Let me tell you - I am ready to change our plans for next summer and go straight back to Germany We are planning go to Boston, NYC, and then someplace on the ocean for a few days - our friends on the east coast are planning to meet up with us for part of the trip, definitely the few days on the coast. I want to tell them forget it - meet us in Germany instead

Ok - here are days 9 and 10:

Day 9 (Monday)

This day we went to Rothenberg for a day trip - about an hour and a half by train, change trains at Ansbach and again at another station - very easy. The ride was really pretty - through the countryside again, past many small, picturesque towns and farms.

Rothenberg was great. The Altstadt is a walled city with the city wall completely intact, I think. A good portion of the city wall is walkable as well - there is a catwalk open to the public. We walked for quite aways on the wall, which was really neat. Had some great views and just a cool experience. We strolled around and did some shopping - actually quite a bit of shopping here. We found one store that had plenty of beer steins, cookoo clocks, Christmas ornaments, embroidered table cloths, decorative plates, and so on. So we did the bulk of our souvenier shopping there and had it shipped home. Since I am not much of a shopper, it was nice to get it done.

Had lunch in a little beer garden behind a guesthouse called Gastof Spitaltor on Spitalgasse. This was a great little hidden place - we only saw it because there was a sign on the sidewalk that said Biergarten with an arrow down an alleyway. The alley openned up to a nice, shady yard with about 10-12 tables. The place was about half full, so we sat down made ourselves at home. The food was really good and the Tucker beer tasted fabulous - definitely hit the spot after wandering around.

Later we went to the Kriminal Museum - museum of law enforcement and torture. That was a real trip - to actually see things like shame masks, neck violins, an iron maiden, picked chairs, and so forth and to see the books in which these weird medieval laws and punishments were contained. Very insteresting and disturbing. Part of the way through the museum I mentioned to my husband that in light of all this, it does seem awfully strange that traditionally European and US historians, archealogists, and so on have labelled the Aztecs as barbaric for their practices. The Aztecs may have practiced human sacrafice, but as far as I know, death was quick - none of this sadistic torture business.

After the museum, we had some ice cream - because of course that is what touring a torture museum puts one in the mood for. Then we took the train back to Nuremberg. Went back to the same cafe by the castle for dinner - and for more of that rauchbeir. Definitely our favorite of the trip.

Day 10 (Tuesday)

This was the day we picked up the car and headed down to the alps. We rented a VW Golf, so there was no need to get used to the car since I used to own one - LOL. Actually VW has changed the Golf and we don't like it nearly as much as before. It is taller and narrower, so the handling isn't as good and it just isn't as good looking or comfortable as it used to be. But it did the job.

Speaking of cars - we had a great time looking at cars in Germany.

We made it out of Nuremberg (no city map, just using our Spidey senses) and onto the highway. The drive was great. We took the autobahn part of the way and then the Romantic Road the rest of the way. Stopped in Dinklesbuhl for a look around and then along the road for a picnic lunch. Our plan was to stop more, but after so many days of walking a heck of a lot more than we are used to, we were happy to be in the car. And we were happy to have air conditioning. It was still pretty darned hot. So we just drove. We did enjoy driving through rural Bavaria and lots of little towns. The alps were amazing - just looming up before us as we got closer and closer.

We stayed in Reutte, Austria at the Hotel Moser Hof, which was great. The town of Reutte is pretty small and reasonably picturesque, although not nearly as cute as a lot of towns we had seen. The valley in which it sits is beautiful though. The hotel was very nice - our room was spacious with a nice balcony with chairs and a table. We also had a small couch, table, and a couple chairs in the room. The lobby and other common rooms were very nice - lots of comfortable furniture and interesting things on the walls. And the people were absolutely terrific - family run place and definitely top notch.

http://www.hotel-moserhof.at/e-index.html

Ok - here is the final installment of my trip report. I hope everybody has enjoyed reading it and that it wasn't too long or boring - LOL. The TRIP definitely wasn't too long or boring and I hope I did it justice

Germany Trip - Munich - Days 11-14
Day 11 (Wednesday)

The hotel had a similar breakfast spread as the previous hotels and was definitely good.

This was the day we went to see the Ludwig Castles! I had been wanting to see Neuschwanstein for as long as I can remember. The drive over to the Hohenschwangau area was really nice - some mad hatter drivers on those roads though. Passing on a 2-lane road with oncoming traffic, driving up the center line. Just nutty.

I had reserved tickets for the castle tours - Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein - online ahead of time, which I am very glad I did. We arrived at the ticket office about 9:30 and already there was a nice long line to buy tickets. We got to go to the reservation window and had our tickets in 5 minutes - definitely worth the 1,75 euro per ticket service charge not to have to wait in the line.

We visited Hohenschwangau castle first - the walk up the hill was pretty easy. The castle was in the midst of some major exterior maintenence, so that detracted from the experience somewhat. The interior of the castle was great though. And I loved hearing the stories and history of the family. The tour was rather short - I wished it was longer, if not more rooms, then more stories. One thing that really struck me was getting to see the piano that the family bought for Wagner to play - amazing.

We had a little over an hour until our tour of Neuschwanstein, so we decided to walk down from Hohenschwangau and then up the hill to Neuschwanstein rather than take the horse-drawn cart or the bus. The walk was nice, but tiring. The weather was still pretty warm, but the virtually the entire walk was under tree cover.

Neuschwanstein was absolutely amazing. The design was incredible - the painting on the walls and ceilings, the floors, the furnishings. Maybe someone else can do it justice, but I cannot. Adjectives have never been my strong suit - LOL. Again, the tour was good, but I wished it was longer so that I could have heard more about Ludwig, the family, and so on. We also had several rude people on our tour that would just not shut up, so it was hard to hear the guide at times. ACK!

After the tours, we were starving, so we went to a restaurant on the same hill as Neuschwanstein - just down hill a little ways, very convinient. We didn't expect much from a restaurant right there at such a big tourist attraction and we were not disappointed. The food was ok, the service was terrible, but we were hungry and it met our need.

Next we hiked further up the hill to the Marienbruke - the bridge that overlooks Neuschwanstein. The hike was steep, but the views were totally worth it. Amazing. There were a lot of people up there, so it was hard to be out on the bridge - tour group after tour group showed up. Such is life - lots of people want to visit.

After the hike back down the hill, we were pretty tired, so we just headed back to the hotel. By this time it was around 5 in the afternoon anyway. We stopped at the Lech Fall on the way back, which is a damned up part of the Lech river that is really neat. The water comes off the damn and goes into a sort of a canyon. The water is an amazing tuquois color.

Dinner was at the hotel restaurant and very good. There seemed to be a mix of hotel guests, other tourists, and locals. Nice atmosphere, good food, and nice service. We sat out on the patio with our drinks after dinner and relaxed until bedtime.

Day 12 (Thursday)

This was a free day with no real plan. Originally we thought of doing some hiking, but after all the walking at the castles the day before, neither of us was interested in that - LOL. So instead we got in the car with the map and headed out to see what we could see. We went to the towns of Fussen and Oberamergau and to the Weiskirche (White Church). Just outside of Schwangau is the Tegelbahn, which is a tram up to the top of a peak. Others said the view was great, but I was having trouble with some vertigo on the trip, so we decided not to attempt it. Instead we each took a ride on the summer tobagan run - this is the coolest thing. Basically you buy a ticket and get on little flat tobagan-like cars, one per person, that are on a track. A cable pulls the cars up the hill to the top of the tobagan run. At the top, the cars go into a thing that looks like a metal bobsled run and you zoom down to the bottom through all sorts of twists and turns. Really fun.

Part of our drive that day took us from Oberamergau to the Plansee and back the Reutte. The section between Oberamergau and the Plansee was beautiful - probably the best scenery we saw in the alps. Just really nice. And the Plansee (lake) was great - crystal clear blue green waters, plenty of places to swim and do boating. We had lunch at a little snack stand on the lake - grilled ham and cheese sandwiches called "Toasts" and french fries. You know, I have never eatten so many french fries in such a short amount of time as on this trip - they are everywhere!

Dinner was at the hotel restaurant again and was really great once again. There isn't a whole lot going on in Reutte - not a lot of restaurants to choose from - but we had some of the best meals of the trip at the hotel restaurant. A storm came in that evenning, so we had to end our streak of ourdoor dining. Until that point we had eaten every meal of the trip except breakfast outside, but the wind drove us inside that night.

Day 13 (Friday)

This was our last full day of vacation. We drove back to Munich - pretty easy drive, took us almost exactly 2 hours - and returned the car to the airport. We figured that would be easier than an in town location. And it was very convinient. Then took the S-Bahn back into central Munich. We stayed at the Kings Hotel on Dachaur Strasse, which was only a block or so from the Hauptbahnhof, so really convinient. The hotel was nice too - small room and bathroom, but well outfitted and comfortable.

We went down to the Marienplatz for lunch - back to Andescher am Dom for some of that shnitzle and Anchechs kloisterbrau - so good. Then we went to the Frauenkirche (more sneezing for me) and took the elevator to the top of one of the onion domes. Such a great view. And, only a few steps to climb - yay!!!

Then we rewarded ourselves with some ice cream and wandered around a bit more. The Hirschgarten was calling to us, so we decided to spend our last evenning relaxing with beers in our favorite beer garden. Perfect end to a wonderful trip.

Day 14 (Saturday)

This was our travel home day, which no one wants to hear about - heightened airport security, flight delays, and our entry point back into the US was in Chicago. Oh, and lost luggage. Yeah, it was a FUN day. But we made it back home safe and sound and DID NOT get stranded overnight in Chicago Don't fly into the international terminal at Chicago if you can at all help it.

I really enjoyed your detailed report, and glad I was able to read the ending before we leave (tomorrow am) on our trip to Munich. Because of your positive review, I'm going to try to talk DH into the Mike's Bike tour.

The Chicago part makes me nervous, though, as we are connecting there tomorrow. Did you fly UAL?

In your beer-combo experimentation, did you get to try a "Russ" with Weißbier (wheat beer) and limonade? If not, you now have the perfect excuse to return.

Don't forget to bring an umbrella. It's rather cold and rainy, with rain forcasted for the next 6 days.

Thanks, logos. I have been reading the forecasts. I was hoping that the heat wave would break, but that is not what I had in mind.

We're staying in the area for about 4 days before heading down to Lago Maggiore, where the forecast looks a bit sunnier.

Yep - we flew UAL. On the outbound trip it wasn't a problem because our flight departed from the domestic terminal and we had plenty of time. We actually had like a 5 hour layover and then our flight from Chicago to Munich was delayed about an hour, so we spent a lot of time just wandering around, killing time.

Coming back was the problem - our flight was delayed 4 hours in Munich, so there was a serious time crunch in Chicago. And as an in bound flight from overseas, we had to go through the international terminal, which was a zoo.

We had several Radlers, which I believe are the same as the Russ - maybe slightly different. Perhaps the Radler is with lemonlime soda whereas the Russ is with lemonade?

Delightful report! We enjoyed Munich too, when we went last fall, and I agree with you that Andechser an Dom was terrific!

As to your "church sneezing," perhaps that was just your aesthetic sense expressing a preference for exteriors over interiors! I thought that both the Theatinerkirche (by Odeonsplatz) and the Frauenkirche were more pleasing on the outside than inside. It would have been interesting to see your reaction to the interior of the Asamkirche!

I enjoyed your report. Thank you. Barb

The Asamkirche was on our list of things to see, but we didn't make it over there. Ah - next time