Germany Trip, Day 18

Last day in Munich

Trying to squeeze in as much as I can. I packed up and took the U-Bahn to the Hauptbahnhof where I left my bags in a locker €5,0 for the day. I took the train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the Bavarian village near the Zugspitze- the tallest mountain in Germany. The weather forecast wasn't good, but it was better than yesterday. It would be a shame to spend all that money and see nothing. From Garmisch I took the train to where we changed trains for a cogwheel train. Similar principle to the San Francisco trolleys,

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It took us up and through a long tunnel to the top of the glacier.

I was amazed at how warm it was.

It was totally fogged clouded out, everything was white, but when you went into the 'sun' it felt warm. Back in the shade, cold again

From there a gondola and up to the summit of the highest mountain in Germany.

Upon return to Munich I went to the Feldherrnhalle.

This is where the Beerhall Putsch was put down. After the Nazis took power they installed memorials to the Nazis who died there. and required the citizenry to give the Hitler salute whenever passing by. Behind the Hall is Viscardigasse, an alley that people used to avoid having to salute the monuments. This street became known as 'shirker's alley'.

In 1998 the city of Munich laid bronze stones to remember the people who went out of their way to avoid rendering the 'Hitler Salute'

Schloss Nymphenburg, built by Ludwig II and used as the summer palace.

Night train for Berlin at 11:00 pm
"Save a day by travelling overnight!"
"Arrive at your destination relaxed and rested on one of the numerous routes within Germany and beyond." - Deutsche Bahn website.

They are full of S**T!
Full car, the set leaned back somewhat. It was an hour before they turned off the overhead lights. Had a beer in the dining car, didn't help much.

Germany Trip, Day 17

Wet dreary day in München
I am totally exhausted from today, I haven't written any commentary.
Unless I find myself at a 'hotspot' this probably won't get updated until Berlin on Tuesday. Tomorrow I will go to Garmisch-Partenkirschen, weather permitting. Stay tuned.

I could have posted a lot of pictures. If you want to see them email me later. These two sum it up for me.

Germany Trip, Day 16

Munich Bound

I leave for Munich today. Train to Nurnburg then change for Munich train. I arrive at the Hauptbahnhof then take the U-Bahn to the residence where I'm staying. I've emailed the rentor twice and received no reply. I will call when I arrive Munich. I have no idea if I will have easy internet access.
this may be it for a while

I left Schwäbisch Hall this morning. Pat had 3 eggs left over so I scrambeled them. I had already packed my coffee so I could only have tea to drink, sacrilege! It still beat what I had planned for breakfast, a brötchen with butter. Added bonus, saved trip to the bakery.
I'm taking the train from Schwäbisch Hall Hessental to Nürenburg. We got the Bahnhof in plenty of time by taxi. Had time for a cup of coffee which was suprisingly good. I was gratified to see some of the other passsengers drinking beer and downing shots at 930 in the morning. Gotta love Germany, it's Ireland with a Teutonic accent.
The train arrived precisely on time (naturlich). There were a bunch of rowdy (drunken) football fans on the train. It made for a colorful ride.

The ICE (InterCity Express) train was incredible. Very comfortable reclining seats. There was a screen by the door which displayed the train information as well as rhe speed. At one time I saw the train was going 296 kph, which I believe is about 180 mpd. And the ride was smooth! It only took an hour between Nürnberg & München.

The Marienplatz. There was a huge rally going on for the Football Club München. I think they were playing Berlin and beating them. You would not believe the drunkenness on the way back. As you can see, they actually wear the lederhosen regularly and are not just playing dressup. They are traditional clothing they are proud of. I liken them to Texans wearing their stetsons.

Marienplatz, location of the famous Glockenspiel clock.

Viktualienmarkt

Open air market selling produce, meats, cheeses, etc.

I finally have digital service on my phone, on which I'm writing this post. I'm sitting in the Augistiner Bier Garten having just downed a 1L Maß of pils.

Biertrinken at the Augustiner-Bräustuben

I drained that whole damned thing. Funny thing was, I wasn't thirsty to begin with. The beer was excellent. Curiously, there were 2 less Bierdeckels on the table than when I got there.

The weather turned to crap. Rainy, getting colder. This is going to put a damper (pardon the pun) on the next two day's plans.

Germany Trip, Day 10

My whirlwind tour of the German speaking world continues...

The hotel (Hotel am Südring ) where I'm staying is a pleasant suprise. The room is small by American standards but quite nice by European standards. They have a brass plate in front of the hotel showing that it is a 2 star, I'd give it 2½. The bed was comfortable, much more so than at the Wohnheim. The furniture and finishings seemed new, a rustic looking light pine. The bathroom also new and spacious by German standards, especially for a small hotel. Price was ok, too.

I'll have pictures up tonight. No school tomorrow morning, but we have an activity in the afternoon

The bear seemed to like having his picture taken. The the soundtrack accompanying the drive was Jimmy Buffett's boxed set Bars, Boats, Beaches and Ballads (in no particular order) probably played louder than Buffetts been heard on the Autobahn. I should have brought some Springsteen...
On the drive to Füssen the Autobahn ends about 30 klicks from the town. Bavaria is incredibly beautiful and parts of it remind me a little of Wisconsin, and to paraphrase their unofficial motto, "Visit Bavaria and smell our dairy air". Whoooof!

Parking was a little tight even though I was driving a small 4 door sedan. (5-speed). What I found unbelievable was the pay toilets near the parking and shops. .50 € (75¢) to use the bathroom.

The Bavarian Alps

The views are spectacular, even from the souvenir/hotel/restaurant area.

Schloss Hohenschwangau, King Ludwig II's parents residence

Over the entrance to the kitchen. The motto translates, "In drinking and eating you shouldn't forget G-d".

We were treated to a flyover by the Bavarian Air Force

You can get to the castle by horsedrawn cart, bus or on foot. The ride up cost € 5.00 by cart, € 1.80 by bus. I elected to walk, I need the excercise. It was about a 25 minute hike up the mountain.

With horse drawn carts comes horse by-products.

View on the way up

Exterior wall of castle.

Entrance

Lower interior courtyard, where visitors line up for tours. Supposedly Walt Disney used this castle for the inspiration for the Cinderellas castles in the Disney© evil empire. The place did have Disneyesque feel about it. This was built as a fantasy castle, as weaponry by the 19th century when it was built had rendered castles obsolete.

The upper yard (Hof) of Schloss Neuschwanstein

Inside the courtyard.

Model of the castle, at the end of the tour just before you exit. Herr T and Frau L would be proud of me, I took the German language tours (even though English ones were available) I could probably understand 50-60% of what the 'Führleiterinen' said, but I missed the jokes.

The tour lasted about 35 minutes and cost € 9.00. Ludwig II, sometimes called Mad King Ludwig was fixated on a Romantic vision of German history (a recurring theme?). He had this thing about swans and a mythical "Swan Knight". There are paintings and swan statuary all over the castle. He was also a patron of Richard Wagner and many of the rooms are themed in the Wagner operas like Tannhäuser. While I don't think Ludwig was psycho, I would have to say he was quite eccentric. My best way to describe him is that he was Elvis and his castles were Graceland, on a larger scale.

View of Mariensbrücke (Mary's Bridge) You have to click on the pic, it is that beautiful.

The castle from Mariensbrücke. Unfortunately it rained and got cool while I was on the tour so the picture is not as good as it could have been.

Another view of Hohenschwangau earlier in the day

Hohenschwangau from Neuschwanstein late in the day in the rain.

The village of Pinschwang in Austria. I had dinner at Gasthof zum Schluxen. Of course I had the Wienerschnitzel and the local beer, Mohren Bräu. The beer was good, and the cutlet was outstanding. Even better than mine, but a little too much salt. I had to finish off with a sacher torte and coffee to give me the strength for the drive back to Swäbisch Hall.

Mariensbrücke