In Foreign Parts
Munich & Weilheim

In Foreign Parts.

Writing from Weilheim, Bavaria, under date of August 1st, 1907, Mr. Reick, formerly of Coff’s Harbour, says :—

Only the proverbial “oldest inhabitant” can remember experiencing such a severe winter as we have had in Europe in 1906-7. From November, 1906, to the last damaging frosts of July 15, there have been, with the exception of a few weeks, cold, frost, snow, damaging floods, and hailstorms. In our home in Delmenhorst, North Germany, we found the incessant snow and ice almost unbearable, and resolved not to spend another winter in the cold north. It is not always so cold there. When several mild winters follow in succession, the country people complain that the insect pest on fruit trees, apples and pears especially, are not destroyed. Last winter hundreds of fowls and poultry fell frozen dead from their perches. Little birds fell frozen to the ground; many others crept quite tame for shelter in houses, barns and sheds, where they were warmed and fed till the milder weather set in. The young people enjoyed it when the ice was thick enough for skating, and enjoyed the sport for a few days at a time, but this season, although the lakes and rivers were frozen several feet deep, the favourite pastimes were quite neglected, for to face such bitter, piercing east winds brought severe consequences, influenza, rheumatics, etc. In spring, when the weather got milder, we sold off all our household goods and chattels, packed up, said good-bye to our few very old, and many new friends, and set out for the lovely “Sunny South.” We travelled by train first to our favourite city, Munich, in Bavaria, which we had not seen for seven years, took rooms, which we occupied two months, and had leisure to enjoy its many increased beauties, and invigorating climate. During the last seven years very much has been done to improve and beautify this city. The most noticeable are the corrections and adornment of the River Isar, which have cost much money, time and labour. For miles on each side of this dangerous, swiftly-flowing river, where it flows through the city, the gravelly banks are incased with strong stone walls and cement, and concrete canals are cut in every direction. Four new highly ornamental and architectural bridges are built to replace those swept away by floods, and along both sides of this river are new and extensive parks, botanic gardens, Government nursery gardens, forests and woods, all traversed with well-kept roads for walking, driving and cycling. Many playgrounds are formed specially for the children, with the usual sand heaps, which give much pleasure and delight to children. It is often a pretty sight to observe how these sand enclosures are, by children’s hands, moulded in most curious architecture, designs to depict castles on steep cliffs, walls, roads, rivers and canals, with bridges, etc., and mostly adorned with flowers and green leaves. There are also many meadow grounds for local sports for the older boys, ladies and men. Besides the popular game of lawn tennis, we noticed a new game played by boys and men, called “faustball,” or “fistball,” which would be very suitable for school boys in Australia instead of the game of football, as it develops the muscles of the arms and body instead of the feet. The game requires a chalked boundary, like in lawn tennis, two posts with a line stretched between, like a football goal, and an ordinary football. The ball is struck or hit over the line with the fist, and hit, on its rebound, by the opposite player. Rules for this game could be procured if requested.

Munich has always been renowned for its paintings and sculpture, and is rightly called the “Kunstler Stadt” or “Artists City.” Here all possible encouragement is given to artists by royalty, the public, and the Government. During the last few years many new art galleries have been added to the celebrated old ones, and a number of new museums were recently built and quickly filled with interesting and instructive articles. Also a long desired Zoological Garden is to be added to this city’s attractions in the near future. The old familiar Beer Gardens, with their unrivalled lager beer, are as popular as ever, and in the homely old “Hofbrauhaus” (brewers to the King) are to be met an international medley of visitors from all parts of the civilised world. Music is intensely studied and cultivated here. Richard Wagner’s music is as much admired in Bavaria as Shakespeare and his plays are admired in England. In Beyreuth, the birthplace of Wagner, a magnificent opera home has been erected, principally by his widow, Mrs. Wagner, for the production of only Wagner’s operas. Only the very best opera singers are engaged there, who must rehearse together the whole month of May, and produce them in perfection during the month of June every two years. Last year (1906) Australia’s prima donna, Madame Melba, sang there. We were told by a friend who heard her that “she sings divinely, but entirely without feeling.” She was too stiff and cold to gain the sympathy of a warm-hearted German music loving audience. The tickets for these operas in Beyreuth are so costly that it is only within the reach of rich classes, not the masses, to enjoy them. Forty marks (£2) is the cheapest price for a ticket, which admits the bearer to two operas only. The cost of accommodation is also extravagant, but the building has been such a costly affair, that even at these exorbitant prices much money must be paid in to keep the thing going, while naturally the best artists must be highly paid.

We stayed in Munich till the weather got warmer, and in July cycled out to the mountain regions, at the foot of the Bavarian Alps, to the picturesque little town of Weilheim, 52 miles from Munich. We cycled through Sendling, and soon came to the Royal Park, Forstenried, which beautiful forest stretches many miles long towards Starnberg Lake, and contains, besides many fine cattle and deer, droves of wild pigs, kept for hunting. Some of these wild boars have become a danger to the travelling public. Recently one of them attacked an automobile as it moved slowly along, waiting for his lordship Mr. Boar, Mrs. Sow and little piggies to cross the road. The automobile was overturned, took fire, and its occupants dangerously wounded. Fortunately we were not molested by these animals, but we saw many of them in the rich green grass feeding not far from the roadway. The Forstenrieder Park is fenced by high fences, with gates for public to pass through, which is a nuisance on a main public road. After a ride of 30 kilometres we reached Starnberg, on the Starnberger Lake, once the most popular watering place in Bavaria, but now almost deserted by a fickle public, as can be quickly noticed by the many boards and notices “To Let,” “To Sell,” everywhere.

Our wheels, which had been resting the long winter through, now refused to move further. A blazing sun and heat made the tubes almost melt. As soon as one puncture was mended another broke out on the sharp, rough, stoney roads. We moved slowly along the lake road, where the villas, gardens, and parks of the rich owners shut out all views of the lake, but there it was cool and shady. We passed Possenhofen and Feldafing, where we bought a new tube, which also got punctured in half an hour. We reached Tutzing, then left the lake and travelled inland to Weilheim, which lies almost between Stanberger Lake and Ammer Lake. Weilheim is nearly surrounded by an amphitheatre of high snow clad mountains, of which the “Zug Spitze,” the highest point of the Bavarian Alps, is constantly to be seen. The land around here is rich and undulating; principally wheat, rye, and oats are grown, but it is too raw and cold for fruit growing. It is a pleasure to see all the beautiful cows, mostly of the kind which we call Jersey and Alderney, or Dun cows, but rather bigger in stature. The farmers are paid 12 pfennig (about 1¼d Eng. money) per litre for milk, and the price of butter is generally 1s 3d to 1s 4d per lb. Principally oxen are used for drawing in these hilly regions, and very few horses are seen, but automobiles are too common. The price of all meat is 80 pf., about 9d per lb. We have cycled in every direction, but the most beautiful excursion we found was to the celebrated old Monks cloister called Andecks. We selected a fine day, cycled from Weilheim to Lake Ammer, 12 kilometres, through many pretty thriving villages, with a most decided odour of farm yards, cows, hay, etc., and reached the little village of Fischen, on the lake; keeping along the right bank we passed many pretty villas, gardens, and jetties for landing from the regularly running ferry steamers, and through sturdy forests, where wild strawberries and blackberries were ripe, and reached the village of Hersching in 8 miles. Here we ate dinner amongst a crowd of tourists, all bound for Kloster Andecks. It was not necessary to inquire the way, we simply followed the many other pilgrims along the pretty shady footpath up the mountain, leading our cycles. The path wound round and up a deep ravine, with almost perpendicularly steep, craggy forest covered banks.

At times we were able to ride for a short distance or sit on the many rustic seats and admire the natural scenery, but we arrived far in advance of the pedestrians, who started on foot long before us.

Arriving in the village, we placed our cycles in a caretaker’s house for 1d each, and mounted a still higher hill, upon which stood a church, a convent, and a brewery, which brews most excellent beer. We visited the fine church, with its celebrated paintings and treasuries of gold and silver ornaments, heard the monks at prayer, and the grand organ playing; saw the “House of Correction,” a portion of the convent where boys and girls are placed who are unmanageable at home, and who are here trained and taught a trade to enable them to become useful citizens. We then went into the big restaurant and beer garden, where, with hundreds of other guests, in this lonely country village, we were served by the servant or working monks with litres of beer and simple home-made cheese and rye bread. Every fine day this Kloster is constantly crowded with visitors. In Weilheim the previous Sunday we were awakened at 3 o’clock a.m. by the church bell ringing, and saw from our window hundreds of people starting on a pilgrimage to Kloster Andecks with banners flying, chanting and praying, of course walking. The distance is 20 kilometres there and 20 return. We saw the return with great rejoicings about 8 o’clock p.m. We were told that pilgrimages are sometimes made from Augsburg to Andecks, a distance of 60 kilometres, or three days walking, sleeping at farm houses en route. No doubt such tours are highly beneficial to the body, and the people are so brave, good, friendly, and jolly, and live in greatest harmony together, also with Protestants, that many could learn a lesson from them, especially in Australia, where even in burial grounds, “God’s acre,” they will be separated. Here in this most Catholic but liberal country, Bavaria, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and all religions are buried side by side in the same cemeteries.

F. E. Rieck.