Category: Travel – Germany

Today Kevin & I managed to be awake at 5am – which is probably the earliest this whole holiday. Thank goodness we have free wifi in our room. And the noise from the bar didn’t disturb Kevin at all (he didn’t even hear it) and I managed to get to (and stay) sleep okay.
Another usual breakfast. Don’t feel like bread rolls and cheese any more but still force myself to eat it so I’ve had something. It’s still delicious, I’m just so over it.
Our day began with a tram ride…

into the city center center, where we went on a guided walking tour of the old city. The only part of the old city walls left are these gates.

The tour was good, but not great. But that might have been because there was one guide and 37 people.
We saw inside this gorgeous church from the early Baroque period. But like many other German towns, 80% was destroyed in WWII, so isn’t actually original – sure does look it though.

The old town is really gorgeous. Lots of old-looking buildings and nice, modern shops.

There was a great brail map of the city, which was the first real interactive thing we’d seen for Kim.

And there was the place that the Nazi party really got started.

The stunning Opera House – built after the French Revolution so that more people could enjoy the opera (not just a few of the elite)

More lovely buildings, which people actually live in.

And the amazing City Hall where we arrived right on 11am to see the glockenspiel – which might have been the height of entertainment once, but these days not so much.

After our guided tour ended we went to the markets – which is apparently the place to get food. And there were certainly lots of food places.

We made a fabulous choice. And while it was pretty cool out (only about 10 deg) it was still lovely sitting in the fresh air.

I started with a nice hot cup of tea.

Which was served with yummy caramelized sugar rocks.

I chose the most delicious potato pancakes I’ve ever had.

Kevin (and Harriet) had Goulash – with spicy sausages and big chunks of potato – as per Kevin’s description.

We had a bit of free time so we explored some shops.

And saw this Jackcow – Micheal Jackson cow – too cute.

And we found this shop selling the BEST German chocolate. We actually had to make a return trip a bit later as Kevin wanted to buy some more. I love the name and logo.

Love how lots of the outdoor cafes have blankets to help keep you warm.

We met up with the group and spotted our first Golden for the day. Too cute. Kevin went across the road to get a photo and he got to pat him.

We then had free time for shopping – yay!!! We set off with the girls but split up with them after H&M, where I bought some things for Christy. Then Kevin and I ended up splitting up as well. I found a cosmetic store called Douglas. I also visited Swarovski and bought a gift.

Kevin visited the Apple store (which I had spotted earlier).

We then had a walk back to the Opera House square where we got a coach out to the Allianz Arena.

There was a special meeting place for our group.

The tour was pretty good – even for us non-Soccer (Football) fans. The stadium is rather impressive.

It holds about 70,000 and the season is always sold out before it even starts.

We got to the see the teams changing rooms.

And the tunnels that they run through out onto the pitch.

While we enjoyed the tour, it would be fantastic if you were a fan of the main team that plays here.

There was also a museum but Kevin & I opted to sit and have snack break. But those in the group that are soccer fans had a fabulous time.

There was also THE most amazing supporters shop. Made me wish I was a supporter so I could buy something. There was something for everyone. Kevin even spotted dog food/water bowls!

Loved the shadow painting on the wall showing the way out.

From here we had a slow trip back to the hostel, due to traffic. Dinner tonight was surprisingly good. Spaghetti with marinara sauce and salad. But I forgot to take a photo.

Tomorrow : Dachau Concentration camp

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.

with the sound of music… as we headed out on our Sound of Music tour. First stop was Leopoldskron Palace, which they used for many of the exteriors and was the lake the kids swam in.

Such a gorgeous spot and we had our first Goldie spotting of the day.

We then went to visit Hellbrunn Palace, where the gazebo is now housed. Remember “16 going on 17”?

Beautiful gardens here.

While I was photographing the flowers I looked up and saw a Golden, whom I was allowed to pat…

and whom promptly rolled over for a tummy rub, still holding her ball in her mouth. I was so happy :-).

Unfortunately we had to leave and head off in the coach. Another golden was spotted. The Goldies here are very light and quite small.

Next stop Wolfgang Lake. Mozarts Mum was born nearby and it’s believed she named him after the lake.

Such a pretty place. As you can imagine I took quite a bit of video.

We then drove to the absolutely gorgeous town on Mondseer. I would have loved to been able to stop and take photos along with the way here.

The kids had fun prancing across the field.

We then went to visit the church where the wedding was filmed.

Time for some apple strudel, which was truely one of the best I’ve ever had. Unfortunately the photo I took of it is on my phone (but you might have already seen in on instagram, facebook or twitter).

We then frolicked back through the field. But I realized too late I felt really bad about squashing the flowers, though I did try to avoid them.

Loved this place so much and really wanted to spend more time here. It was lovely seeing all the families out walking or biking.

We then headed back to Salzburg in the bus and were dropped off at the Mirabell Gardens where 5 scenes from Do- Re- Mi were filmed.

More pretty flowers.

And a really great statue guy.

Yet another golden was spotted (so many dogs out today)

We then caught the funicular up to see Hohensalzurg Fortress (not a castle after all).

We did the audio tour but were once again disappointment. It seemed badly done and we didn’t learn much (though I’m thinking not much happened here). There were lovely views from the top though.

Once again we’d missed having lunch at lunchtime. It was 3pm and we wanted to get something to eat. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to eat at this gorgeous cafe.

Back down the funicular Kevin found a German sausage to have (nothing vegetarian). The photo I took of the sausage looked too disgusting to put on here, so you get an action shot of Kevin eating it instead.

When the group all met up again we walked to Mozart’s birthday, which has been turned into a museum.

We were able to explore on our own but we were pretty tired and had very sore feet so weren’t much interested in reading all the plaques. Would have been a lot better with a guide to point out things.

Afterwards I discovered that at the bottom was a SPAR (supermarket) packed full of lots of healthy foods.

We bought some bananas, and I got a lentil salad (for a very late lunch at 4pm).

It was rather yummy and I felt good about giving my body something nourishing.

We had some free time and would have loved to go shopping but nearly all of the stores were closed. Instead we had some fun….

and I made another friend….

Then it was back to the hostel….

where I enjoyed not one, but two lovely cups of tea while working on my blog (in the lobby where you can get free wifi as we don’t have any internet access while in Austria).

Then it was time for dinner. Not quite sure what they were – I think potato with spinach and cheese, then fried. They were rather yummy and it made a nice change. This hostel has definitely had the best vegetarian options.

After dinner we hung out with the teachers for a bit then headed up to bed. I had a bit of trouble getting to sleep tonight. Too many aches and pains. Really wish I could have a nice hot bath….

Tomorrow : Back to Germany to visit Neuschwanstein Castle and on to Munich

Another punctual start with a a 7am breakfast and 7.45am check out (but at least we didn’t get unpacked last night). I got to enjoy some croissants today, which made a nice change from white rolls.

Todays trip was by coach, while not as fun as the train, at least it meant we didn’t have to drag our luggage all over the place.
It was quite a long trip but once we left the city, we got to enjoy lots of cute country towns.

I wrote up my blog and checked some blogs. We had a stop after two hours (as required by law for our bus driver) and got some snacks.

Finally we hit the alps, which were absolutely stunning.

At 1pm we arrived at the salt mine town. It was unbelievably warm (around 23 deg).

Now this is a town I could live in. Talk about a magic setting.

We had a brief toilet break (which I was very grateful for) and then it was time for our tour of the salt mine.

We had to don these very attractive overalls.

We then got to board a train and head down into the mine. Unfortunately we couldn’t take any photos. It was a really good tour. I did get a little panicky on the train as we headed through the tunnel but I decided to just pretend it was a Disney ride and I was fine after that.

One of the best parts was getting to go down the slides. There was also a funicular ride and a raft float across a salt lake (accompanied by music and lights). We all really enjoyed the visit here.

We had time to grab a late lunch (it was 3pm) but there was nothing vegetarian. So my lunch was a choc coated icecream.

Not the healthiest but what could I do? It was then back on the bus for the short (30min or so) trip into Austria. The boarder crossing here was almost no existent. Not long after we entered Salzburg. We were all trying to get a photo of this castle up on the hill. It was proving difficult until we arrived at the youth hostel. This is the view from the front.

We were given a room on a different floor to everyone else. The only problem we got bunk beds!!! I bagsed the bottom one right away – no way am I going up a wooden ladder.

We regrouped and headed into town – which was about a 10min walk.

Another lovely town with plenty of old buildings. We were admiring all the lovely horses when the teachers invited us to join them on a carriage ride.

This was so much fun.

And we even spotted a golden.

This was a 20min ride around the city center.

When we got back I got to pat the horse. He was so hot being that it was such a warm afternoon, and having carted us all around town.

On our way back to the hotel I ended up buying a painting by a local artist. Amy also bought herself a black and white one. Hope it makes it home okay.

One last castle shot this evening.

We also stopped to buy an apple pretzel to have after dinner.

And we got the pat the golden, named Beethoven, that we’d seen earlier.

We then headed back to the hotel for dinner. I was especially pleased to find a vegetarian sign.

It’s another nice dining room.

And dinner was a delicious vegetarian pasta bake – very much like I’d make at home.

After dinner we stayed for the kids quizz and then joined the teachers for some coffee. And I got one of the best teas I’ve had this trip.

We also shared our apple pretzel and a donut pretzel (supplied by one of the other teachers). The donut pretzel was the best.

Then it was up to our room and into our bunk beds.

Tomorrow : The Sound of Music tour