Neuschwanstein & Munich.

After departing from our highly sketchy hostel, we met up with Kathryn-Claire, Bethany, Laura, and Meredith at the train station to take a bus to the town host to the wonderful Neuschwanstein Castle. We decided on an early lunch at a local cafe, where I had a wonderful mixed green salad with grilled chicken. You're probably wondering why I even chose to mention this. It's simply because I've been deprived from fresh fruits and vegetables, making this salad quite a pleasure to eat. After eating, we bought tickets for the tour of the Castle, then hiked up a mountain (literally) and 40 minutes later, arrived at its base. The walk up was beautiful, as snow began to fall and blanket the forest/mountain scenery with a sheet of incandescent white. We took scenic mountain pictures, sipped on hot chocolate, and conversed for a bit before beginning the tour! Neuschwanstein is a 19th century Bavarian, the most famous of 3 royal palaces built for Louis II of Bavaria. This Castle is significant because it was the model used for creating the famous Castle seen in the Cinderella story. Although it would have been impossible to see the entirety of the Castle, the parts we saw were simply incredible. We saw a few caves inside, as well as the living room, kitchen, and several immaculately designed bedrooms. Over 7,000 tourists frequent this sight on a daily basis. I never thought I'd ever step foot inside of an actual CASTLE. Life is good :) We hiked back down the mountain, then headed to the train station for our next destination: Munich. Sarah and I had seats on the train ride next to a precious Australian couple. We conversed with them for the entirety of the train ride, discussing travel plans, careers, Australian culture, and America's future. Once in Munich, we enjoyed a late-night dinner at a local Italian restaurant, before checking in at our hostel for the night: "The Easy Palace." No, I'm not making this name up. Arranged more like a hotel, we found our stay at the lovely EP to be more relaxing, restful, and comforting than our previous night's stay in Fussen.

Sunday morning, after a tranquil night's sleep, we set out for a worship service at a local church of Christ in Munich that someone in America had recommended to Melissa that we attend (if ever in Munich). What a great decision! Designed similarly to a typical COC in America, we all felt very much at home upon arrival. Although the majority of the songs were in German, we could easily identify the tune. Some of the songs we sang include: People Need the Lord, Great is Thy Faithfulness, In Christ Alone (my favorite), All in All, and What a Friend We Have in Jesus. This was one of the most memorable parts of my weekend. I could not help tearing up during the worship part of the service. There is something remarkably beautiful to me when I hear other people/other languages praising the same God I serve. We met a few of the people from the church, and discovered they were started and are supported by Brentwood Hills COC in Nashville! I've genuinely missed attending services and the community aspect of church that is so prevalent in American-style churches. Mass just does not cut it for me.

After a quick lunch in the Westbahnhof train station, we took a free guided walking tour of the city of Munich. This was a very productive 3 hours, in which we were briefed on the history of the city, most notably in conjunction with WWII. We also learned about the rise of both the Socialist and Nazi Parties. Dachau, the first concentration camp, is situated just 10 miles from Munich. Some of the sights we saw on the tour include: Marienplatz and the City Town Hall, the Frauenkirche, the New Jewish Synagogue, the Hofbrauhaus, and the most expensive shopping district in all of Europe. After the completion of the tour, we enjoyed a quick lunch at the famous Hofbrauhaus, a famous brewery in Munich owned by the state government. We departed from Munich around 530pm, arriving back to our hotel around 1030pm because of a 30 minute train delay in Salzburg.

I could easily type for hours about all of our experiences this past weekend, but this is the most concise way I can allow you to live vicariously through me. Munich and Salzburg are both two wonderful cities that I crave spending at least 3 more days in, but since that's not possible, I feel satisfied with all that we had the opportunity to see! We did not have any compromising situations happen to us this weekend, and for that I am so grateful! I am being mentally and emotionally challenged more than I anticipated, but  I know God is creating in me a fervent desire to continue to grow and change. Pictures will be on Facebook in the next few days! Auf wiedersehen!