Germany Part II

Day 3:

In the morning we packed up and went on a bus headed to Germany’s famous castle of Neuschwanstein. The Bavarian government owns the castle. Germans also go by Bavarians because most of their history is owed to the strong and powerful Bavarian rulers before Germany existed as a country in the 1860s.

We rode bikes around the place and saw beautiful views of the castles, the alps, the farm land, and Swan lake (not the one that inspired Tchaikovsky).

After lunch we walked up a very steep path to the castle. (There is also a bus option that is 6€) There was a point I felt like I wasn’t controlling my legs but the view and the breeze were totally worth it!

You’re not allowed to photograph the inside of the castle but inside were huge rooms with marble columns and detailed furniture. Neuschwanstein means “New Swan stone” since the castle is by Swan Lake. Swans can be seen on the lake and their figure is in almost every room from statues to door handles to stain glass. Each room also has murals painted that were inspired by the operas by Richard Wagner.

I didn’t think going down would be so tough but it was. I had to control my feet not to run down and charge everyone below me. The tour guide kept saying it was a hot day but it wasn’t humid like on the East Coast.

I passed out in the bus. I was so exhausted. We then took the metro and moved to a cozy apartment that was similar to the hostel with low beds, IKEA paper lanterns, and colorful bedspreads.

Day 4:

We kicked off this day by drinking some fresh fruit smoothies from the same McDonald’s as yesterday. The mango banana smoothie was a lot better than the frappe from yesterday. We then met at a statue to start another bike tour but this time of the city.

We saw a lot of important buildings such as the Reichstag dome made of glass and the White Church. The Reichstag dome was created for the reunification of Germany and it’s made of glass to convey to the people that the government is transparent.

The White Church is a beautiful church with intricate designs in the marble throughout the place.

We had lunch at a beergarden at this pagoda called the Chinese Tower, which was odd to see that in Germany. It’s there to keep the traditional look of an English garden. A beergarden is an outdoor area where beer and food are served. We had the biggest meal ever there.

After that we stopped by to look at river surfing. The currents of the Eisbach (Isar river) flow so fast it’s like a local wave runner. I was not brave enough to try it and usually only the locals do it but it looked fun.

After the tour we went to a recommended ice cream place called Schuhbecks Eissalon. Getting in there was no easy task cause the line was long and inside was extremely warm. I guess they keep it hot to psych you up for ice cream.)

The outside was breezy on the way to St Michaels, one of the many churches since Germany is a very Catholic place.

There is one Protestant church but it is one of the least used buildings.

Walking back was very tiring. We stopped by the grocery store for snacks but we seemed to mostly get candy and water. We ate the original gummy bears.

Next we visit Salzburg!