29th November 2014
This is probably the first holiday that we have
done without any sort of guide book. Normally we pick up a Lonely Planet and
use that to plan parts of our trip but this time we did everything online,
using Blogs, Tripadvisor and generic Google searches. Rory was head researcher
and suggested that we make the trip to Neuschwanstein Castle.
Built in 1886, by Ludwig II of Bavaria, it was
intended to be a private retreat for the reclusive King. From what I’ve read
online, Ludwig was a bit of a dreamer - he wanted a super nice castle and
didn’t really care how much it cost or how long it took to built. By the time
he died only 14 rooms had been completed and he’d only slept there for 11
nights! Seven weeks after his death they opened the castle to the public and
it’s now one of the busiest tourist attractions in Germany.
We got a tram, a train and a bus to the top of the
mountain and then we set off in search of the castle. It’s quite large so you
think it would be easy enough to find but it was ridiculously foggy and
visibility was reduced. After making our way to Queen Mary’s Bridge, which was
absolutely packed with tourists, we waited for the fog to clear before snapping
some pictures.
Despite the fog, it was a really nice day trip. We followed the crowds, did the standard tour route but also went off piste and explored the surrounding forest. After catching the bus, train and tram back to Munich we headed to the Christmas market which we wandered around, enjoying the sights and sounds. We even stumbled across a brass band playing Christmas carols. The Germans do know how
to get their Christmas on.
Another “must do” in Munich is visit one of the
beer halls which is exactly what we did for dinner. We were seated on a long
table, beside a German couple and Rory knocked back a few pints while I enjoyed
an orange and lemonade which was twice the price of the beer! We finished with
a leisurely walk and tram back to the hotel and a few episodes of Game of
Thrones which we are quickly becoming addicted to!
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