GARGANTUAN steps
Monday, May 11, 2026
mia san mia
Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit
'Unity and Justice and Freedom'
- unofficial motto of Germany
Back in 2008, I made a whirlwind trip to Prague, Vienna, Salzburg and Füssen, making a quick train-hopping transit in Munich when taking a 7-hour train ride from Salzburg to Füssen, and then back. The only reason to have made such a ludicrous trip was to see the Schloss Neuschwanstein in Füssen, Germany's nomination for the New Seven Wonders of the World (they didn't win). 18 years later, I am now back in Munich proper for the latest edition of ESCMID Global (the annual European Infectious Diseases/Microbiology conference). On top of Ka Lip as my usual conference buddy, there was Joy as well who came along for the trip as well as the sightseeing. Pre-reading for this trip included a history of Germany itself, a biography of Hitler and Bach, and finally, a history of the Reformation. One thing I didn't know prior to this was that Munich was at the very heart of the Nazi movement, where Hitler first came into power. It thus seemed like a very apt place to have come after being in London just a few months back - Churchill the counterweight to Hitler, polar opposites during WWII.
The trip there was much smoother than what many others may have experienced, since there were flight cancellations due to either the war in the Middle East causing the airports in Dubai and Qatar to be closed, or because of strikes staged by the employees of Lufthansa, Germany's national flag carrier. Whilst others scrambled to rebook their flights and pay a premium, I was lucky to have initially paid a tad more to fly our own national airline which turned out to have been cost savings instead.
Munich was officially founded in 1158 and became the seat of one of the most powerful families in medieval Germany, the Wittelsbach, in 1255. The name Munich itself is derived from the German name München, which literally means "home of the monks". München itself was previously called Munichen, and hence how its English name 'Munich' came about. It subsequently became the capital of Bavaria, which itself is the largest state in Germany, in 1806. During WWII, nearly half of the city was destroyed by bombs and fires, which explains why the city looks modern compared to other major cities in Europe. A very modern and accessible transport system, concrete roads instead of cobblestones, and a relative dearth of historical buildings. An interesting fact I had learned on a walking tour was that a few key buildings, such as churches and town halls, were not targeted by bombs because they were used as landmarks to guide the bombers in razing the rest of the city. After a 13-hour red-eye flight, we landed early in the morning and made our way to our first stop, Füssen, a short train ride away.
I was determined to revisit the Schloss Neuschwanstein again, my previous visit of the castle having been marred by scaffolds (and a bad hair day). This time, I included a visit to King Ludwig II's other castle as well, the equally ostentatious and bright yellow-coloured Schloss Hohenschwangau. The latter was built by his father, King Maximilian II, and the former by himself. Ludwig II spent lavishly on the building of his castles, thus placing his kingdom in severe debt. For his maniacal efforts, Ludwig II was deposed and declared insane by his government officials, and subsequently found dead in a lake the day after, all at the age of forty. The castle was never completed (its centrally located chapel was never finished), and Ludwig II lived in it for only a miserly 172 days by the time of his death in 1886. Yet, despite its exorbitant origins, it has now more than repaid itself by the number of tourists it has attracted, aided by the fact that Walt Disney himself used it as his inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's castle, and Germany's own promotion of it as the country's nomination for the New Seven Wonders of the World back in 2007. I was not disappointed at my second visit.
Our first meal at Restaurant Madame Plüsch in Füssen.
It was also the start of a typical German diet of pork, potato and sauerkraut.
Schloss Hohenschwangau
Ludwig II grew up here and is the more lived-in of the castles, and hence contains more history than the others. It used to be a fort that was eventually converted into a castle, thus the compound appears rather small and confined, not your typical behemoth with endless corridors and innumerable rooms.
The King's bedroom
The Alpsee
A lake that can be viewed from the windows of the Schloss Hohenschwangau
With the Schloss Hohenschwangau (in yellow) and the Museum of the Bavarian Kings (in white), the latter of which we did not visit this time. Guess there is another reason to come back in future!
After an early dinner of yet again pork and potatoes (early by German standards, very late by Singaporean ones), it was time for an arduous climb up to the Marienbrücke, the bridge with the best views of the Schloss Neuschwanstein. It was a non-stop 40 minute walk up an incline, which left one of us winded and the others partially so. But it was all worth it. This time, there were no scaffolds to mar the façade. The setting sun (though sunset was still a good two hours away) cloaked it in gentle gold. It stood righteously upon the hilltop like a castle in a fairy tale. It was perfect this time.
Schloss Neuschwanstein from the Marienbrücke
We made it!
Me back in December 2008
I rarely re-post old photos but I thought it was an important comparison that had to be made
The view of Schloss Hohenschwangau from the top
The courtyard of the Schloss Neuschwanstein, where a chapel was meant to have been erected
Prayer room of the king
The king's bed
The singer's hall
The tours for both the castles took around thirty minutes each, and though the interiors were impressive (as they were meant to be), it was the exterior that was more captivating. Perhaps I have also seen enough castles and palaces in my lifetime such that the interiors have all blended together, and thus nothing in particular stood out. Ludwig II's story though proved to be the most memorable, and the castle's setting makes it the most dramatic among all that I have visited. With the initial sightseeing trip done, it was time for the conference proper.
ESCMID Global held at the Messe München
There was a humanoid robot handing giving directions and answering queries on site
After the first day of talks, which I may or may not have stayed for the entire duration, it was time to explore a bit of the city. Most of its sights are concentrated within the Old Town (Altstadt) - the Town Halls (new and old), the many churches, and the residences of the rulers. As mentioned earlier, a handful of historical buildings were used as landmarks by bombers and hence were spared the devastation that was experienced by the rest of the city during WWII. At the heart of the city is the Marienplatz, the central square of the city, bounded by the New Town Hall (Neus Rathaus) on its eastern side, and the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) on its northern side. On an interesting note, although the New Town Hall (built between 1867-1909) is younger than the Old Town Hall (existing since the 14th century), it looks the elder of the two because of its neo-Gothic design.
The Rathaus-Glockenspiel
The clock tower of the New Town Hall - at the 11th, 12th and 17th hour, the clock re-enacts two stories from Munich’s history (unfortunately, I was only able to catch a glimpse of the final act when I had arrived)
The view of Marienplatz from the church Alter Peter
Just before dinner, Joy and myself took a quick tour of the Residenz München. This was the seat of government and residence of the Bavarian dukes, electors, and kings from 1508-1918. During WWII, it suffered catastrophic damage, though the majority of its artworks and artefacts were removed to safety prior. After the war, the reconstruction began, faithfully recreating from pictures what its past splendours might have been. In all honesty, it was all a bit overwhelming, walking through the maze of massive rooms - for the king, for the queen, for the royal visitors - everything merged into one. One thought at the back of my mind was - how inconvenient it must have been to get from one point to another. One wing of the Residenz could be up to 250 metres long, and there were at least three stories per wing. You could clock a few thousand steps just wandering about. And in typical Singaporean efficiency, a five-hour visit was completed in less than two. I had initially listened to the free audio-guide for about a good 30 seconds before deciding that I had neither the time for verbiage nor opulence.
The Shell Grotto
Made up entirely of Bavarian freshwater shells
The Antiquarium
One of the rooms that escaped destruction during WWII, and one of its most resplendent
The King's throne room
A uniquely coloured Pietà within the Treasury
The Cuvilliés Theatre
Frauenkirche
The Cathedral of Our Dear Lady, which serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising and seat of its Archbishop.
The nave of the Alter Peter, where I attended evening mass in German
Dinner with the NUHS folks at the Hofbräuhaus München, which has existed since the 16th century, where the Nazi Party was first launched, and which has now become a tourist trap
Dinner at the Ethiopian restaurant, MUCADI, after another day at the conference
The Theatine Church of St. Cajetan and Adelaide at the Odeonplatz
Unique for its eye-catching yellow façade
A beam of sunset illuminating the interior of the Theatine Church
I have never had the opportunity to visit a concentration camp during my time in London - not that it is meant to be a typical tourist "attraction" nor a "place of interest". What people have previously told me though was that it was a spiritual and sombre experience. I still do hope to pay a visit to Auschwitz, but this time in Germany, I had the opportunity to visit the Dachau Concentration Camp, which was the first ever concentration camp to be set up back in 1933. Before the "final solution", the term coined by the Nazis to massacre the Jews, the first targets in the population for herding and eradication were the physically and mentally disabled. This slowly escalated to encompass the Jews. In the camps themselves, the Jews were stripped of their integrity, identity, and independence. They existed as a number tattooed on their bodies, struggled against one another for any survival benefit, whether it was for the top of a three-tiered bunk or for work in the bakery so they could be indoors and spared against the cold or back-breaking work in the outdoors, or even as spies against their own.
Although Dachau is only a short, single-station ride from central Munich, but because of its historical past, like a scar which forever tarnishes, the property prices remain one of the lowest in the country. Walking through the grounds and viewing the exhibits, you cannot help but feel the pain of the victims and their families, as well as be outraged by the absurdity of humanity that we could have allowed such atrocities. Worse still, it appears we have not learnt our lessons, and perhaps have become even more efficient killers. It takes some beating though, standing within the claustrophobic confines of a gas chamber, walls reinforced to prevent gas leaks, ceilings lowered to allow gases to be piped in from above, imagining the thousands of souls extinguished without a shred of dignity.
Our tour group, led by Jake, headed for the Dachau Concentration Camp and Third Reich tour
Arbeit Macht Frei
"Work sets you free"
A Nazi slogan placed over the entrance to the Dachau Concentration Camp to "motivate" its inmates
Prison wear, included cloth-covered shoes over a wooden base, used in all kinds of weather, including snow
Gas chamber
These had reinforced concrete all around, and lowered ceilings where Zyklon B, the lethal hydrogen cyanide gas, was used to murder hundreds at a time
Furnace used for cremation - at least two bodies were cremated at a time on either side
Barracks with triple layered bunks
Statue of the unknown concentration camp prisoner in Dachau
At the base is the inscription:
"DER TOTEN ZUR EHR, DEN LEBENDEN ZUR MAHNUNG"
"To honor the dead, to admonish the living"
The tour of Dachau was concluded with a Third Reich tour within Munich. We were brought to places where the Secret Police (SS) gathered their information, or the office building where Hitler worked. To prevent valorisation of Nazism, these buildings were not converted into tourist sites, but instead reused to become functional buildings such as schools and universities. It was, in some ways, sweeping their past under the carpet, though in more recent times, school children in Germany are required to visit a concentration camp once during their schooling years before they are allowed to graduate from high school. In this sense, the atrocities of the past will forever be etched upon the nation's soul.
Führerbau
Hitler's office in Munich, which has now become the University for Music and Performing Arts Munich
Dinner at Haxengrill with the NCID folks - Chiaw Yee and Yu Kit
This was where I tried some spargel (white asparagus) - apparently a delicacy in Germany during the period of April to June each year
Poster presentation at ESCMID Global
On the last day of the trip, the day after the conference ended, I had managed to convince both Joy and Ka Lip to accompany me on a three and a half hour ride to Leipzig. Having been the planner and tour guide for the trip, it wasn't as if they had much of a choice. I'm not quite certain when and how J. S. Bach become my favourite Classical composer but somehow, he has, and this was somewhat of a pilgrimage for me. Many have been to Salzburg and Vienna, the musical home of many musical maestros, but Leipzig is synonymous with Bach, where he spent a good 27 years of his life, and died and was buried there.
Leipzig too was where Martin Luther (of Reformation fame) debated the Catholic theologian Johann Eck (Johannes Eck) at the University of Leipzig in 1519; where Goethe incorporated Leipzig's Auerbachs Keller in his seminal work 'Faust' in the late 18th century; and where the coalition armies (Austria, Prussia, Russia, Sweden) defeated Napoleon at the Battle of the Nations in 1813. Additionally, this was where the German composer Richard Wagner was born there, although I had only found out a few days after leaving. Still, I was satiated with having visited the learned musician's grave, and the places much of his music was first heard.
Nikolaikirche
One of the four main churches in Leipzig where Bach regularly performed his music. It is also unique for the palm-pillars which are supposed to symbolize victory and peace
J. S. Bach's grave in Thomaskirche
He was originally buried in an unmarked grave in the graveyard of the Johanniskirche but his remains were eventually dug up and buried in the nave of Thomaskirche (oral tradition had it that he had been buried six steps in a straight line from the southern door at Johanniskirche)
Our guide for the Bach tour - Kirsten
The original organ chair sat upon by Bach himself (the showpiece in the Bach Museum)
Items found in Bach's coffin
Oak splinters, thimble (likely belonging to Bach's wife), and a metal clasp (likely belonging to Bach)
Me and the original portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach by Leipzig painter Elias Gottlob Haussmann
Painted in 1748 (two years before his death), it is purportedly the most well-preserved and has the most accurate likeness of Bach
Me and the statue of Bach standing outside Thomaskirche
Me at the Völkerschlachtdenkmal - the Monument to the Battle of the Nations
Completed in 1913, you can climb to the top of the 91-metre structure to get a 360-degree view of Munich
The interior of the monument
The first level is the crypt representing the tomb of fallen soldiers. The second level is the Hall of Fame, containing four 9-metre statues representing the virtues of bravery, faith, sacrifice, and fertility
Early dinner at the Panorama Tower in Leipzig to cap off our trip
All too soon, another European adventure had come to a close. I appreciated Germany far more than I had expected. To me, London had history, Paris had romance, Italy had even more history and religion, Spain had vibrance, and at the back of my mind, Germany was all about efficiency. I was glad to have been proven wrong and it was a much lovelier country than expected. I look forward to coming back one day again. But before that, I did bring some spargel home for the family to try.
Spargel
This seasonal delicacy is known by the Germans as 'white gold'. Unlike green asparagus, the white variety are grown underground to keep it pale and delicate, and hence never develop chloroplasts, the pigment that give plants their characteristic colour
