Munich + Füssen + Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle |
Germany was the first stop for an over-week-long trip. After a lot of planning and debating over locations, it was decided Germany was a must-do. I was very excited leading up to this trip because I would get the opportunity to do so many new things and take a much-needed break from school.
I took a train to London and took a direct flight from London Heathrow Airport to Munich International Airport. From there, I took the train into town to check in at the Hotel Drei Löwen.
After a long travel day, I wanted to get a taste of classic German food and look around the town. I passed by lots of tourist shops selling cuckoo clocks and beer steins, and the streets smelled of sweet roasted nuts. Munich was busy even for a Thursday.
For dinner, I went to Hofbräuhaus, a huge three-story beer hall with a large selection of German food. This place was the perfect pick for the first meal in Germany. It was absolutely packed, and it was difficult to find a place to sit. After finding a spot, I ordered a lighter beer and beef goulash. The goulash was a mix of beef and vegetables with spices with a knödel, or boiled dumpling, to eat with it. I even got a giant pretzel! I enjoyed this meal to Bavarian oompah band music, which really completed the whole experience.
Hofbräuhaus |
The next morning, I was on an early train to Füssen. Füssen is a small mountain town two hours south of Munich near the border of Austria. The train ride there was beautiful. There were lots of green hills spotted with melting snow and a few smaller towns. Even though there was snow on the ground and it was cold, it was still a sunny day. I could see large, cragged mountains in the distance.
Füssen was such a cute town; the buildings were painted in a rainbow of pastels, and the shadows of the town still had snow. The plan for the day was to take a tour of Neuschwanstein Castle, an 1800s castle overlooking the town. There is another castle, Hohenschwangau Castle, but I was only really there for Neuschwanstein. If you are a Disney fan or are just familiar with the Sleeping Beauty Castle, you may recognize some similarities. Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland California was inspired by the Neuschwanstein Castle. From the train station, I got on a bus that would take me closer to the castle in the village of Hohenschwangau, and then a shuttle that would take me all the way up.
Neuschwanstein Castle |
The throne hall was completely gilded in gold and glass gems. There was a huge gold chandelier, candleholders, and colorful paint depicting Jesus Christ, the Twelve Apostles, and the six holy kings. It was nothing short of grand. One of my favorite parts was the large sun painted onto the domed ceiling.
As the sun was going down, I headed back into Füssen to eat at another German restaurant called Gasthof Krone that offered visitors bibs so they did not get their clothes dirty. I had a sourdough bread bowl with mushroom soup and beer from a barrel.
Füssen, Germany |
The next day I took a short train to another side of Munich to go visit the BMW Museum. I have limited knowledge about BMW, but I still thought it was very fun and well worth the trip. The way the museum was organized told the story of BMW and its origins in aviation and motorbikes. There was a wall of motorcycles that acted as a timeline, showing how BMW's bikes had evolved over the decades. I saw many different types of BMWs, many I had never seen before. The museum had an F1 and Formula E car, historic BMWs, and some of the most popular cars ever sold. My personal favorite is the BMW Isetta because of how outlandish of a car it was. The Isetta has one door that opens from the front and three wheels—probably a deathtrap on wheels, but it is cute. I also really like a Jägermeister wrapped turbo E21.
1979 Jägermeister BMW E21 |
The rest of the day was spent walking around Munich. I saw the Rathaus-Glockenspiel in Marienplatz Square, but not in action. It only puts on a show at certain times of the day. When it does go off, characters do a dance to chimes at the top of the hour. After the final hours in Munich, it was time to hop on a train to the next location: Prague, Czech Republic.
I was surprised at how useful it was to carry cash because all the other places I had relied upon tap-to-pay. Munich felt safe to walk around and was a clean city. Besides the occasional panhandler, I never felt uncomfortable in the city. Neuschwanstein Castle has been one of my favorite things to do so far because the snow in the trees with the fall colors was absolutely unreal. The castle overlooked a lake surrounded by trees, it looked like a scene straight from a painting. People were so friendly, and I enjoyed trying new foods and seeing a rural area of the country. I am so glad I chose to go to Germany.
This blog post was written for HON491C
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