~We'll Meet You In Munich~

~We were looking forward to having my brother David & his wife Cathy come to Germany for almost two years. When it finally arrived we were out of our heads with excitement. We dropped off Steve's parents at the Munich airport and then headed straight over to the large Munich train station.. more family adventures were in store for us~


~You might think that seeing men standing around at the train station in Lederhosen is unusual, or that there must be a festival going on? No, men in Germany wear these things anytime and everywhere.. this is nothing unusual~


~The train arrived and we gave them some big German welcome hugs and asked them what they wanted to do with their two days in Germany. Number one on the list was seeing the famous Neuschwanstein castle (Sleeping Beauty's Castle). We headed out of town driving down the autobahn (another of David's requests)through some gorgeous German countryside until we caught sight of the castle in the distance~


~It was hard to believe that we were standing in Germany with David & Cathy.. it is always a dream come true for us to be having these experiences so far away from home with our family and friends. It was a beautiful day, and the castle was glowing under the sunlight~


~Anytime David is around.. life is always about good times and lots of laughs! My boys love spending time with their Uncle Dave.. I am so glad that we had this time to make memories together~


~While taking the tour of the castle inside, you got the chance to catch some amazing views out the windows. Can you imagine having this view? Spectacular~


~We took a horse carriage ride to the top. I think we were more consumed with the fact that they wanted to pile 15 people in a 10 person carriage.. that it kept us a little distracted from the magic of this ride to the top. The boys will never forget that the horses farted on us.. oh, you have to love little boys~


~The reclusive King Ludwig did not allow visitors to his castles, which he intended as personal refuges, but after his death in 1886 the castle was opened to the public. And now it is one of the biggest tourist destinations in Germany. It was a brilliant pick from David & Cathy.. I could not agree more.. you cannot come to Germany and not see the Neuschwanstein Castle and all of its glory~


~It is also not uncommon to see German women and girls walking around everywhere in their Dirndl German dresses. Just like the men, there does not need to be any reason to wear it, but mostly they prefer to wear them during festivals or formal events~


~The tour of the inside is amazing, but unfinished. King Ludwig died before the castle was completed inside.. I can only imagine what the finished product would have been like, because the way it is now is exquisite. I can definitely understand what King Ludwig loved about this castle and the views~


~We still do not get tired of seeing castles. There is something fun and magical about castles and the boys love the feeling of conquering each castle. We climbed our way to the top and we were able to enjoy this piece of German history together~


~We were all smiles having them here.. I am glad that we were able to accomplish this first adventure on their list.. and this was just the beginning~


~We said our final goodbyes to this beautiful and majestic castle. It truly is set among the most gorgeous locations in the world~


~We drove back into Munich that evening and did not want to miss out on a chance to eat at Munich's world famous Hofbräuhaus brewery. It is owned by the state government, in the past it served as a royal brewery in the Kingdom of Bavaria~


~The Hofbräuhaus in Munich was one of the beer halls used by the Nazi Party to declare policies and hold functions. Adolf Hitler proclaimed the theses of the Nazi Party program here. Some of the first violent attacks on Jews took place at the Hofbräuhaus. It is extremely popular today, and is filled with thousands of people during all hours of the day. Loud music, loud people, and lots of huge beers and huge plates of delicious German food. A very fun place to experience while visiting Munich~


~This is the famous Munich City Hall built gothic style in the 1860's. It is very famous for the Glockenspiel clock that performs 4 times a day. If you look closely you will see the rainbow flags in front of it. After dinner we wanted to go on a walk and see the City Hall. It just so happened to be the weekend for Munich's Gay Pride festival. Wow, did we get an eye full! We covered the boy's eyes and hurried on our way~


~We were able to cram so many things into our first day together.. but it was time for bed. We were all exhausted. David & Cathy decided that it also would not be a trip to Germany without taking a tour around the Dachau Concentration camp. It was such an emotional experience for us all. I am so glad that we came, because I will never forget the things I felt, saw, and experienced here. This is the main gate at Dachau where prisoners walked through. It is marked with the sentence "Arbeit Macht Frei" which is a German phrase meaning "work brings freedom" or "work shall set you free". The Nazi's came here thinking that this was going to be true for them~


~Dachau was the first Nazi concentration camp opened in Germany. Dachau served as a prototype and model for the other Nazi concentration camps that followed~


~The camp was divided into two sections: the camp area and the crematorium. The camp area consisted of 32 barracks, including one for clergy imprisoned for opposing the Nazi regime and one reserved for medical experiments. The courtyard between the prison and the central kitchen was used for the execution of prisoners. The camp was surrounded by an electrified barbed-wire gate, a ditch, and a wall with seven guard towers~


~In total, over 200,000 prisoners from more than 30 countries were housed in Dachau of whom two-thirds were political prisoners and nearly one-third were Jews~


~25,613 prisoners are believed to have died in the camp and almost another 10,000 in its subcamps, primarily from disease, malnutrition and suicide~



~Owing to continual new transportations from the front, the camp was constantly overcrowded and the hygiene conditions were beneath human dignity. Starting from the end of 1944 up to the day of liberation, 15,000 people died because of these horrific conditions, about half of all victims in Dachau~


~Dachau holds a significant place in public memory because it was the second camp to be liberated by British or American forces. Therefore, it was one of the first places where the Western world was exposed to the reality of Nazi brutality through firsthand journalist accounts and through newsreels. This sign says "Never Again" in five different languages. It was so hard to see that this actually was a part of these undeserving people's lives. I am so thankful for my freedoms.. this took place here in Germany not that long ago. It was a sad way to send David & Cathy off.. but we were incredibly grateful that they came and visited us and that we were able to give them a true German adventure.. some came with smiles and some came with tears~