We’ve spent the past two days visiting the countryside — a journey to Salzburg, Austria, and to Neuschwanstein Castle. We planned this trip with the goal of showing the students the urban and more rural side of this lovely country. And we kept in mind its history and close allegiance to countries like Austria.
To keep the costs low and to show the student how the average German citizen travels, we decided to take the trains to both locations. That meant we had to mind schedules and take some extra time, but both journeys were quite comfortable and permitted great scenic views for us and the chance — if we took it — to talk to other tourists and German residents (which I always try to do). The Alps and the countryside — just lovely. My small camera won’t do them justice. I’m relying on the students to provide this.
Ursula, our guide in Salzburg, whisked us through the beautiful streets there, pointing out “Sound of Music” shooting sites (and some insider information), Mozart’s birthplace and homes, beautiful concert halls and cathedrals, and more before she left us to shop and enjoy an Austrian dinner together. Despite the constant rain, Jan and I walked along the river and the artists’ tents, talking to a number of them and admiring their wares. We had a long conversation with a musician who created some very special CDs, and we both bought one as gifts.
It’s amazing to look at a city such as Salzburg, with so many beautiful buildings, cathedrals, monasteries and castles built into the hills and rock. And the pride of its citizens. Many couples, dressed in traditional Austrian clothes, walked the streets on their way to dinner or to Mass or a concert. Ursula says this is very common and a show of cultural pride. Just beautiful.
Today we headed to Neuschwanstein Castle, one of four castles created by King Ludwig II, the supposed mad king. It’s the castle that inspired Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle, and it is beyond lovely and well maintained. The tourists just packed into it, despite a very long walk up the mountain and then back again, and we took a mass tour through its public areas with others. More steps to climb than I want to count or remember, but it was well worth it. Beautiful artwork, luxurious furnishings and innovations for the mid to late 19th century that proved to me that king wasn’t all that mad. I am sure he had all that money could buy and could not. No wife or lover, a brother who died of mental illness himself, and a reclusive life. Marina bought a book, which I read on the train ride home. He had a sweet tooth and a large appetite, which left him with no food and 288 pounds when he died of mysterious circumstances at age 40. But he left such a marvelous gift to German citizens. A tremendous gift.
At our meeting upon our return I told the students today that this holiday weekend’s visits to Dachau, Salzburg and the castle provided them with first-hand history that can’t be learned completely in any classroom or private reading and research. The care the Germans and Austrians take to maintain these wonderful sites and the legacy they leave for so many generations to come is no minor feat. Some may say they exist for tourism and not history, but the costs and operations to do so are immense. The revenue from tourism keep these sites alive and well, and that can’t be measured in dollars and cents.
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