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Published: January 19th 2008
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We took a couple of side trips while in Munich—it is the perfect place to tour some of Germany’s beautiful countryside—and what better way to do it then by train?
December 23: Füssen and Neuschwanstein Castle
We traveled just 2 hours southwest of Munich to get to Füssen. Soon after leaving Munich we began to see snow—by the time we arrived, there was heaps of gorgeous, glittering white snow to greet us. Füssen is a little mountain town near the Austrian border. The town is a tourist destination in its own right, even if we did not go to visit Füssen. Many people stay there because it is near skiing; others just come for the fresh mountain air. It was the day before Christmas Eve, though, and the town of Fussen was pretty much deserted. After a short walk, we found a homey little restaurant/Bed and breakfast. Jason had the Weiner Schnitzel. Felicia had Spätzel, a rich cheese, onion, and egg noodle dish. It was cold outside, and this food warms from the inside.
We jumped on a bus (not too packed) and rode about 10 minutes to Schwangau. Schwangau is a little town built at
Schloss Hohenschwangau
This is the small castle built by Konig Maximillian II. the base of 2 hills in the Bavarian alps. The Hohenschwangau Castle sits on the top of the smaller of the two hills. König (King) Maximillian II of Bavaria finished building the Hohenschwangau Castle in 1837.
After Maximillian II’s death, his son König Ludwig II became the King of Bavaria. König Ludwig II was determined to build a larger castle than the castle built by his father. He began constructing the Neuschwanstein Castle on the larger hill in Schwangau (basically a mountain). König Ludwig II began building Neuschwanstein in 1869. The castle is supposed to portray a visual representation of Wagner’s music. In 1886, while the castle was still under construction, the Bavarian State Comission declared König Ludwig II insane by his political rival based on rumors and innuendo. Shortly thereafter, König Ludwig II died, leaving an incomplete castle.
The Neushwanstein Castle is also the model for the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland.
To get to Neuschwanstein Castle, one can either take a horse-drawn carriage for a small fee, or walk up the (now) snow-covered hill. Many tourist guidebooks and blogs had recommended not walking up it, so of course, we walked it! It took a half
The road to Neuschwanstein
A horse-drawn carriage takes tourists back to Schwangau from Schloss Neuschwanstein hour, only because Felicia stopped to take a million pictures. The views of the valley below were magical-looking—we could understand how Walt Disney would be inspired by this place.
We took the guided tour of the inside of the castle, too. Felicia was busy taking pictures of the views from each of the castle’s windows, while Jason absorbed the history of the castle.
Now thoroughly de-thawed, it was time to walk back down the hill and journey back to Munich. It was a nice day, spent with people from all over the world.
December 26: Salzburg
December 26 is Boxing Day in Europe. Boxing Day is traditionally the day that Europeans gave boxes of goodies to their employees, mailmen, milkmen, other acquaintances, and charities. Today, this tradition does not continue, because Boxing Day is a public holiday throughout Europe. Unfortunately for us, many places are still closed on Boxing Day.
We traveled 2 hours east of Munich to get to Salzburg on the Austrian side of Austria-Bavaria border. Salzburg is most famous for being the home of Mozart and the setting for “The Sound of Music.”
Upon arriving, Jason was starving. Unfortunately, the German sandwich shop
that we wanted to eat at was closed, as were most restaurants and cafes. After wandering around the medieval town, we popped into a Chinese restaurant. This Chinese restaurant served great tasting grease on rice. Jason looked enviously out the window where a man was eating a German sausage bought from the Winter Market.
To be in Salzburg, is to look up at a large hill with the Festung Hohensalzburg (a giant fortress) standing on the top of it. Jason immediately wanted to climb up the hill to the top of the fortress. While some people took a tram (called a funicular) to the top of the mountain, we walked up a winding medieval street. Felicia was a little eager to get to the tall tower, where great views of Salzburg’s red rooftops and the Alps awaited us.
Festung Hohensalzburg was built by Archbishops. The Archbishops were apparently very concerned about security, because they continued to add additional walls, buildings, and towers to the fortress. Today, Festung Hohensalzburg is the largest completely intact castle in Europe. Only Napolean ever took Festung Hohensalzburg (and he did it without firing a single shot).
It was a nice, mellow day,
Salzburg from
the Festung Hohensalzburg hill and we ended it at Café Tomaselli, where we enjoyed Viennese coffee and a pastry before heading back to Munich.
Still upcoming: Dachau and Josefov, Prague, and other side trips.
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everett
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Oh my goodess, those photos are beautiful. That looks absolutely amazing. I love the historical background you provide, too - it gives proper perspective on the scenary. More!