Aunt Sharon Comes To Germany!!!!

I don't know how I got so lucky to have a family is willing to not only support me on this wonderful experience, but to also actually come over to VISIT and make the trip that much better!! 

I could not contain myself the entire day that they landed and I was eager to get home! When we pulled into my driveway, my aunt, Ann and Pat were all waiting for me! It was so nice to see my aunt and be able to share my experience thus far. 

Kristen and I changed, piled our stuff into the car and the 5 of us headed to Ulm, Germany for the night. Ulm is the birth place of Albert Einstein, has a beautiful cathedral (like most places in Germany :) and has a crooked house!





This is the crooked house! It is kinda hard to tell, but it defeinetly was going down at a slant! 














The cathedral was big and right in the center of town! 

We left Ulm and made our way to Fussen where Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau Castle!

Hohenschwangau was the castle that King Ludwig lived in! It is beautiful on the inside and was used for a long time!  

Neuschwanstein is the castle that his son King Ludwig built across the way. The castle is only 85% complete on the inside because King Ludwig died suddenly before it was able to be complete. My favorite room that we got to see was the throne room! It was HUGE and BEAUTIFUL! The only thing missing was the actual throne chair. 

Neuschwanstein is the castle that Disney based Cinderella's castle off of! This was one of my favorite things that  I have done in Germany!

The next morning Aunt Sharon, Ann, Pat, Kristen and I went Dachau concentration camp. Going there was interesting and informative. We had a guided tour that lasted about 3.5 hours! Dachau was the first concentration camp and the blue prints for the rest of them. The reason was because Dachau was poor and centrally located in Germany. It was also the second to last concentration camp to be closed because of its location as well.










Actually seeing where these victims slept, showered, were cremated and what they wore was humbling and heart wrenching. One thing that really stuck out to me was that the victims were totally shaved from head to toe in under 3 minutes. 










One thing that really stuck out to me was that the victims were totally shaved from head to toe in under 3 minutes. These were the only tools used in the shaving process. 

This was in the crematorium. When the people would die, they were placed 2 on one of these stretchers. 








After our 3.5 hour long tour, we packed in the car and finished our driving journey to SALZBURG, AUSTIRA! I had been waiting the last 3 months to go here, stay in the Von Trapp house and go on the Sound of Music tour. (Mom, I know you are a little sensitive that you couldn't come :)) 

Saturday night we stayed in the ACTUAL Von Trapp house! Kristen and I were in Brigitta's room but her real name was Hedwig. If you ask me Brigitta is better! I was so excited and could not believe that I was actually staying there! It is a giant house with a beautiful view of the mountains.

Sunday morning we got on the bus and saw the places where the back of the house was filmed, the front of the house, the gazebo used during Sixteen going on Seventeen, the church that Maria and the Captain got married in and the Salzburg park where DO RE MI FA SO LA TE was filmed! 

This is the back of the house! You can see the balcony if you look closely.  

The gazebo! We couldn't go inside because a few years ago, an 80 year old women tried to leap from bench to bench, fell and broke her hip!  

The church used in the movie! It was gorgeous inside! It is still used today; we were able to witness a baptism when we visited. 

Salzburg park! 

 And YES I pretended like I was in the movie! 

Salzburg was beautiful! And I am so thankful to my aunt and Ann for giving me this wonderful opportunity!