He Acquiesced In My Argument, But
Inserted My Explanation On The Passport.
At half a quarter of a mile beyond
Mittenwald I met the raft just about to get under weigh
At eleven o'clock
a.m. This raft is about as long as the length of a thirty-six gun frigate,
and formed of spars fastened together; on this is a platform about one and
a half feet high. The Isar begins its course close to Mittenwald, and the
place on which the raft stood, previous to departure, was very shallow; but
water was quickly let in from sluices to float the raft, and off we set
with a cargo of peasants, male and female, and merchandise bound for
Munich. As the river Isar rushes between immense mountains, and forms a
continual descent until the plains of Bavaria open to view, you may
conceive with what rapidity we went. We encountered several falls of water
of two, three, four and sometimes five feet which we had to shoot, which
no boat could possibly do without being upset. The lower part of the raft
was frequently under water in making these shoots and we were obliged to
hold on fast to our seats to prevent being jerked off. Nothing can be more
romantic and picturesque than this journey, and there is something aweful
in shooting these falls; these rafts are, however, so solidly constructed
that there is no danger whatever. They can neither sink nor upset. We
arrived and halted the evening at Toelz, a large village or town on the
right bank of the Isar. What gives to Toelz a remarkably singular appearance
is, that on a height at a short distance from the town, and hanging
abruptly over the river, you perceive several figures in wood, larger than
the life, which figures form groups, representing the whole history of the
passion of Jesus Christ. At a short distance, if you are not prepared for
this, you suppose that they are real men, and that a procession or
execution is going forward. On landing I immediately ascended this hill in
order to observe this curiosity, and there I beheld the following groups,
first: Christ in the midst of his disciples preaching; secondly: the
disciples asleep in a cave, and Christ watching and praying; next was Judas
betraying Christ to the soldiery; then the judgment of Christ before
Pilate; then Christ bearing his cross to the place of execution; and lastly
the crucifixion on Mount Calvary. The ground is curiously laid out so as to
represent, as much as possible, the ground in the environs of Jerusalem.
Toelz is a pretty village, but contains nothing more remarkable than the
above groups.
The next day at twelve o'clock we perceived the spires of Munich, and at
two anchored close to one of the bridges from whence, having hired a
wheelbarrow to trundle my portmanteau, I repaired to the inn called the
Golden Cross - Zum goldenen Kreutz. At Toelz the Rhetian Alps recede from
the view; the landscape then presents a sloping plain which is perfectly
level within four miles of Munich. The river widens immediately on issuing
from the gorges of the Tyrol and for the last five miles we were followed
by boys on the banks of the river, begging for wood, with which our raft
was laden, and we threw to them many a faggot. Wood is the great export
from the Tyrol to Bavaria, as the latter is a flat country and has not much
wood, with which on the contrary the Tyrol abounds. A sensible difference
of climate is now felt and the air is keener than in the Tyrol. The price
of a place on the raft from Mittenwald to Munich cost only one florin, and
at Toelz an excellent supper, bed and coffee in the morning cost me only one
florin.
MUNICH, 23rd July.
Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is an ancient Gothic city of venerable
appearance. The houses are very solid in structure, and the streets
sufficiently broad to give to the city a cheerful appearance. There are
some suburbs added to it, built in the modern taste, which embellish it
greatly. A large Place outside the old town, called the Carolinen-Platz,
presents a number of villas disposed in the form of a circus. In these
suburbs the people assemble on holidays and Sundays, to smoke and drink
beer, of which a great quantity is consumed, it being the favorite and
national beverage. From the lively scene of the lower class of the
bourgeoisie, male and female, meeting here in the Biersschanks and
Tanzsaale I was reminded of the lines in Faust:
Gewiss man findet hier
Die schoensten Maedchen, und das beste Bier,
which may be thus rendered:
Here let us halt! 'tis here we're sure to find
Beer of the best and maidens fair and kind!
There are other very agreeable promenades outside the town, laid out as
jardins anglais, the garden of Ostenwald for instance; and should you
wish to extend your walk further, there is Nymphenburg, a royal Palace and
gardens, just one league distant from the city.
The Residenz-schloss or Palace of the King is a solid building. The
interior is well worth seeing. There is a superb saloon with a vast number
of valuable miniatures appended to the wainscoating. An enormously heavy
bed, groaning with gold and silver embroidery and pearls and which is said
to weigh a ton, is to be seen here. There is a very good collection of
pictures, chiefly portraits, of the Electoral, now Royal family. There is a
fine chapel too belonging to this palace; a superb staircase of marble, and
some fine old tapestry representing the actions of Otto von Wittelsbach.
There is likewise a curious miniature copy of Trajan's column in gold and
incrusted with precious stones, besides a variety of other things of value.
There are two theatres in Munich; one called the Hof or Court theatre,
where there is a company of comedians for tragedy and comedy, the expences
of which are defrayed principally by the King.
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