Munich, Neuschwanstein Castle, & the Bavarian Alps!

This hostel was also very nice, much like the one we stayed in while in Berlin. Something we’ve learned during this entire trip is, the nicer hostels seem to have the worst wifi connection. Go figure. Other than that, the hostel was very nice and clean, and we didn’t have rude roommates. Always a plus. After a nap, we had only one thing in mind: head to the Hofbrauhaus for dinner and beer. Walking through “traditional” Munich, we found it to be very similar to Busch Gardens…except Busch Gardens almost seems more authentic. Hmm. Maybe its because Munich has commercialized its Bavarian culture and dare I say it almost comes across as “cheesy?” The Hofbrauhaus is obviously a major tourist destination for visitors to Munich, and again, we were reminded of Busch Gardens when walking into the food hall. Maybe Busch Gardens is just amazingly good at recreating European cities and their cultures…haha.

We sat at the end of a long table, where we were given menus in German. After trying to decipher menu items written in German without success, our waiter offered to bring English menus to the table…thank goodness. Who knows what we would have ordered otherwise! Obviously when you go to the Hofbrauhaus, its tradition to order a one-liter stein of beer…but I actually passed on that one. I did not see myself finishing a liter of beer along with dinner, so I ordered a glass of German white wine…so good.  Although I wouldn’t normally eat traditional German food, I decided to go all out, so I ordered sausage and sauerkraut. Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed it…it’s not something I’d eat regularly, but it was worth a try since we are in Germany! Pretty soon after we ordered, a group of American ladies joined us. It was actually nice to carry on a conversation with others who you can fully understand and who can understand you, since we have faced a language barrier for nearly a week now. They were extremely nice, and we talked about college and our travels around Europe. We talked pretty much the entire time, and as the waiter left our bill for dinner, the ladies insisted on paying for our dinner! It was very nice of them, especially since we’re broke college grads backpacking our way through Europe…

After a night of little sleep, we woke up early this morning to join a tour group headed to Neuschwanstein Castle (otherwise known as Sleeping Beauty Castle). We traveled to Fussen by train, seeing gorgeous views of the Bavarian Alps along the way. We even saw some snow on the ground on the way to the castle! Our tour guide, who was very entertaining, told us that we could either walk  or take a bus up to the castle, which was on the side of a mountain. He said the walk would take “about 20 minutes,” so we decided it would be fine to walk. What our tour guide didn’t tell us, though, is that HE can walk up to the top in 20 minutes…but for any normal person, it would be more like 35 minutes, taking a trail off the beaten path, with a sharp incline! Needless to say, we definitely got our workout for the day. ha. The castle and the Alps surrounding it were breathtaking, and seeing it all in real life exceeded my expectations in Germany. THIS was the Germany I’d always pictured, and I was certainly not let down!