We arrived in Wurzburg and saw the main bus station just across the street. We looked for our bus and it was there.

We wanted to ask whether our Happy Weekend Ticket was good for that ride, but the driver was not there.

I asked a pair of old people sitting at the front of the bus, but they didn’t really know and I couldn’t understand what they were saying in German.

A black lady sitting close by, asked if I spoke French. She was from Senegal and knew about that ticket.

So we started to speak in French and she confirmed to me that it was good for travel inside the city. Moreover, the elderly couple were getting off at the same stop as us, so they offered to show us the exact location of our accommodation.

When the driver came he gave me the final and most valuable confirmation and we were glad that the Happy Weekend Ticket worked also for transportation inside the city.

The bus left us somewhere among the hills of Wurzburg, in a beautiful and quiet area. The nice old couple showed us the house we were looking for and we separated.

Our hostess welcomed us warmly and showed us our room, a cosy and comfy setup. A pleasure to go to sleep there.

Then the bathroom, spacious and so neat and tidy. This was Pension Wild and after our experience there, we highly recommend it (http://www.pension-wild.de/#).

It was just after 8pm and the bus back to town had just left. The next one was in an hour and we were already thinking of spending the evening inside the house.

Our hostess, however, showed us a way to go on foot to town, on a shortcut over the hills. We took her advice gladly and after 50 minutes we were right in the centre of Wurzburg, at the beautiful red and white St. Mary's Chapel.

We were looking for the Stachel wine house. We knew it was on one of the adjacent, small, narrow streets, but it kept hiding from us.

We asked someone on a street by the chapel and he directed us easily. When we saw it, we were so pleasantly surprised.

A 600 years old place, a splendid small inner court with a terrace upstairs, plants and flowers hanging on the walls and balconies. The restaurant was crowded.

In a corner at the far side was an unoccupied small table. It was the only one available, so we didn't hesitate in taking it.

We sat down and waited to be served. A waitress dressed in local traditional attire took our order, a bottle of white wine. Franconian, of course.

The waitress told us that all their wines were local. She poured in our glasses and our evening of enjoyment began.

We noticed the oily appearance of the precious liquid in our glasses, looked at the thick ring that it formed at the surface and indulged in the atmosphere of that place.

Absolutely beautiful!

People at all tables were having wine, big groups occupying long, 16-seats tables, smaller ones at 4 or 6 seats tables, two women lively discussing stuff at a table nearby.

Wine on all the tables. Some were having dinner as well. And the setting was so charming!

We left late that night, and took a taxi back home. Just to make sure it wasn't going to cost us a fortune, I asked the driver beforehand how much he thought it would be, for me to have an idea.

He said an amount, and it didn't sound scary, so we hopped in. Otherwise, we would have waited for the night bus.

When we were near to our accommodation, the driver stopped the meter and at destination he charged us the amount that he had told me initially.

I asked him why, and he replied that it was his mistake that he couldn't appreciate correctly the amount. So honest a taxi driver!

To be continued (Wurzburg)...

Day 10 – July 16

This is a link with photos taken in Wurzburg

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...1AaNGzly4ZsWGY

Next morning we had a very enjoyable time at breakfast with our hosts. We took some photos with them and around the house.

Then the lady gave us a lift to the station. On the way she toured around the city, to show us the main sights.

We left our luggage in the lockers and walked into town. We knew that the English tours at the Residenz, the main purpose of our visit to Wurzburg, were at 11 am and 3pm, and we decided to go with the afternoon tour.

Therefore we went first to Marienkapelle, again stunningly beautiful like the evening before, only this time in the bright light of the morning.

Next to it was a splendid building, with a Rococo façade in cream colour with white rich stucco decorations, the Falkenhaus.

The market square was busy, vendors selling their stuff, locals and tourists mingling together with different purposes, some entering the so beautiful with its red and white colours, St. Mary's Chapel.

From there we went again to Stachel wine house. The street was narrow and common, you could pass by it without noticing anything.

Zum Stachel is in the inner court of a quite plain grey building, that could never let you imagine what a jewel of a wine house it hides.

We just wanted to spend a few more minutes there over a glass of wine, and admire the place in the day light.

It was around 11.30 am and the waiters were sitting together at a table, finishing their meal. There were no customers.

I approached them timidly and asked whether it was open and if we could order.

We each had our glass of wine, admired the place at will, as it was only ours at that time, took the required pictures of course, and went happily (how else!) on our way.

We entered Marienkapelle, where we liked the stained windows and the rib vaulted ceiling. The joyfully superb exterior of this chapel made up a lot for its rather stark interior.

We spent a few minutes inside and then went to Neumunster Church. Well this was quite something else.

Its entrance like of a palace or of an important government institution, and that interesting reddish colour, made us miss it at first, while we were looking for it.

This is quite a stunning building and we took a few pictures of it. We went inside and we were amazed at the frescoes on the ceiling and the stucco work.

We just couldn't look where we stepped, it was so beautiful that we didn't want to miss a single square inch of the walls and ceilings.

Then we went to St. Kilian Cathedral, which was somewhere behind Neumunster. That morning we went from one beautiful place to an even more beautiful one.

St. Kilian Cathedral was superb inside. The interior decorations were breathtaking, rich stucco embroideries and sculptures, mostly in white, with touches of pale pink and gold.

We gaped in awe at the beauty offered to our eyes. We took a good dose of artistic beauty and continued our exploration of Wurzburg.

We admired the architecture of the old town, looked at interesting signs of hotels, shops and restaurants, passed by the town hall and the Baroque fountain in front of it, and then we were at the old bridge over the river Main, Alte Mainbrucke.

Well, that was a beautiful bridge. I was looking forward to seeing it from above, at the Marienberg Fortress, our next destination.

We were already looking up towards the fortress, high up on the hill in the bright sun light. We took our share of photos while on the bridge with saints, then crossed the street at the other end and found a narrow path to take us up the hill on a short cut.

I don't remember the name of that street, but I walked on it for a few metres to see where it led, and I saw that we could go up the hill from there.

The climb was quite steep and tiring, especially that it was around 1 o'clock pm, hot and sunny. But we had fun climbing that hill, going through a tunnel or two, entering a few gates, climbing stairs or just a path.

We reached the foot of the surrounding walls, but we still had to climb some more stairs. We finally made it up to the fortress inner court.

Walking around the buildings and the walls, we discovered a beautiful and cosy Baroque garden. From there we could see the beautiful Wurzburg from above and the river Main somewhere below our feet.

The old bridge with saints crossed the river majestically a little to the left. The views were splendid and we wanted more.

The garden was so charming, full of red roses as it was, a few statues guarding it at the corners.

The time was up for us to go to our guided tour in English at the Wurzburg Residenz, so we started our descent.

We crossed back the Alte Mainbrucke and kept straight till we reached the Residenz.

To be continued...

Wurzburg Residenz

At the ticket desk we asked for the 14-day Bavarian Palaces Ticket, which gives 14 days of free visits to more than 40 castles and palaces throughout Bavaria, including Neuschwanstein.

Hohenschwangau is not included, as it is a private property. The 14-day ticket for two persons cost 36 euros, which if you consider 7, 8 or 9 euros for an entry ticket at Ludwig's castles, means that any more than 2 visits are for free.

Except the Wurzburg Residenz, we still had 5 or 6 palaces and castles to visit, so for us this ticket was a major saving.

So we bought the 14-day ticket at the Residenz in Wurzburg and joined the English tour. Before that we were asked to leave our belongings at the wardrobe.

On the way to the stairs, where our tour was starting, we admired the vestibule, superb stucco work everywhere, and the ceiling inexplicably low.

I couldn’t figure out what was so oppressive in the beauty of that vestibule.

In those moments I only felt it without realizing what or why, but only later I found out that that was specially made so to provide a contrast with the lofty staircase.

Yes, I kept trying to peek at the big main ceiling, knowing that there was the great Tiepolo fresco, the most important piece of art that I had to see in that palace.

However, my views were blocked by the so low ceiling of the vestibule. It was a beauty that I couldn't explain to myself, 'cause in the same time I liked it.

Then the staircase... it was so elegant flying like a swan. As I climbed step after step, my eyes were searching for that glimpse of the famous fresco, to see something of it one second sooner than when the tour or the guide would show it to us.

Tiepolo's fresco then began to reveal itself little by little, painfully slow, when I wanted it all in that very second.
Come oooon, show it to me!

When everyone was gathered on the stairs and the tour was about to start, the guide sent away two more persons to leave their bags at the wardrobe, stressing the fact that those were the rules of the palace and they had to be followed.

Mumbling and visibly upset, the two persons went to the wardrobe to leave their stuff. After one minute, the guide noticed someone taking pictures and drew his attention against that: no photos allowed inside.

Even though she was a lady, the guide was stern against those inclined to breach the rules.

The tour began even though some persons were sent back to the wardrobe. It was their fault, as even from the ticket desk everyone is asked to leave their belongings there, before joining the tour.

They didn't want to, they wanted to flaw the system, so they got what they deserved.
Well... as we climbed on that impressive stair, the famous Tiepolo ceiling began to reveal to us gradually in all its magnificence.

In just one more second we felt so small, the mere mortals that we are.
Oh yes, the Tiepolo fresco is just awesome.

We then entered the White Hall for more intake of beauty and splendour. The white stucco work there is just amazing, so fine the leaves and so detailed the embroideries.

All around us it was screaming with beauty. As if that was not enough, we were in for even more overwhelming splendour when we entered the magnificent Imperial Hall.

We knew that the Residenz in Wurzburg was something not to miss, that it was something outstanding in terms of art and beauty, but nothing prepared us for what we were seeing.

The Imperial Hall was so luminous, large as it was with its rich chandeliers, sumptuous embroideries and laces with gold leaves on the walls and ceiling.

We then went through the Imperial Apartments, lavish in decorations, each room more splendid than the previous.

Then that Mirror Cabinet was superb with its richly adorned mirrors reflecting each other, and the opulent decorations on the walls multiplying in the mirrors.

The Green Lacquered Room was also stunning with that shade of green lacquer covering the walls, and gilded stucco decorations.

There were some mirrors there, which increased the strange effect of this superb room, which I couldn't explain to myself.

However, we did have some fun before we left the room, by multiplying ourselves in the mirrors.

We also visited the State Galleries, with Venetian paintings, and then finished the tour. Next was the Court Chapel, at one end of the Residenz building.

We went outside, took a few photos with the Residenz imposing building, then entered the chapel. We were taken by surprise by the splendid room we were in.

For a brief second I thought that I was in a palace hall, not in a chapel. This was amazing.

We were looking in awe at the white sculptures contrasting with the overall shade of the room, the gold leaf decorations, the splendid fresco on the ceiling, the white spiral columns with their gilded Corinthian capitals.

We were allowed to take photos without flash, so we took a few. From there we went to the back of the building and walked through the delightful Baroque gardens.

However, it was too hot to spend much time outside, even in the shades of the nicely cut trees and bushes in that garden.

After a short while we went to the station to catch our train to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
As we were thirsty and a bit hungry, we stopped at a beer garden on the way and missed the 6 o'clock train.

However, we were on the next one at 7pm, which meant that we lost the Night Watchman's tour at 8 o'clock.

To be continued (Evening in Rothenburg)...

At Rothenburg station, our host was waiting for us with her car. After we settled in, we went out for a walk. Our accommodation was at only 5 minutes from the old town walls.

We entered the old town and it was beautiful, just as everyone says. There were few people at that time on the streets. We walked on Galgengasse from the Gallows Gate till the other end at the White Tower.

We passed through the gate and continued on Georgengasse then on some narrow side streets looking at various shops. We reached St. Jacob's Church, then went on a narrow side street to the left.

There was a small shop there with various art works. We liked and bought a beautiful watercolour showing a part of the old town.

We turned back to the Church and went through an underpass on Klingengasse, where we had more beautiful old houses and picturesque views.

We didn't go till the end of the street, but we returned and walked straight past the church, on that narrow street from where we had bought the water colour, and came into Herrngasse, the main street that cuts through the middle of the town.

We turned left and headed towards the Market Square. There was a stage set up with stands, where the legendary Master Draught play was performed.

This play recreates an event that took place in 1631. During the Thirty Years War, Rothenburg was taken by imperial troops under Count Tilly after bitter fighting.

Somewhat amused after being handed the welcome drink – a tankard holding 3.25 litres of wine – the Count promised leniency if one of the town citizens could drink the whole tankard in one draught. Nusch, the Mayor of Rothenburg, took up the challenge and thereby saved his town.

The area around the Market Square was restricted, so we couldn’t go round the corner to see what was going on.

Just as we were leaving, there was a break in the play and we saw the actors coming around the building and all of a sudden we were surrounded by 17th century characters, dressed in period costumes.

I took a few photos at random in haste. From there we continued our walk admiring the old houses, store signs, colours and architecture.

In front of St. Jacob's Church were a few stairs up to a small hotel, an old building, with a small beer garden facing the church.

We stopped there for dinner at a table overlooking the street from above a wall. I could hear conversations in various languages but German, at the other tables around us.

It was almost 10 o'clock in the evening, shop windows were still lit, looking like decorated windows of a house at Christmas time during the night.

We had a pleasant time on that terrace, under a big leafy tree in the old town, deserted at that time of the evening.

To be continued (Rothenburg)...

Day 11 – July 17

This is a link to photos taken in Rothenburg o.d. Tauber

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...1AaNGzly4ZsWGr

In the morning we sat at the breakfast table, where our host brought around all her guests. That’s a nice thing to do, as being only one big table, her guests get to sit together, and good chances are that various conversations are struck.

This setup is a good way to get along easily, to make acquaintances and have a good, pleasant atmosphere. Around the table were two young brothers from Kentucky, a young couple from Minnesota, an American teacher working in Korea and the two of us.

We had a lively conversation, as each of us had something different to say on various subjects, like foreign cultures and customs, places visited, opinions.

After breakfast we went for a walk inside the old town. As we came walking from our accommodation, there was a small entrance in the city wall, which led into Schrannenplatz.

We kept straight on Schrannengasse, saw the Gallows Gate farther away to the left and we turned right, towards the White Tower.

We passed through the gate and went on Georgengasse, and then we were in the Market Square. The Town Hall looked beautiful on the right and we took a picture of it.

The square was beautiful and charming with its old houses around it, and it was crowded as if we were in a big city. We began our walk around town by going down Schmiedgasse street, towards Siebers Tower.

All the city was invaded. This was no small provincial town, it was a metropolis. And one thing that didn't fit at all in that décor were the cars.

Oh no, they should ban cars not only on some areas inside the walls, but everywhere. They just don't match the beautiful atmosphere of old times that this town has.

Walking on those streets and seeing cars passing by... They spoil the charm. We should see horses there and hear their trotting.

So we were on that crowded street admiring the houses and shops around us. On an occasional narrow side street, we saw a café or a restaurant tucked in cosily, like a beautiful patch of colour.

We reached the picturesque Ploenlein – The Little Square, in front of the Siebers Tower. That place was charming.

The houses and the streets formed a small triangular square, it looked like in the fairy tale books. A group of Japanese tourists was there with their guide.

They were all listening quietly. Then, like at a command, all of them in chorus, lifted their cameras, aimed towards the tower and I heard a one big loud CLICK, as they all pressed the shutter in the same time.

We passed through the Siebers Tower Gate, turned right and there was Kobolzell Gate, a few metres away, leading back to the Little Square, to form the triangle.

We went down Spitalgasse, from Siebers Tower, till we reached the walls, looked around and saw the fields beyond the city. We were at the Spital Bastion and entered the inner courtyard.

Then continued along and on the wall, discovered new corners, walked on a sentry passage in stairs going up and down along the wall, and reached Kobolzell Gate again.

We explored the walls around it, saw the Little Square again and then continued up along the wall. After a while the wall turned to the left and at that point was a narrow street leading straight into the Square Market.

Framed by old houses, artistic shop signs and old street lamps, we had a beautiful image with a narrow vertical strip of the middle part of the Councilors Tavern, with the clock.

We kept left on Burggasse, a street running by the wall, till we reached the Castle Gardens. This was a quiet green relaxing area, with many trees.

We enjoyed a breathtaking view of the southern part of the city and the valley. We turned towards the city and there was the Castle Gate.

We knew about two features that we wanted to see at that gate, a mask and the eye-of-the-needle door. We passed the two round guard houses and above the arched entrance we saw the mask.

Through this mask, Rothenburg defenders used to pour hot tar on enemies. Then we passed through the gate under the mask. There was the inner gate with a big wooden door.

This door was open wide to the wall and we saw a small door, the eye-of-the-needle door within a door.

The small door permitted only one person to pass at a time, so the big door didn't have to be opened during the night or after the curfew.

This way they ensured that armed persons would not be able to enter the city. Before we entered the gate into the city, we had a look around the walls. We saw a few roofs rising up above and beyond the wall, a beautiful image.

To be continued...

We entered the city through the Castle Gate and found ourselves in Herrngasse, the main thoroughfare of the city.

As we were walking up the street, looking left and right and taking pictures, we saw that well-known Christmas store belonging to Kathe Wohlfahrt.

I had read so much about it during the planning stages, and now there I was. That store was so crowded, like a pilgrimage place.

There was also a Christmas Museum with an entrance from inside the shop. And there are more branches of this store around the town, a perennial Christmas.

We went to have a look inside and it was beautiful, indeed. However, for our budget it was expensive, even though the items on sale were charming.

Adding the delivery vans coming and going in merry colours of Christmas, it was a joyful sight.

We reached the Market Square and climbed the narrow spiral stairs up to the top of the 65 metres high Town Hall Tower.

The height of the tower was just fine to take some really nice photos of the roofs of Rothenburg, and we could easily catch details of what was happening on the neighbouring streets.

We had dramatic views over Rothenburg till far away, beyond the walls, and we could see the city gates towers springing up from among the red roofs of the houses, marking the contour of the city wall.

We descended after a while and explored the square, looked around some corners, and stopped at St. George's fountain.

From there a narrow street was going straight to the city walls, to the point where we had been earlier that day, when we saw the Councilors Tavern through the narrow passage between the houses.

We saw a bakery at the ground floor of one of the houses there and decided to buy one of those dreaded "schneeballs".

During the planning stages I had read about them and the opinions that various people had, mostly negative, and our curiosity grew more and more.

We were not put down by the bad reviews, but were a little apprehensive, and intrigued and curious in the same time.

During our walk around the city we saw many shops selling this stuff, and now we decided to go for one and see what was about it that made people reject them.

We cautiously bought only one piece, chocolate coated, and shared it. It was so big!

We bit from it and that moment we realized why people don't really like schneeballs. It was made of pieces of dry, powdery, crumbling biscuits, all massed together to form a ball.

Some are glazed or sprinkled, and some are plain with sugar. We felt them like dust in our mouths. The taste was fade, difficult to define, with a lot of flour in it.

Like some kind of biscuits that stayed too long in the sun. So we didn't like it, but it wasn't THAT bad either. It was eatable.

We were glad, however, that we didn't buy the special offer that seemed to be in every shop: buy 4 and pay for 6.

Just kidding... buy 6 for the price of 4.

To be continued...

Oh, Gabriel, I'm enjoying your trip report so much! --even though I only have time to wallow in it on the weekends. BP&K is my kind of narrative! I love it.

It's been 30 years since I was in Rothenburg -- before I became so emotionally attached to Switzerland, but you bring back such lovely memories. The terrace of the Reichskuechenmeister hotel just in front of St. Jakob's church. We ate there a couple of times, and once when it was cold and rainy (before global warming), we sat at a table inside near one of the pebbley glass windows. The hotel at that time was a lovely shade of green. We didn't stay there; our budget put us at the small hotel at the Schrannenplatz (sorry for spelling), but we enjoyed the ambience and the meals. Your report makes me want to return.

Do you think you might be able to put together a page at shutterbug which is a collection of your photographs of your accommodations? And perhaps a bit more description of each? Your choices are much closer to my preference than most at fodors, and I'd love to see some details.

Must get back to aligning my syllabi with the dreaded national/state standards. (respected more than dreaded, but such a chore!) Check you later, J.

Hello Gabrieltraian, I am really enjoying your report and pictures and am waiting anxiously for the Munich portion. Can you explain one thing for me? When you buy a Bayern train ticket for "up to 5 people" does this mean that 5 passengers can ride for the price of the one ticket? I feel like this sounds like a silly question, but can you clarify this for me. I am looking forward to being in southern Germany in November. Thank you. Kathy

Thank you so much Kathy and J for your appreciation!

I'm so glad that other people, besides my wife (a Philosophy graduate and a teacher), enjoy my writing.

J, now I know why I couldn't remember the name of the place by St. Jacob's church: it was so difficult.
Reichsku... oh, forget it. Easier in English - Imperial Kitchen Master. So that was its name...

That was a good touch you added there, J: "when it was cold and rainy (before global warming)". I liked it.

I have only a few photos of the accommodations we stayed at in Germany. In fact, on this trip we only have pictures of two places we stayed at.
I'll put a link to them later.

Kathy, yes, when you buy a Bayern train ticket for "up to 5 people" it does mean that 5 passengers can ride for the price of the one ticket.

I'll continue the report shortly.

The main clock on the Councilors Tavern has two windows located to its left and right. Every hour from 11am those windows open to show the Master Draught event.

It was almost 2 o'clock and we sat tightly on some stairs in the shade, by St. George's Fountain, right across the Market Square.

I had my camera ready and was waiting patiently. I had already washed my hands from the melted chocolate coating of the schneeball that we had a few minutes earlier, so I was sure I wouldn't grease my camera.

At 2 o'clock the windows at either side of the clock opened and in each of them was a doll portraying the two main characters of the play.

The one at the right drank the tankard and then the windows closed. It all lasted for less than two minutes, but everyone in the square watched it.

After watching this short show on the clock, we went on Hafengasse towards Markus Tower, to find a place for lunch.

This is a narrow street full of shops, cafés and restaurants on both sides, and crowded with people.

We reached the tower, had a look behind it, where all of a sudden the crowds ceased to exist, and returned to pick a place for lunch.

We stopped at one of the small restaurants with tables on the street and had a very good lunch of pizza and pastas, splashed with a thirst-quenching beer.

It was an interesting spot to watch people passing by, admire the old houses and enjoy the atmosphere. We returned to the Market Square and then home to our B&B.

Our hostess had told us that she would give us a lift to the station. Thank you very much!

We bought a Bavarian Ticket and waited patiently for our train. We reached Munich at about 8 o'clock, and in a few minutes we were at our accommodation, which was not far from the station.

Too tired to go anywhere, we just settled in and got ready for the night.

To be continued (Munich)...

Day 12 – July 18

This is a link with photos taken in Munich on 18th July

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...1AaNGzly4ZsWG6

In the morning we went to visit Nymphenburg Palace, where Bavarian King Ludwig II was born.

We took a tram from the railway station and after a long journey we got off in the front of the palace.

Well, geographically in front of the palace, 'cause we still had to walk a good distance.

We reached a wide park, with a canal in the middle, water basins and wide green lawns, in front of the palace. That was the Court of Honour, making a nice entrance to the palace.

We used our 14-days Bavarian Palaces Ticket and received free entry tickets. It was not crowded, just a few persons were moving around in the gift shop.

We went outside and climbed the beautiful stair to the first floor. We entered the Great Hall, a huge room with beautiful frescoes and lavish decorations on walls and ceilings.

We continued our tour in the North Wing and visited the Electors' Apartments. We liked the 18th century French furniture that we saw there, the ceiling paintings and Baroque tapestries from Brussels.

We finished the North Wing and returned to the Great Hall, where we admired once more the splendid Rococo stucco decorations.

We entered the South Wing where the Apartments of the Electors Wives' were. The rooms were decorated with beautiful ceiling paintings and exquisite pieces of furniture.

The Bedroom, however, drew our attention with its striking ceiling painting of the goddess Flora and the green damask covering the walls.

The richly decorated Baroque bed canopy was of matching green colour, which made it lose some of the effect that its superb decorations had on us.

When we entered the Queen's Apartments, we were a bit surprised by the simple decorations, in contrast with the rest of the rooms.

One room that drew our attention was the King Ludwig I's Gallery of Beauties, with a series of portraits of beautiful women.

The paintings reflected Ludwig I's ideal of beauty, rather than the social rank of the respective ladies, as among them was even the daughter of a Munich cobbler.

We finished the tour and went outside to look for the Palace Chapel, which was in a different wing. At the corner of a pavilion was a normal door, which was closed and didn't attract attention.

As the map showed the chapel's location in that pavilion, and we didn't see any other entrance, we tried that door. It was closed, but not locked.

We were the only ones around that area. We opened it and entered to see that nobody was inside.

After less than a minute other tourists came in, as if they had been hiding somewhere waiting for someone to try the door to see if it was open.

One of them was taking pictures of almost every square inch of the chapel's interior. It wasn't richly decorated, but we liked its high altar, the Rococo ceiling vaults and the frescoes.

From there we went for a walk in the park behind the palace, an English style landscaped garden, with a big fountain in the middle, and a long canal going straight ahead, far into the wooded areas.

We walked by the Grand Parterre, around the fountain and then came out at the other side of the palace, where Marstall Museum was.

This museum houses a collection of historic state and gala coaches, ceremonial sleighs and carriages and riding equipment of the Bavarian rulers.

The highlights of the collection are King Ludwig II's magnificent coaches and sleighs, bringing a nostalgic sentiment of a fairy tale world.

From the museum we went on a path in the forest to find the small pleasure palace Amalienburg, a hunting lodge built in 1739 by Elector Karl Albrecht for his wife Maria Amalia.

I thought that that was a sweet gesture by Amalia's husband. On the outside the building is quite simple, however, when we entered we saw the rooms decorated with great refinement.

The first room that impressed us was the Bedroom, or the Yellow Room, richly decorated with delicate stucco arabesques painted in silver on a lemon-coloured background, extending from the walls to the ceiling, a yellow bed with similar decorations, matching with the décor.

Then we entered the Hall of Mirrors, a big circular splendid room. A richness of silver decorations on a light blue background, among windows and mirrors multiplying each other, an endless display of arabesques stretching even onto the ceiling.

Then we entered the Kitchen, where the walls were lively and fully decorated with Delft blue tiles. We walked back through the park, reached the Grand Parterre, then left the palace and headed straight to the tram stop.

To be continued...

We got off at the station and took an "S" train to Dachau. At Dachau station we took a bus to the Concentration Camp.

A good place of remembrance and deep thought. Several movies that touched the subject have given a very good insight of what happened in such camps: The Great Escape or Escape from Sobibor.

It was good, however, that we saw one such concentration camp on our own. The big court, the barracks, all looked exactly like in movies.

Photos and a few personal objects, dormitories, bunk beds, newspaper articles, various information about the life in the camp.

The only picture I took was with the gate, where it is written "Arbeit Macht Frei" – “Work sets you free".

That evening, the Alte Pinakothek (Fine Arts Museum) was open till 8pm, so we had time to return to Munich and got to the museum for a visit.

We were delighted to see so many masterpieces of the 14th-18th centuries, including Dutch and Flemish Grand Masters among our favourites.

From the museum we took a subway and went to Marienplatz for the first time.

We were climbing up the stairs coming out of the subway station and I still had a few steps to come to the top, when something huge drew my attention to the left.

I was dumbstruck when I saw it: it was the Town Hall, so impressive and superb. We were in Marienplatz and the town hall building was so beautiful.

Immediately to my mind came the Brussels Town Hall in that Grote Markt (which by the way, is one of the most beautiful squares in Europe).

Munich Town Hall was equally impressive. I couldn’t look at anything else for several minutes.

Before I realized, my camera was on already. A thrilling photo session ensued, of course. We went on Weinstrasse to the left, and discovered an entrance to a restaurant inside the town hall.

We went in and had a nice surprise to find out that it was the inner court of the town hall. The restaurant was called Ratskeller and we liked the atmosphere.

The place was surrounded by the town hall walls, beautiful sculptures everywhere, gargoyles and other strange characters looking down to the customers.

We decided that we had to return there one day and left on our way. We ended our evening soaking ourselves in beer.

First we went to Hard Rock Café, which is a must visit in every city that we go and there is one. It’s just our liking.

We looked around at the rock memorabilia on the walls and had a beer. Later, we went a few metres across the alley, to the opposite side, at the Hofbrauhaus, the famous must visit beer temple.

To be continued (The Hofbrauhaus Experience)...

The Hofbrauhaus Experience

The moment we entered we were overwhelmed by the atmosphere inside. It was a huge beer hall, tables everywhere, a main corridor in the middle, crossing to the other side, far, far away in the crowds.

The ceiling was painted all over with various scenes, but given the circumstances, I forgot what. That painted ceiling, however, gave a special touch to that beer hall.

At the entrance was a souvenir shop, selling t-shirts, mugs and what not, all with Hofbrauhaus logo. We looked around and found a table behind a column, not far from the band.

A Far East looking waiter came to pick our order. The beer we had at Hard Rock Café moments earlier, helped us being taken faster by the joyful atmosphere inside, and the first thought that came to my mind was to call the waiter “Jackie Chan”.
I thought that he looked like him.

We ordered our food and beers, a one litre Dunkel for me and a pint Hefe for my wife. Somewhere down the hall was a kiosk selling pretzels and other stuff.

A lady was walking among the tables with a big hamper full of huge pretzels. They looked so funny huge as they were, that we couldn’t help buying one, and split it in two.

We were looking around that beer hall, enjoying our time, people were clapping on the rhythm of the trumpets and trombones in the orchestra of Lederhosen dressed men.

Music was just good for another litre of beer, everyone was happy, a real holiday spirit was in the air. I kept laughing with my wife till late in the night.

The music was so funny, maybe because it was so outdated and fit only for that kind of place. I mean the musicians must’ve been good, ‘cause I saw them reading their musical scores in front of them and not just playing by ear, but oh boy, what an atmosphere!

I just couldn’t understand those who left early! That was pure German, Bavarian, Munich Beering experience. It was the funniest and one of the most enjoyable evenings that we spent in Germany.

We left late, very late that night, and we asked someone there what was the direction towards Marienplatz. Once at the town hall, it was easy for us to find our way home, a mere 10-15 minutes walk farther away.

To be continued (more Munich)...

Hi Gabriel - thanks for the great trip report. how do you remember all the detail? The first part of the report reminded me of a german tongue-twister - "in Ulm, und um Ulm, und um Ulm herum", which roughly translated means " to Ulm, and around Ulm, and round and about Ulm".
Looking forward to the rest of the report, REgards, Ann

Thank you for your kind appreciation, Ann.

During all this trip I kept writing notes about where we were going. I wrote while on the train, or at a coffee shop, or at lunch or dinner, so now at home I can easily brush up the draft notes and make it look good.

Also, I love taking pictures, so I look at the sequence of the photos and I know where we went first, for how long, etc. Thus, I can visualize what we saw, and that helps me with expressing myself easier, more naturally.

I also have my wife with me and I am surprised at the things that she remembers from a trip. Stuff that I don't even think about, she reminds me about it.

Also, I combine it with the general facts that I've learned about the places we visited, whether along the years, during planning, or during the trip, from the audio guides.

I tried your tongue twister and that "herum" word is quite a reliever, as it comes out of the pattern.

I'll come back soon with some accommodation details, as one reader asked me to, but maybe others will be interested as well.

ACCOMMODATIONS

This is a link to photos taken at a few accommodations where we stayed in Germany

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...1AaNGzly4ZsWHc

In Ulm we stayed at Ibis Hotel, 63 euros per room per night. This was quite expensive for us, but there were no cheaper accommodations available on the internet, with even more than three months to go.

I found rooms at 40-50 euros per night, but there were no availabilities.

Ibis Hotel is good, we had shower in the room, tv, phone, a good comfort. Breakfast was extra, at 9 euros per person. We skipped it, as with less than 15 euros we had much better options in town.

I didn’t take a picture of this hotel, however you can find it online, as it is part of Accor Hotels, www.accorhotels.com.

In Schliengen we stayed with friends, then we moved to Stuttgart. We booked our accommodation through Night & Day

http://www.night-and-day.de/nightandday/en/Welcome/

We found a place with 30 euros per room per night, which was fantastic for our budget range. However, the description on the website was brief, saying that it is basic furniture, shared bathroom, central area.

There was a photo with a part of a room, showing a bed and not much else. We didn’t mind that, as we only wanted a place to sleep.

When we arrived we found the place in a historic building, which we liked. Inside, however, looked as if someone was moving out.

In the main hall all the furniture was gathered in the middle. The appearance was not too inviting and we had a backward reaction.

The host showed us the room and we saw that it was cleaner and other persons were staying in that flat as well, in other rooms. As per the contract signed with the agency, we had to pay upfront, but the hostess understood probably our hesitation and said that it was OK to pay upon departure.

The stay there was OK, we had no problems whatsoever. But I still think that the respective lady has a lot to do to make her place more welcoming.

In Wurzburg we had the best accommodation in a long while. I can happily recommend Mrs. Wild, e-mail address [email protected] and her web page is at http://www.pension-wild.de/#

Both she and her husband speak English, however it is she that takes care of the business. We had a very good deal at 40 euros per room per night.

The bathroom was on the hall, but we were the only ones using it. The room was very comfy, clean and welcoming house. At only 4 euros extra per person, we had a very good breakfast in the morning together with both of them.

We took several pictures and you can see their house and garden. When we went out, the hostess gave us a lift and did a short tour of the city.

From Wurzburg we went to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. We had read so many favourable reports about Mrs. Karin Weiss, that we decided to give it a try at her place.

She lived up to her reputation. She waited for us at the station, her house was very clean waiting for us and other guests.

However, we couldn’t understand one thing. We had booked with more than three months in advance and another couple (younger than us), who arrived with the same train as us, had booked only a couple of weeks before.

Mrs. Karin gave us a small room, with a low sloping ceiling, like an attic (we are tall persons), while in the same time she gave a larger and more comfortable room (at the same rate) to the respective couple.

Both them and us were first time guests there. I doubt that the determining factor was the fact that the other couple stayed for two nights, while we stayed for one night.
Or was it something else?

We didn’t ask, as we didn’t want to spoil the nice atmosphere there. We enjoyed the breakfast where all the guests sat together around the table, made acquaintance and shared stories.

In the afternoon, when we finished roaming around town, she gave us a lift to the station. All in all, the conditions offered and the rate of 23 euros per person make this a very good package and I would still recommend Mrs. Karin’s place.

In Munich we stayed at Pension Augsburg, on Schiller Street, five minutes walking from the station.

Augsburg Pension occupies three floors in a building on a street with shops, night clubs and 3-4 star hotels. We paid 38 euros per room per night with shared bathroom and toilet.

There were two other rooms sharing the facilities. The place was all right, we had no problems whatsoever. Rooms with private shower were at 48 and 65 euros per night.

Breakfast was an additional 5 euros per person, which we skipped for better options down town.

To be continued (Munich)...

Day 13 – July 19

This is a link to photos taken in Munich on 19th July

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...1AaNGzly4ZsWHN

We left our accommodation in the morning and walked towards the railway station, then to the right, passed by the Palace of Justice and crossed the street into Karlsplatz.

The sun was shining brightly and it was annoying, as it was right in front of us, along the street, striking in our eyes. We had no shade.

We went on Neuhauser Street and passed by St. Michael’s church. We decided to come and visit this church another day. We reached Marienplatz and stopped for a few photos with the town hall.

This building was too beautiful to just pass by; it required many pictures. Then we went to Hofbrauhaus for a few daylight photos with the famous beer temple and the small square, Platzl.
Now we were ready to go to the Residenz.

From Platzl square we came out on Maximillian street, went to the left and after a few minutes we reached Max Joseph Square. The Residence was at the right.

We used our 14-days Bavarian Palaces Ticket and received free entry tickets. We were glad that we had the Bavarian ticket, which had already started to pay off.

We started our visit at the artificial Shell Grotto, which is somewhere outside, in an inner court. This was a strange and amazing structure, all built with shells.

We passed through the Antiquarium, with all those busts of emperors, which imply a connection between the Wittelsbach family and the Roman emperors.

We went through a series of magnificent Baroque and Rococo apartments and rooms, with splendid interior decorations, ceiling paintings, works of art and superb furniture.

One room among many that we saw, struck our attention with its live, bright red with gold decorations and miniature paintings and mirrors that kept reflecting us forever.

That was the Red Room and it was stunning. As we left, the last five rooms were the “Halls of the Nibelungs.”

On the walls were scenes representing the mythological story of the Nibelungs, in a chronological order, as we passed from one room to another.

When we finished this part of the Residence, we went to visit the Treasury. Hidden behind curtains and drapes, or in glass cases with dim lights, we could admire superb crowns and delicately carved ivory and glass objects.

We saw Bavarian royal insignia, jewels and orders, splendid pieces of art made of crystal, precious stones, ivory and gold.

In the darker shadows of one of the rooms we saw a beautiful piece of work, sparkling in the dim light. It was St. George killing the dragon, on a white horse studded with hundreds of precious stones, mostly red, probably rubies.

All this scene was on a golden pedestal studded with precious stones, a glittering object of art.

At the time there was an exhibition going on, "1806 – A Crown for Bavaria", on the 200th anniversary of the Bavarian Kingdom. The exhibition presented the history and the events that led to Bavaria becoming a kingdom in 1806.

We wanted to see the Cuvillies Theatre as well, but it was closed for renovation.

We left the Residence and walked around the Odeon Square for a while. We saw the Theatiner Church there, had a peek inside, liked what we saw and decided to come and visit it another day, as we didn't have much time then.

We also liked the Field Marshals Hall, the three big arcades with statues, honouring the Bavarian army and its victorious generals.

In the afternoon we wanted to go to Schleissheim Palace, just outside Munich. We returned to the railway station to take one of the "S" trains.

As it was around lunch time, we decided to look for a nice place to eat. We left the railway station behind and walked for a while, till we found an Augustiner Beer Garden.

It was a beautiful setting, under some trees, and even though it was by the street and the weather was hot, the trees somehow provided a quiet shelter and a cooling shade.

We had our usual monk beers and some vegetarian fare. We were pleasantly surprised to be able to find veggie options everywhere we went.
We finished our lunch and went to the subway.

To be continued (Schleissheim Palace)...

Our stop for the palace was Oberschleissheim, a village outside Munich. We walked to the palace for about 15 minutes or so, till we reached a grand baroque park with gardens.

We saw three palaces along an axis formed by the main path and the canal dividing the park. First was the Old Schleissheim Palace.

Just in front of it was the impressive 18th century New Schleissheim Palace, and we were looking forward to visiting that one.

As it was quite late, 4 o'clock, and we knew that we wouldn't have enough time to visit all three palaces, we inquired what did the Old Palace have to offer.

The lady at the entrance told us that the Old Palace was hosting two museums. One was about religions and the other about Prussian history and culture.

If we had more time, we would have stayed, but with only two hours till closing time, we decided to visit only the New Schleissheim Palace, the main reason of our visit there.

The third palace was Lustheim, and it was about 15 minutes walking straight ahead to the other side of the park.

Lustheim Palace had an important collection of Meissen porcelain, which we decided to miss as well. We were surprised to see that there were no other visitors to Schleissheim when we went there.

We were the only ones there. We had the palace to ourselves and we were happy. We received our free tickets, based on the 14-days Bavarian Palaces Ticket, and began our visit.

We entered a huge hall and that was very imposing. Columns everywhere supported the vaulted ceiling, we looked up and were amazed at the magnificent decorations on the ceiling, then a gallery at one side and finally a grand staircase, rising majestically towards the very high white ceiling.

The decorations on the walls were like on a wedding cake, splendid white embroideries. We climbed the stairs and once up, we were in a huge imposing hall, the white embroidered walls revealed to us in all their splendour.

We wanted to enter the Grand Gallery, but a movie crew was there taking shots, so we were not allowed. We spoke to the person at the entrance and he told us that we should be allowed in after 10-15 minutes.

We decided to go out for a walk in the splendid Baroque gardens. It was a hot day and the sun was burning, so we tried to be more in the shade of the trees on the sides of the gardens.

We took a few pictures among the colourful flower arrangements, toured the gardens and returned to the palace to continue our visit inside.

In the meantime the film crew had finished their work, so we entered the Grand Gallery. It was amazing.

We were in a huge hall looking around us at the red walls full of paintings, at the superb decorations on the ceiling, and luckily there was no furniture, 'cause we were not looking where we stepped.

Then through a door, two beautiful ladies in period costumes appeared all of a sudden. I was taken by surprise, didn't know what to say, didn't know where my camera was, I looked at my wife and I think I was able to find quickly a few words to ask her if she minded if I went ahead and approach the two beauties.

She nodded smiling in approval and finally, when the two "ladies from the court" were only a few steps away from us, I gathered my courage and asked with my patched up German, trying to impress, if they allowed me to take a picture of themselves.

They exchanged a smiling look between them and they agreed. I was overjoyed and took a picture.

We continued our visit and went through several rooms and state apartments with sumptuous Baroque decorations and masterpieces.

We returned to Munich and went to visit the Neue Pinakothek. It was a Wednesday and the museum was open till late, at 8pm.

We were delighted to see an amazing collection of 19th century art. There were so many treasures hidden in the halls of the museum, including a large amount of Impressionism works.

We were in the last room of the tour, and I was admiring a painting by Gustav Klimt, listening to the audioguide.

All of a sudden a raised voice woke me up abruptly from my reverie, announcing us that it was 10 minutes to 8 and it was closing time.

It was a rude and abrupt announcement. Everyone was upset about the way the personnel at the museum was hurried to close and chase the visitors away.

We haven't seen such manner of sending visitors out in any of the museums visited until now, throughout Europe.

Everywhere they have smooth means of letting you know that the closing time is near, they dim the lights or they lock the doors behind you.

But no, the personnel at the Neue Pinakothek was angry that it was 10 minutes to 8 and they had to close exactly on time.

We don't mind them wanting to go home on time, but there are other means to inform the visitors that the time is over, and not come into the room and shout that it's time to close.

Especially that everyone had their ear sets on. That spoiled somehow our enjoyment of the visit, and even though we liked the collections so much, we cannot help thinking of the abrupt way we were awaken back to reality.

To be continued (The English Garden)...

From Neue Pinakothek we walked to the English Garden. This was a huge park brimming with activity. Trees, meadows, clearings and a river passing through, were all a reason for people to relax.

Some were playing football, some were lying on the grass, some were reading, some were swimming, some were playing music and singing, some were bicycling and some were just sitting on a bench.

We were looking for the Chinese Tower, but it kept hiding from us, behind the thick of the woods in that English Garden.

Thirsty and hungry, we were walking on the winding, dusty, pebbled alleys and there were no signs of Chinese Tower.

Then we saw a man, who by the way he was walking he must have had a few beers. We asked him about the Chinese Tower and he stretched his hand in the direction of the restaurant.

We were on the right way and we had only a little more to walk. After a few more metres the path made a bend around a group of big bushes and leafy trees, and all of a sudden we heard the well-known sound of a beer garden: beer flowing in rivers, music playing and crowds of people. That was it!

Then we saw the Chinese Tower itself, rising high in the middle of the garden. A brass band was at the first floor in the tower, playing the usual merry beer garden music.

The atmosphere was awesome. The beer garden was huge and crowded. We were lucky enough to find some seats at one of the long tables, then I ventured alone in the crowds in the search for food and beer.

Queues were long at all the counters, whether selling beer or food. First I picked up the food from the self serving shelves, and realized that I could hardly keep all the plates on the tray.

However, I couldn't help buying two butter pretzels as well. I had difficulties moving around, then after paying I made my way slowly through the thicket of chairs and tables.

My wife was watching me with a wide smile on her face, happy that I was serving her. Then I made my way back to the counters, this time in search for beer.

I got a 1 litre for me and a pint for my wife. Paid them, got the deposit coins and returned to our seats, at the other end of the plateau.

We had a good time that evening, with typical Bavarian food and beer, soaking in that great atmosphere. We left at about 10 o'clock that night and tried to find our way home.

It was too long a walk back through that big park to the street where we came from, and moreover it was night, so we decided to go out through a gate nearby and manage from there.

Once on the streets, we somehow lost our way, even though I was looking at a map all the time. We wandered for about half an hour without realizing which way we had to return home.

My wife suddenly noticed that at a tram stop was no. 17 written on the board. We knew that no. 17 stopped at the train station, since we had taken it the morning before to go to Nymphenburg Palace.

We looked at the schedule and saw that we had to wait for about 25 minutes. A woman came there as well and looked at the schedule. She needed tram no. 17 too, as she had a train to catch.

We started to talk and found out that she lived in the suburbs and she knew the whereabouts. At a neighbouring bus stop, just across the street, she noticed a bus number that looked familiar to her.

She went there, looked at the bus schedule and told us that it would come in a few minutes and that bus was passing by a subway station.

With the subway it was easy to go to the railway station. We kept company to each other until each of us got on our subway trains home.

To be continued (Neuschwanstein Castle)...

Dear gabriel - i am still enjoying your report. i was interested in your experience of the room you were given in rothenburg. i thought those sorts of things only happened to me.
Keep it coming!

Glad to hear that you're still around, Ann.

You made me laugh about the room I had in Rothenburg. I feel a bit relieved now knowing that I'm not the only one who's gone through that sort of thing.

I'm working on the report right now and I should be able to post something quite soon.

There are areas where I didn't write much during the trip, I didn't take enough notes, and now I'm working to make it a pleasant text to read.

I don't like to just list down where I've been and get rid of the work easily. I like to weave it into a kind of a story, a narrative, like.... like you see I'm doing already.

Gabriel

Day 14 – July 20

Hohenschwangau Castle

Today was the big Castle Day, the fairy tale castle day. We got ready in the morning and went in search of a café to start our day.

A few streets away from the station we found a coffee shop with tables on the pavement. They had cakes as well, so we bought some.

The sun had not made its appearance from behind the buildings and it was still cool there, round a corner of a main street, and even a morning breeze was making its presence felt timidly.

By the time we finished our coffee, the place was already crowded. We walked to the station, bought our veggie supplies, a bottle of water, then our 25 euros Bavarian ticket from an automatic machine and went in search for the train to the castle.

We had the train schedule and knew what train number and at what track it would be. We found it somewhere at the right side of the station.

It was long before departure time and it was already crowded. An overwhelming majority of people were from the Far East.

I overheard some of them saying that they were from Singapore. Others could have been from Korea, Japan, China.

Very few were Europeans, and only once I heard a few words in German. We boarded the train and the conductor began to make his announcements.

I thought it was funny, as, of course, he spoke in German, and most of the passengers on that train were foreigners. I thought with amusement that his words were going flat in the air, people were never reacting to them.

When Buchloe was approaching and the announcement was made, nobody budged. Only when the train entered the station and the signs appeared, all the passengers got up and hurried to the door.

The entire train emptied and the one waiting for us at the neighbouring track filled up quickly. At Fuessen were two buses waiting for the train passengers to come, and both were soon full.

By now we were already experienced travelers in Germany, and casually we showed our Bavarian ticket to the driver, upon getting on the bus.

We got off near the ticket centre, filled up our bottle with cold water at a fountain by the street, went to the cashier's desk and bought our tickets.

We received free entrance tickets for Neuschwanstein Castle, but for Hohenschwangau Castle we had to pay, as it was private property, and not covered by the Bavarian Palaces Ticket.

The weather was very hot and the sun was shining on the clear blue sky, which made walking and climbing quite an effort. It took a few minutes to reach Hohenschwangau Castle at the top of that not quite tall hill.

The tour number and time was mentioned on the ticket, and while waiting to enter, we walked around the small courtyard.

They were carrying out renovation works at the castle at that time, and it was covered with scaffolding, so unfortunately we were not able to take photos with the castle.

However, we had splendid views over the mountains and neighbouring Lake Alp, Hohenschwangau village was spread all over below us, and most important, Neuschwanstein Castle was there in the distance, beautiful like a jewel, at the top of a cliff.

Our tour started and we went inside. We were delighted by the beauty of the interior decorations and the wall and ceiling paintings.

Some rooms were quite impressive, like the festive Hall of Heroes, with a long table richly decorated with golden centerpieces, taking up almost the whole length of the room.

Other rooms that we liked were King Ludwig’s bedroom and music room, and Queen Mary’s bedroom and writing room.

We descended the relatively small hill back into the village, spent sometime checking out the souvenir shops and had an ice cream.

To be continued (Neuschwanstein Castle)...

Neuschwanstein Castle

This is a link to photos taken during our trip to Neuschwanstein Castle

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...1AaNGzly4ZsWHv

After a while we began our walk up the steep winding path to Neuschwanstein.

We saw some horse drawn carriages taking around 10 people, full capacity of the carriage, up that steep hill.

They were going so slowly, we could see the effort put in by the darling creatures, and even though they were traction animals, we felt pity for the horses.

Once up there, the views were breathtaking. We walked around the castle, took as many photos as we could, then our tour started.

The rooms and halls that were finished in this castle looked awesome. We liked the ceilings and interior decorations, the intricate woodwork, the pieces of furniture. We saw some magnificent rooms and halls, like the Singers Hall or the Throne Hall, which I thought was the most impressive room in the castle.

Then we saw that superb chandelier in the shape of a royal crown that hanged right above our heads, from that delightful blue ceiling with golden stars.

The wall and ceiling decorations were superb everywhere we turned our heads inside the castle, the legends depicted in wall paintings, and even though the rooms were unfurnished or incomplete, we saw some majestic works of art.

The theme of the night starry sky was repeated in other rooms and other of his castles as well, which, along with various romantic legends depicted throughout the castle, spoke volumes about the fairy tale King Ludwig’s personality.

I had some doubts about what was to be seen inside this castle, as during the planning stages many people on this board didn't really favour a visit inside Neuschwanstein.

For the dreams that King Ludwig II had, for the fairy tale world that he wanted to live in, for his dreamy and poetic nature, both of us, my wife and I, thought that this castle was a wonderful creation and we were delighted with this visit.

After the tour we climbed the path to Marienbrucke, to see the castle from the bridge. The views from there were just fabulous, the deep gorge beneath us, the waterfall so far down, the oh, so tall fir trees of which we could see the tops and those that were still lower than us, and not in the least, The Castle.

Yes, it was there, standing tall on that rock, commanding the surroundings, a true dwelling for Prince Charming and his Fairy.

Oh yes, we liked Neuschwanstein Castle very much.

On the return train to Munich was the same big crowd of people, mostly Far Easterners, like in the morning.

Just before the train left, a group of them sitting next to us started to chew gums so noisily and even cracking some balloons.

After so much walking and climbing in hot weather, with the sun striking straight down at us, we were too tired to put up with such disturbing noises around, or to ignore them.

But then, you never choose your fellow passengers on a train.
According to the schedule, we were supposed to change trains in Buchloe, same like we did in the morning.

But, surprise, surprise! We got off the train in Buchloe, along with others, and went casually to look on the departures schedule.

The train to Munich was leaving from the same track. In that very moment, when I noticed this, the train conductor, who had got off in Buchloe to change shifts, told us that that was the same train going to Munich.

We hurried back inside, but our seats had been taken by new passengers from Buchloe. Well, we found other seats, however less comfortable, the folding type by the side of the car.

We reached Munich at 9.40pm, too late and too tired to go to wind up the evening at a bier garten somewhere. We just bought some veggie sandwiches, butter pretzels and beers, and stayed in our hotel room.

To be continued (Linderhof Castle)...

Day 15 – July 21

Linderhof Castle

This is a link to photos taken during our trip to Linderhof Castle

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...1AaNGzly4ZsWH-

We left our pension at about 9 o'clock in the morning and went to the station. We had our breakfast at one of the outlets there, bought the Bavarian Ticket and went to our track to board the train.

As we were expecting on that morning of 21st July, there were few people waiting for the train to Mittenwald, on our first leg on the way to Linderhof Castle.

We easily found two seats on the shaded side of the train, and got ready for the trip. At our left were three Japanese men. We recognized them by the accent, intonation and melody of their speech.

They had that Japanese kind of look, you just know they are Japanese, had good watches and were not very talkative.

Their conversation was rare, brief and it seemed to me just to the point, no aimless or pointless talk.
No, they didn't carry a camera or a laptop, but they did have some small bags with them.

The train arrived at Murnau and we got off, along with a large group of teenagers, who disappeared somewhere instantly.

We were alone in the station, waiting for the train to Oberammergau to come. I was looking at my watch, then at the train schedule and there were 3-4 minutes left till the departure.

The track number was "1a" and we were at the first track, at number 1. At a closer look I noticed that there were letters A, B, C, D, but no "a".

Then I started to look attentively, and a bit worried, at both ends of the platform, and I noticed the "1a" sign a little retrieved at one side, like around a corner, not quite in full view.

It was a side track, an end or beginning of a line. We hurried towards the train and found it full of people.

So there they were! That's why we were alone on the station's platform!

It was a beautiful trip to Oberammergau, we admired the nature, the mountains and the fir tree forests.

In Oberammergau the bus was waiting at the station. Through the bus window we noticed that it was a nice town.

We changed buses in Ettal, which also looked nice.
We took our free tickets at the ticket centre down at the parking lot, then climbed the path to the castle.

Linderhof is such a beautiful castle! It's like a gem in that forest in the mountains there. We rejoiced at its sight.

It was beautiful with its richly ornamented façade.
"Quickly, pictures!" I thought to my wife and myself.

We took a few pictures around the castle and with the splendid gardens, waiting for our scheduled tour number to appear on the electronic display.

We were treated with a splendour of rooms inside this castle. The interior decorations were so rich and superb, a world of opulence, radiant with gold and gleaming mirrors, velvet and silk hangings, wall paintings, crystal chandeliers, gilded frames, furniture and porcelains.

Everywhere we turned we saw elaborate ornaments, laces and embroideries adorning the walls and lingering over the ceilings, lit by those magnificent chandeliers.

It was a joy to admire the works of art surrounding us. In the Dining Room we saw King Ludwig's famous dining table, with a beautiful Meissen Porcelain centerpiece.

This table was lowered to the kitchen below, so as no servants were required to come in the room to bring the food. Thus, King Ludwig II could have his meals undisturbed, as he always wanted to be alone.

When we thought that we saw the most lavishly decorated rooms in a very long while, we entered the Hall of Mirrors.

That was the most extravagant room in the palace.
Huge mirrors surrounded by white and gold panels, creating a strange sensation of unending space.

The rooms that we saw at Linderhof were among the most beautiful that we saw at the castles and palaces in Germany.

To be continued...

After the tour we walked through the park, following a winding alley to Venus Grotto. We waited for a while until the next tour was on and we entered.

This was quite amazing, King Ludwig was so imaginative in creating it. To our left was an artificial lake with a golden boat in the shape of a shell, in which the king was rowed while he immersed himself in a magical show of lights and special effects on Wagner’s dramatic music.

This was more than we had anticipated, we were overwhelmed with the beauty of Ludwig’s fantasy world.

From Venus Grotto we went down a path to the Music Pavilion. Once there, we were rewarded with splendid views across the park, mountains rising abruptly just behind.

A long waterfall was cascading in a series of steps down the slope, ending at the Neptune Fountain, just behind the castle.

We went to the castle following a winding path down the hill. We took more pictures with the castle and gardens, then passed by the big fountain and climbed the stairs up to the Temple of Venus.

We noticed that the gardens at Linderhof are created with the illusion of space, that Andre Le Notre first created at the castles in France, in the 17th century.

On the way up we saw beautiful symmetric patches of grass embroideries with colourful flower arrangements.

From up on the terrace we had splendid views of the white castle, with the cascade behind coming down from the Music Pavilion, the big fountain in front and the charming garden terraces just below us.

The hot weather and the striking sun chased us away sooner than we really wanted. We walked the path down to the bus stop, and while waiting for the bus to come, we had a snack and an ice cream.

In Oberammergau we stopped for a couple of hours to see more of the town. We stopped to eat at a small restaurant with tables on the street, then strolled on a few streets around the town centre.

We liked the houses, most of them with painted decorations, and the beautiful mountain-type architecture with wooden frames and balconies.

The mountains around provide a picturesque setting. We took the train back to Munich and when we stopped in Murnau, we recognized the secondary track from where we had left earlier that day.

We went to the main platform and waited for the train to Munich, which had a half an hour delay. Contrary to our initial expectations, as we only had one castle to visit and nothing else to do, this day proved to be tiring as well.

The hot sunny weather throughout our holiday in Germany took a toll on us, and wore us out much faster than we were used to.

When we reached Munich, we bought some beers and butter pretzels from the railway station, and went straight to our room.

To be continued (Herrenchiemsee Palace)...

Day 16 – July 22

Herrenchiemsee Palace

This is a link to photos taken during our trip to Herrenchiemsee

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Knowing that we didn't have a long trip to do that day, we woke up at will and took our time to get ready.

Herrenchiemsee was only at about one hour away by train, so we had no reasons to hurry. Before going to the train station, we stopped at a street café to energize ourselves.

The morning had a hint of cool in the air, but the sky was clear, which meant sun for later.

Once at the station, we bought our Bavarian Ticket. We didn't buy the Happy Weekend Ticket, even though it was a Saturday, from two reasons.

First, the cost was 30 euros instead of 25. Second, we didn't need to go into another land, we stayed only in Bavaria, so the Bavarian ticket was enough.

We found the train to Salzburg at one of the main platforms and it was full. Well, it was a Saturday. We hardly found two empty seats in a section where some children were playing noisily.

The train nearly emptied at Prien, everybody going to the palace and to the islands on the lake. We couldn't see the little train at first, and we asked a bus driver at the station about the way to the boat pier.

He didn't know much English when I couldn't understand all that he said in German, but he kept pointing somewhere in the direction of the train tracks, saying "Green train, green train!"

We returned to the tracks and I saw through some bushes and railway station poles and signs, a small green train. We went fast downstairs under ground and crossed to the other side.

A long queue for tickets was already formed, so we waited in line. We bought our tickets for the complete journey to the island, by the little green train and by boat.

We took a few pictures and sat down on the wooden benches in one of the cars. The train left with a cloud of smoke after whistling loud and happy.

The smoke from the engine engulfed us a couple of times on the way, when the wind was favourable. But that was the fun of it.

That train was supposed to make such smoke, it was part of its charm. We enjoyed the train ride like two children, with big happy smiles on our faces.

We arrived at Chiemsee Lake, which looked merry under the clear sky with an occasional cloud, sails floating scattered all over the water surface.

A wedding party was going on by the pier, and the beautiful bride arrived in a vintage car. That was so romantic. The party had their glasses of champagne in hands, it all looked like in the movies. We liked that!

We boarded our boat and sailed away. We enjoyed it so much! The water was glittering in the sunshine, the white sails looked happy on the lake, forest islands provided pleasant spots of colour... it was so beautiful.

We were enthralled by the beautiful landscape. No wonder that so many people would go there over the weekend. We arrived at Herren Island and went to the ticket desk.

Out of courtesy, for the fun of it and because I could, I spoke in German when I asked for a ticket for two persons, showing the Bavarian Palaces Ticket.

I received it for free, of course, looked at the time of our tour and walked on the path towards the palace. We had enough time for a stroll.

At about half way I look again at the ticket and, to my horror, I noticed that the ticket was for a tour in German language. Just because I spoke a few easy words at the ticket counter, I was booked for a German language tour.

And you could tell from a mile away that at the most I was a beginner in German language. I didn't return to the ticket centre, as I thought that the people at the palace would be understanding of our situation and re-schedule us on an English tour.

Indeed, once there the persons were very kind and re-scheduled us on another tour, in English language.

The park and gardens in front of Herrenchiemsee Palace have never been completed, but what we saw there looked similar to those at Versailles.

Also, many of the rooms inside, but in general they were a tribute paid by King Ludwig II to Louis XIV, the Sun King.

Before our tour began, we had time to visit King Ludwig II Museum. The museum presents the story of the king's life and early death in paintings, busts and photographs.

We saw furnishings from his former apartments in Munich Residence and plans for Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee.

To be continued...

When the time for our tour was up, we waited in line at the entrance. We were led by a young guide, probably a trainee, who throughout the tour couldn't give us a smooth description of what we were seeing.

She had a fragmented speech, due to her lack of appropriate English vocabulary, and not once she was thinking of the right term to use or even ask us, the tourists, to tell her what was the English word for some object she wanted to tell us about.

Moreover, in spite of the “no photo” signs, some people in our group kept taking pictures and filming, ignoring the faint requests made by some of the personnel there, not to take pictures.

Some others were there with very small children who kept crying and whining, and even a toddler who kept crawling beyond the rope to the precious exhibits.

Their parents didn't show any concern, nobody said anything, and for us at least, the tour was a failure. When I went to the guide to ask her to do something about it, as our attention was distracted and we couldn’t hear her properly, she said she couldn't do anything.

Nobody else in the group said anything, even though we saw some discontent faces among them. We could hardly hear her and on top of that, she didn't put any passion in what she was doing.

We hardly understood anything during that tour. We complained afterwards to the management and were offered another tour, but we didn’t want that.

We wanted them to acknowledge their shortcomings and do something about it. We had our Bavarian Ticket for Palaces that gave us unlimited access anyway, so it wasn’t another free tour that we wanted.

On top of that, the tour was very fast, it lasted for about half an hour and took us through about 15 rooms. Considering the conditions we had, maybe it was for the better.

We hardly spent one or two minutes inside each of the (already so few) rooms. This was the only unpleasant experience we had throughout Germany.

However, we did remain with some good impressions as well, after that tour.

When we started, we climbed a splendid staircase, with statues framed by rich decorations along the walls, high up to the ceiling. We soon passed through a spectacular room, the Second Antechamber.

An equestrian statue of Louis XIV dominated the sumptuously decorated room. Then it was the monumental State Bedroom and all was too impressive.

We felt like tiny creatures, overwhelmed, crushed by the beauty of the ornaments, the opulent works of art. We were already thinking how it was going to be when we came to the Hall of Mirrors, we could hardly wait.

And then, all of a sudden we were there. We didn’t have to be told that that was the place, we just knew it. Or better said, we felt it. Oh yes, it was so grand.

It was reminiscent of what we had seen at Versailles a few years before, and they say it is about 25 feet longer. Thousands of candles ready to be lit on those richly ornamented crystal chandeliers and candelabras, the ceiling paintings framed by intricate gilded decorations.

We went through a few more rooms and then we were in the Dining Room. Same like at Linderhof, we saw here the table that was lowered through a trap door in the floor. We learned that King Ludwig was however never alone.

The remaining seats around the table were occupied by imaginary members of the French court during the reign of the Sun King, and King Ludwig conversed with them and drank toasts in their honour.

We also wondered at the beautiful Porcelain Room, which is fully decorated with colourful painted porcelain tiles on walls, doors and even on the writing desk.

We passed through a smaller hall of mirrors, but still superbly decorated, then reached a desolate staircase, only brick walls, left unfinished due to lack of funds.

At the end of the tour we saw the mechanism that was used to lower Ludwig’s famous disappearing dining table. Even though unfinished, this palace struck us with its opulence, we were very impressed by what we saw there.

We felt so small in front of the superb works of art that we saw. And as incredible as it may sound, we found out that only 3 kilos of gold were used for decorations.

We left the palace and visited the Museum of the Augustinian Monastery, where we saw an art gallery with a big collection of paintings by the Munich artist Julius Exter.

We walked for a while on the winding paths on the island, admired the beautiful lake with the white sails sprinkled all over it, then went down to the pier.

We boarded the boat, had a pleasant sail back to Prien Stock, then took the little green train to Prien. In Prien we walked the deserted streets, looking for a nice place to eat.

We found a small square round a corner, like a courtyard, with a restaurant with tables on the pavement, right next to a church.

It was a very pleasant setting, we liked the food, had our beers, bought some cakes and then caught our train back to Munich.

It was so hot during our stay in Germany. We were sweating when we got off the train and went straight for a refreshing beer. The place of choice was the Ratskeller, the inner courtyard of the Town Hall in Marienplatz.

We had noticed that very beautiful place a few days before. We had our beers, a Dunkel and a Hefe respectively, relaxed and enjoyed the atmosphere, surrounded by those darkened walls, hundreds of years old, with their interesting and strange statues looking down at us.

We walked back to our accommodation, trying to see more of this nice part of Munich, which is in and around Marienplatz.

To be continued (last day in Munich)...

This is a link to photos taken during our last evening in Munich, around Marienplatz and at Ratskeller.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...1AaNGzly4ZsWIT

>hundreds of years old
Bulid between 1867 and 1909, but it surely looks much older, doesn't it? :-)

Yes, you're right, logos!

It looks so much older, you wouldn't believe it is in fact the NEW Town Hall.

Found out about that subsequently, but I just wanted to convey the feeling I had at THAT moment, when I didn't know.

But still, it's awesome! And I think it rivals in beauty the one in Brussels, which is truly hundreds of years old.

During those moments, I did compare them in my mind.

Day 17 – July 23

This is a link to photos taken during our last day in Munich

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...1AaNGzly4ZsWIg

The only thing we wanted to do in our last day in Munich was to walk through the old town.
We checked out from our accommodation and went first to the railway station to leave our luggage in a locker.

Then we began our walk on Prielmayer street, passing by the Palace of Justice. We noticed the statues on top of the superb building, and we thought of what each of them represented, trying to find out their connection with Justice.

Of course, in the middle of them all was a statue of Justitia holding a scales. The statues were too high and too small for us to be able to recognize details and realize what virtues or characters they represent, but we could distinguish the scales “dangling” in goddess Justitia’s hand.

We crossed the street and we were in Karlsplatz, or Stachus. Every evening when we passed by that place until then it was crowded. Now, on a Sunday morning at about 10 o’clock, the square was only ours and it was beautiful with the water springing up from the fountain.

We passed through Karl’s Gate and were on Neuhauser Street, and soon reached St. Michael’s Church, with the saint killing the Devil at the entrance.

We entered the church. The interior decorations were of a striking and captivating white, making a beautiful contrast with the gilded high altar.

We continued our walk and very soon we noticed a side street going to the left and a restaurant had its tables outside under umbrellas, ready for customers.

It was one of the many Augustiner restaurants and beer gardens. We liked the setting on that quiet street, away from the crowds, the pleasant atmosphere of the place and decided to stop there for a coffee.

With a few minutes before 11 o’clock, we went to Marienplatz to listen to the carillon and watch the figurines move in the Town Hall Clock Tower.

We took a position at the opposite side from the town hall, a little behind the thick of the crowds, to avoid risks of being pick-pocketed while gawking at the spectacle up there.

The only inconvenience were some umbrellas from the coffee shops, but the tower was high enough to aim the camera above them.

At 11 o’clock sharp church bells began to sound all over Munich. We could hear their sound coming from all around us, but from the town hall.

I thought that that was on purpose, with some special permission, as the town hall clock had that special show on for the people to watch and listen.

When all the church bells around town stopped, the spectacle began in Marienplatz, at about 3 minutes past 11.

The sound of the carillon was enchanting, the figurines were rotating in different scenes to the melody of the bells. The show lasted for about 3 minutes and we enjoyed it.

We left Marienplatz smiling after this spectacle, and went to Frauenkirche, the Church of Our Lady. I tried to take some photos with its two green onion towers and entered.

Just then they were having the service. We admired the painted windows and listened to some beautiful music played on the organ.

We returned towards the town hall, came on Weinstrasse to the left side of the town hall, and turned left towards Odeon Square.

As we went along Weinstrasse, we noticed on one of the side streets to the left the two green onion towers of Frauenkirche, rising majestically above the houses. I took a picture and continued our walk.

The streets were quiet on that Sunday morning and the weather was a little cooler than the previous days. We enjoyed this morning outing.

We entered Odeonsplatz by the Field Marshals Hall. Theatine Church was there on the left and we went in to visit. We were delighted at the sight of the interior.

It was monumental, splendid white stucco decorations, rich ornaments, statues and embroideries, and that white colour highlighting all the work of art inside. It was amazing.

When we came out we saw an arch in the distance to the left. We thought it wasn’t too far away to walk there to see what it was and then to return.

To be continued...

So we walked on that straight as an arrow and wide Ludwigstrasse, passed by the university, no people on the street, watched the big buildings we were passing by, watched the traffic and thought that we saw some nicer cars in that area.

We reached the Victory Arch with a statue representing Bavaria in a chariot drawn by four lions. That was an impressive triple arch.

We returned on the other side of Ludwigstrasse, and stopped at St. Ludwig’s Church. We went inside and had a very nice surprise when we saw the ceiling: it was painted in blue with golden stars, same like the ceilings we had seen at Neuschwanstein and Linderhof Castles, in King Ludwig II’s bedrooms.

We passed by the National Library, then reached the Odeonsplatz again. On one side of the square, by the Residence, was the Hofgarten, a nice park with flower arrangements and fountains, and a beer garden under the trees, at the entrance.

We went in for a walk. The beer garden was quite crowded, some people were walking or sitting on benches in the garden, some children were playing.

We came back to Odeon Square and the Theatine Church looked beautiful on the opposite side. I took some photos and then we stopped at the Residence.

A few days before, when we visited there, we noticed some people touching the noses of the lions at the entrance. We didn’t realize that it was on purpose, we thought that that was just a reflex gesture.

Later, however, we found out that Munich people believe that touching those little noses brings good luck. So we stopped at the lions, touched their noses, took pictures, touched their noses again and continued our walk.

Just after the Residence we reached Max-Joseph Square, at the National Theatre and Bavarian State Opera. We crossed Maximilian Street and continued straight on some side streets, till we reached Viktualienmarkt.

St. Peter’s Church was nearby and we went in. This was another pleasant surprise, as the interior was awesome. Golden ornaments were beautifully highlighted by the white stucco work.

The ceiling paintings framed in gold designs made the interior even brighter. We didn’t have enough time to go up the tower, as we had to go to the airport.

So from Old Peter’s Church we crossed Marienplatz, passed Karlsplatz and there we were, at the railway station.

We bought one of those Munich transport cards, the XXL for two persons I think, to cover the airport as well. Then we went to the lockers to pick up our luggage.

I put the key in and tried to turn it, but to our shocking surprise it didn’t work. Immediately we looked at our watches to see how much time we had left till our plane was scheduled to take off.

We were still well in time. We both tried the key a few more times, read the instructions, made sure that we knew what we were doing. Then I went around in search for some offices where I could get help.

I asked at an information desk somewhere and I was directed through some entrances, some corridors, entrance to the left, corridor to the right, the again left and see a counter behind some windows...

I finally found the right desk and I was so relieved when I saw the guy behind the counter actually picking up a big bunch of keys and coming along with me.

I wanted to run ahead and make him run along, and I could hardly keep my cool. I walked calmly with him, and showed him the naughty locker.

He tried my key, then tried one of his, and then he banged the locker three times, turned the key and opened it.

We were so glad now that we had our luggage back. We went down to the “S” trains and left for the airport.

While waiting to board our plane we were thinking of this unique character, King Ludwig II. He was just too sensible, too poetic, a dreamer, a misunderstood loner.

He wanted to create this fairy tale world around him because he had the means and he could. And he almost succeeded.

Some of us are like this today, but we don’t have the means and the power to even attempt to do it. No, King Ludwig II was not mad, he was a dreamer, a beautiful dreamer.

This holiday in Germany was one of our best till now. We enjoyed the places we’ve been to, liked the people we met and overall it was a pleasant experience.

For us, the palaces and castles, as well as the museums that we visited in Germany, are among the best in Europe. Great finds for us were Ludwigsburg with its palace, Wurzburg with its churches, Residenz and the superb Stachel wine house, and Rothenburg, that beautiful picture book town.

The bier gartens with their Dunkels and Hefes by the litre? Well, we still talk and think about them. It’s a pity they don’t have them at the local pub, but then... why would one return to a country if one could find everything at home?

End of report.

thanks for the great report and pictures. I appreciate the details.

Gabriel,
Thank you so much for the report. I have really enjoyed reading it. I leave on Saturday for two weeks in Germany and can't wait. I am going to some of the same places that you went to and it was good to see the pictures and read about them.

bigtyke and lvktravel, thank you for your kind appreciation.

I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Gabriel