Today we touched down in Munich and met our tour guide, Alexandra and our coach driver, Hans Peter! We then traveled about twenty minutes away to a town called Freising, where we attended a German Mass in the beautiful Freising Cathedral. This is the cathedral in which all German priests are ordained, including Pope Benedict XVI in 1951! The cathedral consists of several sections, the oldest of which is a Romanesque tomb dating from 1159. The main hall of the cathedral was done in stunning Baroque Rococo style and was truly amazing to behold!
That afternoon we traveled about two hours to reach Neuschwanstein Castle, which was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria between 1868 and 1886. Although construction on the castle came to a halt after the king died under mysterious circumstances, we were able to tour the finished rooms of the castle. Each of the rooms were astoundingly beautiful and intricately crafted to depict scenes from the operas of Wagner.
Following our tour of the castle, we headed back to Munich for dinner at a local beer garden, followed by some well-earned rest. So, despite the day-long drizzle and less than balmy temperatures, we managed to have a fantastic second day!
- Megan and Christian : )
We arrived at the cathedral shortly before mass. I was concerned that the locals would consider our presence an invasion but I was pleasantly surprised. They treated us like neighbors, sitting next to us, and showing us the words to their German hymns as we worshiped together! What a great beginning!!
ReplyDeleteWe were told that this famous castle was Disney's inspiration for the Magic Kingdom castles that we see at the Disney Theme Parks! It's no wonder! This place was truly "magical"!