Castles of Bavaria

Linderhof Palace

First off, to be clear, Bavaria is the southern region of Germany where I’m living. King Ludwig II ruled from 1864 until slightly before his death in 1886. In that time, he had construction of three castles started, but only completed one, the Linderhof Palace. I was able to visit this beautifully designed castle in August with some friends from work.

Molly, Danny, myself, Tara and Shardae with the castle grounds in the background.

Beautiful day at Linderhof Palace.

Linderhof Palace

Tarah, Molly and Shardae

We look just like the statue, don't we?!

Everything about the palace is extravagant; the king stopped at no expense to create a lavish place to spend time at. The evidence is in the details of the tiling, the chandeliers, the artwork, and much more. He was rather private and was known to avoid crowds, one reason why he did not like to go to Munich. Because of his wishes to live in seclusion, a certain luxury in his home stuck out to me. The table in the dining room was able to be lowered into the kitchen directly below, so that his servants could fix his meals and send the table back up to his private quarters, so that he wouldn’t need to have unnecessary contact with any other people.

Even the grounds surrounding the palace are well-manicured. A Venus grotto also adds to the extravagance of the palace.

Inside the Venus Grotto. King Ludwig II enjoyed being rowed around in a boat in the grotto.

 

Neuschwanstein Castle

I got to witness another spectacular castle of King Ludwig II called Neuschwanstein Castle. It is commonly known as the “Disney Castle,” or the “Cinderella Castle,” for inspiring the castle in Cinderella.

This is the most popular castle of the King, and is one of our most popular tours that guests request to go on at the hotel. I actually got to see it through our tour as well, since there were a few open seats on the bus. Before we arrived at the castle, we got to check out a wood carving shop and a beautiful church, known as the “Little White Church.” A few steps away at a cafe were the most delicious homemade donuts; the perfect morning snack before the castle.

Above: Inside the Little White Church. Right photo: Aleena, myself, Gregg, Drew and Billy outside of the woodcarving shop, mimicking the statue.

Soon after, we pulled up to the castle, which is beautifully nestled into a mountain. At this particular time, it was being renovated so there was scaffolding across the front of the castle. Luckily, when we hiked up to a narrow footbridge, we got an incredible view of the back of the castle, sans scaffolding. We were able to get plenty of pictures there.

Gregg, Drew, Billy and Aleena

Iowa girls!

 Some friends from my original In-processing group - Drew and Gregg

 Billy and me.

 



The smaller castle that King Ludwig II had built for his father.

The inside of the castle did not disappoint, either. Only the best materials were used in the creation of the castle making everything appear very ornate. King Ludwig II definitely lived in luxury. The entire castle is breathtaking. No wonder it is one of his most popular contributions to Bavaria. Next stop: Herrenchiemsee Castle, King Ludwig II's third and final castle, modelled after the Palace of Versailles. 

The group: Billy, myself, Gregg, Aleena and Drew before we grabbed a bite to eat for lunch.

Sweet Summertime: July

Unlike the other people who are hired to work at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort, I was already familiar with Garmisch. After getting off the plane and finally arriving here, wonderful memories of my previous summer came flooding back. I reunited with old friends from the CDC (Child Development Center) and the Bebrams (my housing unit last summer). But, going back to visit the children that I watched over at the CDC last summer was the icing on the cake. Seeing the physical and mental development of a child is incredible. Made me also miss the other wonderful kids that I’ve had the pleasure to nanny for or babysit back home – Noe and Samuel; Madeline and Max; and my cousins, Lauryn and Alexa.

July was a time for revisiting old friends, but also a time for new experiences. A group of us got together to check out the Tollwood Festival in Munich. Little did we know that it would be quite the difficult task trying to find it. Signs pointed us in the right direction, but it was a much great jaunt than we had anticipated, espcecially on empty stomachs. We all brought our full appetites, hoping to devour some authentic German food at the fest. We eventually found the entrance to the fest, only to discover that it wouldn’t open for another hour. Cue plan B. After trekking back to grab some grub from food vendors, we decided to check out the BMW Museum which was conveniently located nearby. Some photos from the BMW Museum:

Born a biker chick...

This one's for Dad - I think either of these would look good in the driveway!

Back to the Tollwood Festival with crowded vendors selling wood hand-carvings, hand-crafted jewelry, scarves, clothing, homemade candles, leather goods and lots of good eats. I didn’t buy any souvenirs, but did enjoy a bratwurst and a beer. Does it get any more German than that? I also got to taste a crepe with Nutella and Kahlua toppings! Not a bad day J

Gregg, Charlie, Liz, Megan and I at the Tollwood Festival.

 

Next adventure: go back to Lake Eibsee, a lake formed from glacial run-off from the mountains. It’s crystal clear and freezing cold, but so refreshing. The area around the lake has breathtaking views, fantastic trails and paddle boat rentals. On this particular day, it was incredibly hot and all I wanted to do was jump in, but Drew insisted that we hike around the lake to find the perfect spot. After no such luck, we hiked back to where we started and hopped in!

Drew and I hiking around the Eibsee Lake.

In Processing Crew – July 09, 2012

Well, it seems as though I’ve put my many years of practicing procrastination into use, even across the world. I have now been living in Garmisch, Germany for just over three months, or a quarter of the entire time I will reside here. Time has passed in what seems like the blink of an eye. I have been fortunate to meet incredible people here, who have helped create amazing experiences for me so far. So, we’ll get right into it. In July, I arrived with a group of eleven other people (which is considered a larger arrival group). New groups of people come in every 2-4 weeks, while others who have completed their 13 months here leave to go back home.

The people who I came in with:

·         Patty, who is my roommate, and who works at The Point fitness center
·         Caitlin, who works at Alpine Adventures with me
·         Shirley, who was a cook, but already left Garmisch because the program just wasn’t for her
·         Drew, who is also a cook
·         Megan D., who works in housekeeping
·         Liz, who works in housekeeping
·         Gregg, who works in housekeeping
·         Megan H., who works at Market Station
·         Charlie, who works in custodial
·         Alexis, who works at the front desk
·         Amy, who works at the front desk

Couldn’t be happier about this group of individuals – we all get along really well, which is good since we’ll all be here for our entire duration of the contract!

You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go... -Dr. Suess

Dream Destinations

Since I’ve been living in Germany, I’ve started a rough list of the places I would like to visit during my time here over the next year. This list is not complete, but includes a few ideas. Hopefully, I will be able to go on 1-2 trips each month. I have no idea if I’ll make it to all or even half of the places on here, but a girl can dream, right? J

(In no particular order)

·         Ireland (Dublin)

·         Greece (Athens)

·         Egypt (Cairo) Bonus: in Africa!

·         England (London)

·         Italy (Cinque Terra, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Valencia)

·         Somewhere in the Mediterranean

·         Croatia (Dubrovnik)

·         Spain (Barcelona, Madrid)

·         Turkey (Istanbul) Bonus: partly in Europe, partly in Asia!

·         Denmark (Copenhagen)

·         Scotland (Edinburgh)

·         Portugal (Lisbon)

·         Belgium (Brussels, Bruge)

·         Morocco (In Africa!)

·         Switzerland (Zurich)

·         Slovenia (Lake Bled)

·         France

Ambitious? Yes. Crazy? Maybe. Possible? Absolutely!

Last summer, I was able to travel to:

·         Germany (Munich, Berlin)

·         Netherlands (Amsterdam)

·         Italy (Rome)

·         Austria (Salzburg)

·         Hungary (Budapest)

·         Czech Republic (Prague)

·         France (Paris)

I would love to hear comments or recommendations on the places I’ve listed or any other places, so feel free to leave a comment! Thanks!

 

My Job in a Nutshell

I work at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort which serves American military personnel. It is an incredibly beautiful facility with a rustic, woodsy feel. Besides the various hotel rooms and suites, it features a pool, outdoor hot tub, gift shop, convenience/ coffee shop, arcade, small casino, and many tours throughout Germany and the surrounding areas available to guests. There are also cabins and camp sites available. The three restaurants within the hotel are Market Station (buffet), Zuggy’s Base Camp (sports bar and family dining) and Pullman Place (fancier, food is prepared in front of you).

Before you get here, it is made clear that they will place you in whatever job that they need to be filled when you arrive, which could mean front desk, housekeeping, working at one of the three restaurants, custodial duties, security, conferencing, or working as a recreation aid in Alpine Adventures (the gift shop and place to reserve tours, etc.) I was lucky enough to become a recreation aid in Alpine Adventures.

My main duties include assisting guests in booking tours, selling merchandise in the gift shop, implementing kid’s programs that we offer to guests, and hopefully leading tours in the future. Working in the shop is a little stressful right now because of all the information that you are expected to know, but I love the people that I work with and the variety in tasks that this position has. Since I have been here, I have also done other odds and ends jobs, which keeps things interesting. I have worked at karaoke night a couple of times in Zuggy’s, which somehow led to me singing a duet, “Summer Nights,” from the movie, Grease, and “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” by Shania Twain. Not sure it sounded the best, but it got the crowd pumped up! I’ve also had to do set-up for an event the hotel hosts on holidays, called Kid’s World, where we inflate bouncy castles and a huge slide. Some of us employees graciously tested out the slide, just to make sure they were safe for the children, of course. J During that same weekend, there are events for adults, too. We hosted “Minute to Win It,” where we choose hotel guests to compete in relatively difficult and obscure tasks within a minute to win a prize.

Recently, I’ve started to work on a personal project which involves revamping the kid’s center for the kids programs we offer. I’m currently going through all of the arts and crafts to see what we can use, reorganizing materials and redecorating to spice it up a little bit. I’m very eager to see the final product! All in all, I really like the fact that there is so much variety in my job, and feel incredibly lucky that I was placed in this position!

How in the world did I end up halfway across the world?

Four years ago, I began my college education at the University of Iowa. Going into college, I knew that I wanted to travel abroad, whether it be studying abroad or finding another way. After discovering a program called Camp Adventure, I knew I had a found a way to do just that. My first summer working as a camp counselor for Camp Adventure was spent in Key West, Florida. It wasn’t as far as I would have hoped to travel, but it was definitely an incredible summer that I will never forget. After that, I was able to travel to Oahu, Hawaii for a week-long Spring Break camp. And, last summer, Camp Adventure sent me to Garmisch, Germany.

Maggie M, myself, Courtney, Maggie A, and Kay - my favorite Camp A girls!

I had the time of my life last summer while living in Garmisch and travelling to Rome, Paris, Prague, Salzburg, Budapest, Berlin, Munich and Amsterdam. This experience fueled my desire to continue travelling and to see the world. So, after talking with people who worked at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort, I decided that coming back here to work would be my main priority to pursue during my senior year at Iowa.

The interview process couldn’t have gone better, I drove down with two friends, Aleena (who also applied) and Lauren (who came along for a girl’s getaway weekend in Louisville) in late February 2012. Aleena and I both got offered jobs in our interviews and went out to celebrate later that night in Louisville!

Aleena, myself and Lauren in Louisville!

 

Fast forward to July 8, 2012, when I waved goodbye to my family and grandparents and jet-setted to Garmisch, Germany. I was about to find out what was in store for me and about to embark on one of the greatest adventures of my life. 

Sarah took this photo as I am about to walk through the gates at the Cedar Rapids Airport. Ciao Iowa!

Long Overdue First Blog Post

A wise man once said, “Life isn’t about the destination, but instead is about the journey.” I was recently reminded of this in a short letter from my mother. In this case, perhaps life is about the journey, as well as, the (geographical) destination. If you would have asked me about what I would be doing after graduating from college, I never would have thought, in a million years, that I would be working in Germany, halfway across the world, for thirteen months.

In college, the ultimate goal is to land a decent job, usually in the United States. I took a different route, for better or for worse, applying to work at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort on a U.S. military base in Garmisch, Germany. Although this is not the typical route to take, it was the only route that I was genuinely excited about and actively pursued during my senior year of college.

In this blog, I plan to record my adventures while living abroad in Europe, and allow my family and friends to follow and share in my unique opportunity that I am taking part in. I hope to live in the moment and enjoy this wonderful journey that I am on and so fortunate to have.