Germany Day 17 – Neuschwanstein & on to Munich

Today we packed up, said farewell to Salzburg, Austria…

and headed back into Germany. It took 3.5 hours, traveling via mostly country roads…

Listening to Enrique Iglesias….

enjoying a birthday biscuit (from Nuremberg) to celebrate one of the girls birthday…

and a fairtrade banana…

Then finally…. in the distance…

[Neuschwanstein Castle….](http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/palace/)

I was in such desperate need of the bathroom by now that I didn’t get a photo of the car park – which was packed full with coaches and cars – I don’t believe I’ve seen anything quite like it – and this isn’t the PEAK season!!!!
Of course there was a line for the toilet :-(. Kevin took a few photos of the town while he waited.

We were told to grab a quick bite to eat and then catch the kutsher (horse drawn cart) up the hill to the castle. We didn’t have to wait too long but apparently the lines can get REALLY long.

You might have guessed by now it was a pretty cold day today – about 8 – 10 degrees outside!

We felt sorry for the horses having to drag us all up the hill but we got to speak to the driver on the way down and it seems they are very well cared for and looked after. I figure they are working horses, and like working dogs, hopefully love what they are doing. We know Christy would have loved this and it was certainly fun traveling as they would in the olden days.

There was then a 5 minute walk from where the horses took us up to the castle.
Ready for some more castle photos?

We had a bit of a wait up here until it was time for our tour. While looking in one of the shops the lady was kind enough to suggest we wait inside out of the cold. How nice was that? As you can see I was eating the roll we’d bought at the bottom. So desperate for lunch was I that I had to buy a cheese & ham roll and pick off the ham – something I won’t normally do (Kevin ate the ham).

Finally it was time for our tour. We did get a real guide this time but it was a HUGE group so hard to see and hear everything. We did fall in love with the inside of the castle though. Kevin & I both agreed we could live here :-). No photos inside, of course.
Amy got to fulfill her dream of having some Black Forest cake in the cafe (a reference to a fanfiction she’d read).

And Kevin got to have some apple strudel – which both he and Amy proclaimed to be even better than yesterdays! He had to eat it in a hurry though as we had to get back down to the bus.

I hope you aren’t sick of the castle yet because I’ve got a few more photos to share. It’s such a stunning castle (inside and out) and it’s easy to see why it was the inspiration for the Disney castles. I even managed to forgive it for being so crowded and popular.

I asked Amy to take a photo of us ….. umm, where’s the castle?

Take two…

There was a bit of a lack of carriages to get back down so we, along with some teachers, ended up being rather late, and last, to the bus.

Back through the countryside and eventually into Munich.

Our hostel is along the lines of the one in Berlin, though hopefully not a busy or noisy. Finances permitting this will probably be a our last stay in a hostel. They just aren’t quite our style. Some have been pretty good though and if you’re thinking of staying in hostels just read the reviews on trip advisor to make sure it’s going to be suitable for your family.

Tonights room is much more spacious than we’ve had before but is lacking in amenities, like shelves and hooks.

We do have a bath though, and a balcony complete with weeds. Oh, and free wifi because we’re right near the bar!!!!

The corridor is a bit on the creepy, prison-like side though.

We got settled in, then it was time for dinner. Same old usual pickings but I did get a nice vegetable schnitzel tonight.

Tomorrow : A walking tour on Munich and a visit to Allianz Arena.