ASIANOVERLAND.NET KATHMANDU TO LONDON  DAY 159/71: INNSBRUCK TO MUNICH, GERMANY

 27 November, 1980

The compulsory photo-stop en route from Innsbruck to Munich is Neuschwanstein Castle, a 19th-century romantic Disneylandish palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and in honour of Richard Wagner. Legend has it that the mad King Ludwig paid for the palace out of his personal fortune and extensive borrowing, rather than Bavarian public funds.

The castle was intended as a home for the King, until he died in 1886, and was open to the public shortly after his death

The history of Bavaria includes its earliest settlement by Iron Age Celtic tribes, followed by the conquests of the Roman Empire in the 1st century BC. It became a duchy in the 6th century AD following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. It was later incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire, became an independent kingdom, and joined the Prussian-led German Empire in 1871 while retaining its title of kingdom. Bavaria became a state of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949.

Bavaria has a unique culture, largely because of the state's large Catholic population and conservative traditions. Bavarians have traditionally been proud of their culture, which includes language, cuisine, architecture, festivals such as Oktoberfest and elements of Alpine symbolism.

The punters need one more cultural experience before plunging into the depths of hedonism at Octoberfest, so we visit the Deutsches Museum, officially the German Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology, the world's largest museum of science and technology, with about 28,000 exhibited objects from 50 fields of science and technology.

The Oktoberfest is the world's largest beer festival, held annually in Munich since 1810, officially running from mid- or late September to the first Sunday in October, but in practice it’s one every day at Munich.  It’s all beer, bratwurst, oom pah pah music, lederhosen and decadence at Oktoberfest, which results in a great collection of beer coasters and hangovers.

↑ Day 158 ↓ Day 160