Blogs from Fussen, Bavaria, Germany, Europe - page 7

Hey everyone! I hope all are well and not to cold and wet! I have just got back from another week logging in Austria. This time in the mountains in a little place called Grossreifling. Amazing country. Big rivers and very steep hills! It is nice being back in Hopfen. I can relax for a few days! Although this weekend I have been invited to experience beer drinking Bararian style by one of the girls who rides on the farm. I am not sure what that really means but I bet its fun! Ha! I will report back on that one. I had one long weekend in Ansbach with Melanie a couple of weeks ago. Lots of really good food, and a little bit of beer. My ability to handle german beer has me fearing ... read more

We have spent the last few days cycling in the foothills of the Allgau Alps, in southern Germany. We’ve had some beautiful views and also some typical mountain weather (rain, which I think we are finally getting used to!) The famous Ludvig II Neuchwanstein castle looked very mystical in the rain, if not quite matching the postcard view. The Allgau region is very pristine, with intricately carved mountain chalets and neat geranium window boxes and many speciality farm products are sold here. The beer in this region is also very good, with small breweries still using large copper vats and only putting 3 ingredients in their beer (malt, hops, and water). They’ve only been adding hops since the middle ages! Nig has been the official taster for the tour and rates Allgau-benedictine most highly (think he’s ... read more

We took a two hour train from Munich to Fussen to see Neuschwanstein (the Cinderella castle) and Hohenschwangau. It was a really gorgeous train ride into the country. We got to see a wonderful view of the Alps and German towns. We took a tour of Hohenschwangau first, the smaller of the two castles. We had a really funny man as our tour guide, so it was a good experience. Then we went to Neuschwanstein, and the views were stunning! From outside the window you could see the most beautiful lake and mountain range. It was amazing! The decorations definitely looked like Disney World. It wasn't like the castles in London or Paris at all, it was much more fairy tale like. The walls had paintings of different opera stories and tales of the times. We ... read more

Geo: 47.5737, 10.6924Today Jen and I did a day trip to this well known castle, Neuschwanstein. It was a two hour train journey south and then a 5 minute bus trip. The car park at the bottom of the castle was full of tourist buses. Surrounding the car park there were many souvenir shops and lots of places to have a German snack. We were pretty excited to be visiting this castle, having seen many photos of it. I didn't know any of the history behind it and I actually learned something today, if I retain it- that's another issue. Looking up from the car park we could see the castle. From here it was all uphill. On the way up we walked past Hohenschwangau castle which was built in the 12th century. The most recent ... read more

Twas the Night before Christmas and all through the House…or Hotel… Christmas Eve Breakfast Buffet After sleeping in a bit today we headed down to the Christmas (Eve) Morning Buffet. It was really nice and very crowded. Besides the normal cold cuts, bread and assorted jams there was bacon and eggs as well. We ate and ate and ate…by time we were done we were fully stuffed and felt the need to get some exercise to work off all the food. Castles…the Real Thing Despite the fact that both of the castles in the area were closed, we headed over in their direction figuring we could at least see them from outside and maybe walk around a bit. Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castles are both beautiful and classic. King Ludwig (King during the late 1800’s) grew ... read more