Bavaria

Ok, so I'm in Bavaria right now, but I'm not allowed to call it that...apparently the people of Munich get really pissed off; haha. Monday we went to Wurzburg and after a delicious lunch at a local pancake house, toured the Residency- the home of the local king. It reminded me of Versailles, and our tour guide said that it was modeled off Versailles! Very pretty. Our tour guide was very good; she really made you think about what life was like in the time of the Residency. I was really impressed with the incredible sculptures and the painted ceiling. It was in Rococco style, where the architecture is meant to deceive the eye. The ceramic ceilings looked like real draperies. We ended our tour in the wine cellar, and guess what, bought another bottle... I need to finish some off because I can't take them all home with me! That night we arrived in Nuremburg, went to a biergarten for a lecture, and entertained the locals at a cute pub.

Tuesday we went on a city tour of Nuremburg, with our tour guide explaining stuff as we drove by it. I didn't care for this tour guide so much, and I was pretty tired, so I don't remember much. We did go to the Nazi party rallying ground, which is now used for large public events. Incredible how something so ugly can be used for good things today. Apparently they had nothing else to do with the Nazi buildings, so they just put them to good use. After lunch in a biergarten, we went to the Nazi documentation center for a tour. Although I found the political history a bit boring, I was amazed at how much of a national movement the Nazi party had. Youth organizations, special groups, national unity. Before the center, I couldn't believe that the people would get so into a crazy movement, but now I have a better understanding. It was such an empowering thing, and I think the people had no idea of the horrors the Nazis were incurring. Really powerful. We went to a biergarten that evening and then crashed.

Today we drove to Munich and had a quick lunch by our hotel, then went on a bike tour. Although the guide was a bit irresponsible, the city was beautiful, and the company was good. We ended in a biergarten, had a few drinks, and went home. Apparenty Munich was Nazi headquarters, and they are torn between remembrance and wanting not to glorify the atrocities that occured here. Some Nazi buildings have been turned into museums, and others are left to rot. Still digesting Munich, so more later. Tschuss!