Navigating Bavaria

 The Bavarian Free State is about the same size as the 26 county independent Irish state.  Franconia is in the north, let us say in the position of Donegal, where Munich is about in the position Carlow would be in the Irish republic.  So it was our aim to make a journey by train of a similar distance of Donegal to Wexford, while stopping off at Nuremberg and Munich.  Positively, Germany does have the railway network to do this and if the rail prices  are comparatively high, there are still opportunities.  I have no hesitation recommending the Bayern Ticket.  If you are prepared to forego the IC (Inter City) and ICE (Inter City Express) trains which are fast and travel after 9 am, you can have unlimited on the Bavarian public transport system.  This includes municipal transport in Nuremberg and Munich.  An adult could do this for €25 in 2019 and to add extra people up to a party of six, it was only two euro each.  So for €31, four of us could board a train in Dettelbach to Nuremberg, disembark and take a short break in Nuremberg, board a train to Munich, use the bus and tram lines in Munich and then take a train from Munich to Ampfing, which is near to the Austrian border in the evening.  To drive from Dettelbach to Ampfing on the Autobahn, would be between three and four hours.  From the point of view of the Bayern Ticket, Salzburg is considered part of Bavaria as it is the Terminus for Deutsche Bahn.  On a couple of previous trips we used this option.

While in Munich, we went to the former royal palace, Schloss Nymphenburg.  We were under pressure for time, so we spent this in one of the divisions of the museum the "Mensch und Natur Museum".  This has a very interesting scientifically orientated exhibitions on the place of man in the world of nature.  This deals with human development, geology and climate, the plant and animal world.   This is an interractive museum that does its best to engage the interest of children in science, nature and geography.  I imagine it took a day to navigate.

After this, we took a tram back to the München Hauptbahnhof.  We spent some time walking around the city centre in Munich.  I don't know how often I see Irish pubs on the continent without looking for them and the one at the back of the cathedral in Munich is called Kilian's Irish Pub.  We also attended Mass in Old St Peter's Church in Munich - though in German this is done in a very traditional manner.  We went back to the Hauptbahnhof and took the train to Ampfing that evening.

Caves, Rococo architecture and heritage Towns

Outside Giengen, there is the Charlottenhöhle which one of the longest caves open to visitors in southern Germany.  It is named after Queen Charlotte of Württemberg, who was queen at the time the cave was opened in 1893.  The guided tour lasts about an hour and one sees the humour applied to the various stalactites and stalagmites.  The appearance of the limestone is striking as is the coldness of the cave.  This was 4 July last and it was warm outside.  The cave was a different story.

The Charlottenhöhle brings another type of visitor.  As we arrived, we saw a wedding party leave.  A formation in the cave is known as the cathedral and this has become popular for weddings.  Of course, it is necessary for the bride to dress warmly (in Germany, the witnesses are not so important as in Ireland, so there is less emphasis on the bridesmaid's dresses - indeed, I've seen church weddings where the witnesses are two men or two women; a best man or a bride's maid are dispensable).  However, I think it is fair to say that the many people who choose venues like the Charlottenhöhle as their wedding venue want to do something different.  The Charlottenhöhle also has an interpretative centre which gives information on the type of wildlife which made its home in this habitat.  The archaeological heritage of this area outside Giengen is also very rich with several layers, explained very well on some of the signage.

On leaving Giengen, we called at the Benedictine abbey of Neresheim.  This is one of the later works of the architect Balthasar Neumann, who brought Bohemian Rococo architecture to Franconia.  Neresheim had been in Bavaria until it was annexed by Baden-Württemberg in 1810.  Though the monastery was secularised in 1802, it was re-opened as a monastery in 1919 and is still both a working monastery and also a parish church.  Most connoisseurs of architecture reckon the Basilica of Vierzehnheiligen to be Neumann's best work.  However, I have heard it argued that Neresheim is his masterpiece.  If you stand in the abbey church, you can see why.  On a sunny day, it is blinding.

Crossing back into Bavaria, we came to the town of Nördlingen.  This is an old town which is one of the three remaining German towns with its walls intact.  We spent the evening wandering around Nördlingen just admiring the architecture, particularly the Protestant church in the town square.  This was done with an ice cream.  We also sawa some nesting cranes on a rooftop.  I am not going to comment on the claims of Nördlingen to be the finest intact old town in Germany, but it is certainly admirable.