I arrived in Munich on
19 December, and despite not seeing each other for 39 years, Hermann
& I recognized each other immediately. He took me to a small
Christmas market, where my attempts at vegetarianism were shattered
by a nice fat red sausage washed down with a mulled wine. The
Christmas market was as wonderful and magical as I was lead to
believe - mini log cabins and outdoor tents stuffed with every
conceivable item anyone would want for Christmas – wooden toys,
glass trinkets, miniature nativity scenes, scarves, hats, jewelry.
Everything decorated elegantly simple with spruce boughs and
mistletoe dotted with red and gold bobbles and ribbons tied into
simple bows. Maybe it was just my imagination or my excitement of
being there, but I was overwhelmed by the Festive spirit. No one
seemed to be in a rushed mood, people wandered from hut to hut
chatting with the shopkeepers, standing under the canopies sipping
mulled wine, laughing, talking, toasting one another. A Christmas
card come to life!
Hermann then took me
back to his house in Wolfratshausen, where we spend a quiet evening
catching up on the years.
The next day we went to
Neuschwanstein Castle – the one Disney based his on. It snowed
huge fat snowflakes that one would think would have ruined the day,
but somehow it added to the ambiance of a Bavarian castle at
Christmas. We chose to walk up the 1.5 kilometre hill rather than
take the horse drawn carriage. Even through the snow, the castle
looked impressive with the snow shrouded Alps in the background. We
had a brief tour through the castle where we were told that it took
14 years to build this castle, yet it was only 1/3 complete. King
Ludwig had only spent 172 days in it before his untimely (age 42) and
very mysterious death.
White sausages, that is
typically served for breakfast, made up the lunch in a quaint
Bavarian Inn.
Ed arrived on 22
December and we immediately took him to Hofbräuhaus, the most famous
pub in Munich. We enjoyed some excellent white beer, sausages and
sauerkraut. Then we wandered through the Munich Town Hall Christmas
Market, the oldest Christmas Market in Munich originating in 1757.
It is a huge plaza with no cars – which I think adds to the festive
spirit. The Christmas tree in front of the Town Hall is at least 25
– 30 meters high and lighted right to the top. At 11:00 and 12:00
the bells on the tower ring and automated life size dancers come out
and dance (like a cuckoo clock). We missed both times....
Because it was
Christmas and because Hermann had his own shopping and things to do,
we tended to accompany him on his errands. Although he apologized
for this, we loved it. It really gave us a sense of what life is
like in and around Munich. We got to experience normal shopping for
groceries, gifts for his children and grandchildren, even shopping
for a new vehicle and changing from summer to winter tires. We
helped him prepare meals, which may sound dull, but for Ed and I who
love to cook and experiment with foods, this was probably the best
experience of all.
On 23 December, Hermann
accompanied us on the train to Munich and saw us safely on the train
to Passau, where we were met at the station by my son, Len, and his
brother-in-law, Markus.
We stayed in Austria until 1 January 2012. (see seperate story on Austria) Hermann collected us
from the train station then we went for a brief to visit his daughter
and her family. It was an early night for all of us, as we had a
7:20 plane to catch to Delhi.
He graciously picked us up on our return leg of the journey as well. Again insisting we stay at his house and that he transport us back to the airport the next day for our return to Canada. Hermann, you are truly a gem amoung men and I am so very honored that I can call you "Friend". Thank you.
