When in Munich...

This weekend 7 of us decided to stay in Munich to relax a bit and see more of the countryside. Friday started out with a tour of Munich University to see the hall Sophie and Hans Scholl distributed their flyers for the White Rose. The tour ended quickly because the only English speaking tour guide was out sick. After about 30 minutes in the memorial we left and had the rest of the weekend free. Thus giving us most of Friday and all of Saturday and Sunday to do what we pleased. The highlight of Friday was a trip to the English Gardens where we brought wine and cheese and enjoyed a beautiful sunset over a distant tree line in the middle of the city.
However the highlight of the weekend came with a trip out to Neuschwanstein Castle through Mike’s Bike Tours in Munich. To begin the trip we rode bicycles out to a natural alpine lake near the castle. The water was unbelievably clear and cold but we decided to swim out in it anyways. I mean when else are you going to have the opportunity to do something like that. After changing we left for lunch and got to witness a storm rise up off the mountain and rain for a bit. Towards the end of the rain we left for a hike up the mountain to the castle. The castle was absolutely awesome. I am told this is the same castle Walt Disney used as a model for building Cinderella’s castle. The castle was built and owned by King Ludwig II who died before all the interior of the castle was completed. However the part he had completed was amazing. Every wall was covered with paintings and every trim was very ornate. I can understand completely how our tour guide said this is the prettiest castle on Earth.
The rest of the trip couldn’t compare to the trip to Neuschwanstein, yet we did see a very impressive fireworks show at the old Olympic Stadium in Munich. It was complete with fireworks, music, pyrotechnics, and lazer lights. To add to the impressiveness was the amount of people that attended the show. Never before, including college football games, had I seen so many people in one place. After that we went home and caught up on some much needed sleep and are now ready to start the final two weeks of this already awesome program.
Jordan “Juice”