The Other Side of Dachau

Gruss Gott!
On the way to the concentration camp, I caught a few glimpses of the town.  I knew there was some kind of castle there with a garden, and it just seemed to me so sad that the town and its people labored under that heavy burden of dire history.  I decided to go back and do the town itself.
So when I alighted from the S Bahn, I turned away from the bus stop and followed the signs to the Altstadt or old city.  I had a pleasant stroll through a pretty town on a pleasant Saturday afternoon, licking windows at some interesting shops and crossing bridges.  Dachau is on the River Amper, but there are plenty more streams flowing through the town.
One has to climb to the old part of the city up a steep ramp.  I was glad that I was in training from all the walking I have been doing even though most of it has been on the flat.  Clearly this was a strategic point.  The hill has been fortified for a long time.  The Wittelsbachs showed up and built a castle and then transformed it into their summer palace in the Renaissance style, but that structure has long since been replaced with the usual Rococo.
I used my castle pass to get in, but not much of the building was open--just a large reception room with a decorated wooden ceiling and classical frescoes along the walls.  I adjourned to the garden.
If you want to make a day of it in Dachau, the Hofgarten is the place to come to help soothe away the pain caused by the camp.  The garden is fragrant, filled with brilliant color, and lovingly maintained.  I strolled down a walkway shaded by interlocking branches of linden trees.  I paused by the walls to enjoy the views back to Munich.  On really clear days--this wasn't one--visitors can see all the way to the Bavarian Alps.
I strolled around the paths under the trees and then returned to the formal garden.  Mostly it's an orchard of apple trees, but the beds held rose varieties in abundance and many strange, exotic-looking yet lovely flowers I had never seen before.
A short walk downhill took me to the heart of the old town.  Ha!  A market day, and as old time readers of this blog know--I simply can't resist. But there was more than a market going on.  I could not help but notice the benches being put up that looked like the people planned to eat and drink.  I saw acoustical equipment being set up.  Song, too?  Then I came upon a sign that told the tale.  They were having an Alte Stadt Fest.  For non German-speaking folk this means a celebration of the old town.
But it was time for me to go back down hill and make my way back to the train station.
I returned to the center of Munich to do some errands.  I also had plans to check out some shops, but these were foiled.  Munich was having its own fest of some sort.  A lot of booths had been set up around the Rathaus, and I found my way elsewhere blocked by a parade of some sort.  Gay Pride?  There was a lot of loud music, and young people tossing candy to the crowd.  Big crowds of tourists mostly taking videos of the whole thing.
As the afternoon heat and humidity had set in, I decided to go back to the grocery store and lay in supplies for the rest of the weekend.
More German food, Pil?
No.  I like to alternate to be nice to my arteries, especially since I consume so much ham, sausage and butter at breakfast.  But I did buy a nice bottle of French wine to go with my pasta.  It's a light, refreshing rose from the Loire Valley.  And I can use the rest as an aperitif when I go back to beer tomorrow.