More Germany - Munich to Fussen

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Nordlingen - Munich

(please note that photos further down the page, taken in Dachau Concentration Camp, might be upsetting to some people)


Tuesday 3rd September (Day 9)

Today we jumped up in time to have the giant cooked breakfast buffet that was included in our room tariff - Vaughan had been looking forward to German sausages for breakfast, so he chowed down. The variety was excellent and we both enjoyed the fresh fruit salad as well, and it set us up for a good day. Another quick wander and drive around the town, we decided to head off for Munich. On our way out of the walled area we stopped at a mini-golf course for a bit of a challenge - we have done this from time to time while travelling, and I think I might have the best record. The course wasn’t very good, and it was so incredibly hot out in the sun, but I managed to beat Vaughan’s butt again, so I was satisfied with that!

Off we ventured again, this time on the motorway all the way - despite the air conditioning in the car, it became unbearably hot, and I was badly sunburned as I was sitting on the sunny side. I was just glad when we arrived in Munich, especially as we had been there before, and much of the inner city was very familiar. We have previously visited Munich, and you can see our blog here . On the way to our accommodation we passed by the large fairgrounds where they were setting up for Oktoberfest, which was taking place, just a couple of weeks later. Unfortunately we were only in Munich for 2 nights so didn’t get to go, but without the crowds and the expensive Oktoberfest prices, I think that we both really preferred it that way. Munich was just as nice as we remembered - there is something about the people there. The Southern friendliness towards strangers, and the traditional clothing (as well as the giant beer halls) really make you feel like you are in the thick of things.

After checking into our hotel we walked into the main square (Marienplatz) - we were staying slightly further away than our previous visit, but it was still within walking distance. As we made it to the square we heard the glockenspiel chiming out, and got there just in time to see the characters spinning around in the tower - good timing. From there we just wandered down to the markets (Vaughan’s favourite place, as they sell all kinds of fresh meats), although they were just closing for the day. We bought some supplies from the supermarket and then walked over to the Opera House and sat on the steps of the statue, having a few cold drinks which felt really nice on such a hot day. There was a group of skateboarders in the square and we just relaxed while watching them do their tricks on the large, smooth, tarmac. The sun began to set and we really didn’t have a desire to rush off anywhere, so we eventually wandered slowly to Hofbrauhaus (one of the main beer halls we enjoyed last time), so I could get a few photos and videos of the oompha band (the last ones were lost when we lost our digital camera on our previous trip). We sat around there for a while and had a drink or two, but I wasn’t feeling up to much after so much sun in the car, so we headed out to find something to eat (managing to find some cheapie bratwurst sausages at the Trainstation on the way past), before returning to the motel to relax and catch up on a few emails. Not a bad day at all!


Wednesday 4th September (Day 10)

We woke up without any real plans of what to see or do in Munich, as we had visited many of the attractions already. We decided to return to Dachau Concentration Camp, as it had been raining on our previous visit (and it was free to get in). I wanted to take some more photos (also because of the lost camera from last time), so after some breakfast at the motel, we headed out in the mini. It took us a while to find it as we didn’t actually have a map, but we managed to fluke it (along with recognising some of the streets from last time - it is out of town some way), and ventured in for another look. It was just as sobering as our previous visit, if not more so because there were very few people visiting the camp that day and it looked quite desolate. In fact, I think because I didn’t really spend so much time reading all the signs or looking in the museum (where we were more occupied), I certainly felt more overwhelmed than previously. At one point we stood in the centre of the area that had housed all the people (mostly there are only foundations left now), and I was filming a 360 degree video clip on the camera, and Vaughan and I were both silent for quite a time, not really able or wanting to say anything.

We didn’t stay at Dachau for as long this time, so we ventured back towards the city to get to the markets before they closed. Vaughan ate a multitude of free meat samples from various stalls (the vendor’s eyes lighting up with the potential for a guy of Vaughan’s size to buy out half their products), and we just wandered around, taking it easy. We ventured back to Hofbrauhaus earlier this time (because it’s our favourite) - we ended up sitting next to some very unfriendly tourists who wanted to keep to their group of four (very un-beerhall-like behaviour), so we ordered some (fantastic and humungous) food for dinner (I had a giant pork speciality meal, which of course I shared with Vaughan, and Vaughan had some type of meat fritters with loads of German side dishes - excellent), while we planned our next attack. We went for a quick walk outside as the sun had set and the streets were all lit up, before venturing back inside for a second round of the oompha band and a few more big German beers. We sat at a table and began talking to an Austrian guy (who worked in Switzerland, and was in Germany for business) - he was friendly and also really interested in New Zealand, so we spent a couple of hours with him. Eventually though, we decided to head back to the motel, as it really wasn’t quite as convenient as the place we had stayed in last time, and we didn’t want to be wandering around all night. Munich had certainly been as enjoyable as always, and we hope to visit there yet again someday.


Munich - Fussen

Thursay 5th September (Day 11)

We started the day by heading back out onto a real country road, after being forced to take a detour due to roadworks. It was excellent in a way, as it meant we drove through many awesome wee German towns, and passed impressive out-of-the-way eccentric German castles. We cruised through more beautiful countryside, taking our time, before nearing our destination. We could see some giant mountains in the distance, and broke out of the countryside to finally see them in full view, with a really pretty lake (Lake Forggensee) in the foreground, making for a very impressive photo opportunity. The mountains looked absolutely monstrous even compared to the ones back home in New Zealand, and the view was quite breath-taking (these mountains border Austria). We headed for the small town of Fussen at the foot of the mountains, getting lost on the way to our hostel, but not minding one bit. We eventually found the hostel, where the manager immediately informed us that we were actually staying in a different (associated) hostel, closer to the town centre - fine by us. We followed him there in the car and managed to get checked in. The accommodation was pretty basic but we had our own door to the outside, with a BBQ table on the patio, which was pretty nice. Upstairs, from the balcony, we got our first glimpse of Neuschwanstein Castle - supposedly the model for the Disneyland ‘Fairytale Castle’ that most of us will remember. It was impressive even from a distance, and we were looking forward to seeing it the next day. For the evening however, we decided to relax after having a quick look around the town and getting some quick supplies in the local supermarket.

The town itself was very small and quaint, with just a handful of fairly busy cobblestone streets. There seemed to be quite a lot of tourists, but as the town was quite small, it wasn’t overwhelming. We had a look in the cuckoo clock shop, and admired the handiwork at the pottery store, where fine miniature replicas of local houses and buildings were sold (they were pretty impressive, and even had lights inside). We tried a Fussen delicacy which was quite yummy (a type of large, crunchy biscuit ball, covered in a variety of choices of chocolate or yoghurt flavours), but the wasps in the area seemed to like them just as much, so we had to walk around while eating, to avoid them. The sky was a stunning blue and it was warm outside. We headed back to the hostel after a couple of hours where we had a few drinks at the BBQ table while I wrote some postcards. Later we walked the few minutes back into town and ate at a small local restaurant - with Vaughan ordering his typical roast pork leg. He also seemed to be enjoying practicing his German skills, and managed to make many of the orders without having to speak English (although this was not really needed). Dinner was fantastic (and massive), and we waddled back to the hostel. When we arrived, a couple from the next room came out to sit and chat with us, which was quite nice (Declan from Ireland and Kirby from the USA). We didn’t realise there was a curfew at the hostel (a time we had to be quiet by), and as the evening was so warm, we continued to sit outside talking, and kept wondering why we were being ‘shushed’ by a group of people from upstairs, especially as we could hear people in other rooms making even more noise than us. It was a little strange but we still had a fun evening, and it was nice to spend some time just relaxing at our hostel rather than rushing around as usual, late into the night.

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