The geisterbahn is typically a haunted roller coaster ride at Oktoberfest (it literally means ghost train), but last night we rode a geisterbahn of a completely different sort. It all began over a few drinks at a local bar…..fast forward 7 hours later to me falling down a flight of stairs in an abandoned hemp rope factory. But let me back up a bit…….
We arrived in Fussen late yesterday afternoon via the Autobahn - Jason is proud to say that he got our rental car up to 190kph!! Once we arrived, we got settled in our hotel room and went out for an evening stroll. After seeing a warm and inviting Italian trattoria, we decided to step in for a dinner that didn’t involve sausage, potato dumplings and sauerkraut. As soon as we walked in, however, we were slapped across the face with a wall of cigarette smoke. We immediately made the decision to forego dinner at this particular establishment and have just a drink instead. Tony, our bartender, informed us that Thursday is “smoking night” and, because smoking is strictly forbidden indoors anywhere in Bavaria, we were asked to sign a log stating that we understood the health implications.
This is when we met Ali, an extremely interesting man who has lived in Fussen all his life. After a few beers we came to learn that Ali makes didgeridoos for a living; however, he refuses to sell them over the internet and has actually never even been to Australia! We left to have a quick bite and returned to meet up with Ali for a few after-dinner drinks. His wife, Daniella, had joined him by then and told us that she and her friend had a bet on whether Jason and I were Australian or British. When we told her that we were American, she gasped in disbelief and said, “I didn’t think you were Americans because you’re not fat and don’t have cameras around your neck!” This we both had to laugh at…..
As the night and beers progressed, Ali and Daniella invited us to come and hang out with a few other locals at a “very special place.” When I asked Ali exactly what he meant by that, he couldn’t think of the English translation for what he wanted to say. He turned to Tony, the extremely colorful and excitable bartender, and spouted something in German with quite the devilish smirk on his face. Tony merely replied, “Ahhhhh, the Geisterbahn…..you know, the haunted rollercoaster!” Not having any idea whatsoever what he was talking about, we were intrigued (if not a little frightened) and cautiously accepted the invitation.
We left the bar and proceeded to the curiously aforementioned Geisterbahn. As we stumbled through the cobblestone streets of Fussen, Ali gave us a little more background. He and Daniella were taking us to an abandoned textile factory by the river. He and other local artists use the space to create art. Ali has a studio there to make his didgeridoos, and others have their own space to create music, sculptures, paintings, what have you. There are even a few artists who live in the factory. And let me be very clear, this building hasn’t been renovated and turned into posh artist’s lofts….this is a very rough and otherwise seemingly abandoned factory.
Jason and I spent the next few hours drinking beers and listening to a guy named James belt out Doors tunes for our listening pleasure. We were given a tour of the factory and were told many stories about its history and the art that now occupies its space. At about 3am, we said our auf wiedersehens and headed back toward our hotel. As we walked down the stairs, I decided to take this picture of Jason and promptly fell flat on my back on very unforgiving steel stairs. Ouch. And I still have the bruises to prove it. Many of you know what a supreme klutz I can be, so I’m sure this is quite amusing for you…..you know who you are……
The next day, as we were sitting in the town centre enjoying some sun and cappuccinos, we ran into Wolfgang and James, twin brothers that we had met at the factory the night before. Jason and I were soon headed on a walk to Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein Castles, so Wolfgang and James offered to come with us to show us the way. Since it’s about a 6km walk and we weren’t sure of the exact route, we gladly accepted! They took us on a beautiful walk around Schwansee (Swan Lake) and up toward the castles. Both Wolfgang and James are true history buffs and gave us a wonderful private tour of the area. We had such an amazing day and are so thankful to Wolfgang and James for spending the time to share with us all that they love about their hometown.
