These four days of our Germany tour overflowed with major sights to see and activities to enjoy. These by far were my favorites. From two of King Ludwig’s castles to the merriment of celebrating Oktoberfest in Munich, we kept a steady pace.
September 19 – Lin’s Birthday & Alpine Ski Lift, Dinner at the Kampenwand/Invitational Dance
Luckily, Lin celebrated his 86th birthday in Germany and what fun he had. On his birthday, we went up an Alpine Ski Lift to what felt like the top of the world. We enjoyed spectacular views, and this wasn’t the same place we went three years ago.
I had a piece of buttermilk cake at a small café there. It was delicious!
The highlight there was the variety of paragliders. Obviously, this is a destination for paragliders. At one time, there were seven or eight in the air at once, catching a thermals and orchestrating a show for us below.
That evening we went to the Kampenwand in Bernau for an Invitational Dance and had the joy of dancing to the American callers on our tour and a German caller named Mickey. We also round danced to Klaus Volkl and his wife. Before dancing, we had a delicious German meal and savored the flavor.
Lin and several people from our table ran down to an ice cream shop for dessert after dinner. I stayed and round danced because I don’t get to do that much anymore.
What an enjoyable evening we had!
September 20 – Munich Oktoberfest & Opening Costume Parade & Square & Round Dance & BBQ with the Tamara Twirlers
I knew this would be a great day. When we got to the grounds, Lin and I immediately went to ride the Ferris Wheel to get a great overview of the whole place!
Then we bought bratwurst sandwiches and matching souvenir t-shirts. After that, we lined up along the route for the parade, featuring villages and the traditional dress of Lederhosen for the men and Dirndls for the women. Also we saw bands, big beautiful draft horses and beer wagons.
A German woman stood beside me at the parade. I started a conversation with her by complimenting her traditional dress to see if she spoke English. She did. After that her husband and she gave us a private tour with lots of information about the traditional clothing in the parade.
I had said to her, “I have never seen so much cleavage in my life.” The traditional German dress, a Dirndl, is low-cut and has flowers attached at the breast line. She looked down at my chest and said, “You could wear one of these.” I laughed at her compliment.
A prankster put a a black spot on Lin’s nose as a part of their tradition. See in photo above.
Because the woman’s husband recommended the Augustiner beer tent, we went there to experience the beer tent phenomena. We found seats across from a couple from California. It felt like a league of nations. Beside me sat young women from Hong Kong. Behind were people from Taiwan. We enjoyed the German music. Lin savored a mug of beer, and I loved the insane party atmosphere inside.
Square & Round Dance & BBQ with the Tamara Twirlers
That evening we went to the Tamara Twirlers round dance group for a BBQ and dance. They provided so much food and fun. What a full day it was!
September 21 – Lake Chiemsee, Herrenchiemsee Island & King Ludwig’s Castle
We were bused to where we caught a ferry over to the Herrenchiemsee Island where we toured one of three of King Ludwig’s castles. To save my leg, I rode up to the castle in a horse-drawn carriage while Lin walked. In our carriage, I met six people from the Golan Heights. I love talking to people from all over the world.
Then we toured the castle—I remembered so much of it from our trip three years ago. Afterwards, we toured the museum. Then we went outside to the deer enclosure and saw bucks and does, but they looked totally different than ours in Colorado.
When we finished, I walked back with Lin and enjoyed the sights along the way.
That evening we had dinner out at a restaurant that featured a free schnapps tours. After doing the tour, Lin got everyone to order ice cream dishes. Another wonderful, full day!
September 22 – Oberammergau & King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein Castle
This was our longest bus ride and two of my favorite destinations. First we stopped at Oberammergau, where the Passion Play is held every ten years. It will be held next in 2030 to get back on their regular schedule. The pandemic messed it up. We went by the store where I bought Lin’s cuckoo clock three years ago and bought souvenirs.
In a search for ice cream for Lin, we wandered around off the main street and eventually found a café that had ice cream with the help of some others in our group.
Neuschwanstein Castle
Then we drove to Neuschwanstein Castle, the castle that Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella’s castles are modeled after. Our tour guides warned us repeatedly that this was a hard one to climb—there were around 350 steps inside. I never thought about it! I did it three years ago—easily. But my injured leg made this time grueling for me, but I did it.
First, we went out to the bridge where you can get a great selfie with the castle in the background. It was wall-to-wall people, so we didn’t go very far out but were able to get a good picture. Once again, we toured the castle and went up the 350 steps and down. I didn’t remember much of this castle.
For a souvenir, I bought a small stuffed swan. King Ludwig had decorated the inside of this castle with lots of swan images.
By the time we left, the ride down the mountain was closed, so I had to walk. I barely made it back to the bus.
Afterwards we ate dinner out before returning to our hotel in Bernau. For some reason, neither Lin nor I could sleep on the ride back—too tired.
Finally
Castles, a ski lift and Munich’s Oktoberfest filled up these four days. We danced and enjoyed the wonderful sights in Bavaria. What a trip.
From Germany’s enchanting castles and a breathtaking Alpine ski lift to the excitement of Munich’s Oktoberfest, our travels remind me how precious each moment is. Life is a journey filled with memories worth capturing! Join me in reflecting on life’s moments in my newest poetry collection, Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry. Every moment tells a story!
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