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Published: December 24th 2007
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Suck on this!
Jude gets stuck into some serious icicle sucking! Well stone me, I can hardly believe that this here is about to be my 300th blog entry! To everyone who has followed our adventures around the world, I'd like to say a huge big THANK YOU for all your support and many messages. With the impending move to NZ on the horizon, there will be plenty more to read about, I'm sure :-) Right, back to the business of my recent trip to Munich and Neuschwannstein Castle....
After our magical visit to the famous Neuschwannstein Castle yesterday, it was wonderful to have the morning greet us with clear blue skies and brilliant sunshine. We tucked into a tasty breakfast at our guest house and then donned our warmest clothes for a stroll around one of the nearby lakes and through the town of Fussen.
We started off with a wander down to the river where I broke off some icicles and sucked on them like frozen lollipops. I haven't done that since I was a kid which was fun! The view of the Alps all around us was just breathtaking and made it well worth venturing out despite the -12 dregee temperature outside. The river led us to
Cotton Wool Tree
It's really snow but it's looks just like cotton wool, don't you think? one of the local lakes which looked picture-postcard pretty in all its frostiness. The lake was essentially vast expanse of water dotted with small islands, with barely a building in sight and flanked by mountains on all side - it was simply stunning. In fact the water was so still and calm and the sun so brilliant that if it hadn't been for the 20 cm of snow reminding me how cold it was, I might have been tempted to go for a swim!
The path led us up to the brand new theatre where they now stage "Lugwig II - The Musical" based on the mad king's life. Anything for a tourist dollar, eh? Actually, commercialism aside, the building looked really nice and the swan detailing in the bannisters and door handles aptly mirrored the decorative style of Neuschwannstein castle. Hoping for a hot cuppa, we made our way back into town again. We ambled through the streets and down to a lovely little red Baroque church which was as ornately decorated outside as it was in. It was also as cold inside as it was out so we didn't stop too long. We then followed a trail
Alpine View
How's that for a cool view? up to a very different style of castle overlooking the town itself which again conjoured up wonderful images of bygone days. All along our route today, I took the chance to walk individually with my father and Franziska, knowing and trying to ignore the fact that this would be the last few hours I would get to spend with them for a long time.
I have to say that I really like Fussen. It has a really oldy-worldy feel to it and I could easily imagine the place as a bustling Medieval town. There are some lovely old fashioned buildings lining the high street that reminded me of the tall narrow houses you find by the canals in Amsterdam. When our noses, ears, toes and fingers were just too cold to take it any more, we opted for a light lunch at a Chinese restaurant along the high street. You've got to hand it to the Chinese, I don't think we've been anywhere in the world where there wasn't a Chinese restaurant close by! Pots of hot tea and a tasty noodle dish later, we were almost ready for the off again but then to my horror, as I
prodded about my teeth with a toothpick at the end of the meal, I accidentally yanked out a massive filling :-(
To round off our walk, we stopped by the local traditional Christmas Market, which was nicely done but a bit too pricey for me. A brief stop back at our guest house to collect our things and it was time to head over to the train and say our goodbyes. I had no idea just how emotional it would be to say goodbye to my father and Franziska. My heart wrenched as the train pulled away from the station but as sad as I was to be going, I couldn't have wished for a more perfect weekend to spend with them. I'll miss them so much.
On the journey back to Munich, Esther and I got chatting to an American couple who were travelling briefly through Europe. Naturally, conversation steered towards international travel and before long, another girl sat behind us joined in the conversation too. It was interesting to hear that other people had had similarly negative experiences when travelling in Vietnam. It felt like no time at all before we were back in Munich again.
Fancy a Dip?
Jude is sad to learn that swimming is not permitted here, not that the cold might have put her off any how! No sooner had we arrived than I found myselfq uickly getting ready for a meal out with Esther's boyfriend, Wolfgang. My mum and I were whisked off to a traditional Bavarian restaurant where we tucked in to some of the tastiest food I've ever eaten (the chestnut soup was heavenly) and several enormous beers! It was a fun evening and a great way to round off an awesome weekend. Again, my biggest wish was that Glynn could have been there to enjoy it all too.
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