you think, kinds of German sausage.
If you decide to make the trip, you need to know that the first two hours of your adventure will be spent in the ticket line. This is essential so that you know what it felt like waiting to see the King of Bavaria in his home. No Kafka like trip here, though. You will get to the castle - both if you so choose. I don't know if anyone got to see the king. The next thing you want to know is that you don't HAVE to walk up to both castles. There are buses and horse drawn wagons. Walking, however affords you the chance to stop when you want and it's enervating...so bring about a gallon of water per person. For those of you who are environmentally conscious, neither the busses nor the horses qualify as zero emission - especially the horses, so watch your step.
I'm not going to describe the castles or Marienbridge. Go look them up. Ive stuck a couple of snapshots here to satisfy the imatient among you. And no photos are allowed to be taken inside, so if you want to see, (and take it from me, you do want to see) look 'em up.
King Ludwig, The Extravagant, grew up in the lovely and quite acceptable Hohenschwangau, the castle of his father and father's father and all that, but like Yertle the Turtle, wanted to get higher and fancier. He managed to spend just over 170 nonconsecutive days in his Wagner inspired (and that should tell you something), unfinished fairy-tale castle before he was deposed and disposed of at the age of heirless 40. One look at his hair at 13 years old in a portrait and you'll know that this king wasn't going to be satisfied with yesterday's fashion in castles. Nobody knows why he was deposed, though at the time they said he was insane. You tell me: when was that ever a reason to oust a king? And know one knows who killed him, not even his uncle who became the regent,which means "king Niall but title," nope, he never found out who did it.
Up to this point in our trip, Naomi's birthday wish list has included a puppy and a Mercedes. Now she has added a Bavarian sword, a canopy bed made to look like a medieval German altar, and an ivory chest with gold-plated silver fixings and enameled decorations. I plan on repainting the living room and dining room walls back home with murals commemorating the important historic and mythic events in Framingham's history.
When we got back to our hotel room after our double castle day, we realized that we had been on our feet for the better part of 8 hours with only a pretzel and a small ice cream cone to eat. We showered, changed and stumbled out to find our first Bavarian meal. King Ludwig schnitzel for me (turkey with cheese, potatoes, and a grilled tomato) and Spatzle with cheese and onions for Na.
Then we returned to our room and practiced being logs.
The only thing I'll add to our leaving is that while waiting for the train I was gripped with anxiety that the train would be over crowded. If you don't know why, you didn't read my last post.
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