Füssen 11/28

View from the train

I left mid-day Friday, connecting trains a few times on my way to Munich. I was there for Oktoberfest in early November, but spent my entire day at the 'Fest grounds. The plan for this trip was to take a daytrip to Füssen, a town at the foot of the alps, and spend another day in Munich. I arrived in Munich Friday evening, and settled in at the hostel bar where I met Ian, a transplant Brit who was living near Füssen. Ian and I chatted a while - he explained his dislike of Brits, Americans, and big cities, all of which he was surrounded by at the moment. I met some girls from Vermont and New Hampshire, and later spotted a familiar face at a table nearby. On closer inspection, it was Heath, one of the Americans I had partied with in Marseille. I said hello, but it looked like he was in tears, as he sat opposite a girl who might well have been his now ex-girlfriend. It was quite a coincidence; I even texted Sohail, my companion on the Marseille trip to tell him about it.

After what turned into a few hours at the bar, I went to sleep, but my alarm was not loud enough to wake me up on time for my 6:15 AM train. I happened to wake up at 6:35, checked alternate train times, and sprinted the short distance to the station to make a 6:51 train. Not bad, I thought.

The ride to Füssen, the latter half at least, was stunning. A carpet of magic green countryside and clusters of red-roofed villages rolled out a welcome mat to the alps behind. I switched sides at every turn, marvelling at the magnificent views. I pitied the tourist across the aisle, about my age, who was sleeping soundly, while the ride had the opposite effect on me.

View from the train

Füssen, located five kilometers from the Austrian border in southern Germany, is situated near the Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles, both mouthful names that I still can't pronounce. The picturesque village was the shooting location for many scenes from "The Great Escape" including the motorcycle stunts. I paid for admission to Neuschwanstein, which included a brief guided tour. The castle is located on a hillside overlooking Füssen, and the countryside beyond, with views of the alps in the opposite direction. Constructed relatively recently under King Ludwig II in the 1800's, Neuschwanstein, was designed as a soaring tribute to the German composer Wagner and his operas. One passageway was a dramatic cave, with stalagtites hanging from the ceiling. "Was this meant to be left natural like this or is this an unfinished room?" I asked the tour-guide, envisioning the cave as part of the original rock foundation. "That's wood and molding - it's part of the scenery." At least she didn't laugh at my momentary brain lapse.

Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau Castles

The sun never quite rose above the alps to shine light on the area around the castles

Hohenschwangau Castle

View of Schwangau village from Neuschwanstein

One of the rooms - the throne room I believe - was one of the most beautiful rooms I've ever seen. Photos were forbidden, but I would have taken one had there been enough light. The view, the architecture, and the incredible artwork on the walls left an impression on me, although my mental visual image has already begun to fade.

The king's bedroom was impressive as well. It featured a bed that I found unusual because it was built into the corner of the room, rather than centered on a wall and sticking out into the room. It was probably a function of limited space, though. The truly remarkable aspect was the carving done above the bed - ornate cathedrals topped the bed's canopy. It took four carvers fourteen years, or fourteen carvers four years (not sure which) to decorate the bedroom alone.

Most of the castle was unfinished. King Ludwig died prematurely in 1886, drowned in inches of water along with his psychologist. The castle was soon after opened as a museum to pay Bavaria's debts. The tour was thus brief, and at noon, I was back outside, ready to head up into the mountains behind the castle.

Neuschwanstein Castle

View of manmade snowmelt-fed lake from just below Neuschwanstein

While Fussen is a popular tourist destination, I would not have considered it if it weren't for a few other GTL students who made the trip in September. They enticed me with stories of hiking. Just as my friends and I got caught on the mountain at nightfall in Interlaken, Switzerland, this group summited near Fussen at 9:30 PM. They made a harrowing descent in pitch-black, and lived to tell the tale. So I planned to hike in Fussen with a wary eye on my watch.

View from the Hike

The hiking was no joke. The slopes were near vertical, and the trails switchbacked frequently, weaving between shear rock faces. Thankfully, there were other hikers around in case I misstepped, which seemed both possible and dangerous on the Fussen trails. The route was supposed to take 3 hours one-way, but I decided to set a turn-around time to make my return before sunset. The round-trip ended up being 3 hours, as I moved quickly and took limited breaks. I turned around at the Tegelbergbahn tram station, which serves one massive ski trail in the winter. The views the whole way were incredible, and I enjoyed every minute of the hike.

These could be spliced into a panorama, but paint, my only option, really isn't the proper application for the job

Back at the bottom, I just missed the last tour for the Hohenschwangau Castle. I walked 2km to the nearby village of Schwangau, where I checked out a ski shop, bought some fruit and chocolate at a grocery store, and eventually found a bus to Fussen. It was too bad that night had fallen to obstruct views of the countryside on the train ride back to Munich, but I got some much-needed sleep instead. As I got off the train, I glanced at my phone to see if Sohail had texted me back. Instead I found my outbox entirely full of text messages to AJ, the first contact in my phone. The phone had been sending messages while I was hiking, my thigh pushing the buttons. All 40 of them read "Just bumped into Heath."