Kiwi See the World through my eyes - Bavaria
Travel continues to take us to amazing places and we have
met the most wonderful people. Including Thomas Koy and his family who invited
us to his home in Bavaria. Thomas had enjoyed a three month trip around
New Zealand and had loved our country and culture . On meeting us in Italy, had decided
that they would like to give us the same sort of welcome that they had
receive in New Zealand. Kai Pai kiwi's š They most certainly did! Our stay becoming one of the most memorable of our travels so far.
Our 9 hour train journey from Venice into Munich however was an adventure in itself . Coinciding with a national rail strike in
Austria, left us stranded for two hours in Brenner on the Austrian Italian
border with a back drop of the Alps , amazing views but meant us missing all our
connections for the rest of the day. The Bavarian beer welcome was much
appreciated once we finally arrived, exhausted 13 hours later. Zwiesel is an undiscovered gem deep in the heart of the
Bavarian National forest, 1.5 hrs from the well worn tourist destination of
Munich , offering spectacular views and walks of the national park , ski fields
and we were immersed in the culture of this small Bavarian town
of only 10,000 people, where everyone knows everyone and we were made to feel
like VIPs.
With two breweries , beer is considered food here and mandatory to
partake in at any time of day. After a year of travelling our tolerance was low
but we certainly gave it a good go. For breakfast , while enjoying our first
experience of WeiĆwurst , for lunch we sampled an array of local speciality
beers and again more beer for dinner along side a typical dish of knuckle of
Pork and sauerkraut in the local Brewery. We enjoyed amazing Continental
spreads for breakfast and introduced Jason to a Rumtopf, literally a rum pot with preserved fruits, delicious over a dessert
containing 80 percent alcohol as well !!
A highlight of our visit was to the WeiĆwurst Equator
Monument in Zwiesel, a . A staggering 18,145kms from Tauranga , we now hold
the record for the visitors from the furthest destination in the world ! I
would challenge you to try to beat the record. It's so worth the trip. The monument represents
the divide of over 300kms separating the German sausages of the northern Bratwurst
and the southern White sausage, WeiĆwurst of Bavaria. We were hosted to a
traditional brunch of WeiĆwurst, pretzels, wheat beer and royal sausage mustard , where undertook training to remove the skin like a pro
before being presented with a "Royal Weisswurst Diploma" for
attendance. Wheat beer Incidentally is also a fantastic cure for the hangover,
which is expected after a warm Bavarian welcome. Not only is beer food but also
considered medicine!!
The Bavarian WeiĆwurst ambassador Albert (Bertl) Fritz
was a wonderful host and even wore his traditional Lederhosen to mark the
auspicious occasion despite the freezing temperatures adding to the ambiance of
the whole experience.
An unexpected destination to find yet another pyramid . This
time made of glass. In fact 93,665 glasses stacked on top of one another . An
impressive monument to the thriving glass manufacturer Kristallglaser also
situated in Zwiesel.
Next stop was a trip to the Czech-German border where we were able to pose with one leg in Germany and one leg in Czech on a unique Railway Station which actually cross two countries. While
great for photos it was a poignant reminder of the last time I was in Germany
when this was not possible . The border separating these two countries was a
physical barrier, manned by armed soldiers and impenetrable to cross.
Michael so enjoyed our stay here. He reverted to an excited
child and laughed so much it brought tears to my eyes. Soaked he tumbled and
played in the fresh snow giggling , throwing snowballs and made his first snow
angel . At one point coming in for a cuddle and exclaiming ' Mum I love it
here' ! I know exactly how he feels x
Our host Thomas and Katrin own a specialised wood packaging company and knowing Jason's love of wood, proudly took us for a tour of the factory where both Jas and Michael we're keen to get on the machines and have a go. Michael learnt to drive a tractor and has been offered the opportunity to do a school exchange in a few years where he can come back to work in the factory. Amazingly the idea totally appeals to him, who now has a goal to learn German.
We were sad to depart from Zwiesel after having such a
magical few days. We have developed a genuine affection for this special
community as well as a lifelong friendship with our hosts, who opened
their hearts as well as their home to make us so welcome. Thank you xxx
Next stop was Munich , already feeling full of Christmas
spirit , Munich greeted us glittering in Christmas decorations. Beautiful wooden stalls adorned in crafts, gifts, Lebkuchenherzen (Gingerbread hearts) and candy. Set under the
shadow of Munich Cathedral with a huge Christmas tree to set the scene. We ate
our way around the markets trying all the local fare including Stollen, Bratwurst, Currywurst and copious mugs of hot Gluhwein to keep warm . It truly
is a magical place to see at Christmas.
I was glad we had been able to experience the real Bavarian culture before seeing Munich which now is a major city, a melting pot of
cultures and ethnicity's from all around the world and totally geared towards
tourists all flocking to experience the traditional Christmas
markets. That said, now used to experiencing Christmas on the beach with a BBQ, there was something quite magical about a winter Christmas especially in
the snow .
We are all starting to feel tired and a little over our backpacks now so we made the call to use our last train ticket into Genoa for a quick look around before taking a flight back to London to check out the Christmas lights and then head to family and friends for a much needed break.
Wishing all our followers a safe and happy Christmas. While we may not be with you all this year you are never far from our hearts.
Merry Christmas XXX
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