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Guten morgen!

Reid would often greet us in the morning in the native language. For some reason “guten morgen” stands out more than any other greeting. Mike and I still greet each with “guten morgen.” 

 

The second day at a location always feels good because I don’t have to say goodbye yet. Still more to enjoy in Bavaria!

The wow moment, to be honest, was taking in the chaos of tourism. Neuschwanstein is one of the most visited sites in Europe and there is no doubting it when you are there. At times it was hard to enjoy the castle because we were herded everywhere. But eventually you just give up and learn to laugh at the more difficult parts of travel- other tourists. 

Germany & Austria

Reutte, Austria and

Schwangau, Germany

May 11, 2013

Tour Day 7

Wow Moment

Food

For lunch I enjoyed sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, and sausage. I think I have reached my sausage and potatoes quota for the next four years.

 

For dinner we enjoyed a meal at our hotel again with our tour buddies. We had lamb ragu with potato croquettes. For dessert we enjoyed apple strudel.

Travel Tip

Even in a very touristy area you can meet your travel needs. After our day was done and we were heading down to the bus I noticed that there were walking trails in the forest. I hadn’t even thought to look for something like that at this popular site. One thing I’m learning about travel is that you can almost always find something that you really enjoy, wherever  you go. 

Today we took a day trip to Schwangau, Germany to explore some stunning castles! Our first stop was at Hohenschwangau, King Ludwig's summer home. We got to see the King's and Queen's rooms, which were beautiful. We also saw where Wagner slept and the piano he played on.

We ate some lunch and then toured Neuschwanstein. After our long trek up we waited for our turn to be admitted. We went in groups of about 60 and were literally herded around. As we walked from room to room we witnessed the castle’s intricate beauty. Each room was filled with so much detail it was difficult to take it all in.

A little piece of history- When the king was around 19 the castle started being built. It took four years to build and he only lived in it for 172 days. He was declared “crazy” because he was bankrupting his country. Shortly after, he and his psychiatrist were found drowned. To this day it is still uncertain if they were murdered or if they killed themselves. 

Thoughts & Observations of my German and Austrian Experience

Afterwards we continued to trek upwards to Mary’s bridge to see the classic view of Neuschwanstein.  Later we made our way back to our hotel and enjoyed another group dinner. 

  • My first impression when driving into Germany was- this place is beautiful. Germany and Austria are both so green and lush.

  • Germans are straight-forward, but not rude.

  • Germans and Austrians are not the same (I know I’ve grouped them on my website). Reid shared an Austrian saying with us - “better a beer belly from too much beer than a broken back from too much work.”

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