Ein Eskimo in Bayern, Part II

Neuschwanstein
The Disneyland Castle

A few hours away from Sid's Oma's in southwest Bavaria is one of the most famous castles in the world - Neuschwanstein.  This incredible, unfinished work was built by Ludwig II a little over a century ago, which is very new as far as castles go.  This Ludwig fellow was quite careless with the state of Bavaria's money and spent it chiefly on luxurious things for himself.  Aside from Neuschwanstein he had two other grand palaces constructed for him.  As you might think, this didn't make too many people happy.. especially Ludwig's uncle and a few decades into the construction of his masterpiece (which by the way he dedicated to a famous opera writer - Richard Wagner), Ludwig mysteriously died while on a morning swim in a nearby lake.

The view from Neuschwanstein. The castle seen glowing in the sun is Hohenschwangau Castle, which belonged to Ludwig II's father, King Maximillian.  The Alps are seen in the distance.  

Sid and I first toured Hohenschwangau, also constructed in the 19th century.  Compared to Neuschwanstein, the exterior of Hohenschwangau is much more modest; however, it is till one of the more amazing castles I've seen from the outside.

View of Hohenschwangau from the road.

In 1832, King Maximillian acquired Hohenschwangau and restored it from it's sad, ruiny-self.  It was then used as a summer get-away for the Bavarian royal family... oh you fancy huh.

The interior of this castle was absolutely amazing complete with Renaissance-esk paintings on every wall; golden statues adorning the furniture; fancy beds, chairs, and chandeliers in each room; and secret passageways taboot.  

On the left is a 19th century version of a Lazy Boy and on the right is a small golden figurine hanging out on top of a fireplace in front of another incredible painting.  

Croutons anyone? 120 year old bread.

The ceiling... I'm a bit jealous.

The blue paint back in the day was crazy bright.  Also, the chair on the left has swans carved from the wooden armrests.  Swans were the symbolic animal of this family and literally in EVERY room multiple times.  Sid and I eventually started playing a rendition of "Where's Waldo" to see who could spot the most swans. 

The King's bedroom... obbbvviously since there are naked ladies on the walls.

View of the back courtyard from a hallway on the top floor.

Gotta say, there's something quite nice about seeing a painting of a knight helping a lady off her horse :) 

When we bought our tickets, we bought tours for both Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein... one at 10:15 and the next at 12:25... plenty of time to get both in and do a little extra wandering around!  We knew that NS was atop a pretty hefty hill and signs said that it would take 30 minutes from the town to trek up, but hey we're professional athletes right?  Well after checking out HS, we hung around the lake a bit and then saw a sign nearby that said the hike was actually 50 minutes.  Two big sweaty hot messes later we made it to Neuschwanstein with 5 minutes to spare before our tour.  BUT..we get to the gate, scan our ticket, and then see that it says 12:55.  Classic.  All the shoving of slow tourists and frizzed hair for nothing!  As they say in Germany, shiza!

  

Town at the bottom of the hill of Neuschwanstein.

On the bright side, that extra half hour gave us time to wander around and take in the view.  Snow had freshly fallen that night and the sun was out shining... couldn't have asked for a better day.

View from the path walking up to the castle... or sprinting/shuffling if you think you're almost going to be late!

View from the lower courtyard.

Lights going down the main hallway at the start of the tour.

A closer look at the pillars... Amazing detail all along the hallway (and the rest of the castle!). 

Both of these pictures were taken from the Throne Room, one of five finished rooms in the castle.  Ludwig II died before the rest could be completed. 

On our way up to the Marine Bridge that overlooks Neuschwanstein. 

View from the Marine Bridge.

Ein Eskimo In Bayern, Part I

Nuremberg, Germany
Home of the Original Christmas Market

This weekend my roommate, Sid, and I ventured down south to the state of Bavaria (Bayern in German), the richest and most country-filled state in Germany.  Our first stop after getting off of a three hour bus ride was in Nuremberg where the mother-load of all Christmas markets was..and still is..going on.  As you read this, there are probably copious amounts of drunk Germans crowding the streets, laughing, spilling Gluhwein everywhere, eating three Bratwurst in a bread roll (the infamous Nuremberger) and of course doing the European walk (aka bumping into other people without even a second glance).

Aside from battling the crowds of people, there were some amazing sites and smells to be had.  The top picture on the left is a huge church in the middle of town that dated back to the 1200's and had an outrageously large organ being expertly played by a studious looking German fellow.  Lebkuchen, a type of German cookie that resembles a chocolate/vanilla/etc covered molasses cookie and is only made around Christmas time, also originates in Nuremberg and was being sold on almost every corner.

After surving the cold and Christmas market frenzy, Sid's uncle picked us up and drove us into the country side to the small town of Hexenagger (translated as "witches fields").

Hexenagger, Germany 
The Witches Fields

Sid's Oma (grandma) lives in Hexenagger and was kind enough to take on an extra mouth to feed along with her granddaughter.  Oma is the sweetest thing and only spoke German so I attempted a little bit of what I knew back at her and learned a few key phrases to say.  The first, "Ich bin sat" means "I am full" and came in quite handy because Oma was basically the human equivalent to the magically self-refilling plates in Harry Potter.  I also learned "Das essen ist sehr lecker" meaning "The food is very good", which also came in quite handy because Oma cooked some amazing homemade German food this weekend.  There's nothing like a home cooked meal from an old school wood stove blazing in the kitchen to make you miss home in AK.  Also, the title of this blog is dedicated to Oma because she proudly announced that she had an Eskimo in her house anytime anyone came over and by the end was referring to me as "Alaska" or "the Eskimo" since my name is a bit harder to say in German.  

View of the Hexenagger castle from Oma's front door.

From what Sid has told me, many years ago the town of Hexenagger was said to have been home to several witches.  This is why her Opa (grandpa) said that her and her mom are decedents of witches.  From my experience, I would have to agree... Sid is pretty witchy :) after all our kitchen broom keeps going missing at odd hours of the night. 

An old bread oven from a house that is said to have been the home of a witch.

Seize the day!  I love this small house we passed on the way up to the Hexenagger castle. 

Burg Prunn

It had a drawbridge! ... and a dragon... 

The amazing view from Burg Prunn - snow capped trees along the river and mountain side. 

The view from the back... it looks like it's sitting on the edge of the earth.  From the front (aka driving by quite a ways below on a road) the castle can is seen precariously built right out of the mountain.  Google it if you'd like to see the view!

The courtyard... with a well!

The side view of Burg Prunn... you can see a bit better from this view how the actual castle itself is built right out of the mountain.  

The drawbridge previously mentioned! 

Okay so there was no dragon... but stay tuned for Part II... the trip to the Disney castle!!

Time to Step Up Our Christmas Traditions, America

Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market)

I think I've discovered the root cause of why American's think German's only eat sauerkraut and

bratwurst while washing it down with beer... Christmas markets!!  Okay, okay... so German's eat that stuff all times of the day as well as all times of the year, but stands selling hot off the grill meats and freshly made crepes, candied nuts, and other delicious Christmas time treats are in full force as soon as December starts peaking up on your calendar.  

Dad, don't be too jealous while reading this... but Christmas time in Germany is hotdog heaven.  And not just your typical run of the mill Frank (which, fun fact, is named after Frankfurt).. but the kings/queens of hot dogs.  Some stands have 1/2 meter long Brats that you can share Lady & the Tramp style with your significant other... or just schweine-out on yourself.  

German's go all out on their decorations... name an American decoration and they've got it.. on crack. Amongst the shacks that will get you wine-wasted or sell you a tasty lunch/dinner are shacks that sell hand crafted ornaments, smoking essence Indians/houses, table cloths, and huge cookies that put our Valentine's day hard candy hearts to shame (the ones that say "I love you" or "My sweetie", etc).    

 Another tasty tradition here are the cutest little Christmas mugs that you can keep (if you don't plan on getting your 2.50 Euro deposit back).  Not so cute are the strong beverages that fill them, but they are oh so delicious.  A common drink here is Gluwein, a warm wine that people sip in the cold to keep them warm while chatting with their Freund und Freundin (friends).

Step up your decorations America! :]

So You Want to Learn German... But Are Super Cheap

There are secrets to being cheap.  For instance, when the shampoo bottle is running low you throw in some water and shake it up to make that thing last a few more days or you reuse a pickle jar as a container for some random item like sugar.  No? Don't have these problems?  Maybe I'm just carrying over my college days into my semi-broke professional basketball playing days; nonetheless, when you're too cheap to buy Rosetta Stone you have to improvise.  Sticky notes and magazines have been effective so far.

Putting sticky notes around the house on their respective object has been handy for learning household items.  Here we have our highly awesome and decorated refrigerator (der Kuhlschrank).

One of my mini projects to pass the time and learn the language faster is to cut out words from magazines my roommate brings me from her work.  Some of the words on the wall aren't common, but handy nonetheless.  For example, "gefahrlich" means dangerous or risky... and since my vocab is basic enough that I can say "I am" (Ich bin)... I can now say "I am dangerous" or Ich bin gefahrlich.  And now you can too!  Other random words on the wall include schnauze (nose, snout), stricken (to knit), sofort (immediately, right away), nerven (to get on one's nerves), and gesindel (riff raff).

Also a somewhat productive use of my time is watching cartoons in German on our piece of shiza TV.  Spongebob Squarepants (here it's Spongebob Schwannkopf) has been a favorite and I almost have the theme song down.  Yes I know what you're thinking... I'm becoming an 8 year old German child.  It also doesn't help that I choose to watch Bill Nye the Science Guy on my computer sometimes as well.  Just have to keep that elementary school knowledge fresh!  :]

Final note:  Some proof that I don't exaggerate when it comes to stupid things on the court that happen over here!  This one makes me laugh.  (That's the coach of the opposing team)

What Are You München?

Munich (München)
This weekend we made a 5 hour trip to Bad Aibling, a farming town just under an hour outside of Munich.  Both areas are located in Germany's southern state, Bavaria.  This is the richer area of Germany, which became apparent as we drove past some very nice houses on the way to downtown Bad Aibling.

Stairs descending from a 1700's church (untouched by the war) to downtown Bad Aibling.

Game Time

Now how about the game against one of the top teams in our league.. on their home court (which, by the way, was wooden... a rare luxury out here!).  The gym had an amazing atmosphere that took me back to my college playing days.  The fans were LOUD with drums, kazoo-thing-a-ma-jigs, clappers, and of course all the drunken shouting.  Check out the video below for the German recap of the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLXqRvW1ap0

English Recap: 

Before the game one of my returning teammates mentioned how the ceiling beams are low in some areas and to be careful when shooting because shots have the possibility of hitting the ceiling.  At this I proceeded to laugh and said no way that's going to happen and that it was stupid you could get a turnover for poor building design.  But of course, come the middle of the second corner I catch a pass from my point guard at the dead center top of the key at the three point line, let it launch due to being conveniently wide open... it feels great leaving my hand and in my head I think "Ohhhh yeah, this is money" only for it to violently bounce off the ceiling and onto the court like a pinball.  Turnover Alysa and a walk of shame down to the other end of the court while eating my words, yikes.

Aside from this ridiculous incident, there were several others involving those oh so lovely men in stripes (well out here they wear orange shirts).  Incident One: as I'm getting ready to take the ball from the ref to inbound it full court during the third or fourth possession of the game, the ref fumbles it to me and I try to tip it to my teammate because it's already awkwardly out in front of me... unluckily, the opposing player gets her hands on it instead and scores a lay-up.  Turnover Alysa.  Incident Two: during an essential possession in the middle of the fourth quarter, the shot clock goes off as we're on defense.  Practically my entire team, including myself, stops at the sound expecting to get the ball and go the other way... while we're waiting for this to happen, a player on the opposing team catches the ball wide open (since we're all just standing there), and nails a three.  Does it count?  Duh, they're on their home court.  Ironically, the Bad Aibling site has a video up analyzing a three pointer I made... they argue my foot was on the line and it shouldn't count.  

Overall though, I'd have to say our team showed tremendous heart and fight in a game where the odds were incredibly stacked against us.  Those are my favorite types of games to play!! Not only that but I had the hardest match-up of my playing career as I guarded the league MVP from the previous year.  The ref and I gave her that freebie tip in I mentioned earlier, but other than that it was a rough night for her :]  *toot own flute*.  

Last sidenote, I played a former teammate from UAA, Viki Wohlers.  When it comes to the basketball world I'm finding that it's reallllllyyy small!

Exploring Time 

Downtown Bad Aibling

Different perspective of downtown Bad Aibling.

We finally got into town as the sun was setting around 4:30.  We walked around a bit and headed to our game which was set to start at 7:15.  After we played we drove back to Munich where we stayed in a nice hostel for the night.  The next day a few of us stayed back and explored Munich a bit, eating some authentic German food at a place that served roasted boar head and simmered pork tongue... I passed on those options...

In front of the famous Glockenspiel (clock tower) in Munichs city square.  Note the small figures at the top that pop out and dance every hour to traditional music.  

After we munched in Munchen we drove 40 minutes north to Dachau, a concentration camp from the 1930's.  To put this simply, it was a very humbling and moving experience.  The most difficult part for me was walking through the "showering area", aka the gas chamber.

The entrance gates... Arbeit Macht Frei = Work Makes (you) Free.  The concentration camps were supposedly just labor and "reeducation" camps for Jews.  

The living quarters... If only the walls could talk. 

"May the example of those who were exterminated here between 1933-1945 because they resisted Nazism help to unite the living for the defence of peace and freedom and in respect for their fellow men."  Not the most grammatically correct translation, but very powerful nonetheless. 

Memorial candles behind an onsite church.

The walk between the barracks areas.  At the end of the path you'll see two long, low rising buildings on each side.  These are the two of 60 some barracks remaining.  These were originally intended to hold 6,000 Jews but ended up holding roughly 32,000.  Unreal.

On the right is the prison area for defiant non-Jews.  Anyone who opposed Hitler or the Nazi movement would end up in here, no matter your position, education, authority, etc.  The walls at the end of the path is where they would take people to shoot them.

Inside the prison.  

Looking out at the demolitioned barracks grounds.  

The remnants of the barbed wire/electric fence surrounding the camp grounds.

People listening to an audio guide while sitting in the living quarter area.   

Sign outside of the crematorium.  It translates: Think about how we died here. 

The crematorium... The smoke stack on the top right would be constantly burning.  Thousands of bodies were incinerated here.

The entrance to gas chamber, which were disguised as showers to get the Jews to willingly enter.  Can't help but get goosebumps everytime I see this.  

 This was a rather depressing blog entry, but hey... it's always good to remember how trivial our daily problems really are.  Till next time!