The Sauna Part 237

We reached Neuschwanstein Castle by noon and the splendor of King Ludwig’s creation kept us all spellbound. It seemed like a fairytale as we approached the castle and I snapped one picture after another, each view more majestic than the last. We weren’t allowed to take photos of the inside, but the paintings that decorated so much of the interior were captivating. They were inspired by the medieval legends of Parsifal and Lohengrin and our guide shared that the King had been quite a devoted fan of Richard Wagner who immortalized these characters in his operas.

The tale of the King himself was rather fascinating and shrouded in mystery and we learned that his fabled madness may have been a concoction of lies which were used to depose him. He was found drowned the day after his “arrest”, alongside the psychiatrist who had him committed and his death had originally been ruled a suicide. His younger brother had been incapacitated by genuine mental illness and Ludwig’s eccentricity was well-documented, so their may have been a grain of truth to the rumors, but the two drownings remain a source of contention.

“These paintings are exceptional” Tico commented as we studied the images while we listened to Wagner’s opera in the background.

“The King was quite progressive if he was in fact mad” Hugh observed as he read about the hidden flush toilet and how Ludwig had been responsible for bringing electricity into modern Bavarian life.

“And he was a patron of music and art” added Jon.

Richie had been rather quiet during the tour, but he appeared to be taking it all in. He stood motionless in the Singer’s Hall and sighed deeply as I came up to stand beside him. He looked rather pensive and sad as he spread his arms wide, indicating the vast expanse of the hall.

“How sad that he never lived to see even one performance here in the venue he designed” he reflected.

“It seems his life was rather tragic in many ways” I agreed, reading over the book I had purchased at the beginning of the tour which described how his private letters reflected his struggles with homosexuality in a Christian world.

We were all somewhat subdued as we left the castle and headed towards the nearby town of Oberammagau, famous for their wood carvers. The mood lightened as we entered one of the shops and my eyes lit up as I spied some of the most elaborately detailed examples of wood carvings. There were statues and figurines, many crafted into the shape of medieval figures.

“Look! This one was made for me!” David cried as he held up a small replica of a medieval jester and we all nodded our assent.

I chose an especially lifelike carving of a stag being led by a maiden and Jon smiled as I showed him my find.

“A willful wild beast being tamed by a beautiful damsel… it reminds me of us” he grinned shamelessly. “Is there anything else that you’d like for your birthday, babe?” he asked, his eyes glowing with love.

“A cuckoo clock! I would love a cuckoo clock from the Black Forest” I squealed with delight as we moved to another part of the store to browse through the collection.

There was something for everyone and Richie found an exquisitely carved mandolin to add to his collection. He plucked a few notes and I recognized instantly the chords to one of my favorite songs- ‘The Battle of Evermore’ by Led Zeppelin.

“Oh Richie, do you know it? Can you play it for me?” I begged and he smiled as the shop owner brought over a stool for him to take a seat.

Richie played the song while he sang the words softly and I had tears in my eyes as I listened to the sweet strain of the mandolin. A small crowd had gathered to hear Richie play and when he was finished, they thanked him with a round of applause. Richie attracted a following wherever he went, whether with or without the rest of Bon Jovi. The shop owner nodded his approval as Richie handed him the money for his purchase.

“You make the instrument sing” the man commented and Richie returned the compliment with one of his own.

“It’s one of the finest that I’ve ever seen. I’d be honored to own it” he said simply and the owner beamed as he told Richie about how he had always wished he had been blessed with the gift of music.

We left the shop with our purchases and returned to the limo for the ride back to Garmisch where we would have dinner before returning to Munich. It had been a rather exceptional day and we were all feeling mellow when we reached the restaurant and settled into our seats. Jon ordered wine, but most everyone preferred beer as we were in Bavaria after all.

Our meals were impressive as we sampled the wienerschnitzel and a variety of sausages along with sauerkraut and dumplings. The portions were generous and covered in rich sauces and gravies and I felt almost decadent as we devoured our meals. The Germans knew how to indulge and tonight was no exception as we savored the local cuisine and lingered over our coffees and desserts. I helped myself to some of Jon’s dampfnudlen and I traded him some of my apfel strudel as I loved the cinnamon dumplings smothered in vanilla sauce.

“Now this is my idea of dining” Tico grinned as he patted his belly and Dave burped in agreement and we all laughed.

There was an accordion player who entertained all the guests while we ate and we enjoyed seeing the traditional slap dancers who appeared periodically. They were accompanied by what I thought was a master yodeler and I was tremendously impressed with the show as well as the food.

The warmth of the atmosphere as well as the free-flowing beer had loosened everyone’s tongues and the guys regaled me with ribald stories of their misspent youth. I felt rather special to be included in their bawdy behavior and I rather liked my new status as “one of the gang”. It felt like a family and I was no longer just an honorary member when even Hugh joined in the teasing.

“So Jonny, are you gonna let Trish come out to play with us a little more often now? It seems she can hold her own with the lot of us, so maybe you’ll share her a bit more?” Hugh prodded Jon.

“I’m not so sure- I’m still a selfish bastard when it comes to my lady” he grinned.

“Aaawww, c’mon, man. We won’t bite and she needs a bit of entertainment once in a while” David winked.

“Yeah, and some intellectual stimulation” Hugh added, with emphasis on the word intellectual.

“And a change of scenery from a hotel room” Tico joined in.

“And you can always come visit the dark side when you get bored with blondie” Richie snickered to me as he cocked his head to one side and waggled his eyebrows.

Jon made a face and I giggled at the sight of those infamous duck lips. I planted a kiss on that adorable pout as I stood to make my way towards the bathroom. I was feeling a bit tipsy from all of the wine and the shot of Jagermeister that was a traditional part of all German meals. I tottered and steadied myself with a hand on Jon’s shoulder, but I looked around at the faces of all the guys as they smiled up at me.

“I’ll keep that in mind if Jon gets worn out and needs a break anytime soon” I winked back at Richie “but so far he seems to be managing to keep up on his end” I announced with a smirk before staggering off, followed by a series of whistles and hoots.

“Shit, Jon, you lucky bastard” Dave pronounced as he gave him a shove.

“Don’t think I don’t know it, bro” Jon said as he flashed Dave a shit-eating grin. “See why I’m selfish?”

“Yeah, man, don’t rub it in” Richie smiled, shaking his head.

It was getting late as I made my way back to the table and we had a two hour drive back to Munich, so we finished our drinks and Jon paid the bill. The guys were all able to handle their liquor far better than me and both Jon and Richie helped me out to the car. Tico held the back door while Jon got in first and Richie guided me into Jon’s arms. I giggled a bit as I fell over sideways and landed with my head in Jon’s lap. The two exchanged looks and Jon shot Richie a glance as he started to speak.

“Don’t say it bro” Jon chuckled as he helped me sit up and I rested my head on his shoulder.

Richie sat down beside me as the rest shuffled into their seats and we settled in for the ride back to Munich. It had been a wonderful day and I felt grateful to have been fully accepted into Jon’s “inner circle”. I no longer felt like simply Jon’s wife; I had earned my spot with the guys by sharing both good times as well as the bad.