Zugspitze and Neuschwanstein

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Yesterday we set out to visit first, Neuschwanstein, the famous cinderella castle and then to go up to the top of Germany to the Zugspitze.

Upon driving in and arriving at Neuschwanstein, we had beautiful views, including Howenschwangau, where mad King Ludwig II grew up. I remember living in this area and being able to drive to the castle and get tickets to see the inside right at the site. No Longer......... Today, you must park over one mile from the castle, purchase tickets near the parking lot and then either walk or pay for a bus ride to the castle. These changes are obviously due to the influx of too many tourists, and from what I saw, at least 10,000 Japanese with long selfie sticks. Must be some kind of phallic contraption. We arrived at 10:00 and began to stand in line for tickets, but quickly realized this was not our favorite thing to do in Germany. I later learned one must reserve tickets at least a week in advance to set a tour time and avoid the lines. For me, the changes here were really a disappointment. But, we saw the castles and said aufwiedersehen to this beautiful site and drove to the Zugspitze.

The Zugspitze is the highest point in Germany at 2,962 meters, or 9,717 feet. We chose to go up to the top by taking a cog train from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a quaint German city which once hosted the Olympics. After one hour on the train, the then took a cable car to the top. It was a little overcast so the views were not as spectacular as on a very clear day, but spectacular never the less.

Was a great day for me to see Sophie see two of the famous sites which are dear to me from my time there, 18 years ago.

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Comments

[Jeff Frantz]

Love your blogs. Keep them coming. Enjoy your trip..