Kelley and I arrived in Munich after spending a week and a half shivering in cold and rainy weather. The sun peeking out from the clouds was just what we needed to boost our moods. We had a quiet Sunday night and prepared for our day trip to see the Neuschwanstein Castle. I had heard about this popular tourist attraction because it is the castle that Disney modeled their Cinderella castle after in its Orlando theme park. It is also the inspiration for the fairy tale castle in Sleeping Beauty. This was probably as close as we would ever get to experiencing a real life fairy tale...although Prince Harry is still single.
After a two hour train ride we arrived in the small village of Hohenschwangau and hiked up a long, uphill path to the castle. It was absolutely spectacular. The castle floated above miles of green forests and fields with rivers and lakes interwoven into the landscape. The castle was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the 19th century and was never completed because of his mysterious death. The rooms are all ornately decorated with scenes from Richard Wagner’s many operas and there was even an artificial cave (very strange, I know) off the King's bedroom so he could sit and listen to music in private. When Kelley and I exited the castle we walked along a “gorge path” and came across hundreds of stacked rocks in a river bed. For years, travelers had been making these towers in the hopes of their wishes coming true. This tour took up the entire day and we were exhausted by the time we arrived back in Munich and were looking forward to sleeping in the next day.
We decided on Mike's Bike Tour for our last day in Munich, so we could see as much as possible. Our guide was a hilarious Australian, named James who was quick to deliver jokes while giving us a great overview of Munich’s historic sites, including one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen.
We stopped at a traditional beer garden and I drank a Radler (beer with lemonade) while Kelley went the more traditional route.
After our break we hopped back on our bikes and rode through an enormous park...almost twice as large as Central Park in NYC. James warned us of the clothing optional rule in the park and of the aging exhibitionists, including one nicknamed Tripod for reasons I will not get into. We also saw surfers surfing a man made wave in the river - Flo Rida German style.
After the bike ride, we met up with Kelley’s boyfriend’s uncle and drank yet another beer at Munich’s most popular beer hall, Hofbrauhaus. It was nice to meet up with a friend and rehash our past month abroad and all we had seen.
It should come as no surprise that Munich was our favorite stop so far along our European tour, mostly because of all our outdoor adventures and the amazing weather. I hope Prague will be just as nice!
xo
Merrin
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