Munich

We took the train from Munich to Fussen today to visit Neuschwanstein Castle, one of Europe’s grandest “fairy tale” castles. It was built from 1869 to 1886, but even then, it was only partially completed. The romantic, and eccentric, King Ludwig II had the castle built as a tribute to Richard Wagner, but Ludwig was declared insane by the state and was ordered to leave the castle. Before he departed he was found mysteriously floating in the lake below the castle – with his psychiatrist. The castle was only about 1/3 completed and within six weeks after Ludwig’s death, tours of the castle opened to the public. Hmmmm…. a bit fishy. Anyway, we had a great day and we really enjoyed the snowy, dramatic mountains the surround this majestic castle.

Yesterday we went back into Old Town to see the Glockenspiel chime and dance at 11:00am. It was so cute to watch all the little kids with their heads up, glued to the clock tower and smiling with delight. Alex and I got some great photos. We visited the Toy Museum, then walked around the Farmer’s Market and bought fresh bread, hummus and cheese and ate the most delicious bowls of soup ever. Meandering through the food markets of Europe is just a blast.

The train time we have together as we travel city to city has been really great family time. We, of course, bought Euro rail passes and we don’t have to fly again until we leave Athens for Turkey in mid-April. We usually play cards, catch up on schoolwork and read as a family. One of Alex’s literature novels that we chose was Elie Wiesel’s “Night.” We decided to read this novel as a family (I read aloud and everyone listens) because we wanted to experience the story as a family as we were traveling through Europe, and particularly, Auschwitz. Wiesel is a survivor of Auschwitz/Birkenau/Buna and Buchenwald and his story is heart wrenching, honest and inspiring. As we left the Auschwitz memorial the other day, there were six different building that honored Jewish people by country and we only had time to tour one of them. I thought it was poignant that we happened to choose the building where Elie Wiesel was honored. As we stepped out of the building and walked the street back to the parking lot, we were painfully aware that Elie had walked on those very streets before us. If you have not read this book, we highly recommend it. Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 and the story he has to tell is painful, but should be shared.

See you in Salzburg!
The Toledo Family