August 27th - Alpine Adventures

I haven't posted in awhile. This is because I spent the last two weeks in Bavaria (to be specific, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Alps). Here's what I accomplished:

-I did research for a story I'm writing on King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Most people have heard of him- even if they don't recognize the name- because he built everybody's favorite castle, Neuschwanstein. You know the one. It speaks for itself:

All the credit for that terrible photo goes to me. Sorry about the scaffolding.

Everybody knows about Ludwig's castles, but many people aren't familiar with his life story. If you're one of those people, go look him up right now. You're in for an intriguing hour or two, because he's quite simply one of the most interesting people history has ever produced. Besides Neuschwanstein, he also commissioned a lot of other, lesser-known structures, many of which are possibly even more beautiful than the famous fairy-tale castle. The king's personal favorite among these was Schloss Linderhof, nestled like a jewel in the Bavarian alps:

 Photo credit this time goes to de.wikipedia.org and www.koenig-ludwig-hotel.de. I just didn't have a photo that could do Linderhof justice.
It was there, in that idyllic setting, that I was lucky enough to spend one afternoon, happily wandering the extensive grounds and learning as much about Ludwig and the Bavarian monarchy as I could. It was definitely time well-spent. 
One more thing about Ludwig and Linderhof and then I'll shut up about them. The coolest thing about Linderhof is actually not the palace, as awesome as it is, but something else, something hidden underground. No, not the plumbing.
The king aimed to build a retreat from the world, and the culmination of this goal was a giant underground grotto he had built from scratch just uphill from the palace. No, really.
You enter in through a rock that opens magically at the touch of a button, and descend underground through a labryninth of tunnels, stalactites, and stalagmites that you just can't believe was man-made. After twisting and turning through the tunnels, you finally come out upon this:

Thank you, www.germany.travel.
Yes, it's a giant, man-made underground lagoon. That's heated. And lit with colored party lights. And comes complete with a giant electric-powered waterfall and wave machine. Did I mention this was built in 1877? See, what did I tell you?- This was one awesome king. Okay, now I'm really done. On to the next thing...

-I practiced my German (duh). I've never studied German, but my parents were both fluent, having lived in Germany for five years, and they spoke it to me a lot starting when I was little, so I managed to pick some up. When I stayed with a German family last summer, the wife said I had about the level of proficiency of someone who'd been studying the language for two years. So, I'm not exactly a polyglot. But I enjoy the language, and I'm always eager to learn more. As a person with a psychology degree (it still feels strange to call myself that, instead of "a psych major"!), it's been interesting to observe how my progress in French, which I mostly learned in a classroom, and German, which I learned very organically, has been different. They say that the hardest language to learn is your third (because you get it mixed up with the second), but for me that hasn't really been the case. I think it's because I started learning German, switched to French, became proficient in French, and then went back to German, with the result that neither French nor German is really my third language. In a way, they're both my second. My conclusion is that when learning a second or third language, it's better to start out in a classroom, but eventually, there's no substitute for getting out there in the world and speaking the language with native speakers idiomatically, in everyday life.

-I travelled to the towns of Bolzano and Bressanone in the province of South Tyrol, Italy. South Tyrol is an interesting place because many of the people there speak German more than Italian. In fact, Bolzano and Bressanone each have a second, German name: Bozen and Brixen, respectively. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I was in Italy when nearly every person I saw was speaking German, and every sign was in both German and Italian. It was particularly weird when you went up to a market stall and heard the same seller greet one customer with "Guten tag!" and the next with "Buongiorno!" They could switch between the two languages without even batting an eyelash. How do they decide which to use?

-Bolzano is also interesting because it happens to be the home of "Ötzi", the 5,000-year-old ice mummy of a Copper age warrior. To be honest, at first I only went into the museum where Ötzi was housed because the ticket was included in the price of my trip to Bolzano. It sounded mildly interesting, but I couldn't really understand the appeal. But as soon as I peered through the thick layer of protective glass into the viewing chamber where Ötzi is housed, I did begin to understand why people are so fascinated by his story. In pictures, it looks like he isn't very well-preserved. But in real life, it's remarkable how intact he is. You can see the lines in his skin, his hands, his feet, even some of his tattoos. It's clear why he is such a crucial resource for archaeologists. I was fascinated, and ended up spending a long time in the museum reading about his clothes and tools (many of which are in even better shape than Ötzi is) and the conclusions scientists have been able to draw from them.

-For the last two days or so, I came down with some weird illness. It's a bit like a cold, but colds don't usually force me to spend an entire afternoon and evening lying down, so weak I can barely move my fingers, let alone get up. I'm much better now, thank goodness, but still not at all my usual self.