been paying in Europe 2008: Day 11: Dachau and Füssen

Füssen looks more beautiful in winter than in summer, although moving around in summer was definitely much more easier and less dangerous. Neuschwanstein still looks the same, however the trees were beaming with leaves and the air was clear, not like in march when it was hailing with snow. Having been to Neuschwanstein on both occasions, I would still prefer to go back in winter. Maybe one day when I am rich to stay in one of the hotels at the foot of the mountain, doing nothing but slacking by the Alpsee, smoking cigarettes and eating grill and drinking beer, and spa-ing in one of the bathhouses.

-bs

Fussen is officially my favourite city in germany! Before I get all excited and talk about that I’ve gotta cover our first stop of the day dachau. It was apparently the first concentration camp the germans built during the world war 2 and you get the witness the worsening conditions in the camp and the lives the prisoners had to lead. Not forgetting the horrible tortures and heartless killings. It was a cold place. And it inevitably brought sadness to my heart. The crematorium still had a stink to it. It was rather creepy. Although the rooms were clean and refurbished the thought of the number of people who died there and how they were laid out as carcasses was chilling. Given a choice I would never go back there again. Too sad. But as a part of history it is very important. Throughout the whole journey I can only think of the quote from the Hitler movie. “the only way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing”. How true. Let’s hope we have the strength to stand up to evil IF ever such an atrocity or any atrocities were to happen.

Next stop was more heart warming! I have been looking forward to the trip cos bs said the castles in schwangau, fussen looked like the one in Disneyland! And if you haven’t forgotten my husband mickey mouse owns that place and I would really love to see how this place looked and boy was I impressed! The first thought that came to my mind is that I don’t mind staying here the rest of my life reading books and catching up on my favourite shows on dvd in a small house that sits near the lake. Then I can suntan take walks and perhaps swim. If there has to be a favourite place in this trip it has to be this place cos no matter how beautiful rome and Venice is I wouldn’t wanna live there. Schwangau has just became the next place after ambleside in uk that I would love to stay forever. In winter spring or summer.

But the horsies! Omg! I know people travel by horse carriages but up the hill to the castle?! Two horsies have to carry like 12 people at any one time to the top of the hill. And they looked so agonized! I strongly believe that the amount of shit on the ground is not cos they eat too much but cos they put in too much effort to climb that hill with a bloody heavy load. Gek sai they call it. Sigh. Poor things. a tinge of sadness in this beautiful place. I hope people realize what they are doing to these animals while they are enjoying the stupid ride! Hmph! a normal saloon car with more than 2 horsepower can only carry 5 people max at each time. Going to genting is already rather difficult. Imagine 2 horses with 12 people! Mercedes and bmw should be impressed.

And talk about Singaporeans being kiasu! I tell you Europeans are not much better. They are as uncivilized when it comes to getting on the bus and snatching good seats on trains buses and planes. Sheeesshhh… and don’t ever believe the mags when they say Singaporeans dress poorly. The Europeans and westerners (at least those I saw) are not much better. Not everyone can dress like superstars ok. They aim very much for comfort too. So horseshit for making us look bad all the time!

Dinner was at another beer hall again and though the one that closed was supposed to reopen today it still didn’t. nonetheless we still had a good meal. It didn’t disappoint at all. Though it was expensive and from the next day on bs said we should cook to save money. Well more money for shopping then! J

-Y-

A packed day as we had to rush to Dahau and then to Füssen. The visit to Dahau was basically a trip to the first concentration camp under Hitler. Similar to Berlin, it was a great educational trip. This really made me want to organize an educational trip to Germany for my students when I do become a teacher. There is no way better to learn than to be at a place to see.

Due to the time constraint, it was a rush to Füssen. Füssen is a totally different place from Dahau. A breathtaking scenic place with a beautiful castle named Neuschwanstein. One of the best sight so far. However, the beauty of the place was spoilt when I saw the poor horses pulling a wagon of people up the mountain. The horses really looked tired and I really felt like suing them for cruelty to animal. The horses practically had to drag the people’s fat asses up the high and steep slope – when they could have organized alternatives like small buses to go up. It’s just one of those evil things that some humans are capable of. Nevertheless, it is a place worth going to. One can spend more time by staying at the resorts while slacking by the nice lake.

It was Bavarian feast again after a quick trip to the Olympic Stadium again. In short, dinner was great! At the same time, this also marked the end of the first leg of the Euro tour. Tomorrow will be a quick stop-over in Mannheim before heading to Madrid. It also meant the countdown to “Back to Singapore” starts.

~Pieter~