During our free day in Munich, we were given the option of traveling on the bus to Salzburg. Yes, the Salzburg where the Sound of Music was filmed. I’ve never been much of a Sound of Music fan, but I am really glad I went because it is a very beautiful place to visit, despite the fact that it rained almost all day. We walked to the summit of a mountain on which a well-known castle was built and walked up sloping roads until we had reached the top. Once in the castle, there was a walking tour that eventually led up to the roof of a tower. At this point, you are on top of a tower that’s on top of a mountain, so the view is fairly stunning. Other than that, I also enjoyed visiting the “Do-Re-Me” garden from Sound of Music—not because a mediocre song was performed there, but because it was quite beautiful.
Munich 2
This morning we went to a wonderful art gallery that featured Rubens and Rembrandt primarily, but also had several paintings by other well-known artists such as Raphael. Rubens was certainly a great artist, but I’m particularly fond of Rembrandt. While not my favorite, he is closing on Caravaggio. The most frustrating thing about looking at paintings by Rubens is that so many of them were done by his assistants. Only a highly trained eye can spot Ruben’s own work from that of others. Many paintings were done entirely by assistants, with only finishing touches made by Rubens.
After the museum tour, we went to Dachau Concentration Camp. This was the first and longest running camp. Initially used to house political prisoners, it rapidly expanded beyond its capacity with an influx of Jewish prisoners. This camp became the model for all other camps used by the Nazis. Although Dachau was not designated a “death camp”, over 25,000 people died there during the war. German propaganda largely masked the true nature of Dachau, but once allied troops arrived to liberate the camp, they were appalled at the horrific conditions. A trip to Dachau makes for a heavy day, but it is as important to confront the horrors in human history as it is to confront the triumphs.
Munich 1
We arrived in Munich sometime in the early evening or late afternoon. We immediately went to find an ATM as most of us were broke (the Czech Republic doesn’t use Euros but Munich does). For dinner, many of the students in our group went to a beer garden and ran into our professors there. It turned out to be a good choice as one of the professors told us that it was his favorite (he knows the city really well). It was a great atmosphere—a sort of camp ground with picnic tables, covered with a canopy of trees. We didn’t mind sitting outside in the least given the beautiful weather. We each ordered a mug of beer and a sausage and sat for many hours enjoying each other’s company and conversation. It was a wonderful atmosphere and an unforgettable evening.
