Neuschwanstein Castle Visit and Downtown Munich

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Geo: 48.1391, 11.5802

(Erin here.) Day 2 began several times for me, first at 1:15 AM, then at 2:30, then at 4:10, and then again for the last time at 5:00. You'd think that with such a long day of traveling and sightseeing the day before that I'd have been able to sleep all through the night, but my stubborn brain insisted that it was the middle of the afternoon and that I should be wide awake! Oh, and I was hungry too. We're 8 hours ahead in Germany which is enough to make it a bit of an adjustment. By 5ish, I figured that if I were going to be wide awake, then so should Sean. So I tossed and turned enough that he woke up too, and we left the hotel in the wee hours of the morning for a nice stroll along the bike path of the quiet town. We walked along the barley field at sunrise, snapping pictures, and petting the local black and white kitty who was all too happy to get petted and trot along beside us. Only the rain drove us back inside where we had plenty of time to get ready for the day.

The breakfasts and dinners on tour are included, and usually served in the hotel. Breakfasts consist of slices of various meats and cheeses (no one is really sure what we're eating), hard-boiled eggs, a myriad of whole grain or white breads, jellies, teas, and fruit (sometimes canned and sometimes fresh). Day 2 began with the standard on-tour fare, but the students seem content (Jared loves the bread and ate 6 rolls one morning!), so because they are, I am too.

After breakfast it was back on the bus for the Neuschwanstein Castle visit, referenced by Manuel as "the fairy-tale castle." It was a misty, rainy day which only added to the romanticism of the whole excursion. We could see the castle from quite a distance away on the highway, and it steadily grew larger along with our excitement as we approached. It's the castle after which Cinderella's was modeled, but of course the real one far surpassed its fairy tale counterpart. It's perched atop this precipice, surrounded by thick forest, and in view of the Alps (which were enshrouded in clouds, but we didn't care). Everywhere you look from the castle is down and out—down to the rolling green landscape below, dotted by small houses and one pristine lake, and out to the layers upon layers of mountaintops.

The parking lot and collection of restaurants and shops only brings you within a 30 minute walk of the castle itself, so we were in for a bit of an uphill hike—something Sean and I reveled in! I'm proud to say that the Idahoans ascended to the castle ahead of all the South Carolinians, and were right there along with our tour guide. We enjoyed a 20 minute tour through Ludwig II's castle, with is jeweled chandeliers and paintings of maidens kissing their knights goodbye, of Perceval in pursuit of the holy grail. There was even a “cave” room, which was literally a cave complete with eerie green lights and stalactites. It's clear that with money, a Bavarian king will indulge in his imagination!

After the tour, I had been advised by my tour coordinator pre-departure to skip the gift shop and walk out to the bridge for a more quintessential photo-op of the castle. This proved to be the best advice so far! The only problem was that we only had 30 minutes in which to be back at the bus at the bottom of the hill, and the bridge was in the opposite direction, of course. Sean and I, along with Hannah, Jared, and Carolyn (mother to Kayla, my other student along on the trip), hoofed it out to the bridge, which was immediately reminiscent of the Multnomah Falls Bridge in Oregon. We trusted the bridge with our additional weight, and it was worth it (as I'm sure you can see from the pictures). What a sight! After a quick few shots, we ran down the hill, taking care not to slip and fall on the wet path, or not step in the horse poop from the horse-drawn buggies. We were about 7 minutes late getting to the bus, but Manuel gave us a friendly understanding smile and just shouted, “Well don't lose that camera now!”

That evening we arrived in Munich where we stayed for 2 nights. Our tour group (30 total) ventured into the city center via the subway (complete with its stench of urine in the terminal), for a little adventure. We walked down the pedestrian avenue lined with expensive department stores on both sides, and which towered overhead with their lavish window displays: revolving disco-like balls or German manikins in their hand-stitched lederhosen (we thought of you Luke!).

Then it was into a pub where we sampled some of the local beer and ate giant pretzels. It was a lively, raucous atmosphere that pretty much epitomized the Germany we already had in our heads. Men were singing at the top of their lungs, and the barmaids hurried to and fro with their fists clenched around 5 or 6 steins at a time, taking care not to slop the frothy beverages on any patrons. When we emerged onto the street again, we marveled at the people-watching to be had: men pulling wheeled carts for tourists, the token drunk guys bellowing out in German with their booming laughter, and a bachelorette party where the ladies all wore bunny ears. It started raining about the time we were buying our gelato, but I secretly loved how the streetlamps reflected in the wet concrete, creating a shiny and smeared, dreamlike world. We would definitely return to Munich!

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Comments

[Chris]

Urine in a subway smells the same in any language doesn't it? Photos are wonderful of course, and ahhh the memories of Multnomah Falls! Love you!

[Dad]

OMG. What a wonderful description of your day in Munich. Rain is not always a bad thing, and it shows in your stunning pics. Thanks again for taking the time to share.