The PTA awards ceremony was held in Garmisch, Germany, which is a popular resort area for skiers in the winter and hikers in the summer. The military has a resort in town, but we stayed at an apartment in the village. Beautiful mountains surround the area, and the buildings exemplify the typical Bavarian style that everyone thinks of when they imagine Germany.
Our neighbors in Mittelbrunn have chickens, but neighbors in Garmisch have sheep.
On Saturday, we went on a day trip organized by the resort open to military members. Our first stop was at a woodworker's shop.
Our second stop was at the Wieskirche in Steingaden. The church has become a popular place for religious pilgrims to visit. Years ago, a priest who was a skilled woodcrafter carved an image of Jesus being crucified. It was taken out during religious holidays and carried in parades. Villagers complained that it was so realistic that it scared children, so the carving was set aside in a farmer's barn. Years later, a farmer's wife was cleaning out the loft in the barn and came upon the statue. She decided to put it in her farmer's chapel (small chapel that she could visit in her field). When she went to the statue one morning, it was crying. A priest visited and confirmed the miracle, which opened the doors to a lot of funding from the Vatican that allowed the statue to be erected in an elaborately decorated church. The statue still sits behind the church's alter. We couldn't take pictures inside the church because a mass happened to begin just as we arrived, but you can learn more at www.wieskirche.de
Views of the farms surrounding the church. The cows actually wore large bells around their necks.
A cafe known for its traditional donuts sits right across the path from the church. Pilgrims get to top their journeys to see the statue with something sweet.
Bavarian farm house near the church. Traditionally, the oldest generation lived on the first floor. The eldest son and his family lived on the second floor, and any other family members lived on the third. With so many people moving to cities for work, farmers now rent out rooms to vacationers who want to experience farm life for a few weeks each summer.
Our last stop was to Neuschwanstein Castle. King Ludwig II built it during the 1800s. It was one of several building projects that he commissioned but wasn't able to finish before his death. The government worried that his building projects would bankrupt the country. They had a doctor who had never met the king declare him insane. He was taken into custody in his bedroom in the castle and moved to another location. The next day, he and a doctor were found dead after going for a walk. They were lying in two feet of water. The circumstances of his death have always been mysterious, and people wondered if he was murdered.
The castle was not completed, but the rooms that are finished are open to visitors. Each one is decorated according to a theme addressed in a Richard Wagner opera. Ludwig loved Wagner's work and became his most wealthy patron. Unfortunately, pictures inside the castle weren't allowed.
Ludwig's parents' castle sits on the adjacent hill. Had he just renovated that castle instead of building his own, maybe he wouldn't have spent so much money and worried the government so much.
Walt Disney visited the castle during the 1950s. It is the inspiration for Cinderella's castle at Disneyland. It is said that the elaborate paintings in the Singer's Hall within the castle inspired Disney movies such as Bambi.
