Hey all! I didn't know if anyone would be interested in my trip report, but then my BF said I got so much information from people here (PalQ, hsv, etc) that I should. So I am...

Dates: May 13-May 28

Home bases: Munich, Leipzig, Hattingen, Aachen

Flew: American Airlines

Travelled by: Train

Luggage: Carry-on only. We rock!

Website: seange.blogspot.com for pictures

A little background on us: My BF and I reallly like to keep moving. We both want to see everything we possibly can. We don't like going into museums, but love going into churches. Ok, I told him we were going into all the churches we could, he groaned, but then after the first one, he loved it. He likes the outdoors, so I tried to incorporate a few hikes as well. I have been to Munich 3 other times, so we skipped alot of stuff, and did side trips instead. The weather was awful almost the entire time we were there. Especially our last 3 days. But what can you do?

May 13: This was a complete travel day. We took an overnite flight into London, Heathrow, and had a 6 hour connection there. My BF and I agreed that we would probably never fly through Heathrow again. Maybe it was because we were tired, but we just didn't feel it was a super organized airport.

May 14: We arrived at the Munich airport around 3:30/4. We had no problem finding the train platform, but then I didn't know where to buy tickets. So, then we had to go back upstairs to get our tickets. Not a problem, I was just a little confused. We were able to get a day ticket and get our Railpass stamped. We had purchased a 10 day Railpass for the trip. Definitely the smart way to do it.

So, we caught the train and headed to the Isartor stop. We got off, but I wasn't sure which way to exit the station. There were no directions on the hotel's website. We kind of wandered around with our map out and a nice gentleman stopped and asked if he could help. We were heading completely in the wrong direction! Oh well! There are much worse places to be lost! So we got to our hotel: Hotel Isartor 115 euro/night breakfast in the morning. Our room had a balcony which was cool. Except that it faced a busy street. Well, we're just going to use the room for sleeping anyway!

Off we went. I took my BF to the Marienplatz to show him my favorite place. He loved it! He had never been out of the US before, so everything was just "amazing" to him. We took the U-Bahn to the English Garden. Here is where I was not so smart. We wanted to go to the chinese Tower and I just kind of glanced at a book to see where to get off. Well, we got off at that stop and I was completely lost. I forgot to read how to get TO the English Garden. Airhead moment #1. Luckily I had a map. And once a again a nice woman asked if she could help us. And once again we were heading in the opposite direction. But, thanks to her help, we found our way there. And of course BF loved the park. We compared it a little bit to Forest Park here in St. Louis, but, really, can you really compare a park in Europe to a park in St. Louis?

We got to the Chinese Tower and got some food (and beer!). My BF ordered a Mass Erbock after I had just ordered a half white beer. The guy asked him if he had to ride his bike home. I had a good laugh. And thought, 'it is a good thing I have the map!'

It was a lovely evening, just sitting out there, absorbing that we were finally in Munich. BF enjoyed his beer and pork knuckle, I liked my beer and pretzel.

It started getting chilly, so we headed out of the park and to a closer U-Bahn. We headed back to our hotel and passed out.

The last line in my journal from this day says: 'I don't feel like I'm on vacation. I feel like I'm at home.' That sums up how I felt for the entire vacation (until the last few days).

May 15: We let ourselves sleep in a bit on this day. I think we got up around 8ish. We had breakfast at the hotel and set out to explore Munich. I had found 3 walks in my Frommer's guide to Munich and Bavaria. We did Walk #1 in the morning. This walk took us to the Frauenkirche, St. Peter's (we climbed the stairs, what a view!), the Hofbraeuhaus, Marienplatz, Glockenspiel (yes, we caught a performance), Viktualienmarkt, Max-Joseph-Platz, Theatinerkirche, Hofgarten. It was a good walk. And one of the nicest days we had!

We had lunch at Donisl on the Marienplatz. I had my first Radler, and I am never looking back! So good, so refreshing! The lemon-lime soda made the beer go down much easier. My BF's goal on the trip was to try a beer from all the major breweries (from the Beer Drinker's Guide to Munich). So, the English Garden was Hofbraeu, Donisl was Hacker-Pshorr.

In the afternoon we did our second walk. We started at St. Micheal's Church, headed to Karlsplatz, Sendlingertorplatz, and Asamkirche (gaudy!). It was another nice walk where we were able to see several churches.

After the walk, we went back to the hotel to freshen up, then walked to Straubinger Hof for dinner. They serve Paulaner beer here. The food and beer were both very good here. Paulaner became BF's favorite beer. And the beer garden outside was really nice. It was a nice end for a day of walking.

We turned in early this night because we had to be up before the sun the next morning for a hike.

Please let me know if I am putting too much detail in. I am very descriptive, so if it is too much, let me know.

Next: Slipping and sliding down Mt. Tegelburg to reach Neuschwanstein

May 16: The alarm went off at 5:30. Ugh, this is vacation??? Today we were heading to Fuessen. The train from the Hbf left around 6:30/7, so we had to be sure we were there on time. Since we had our Railpass we didn't have to worry about buying a ticket or anything. We just hopped on the train, found two seats and settled in. The only problem I had with the trains is that when they announce stops, and connecting trains, they rattle it off so fast, I don't have time to process what was said. Usually we could figure it out when we got off the train, or ask a conductor. On the way to Fuessen, we changed trains in Buchloe. No problems, we stepped off the train, and the train we needed to catch was just across the way.

Once we arrived in Fuessen, we decided to do a walk around the city that I had found in a Germany: Day Trips book. I don't know the exact title. It was a nice walk, where we got to see some of the town. We visited Kloster St. Mang (ok, looked at the outside), saw Hohes Schloss and found a waterfall. We then walked back to the train station and took a taxi to Mt. Tegelburg.

At Mt. Tegelburg, we bought a ticket to take the cable car up the mountain. The cost was 18 euro. A bit much, but soooo worth it. When we got up the mountain, the views were breathtaking. I knew this is what BF had wanted to see. He loves the mountains. We began our hike down the mountain. I had gotten this idea from someone else on this forum who had wanted to do, but didn't know how. I did as much research as I could to be sure I wouldn't die. You think I am kidding, but I was a bit scared.

As we began walking down, there was a sign that had various dots on it. Next to the blue dot it said 'Marienbruecke.' Ok, that is where we are going! So, we began following the blue dots. And thank the Lord we did. There was a few times that it seemed we weren't on the trail, but then we'd see a blue dot on a tree or rock and be reassured. The beginning of the hike was the hardest, getting through the snow and steepest parts. But after that, it was no problem walking on the trail. The trail was only big enough for 1 person at a time, so I had BF walk in front of me to warn me of any problems. The hike was wonderful. We had so many amazing views of Neuschwanstein. I am so glad that we took the time to do this. We started running into more hikers coming up when we were getting close to the end. If you come from the bridge, you can walk about 30-45 minutes up to get a good view of the castle. The whole hike took us about 2 hours. I think they say it should take 2-3 hours. And we stopped quite a bit to go off the trail and take pictures.

We reached the Marienbruecke and took the obligatory photos there. We then walked to the castle. We didn't go in because neither of us really had the desire too. After taking few pictures, we walked into town. We had lunch at a little cafe. It was very nice.

We then caught the bus back to Fuessen to catch the train. And it began raining. Yuck. And it didn't stop for the rest of our trip.

We had no problem with the trains. Same as on the way. We stopped in Buchloe to catch our connection.

This night we went to the Hofbraeuhaus for dinner. It was so crowded. Of course, we didn't get there until around 9. But we found a dry table outside to sit at. BF started his 'wurst' diet with the wurst plate. He loved it. And of course we had to get beers! It was alot of fun, even if we were outside away from the crowds.

We stayed for few hours, then headed back to the hotel to get ready for the next day.

Coming up: Salzburg, and Airhead moment #2

May 17: Another early day. My goal was for us to reach Salzburg as close to 9 am as possible. I wanted to get to the Fortress before the crowds got too large. I was so sore from hiking down the mountain the day before. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to walk around Salzburg all day. But, it is in my top 5 of favorite cities, so I figured I would make it.

I think we were both really tired and sore because we started getting cranky towards the end. I'm sure the weather didn't help. Or the fact that I didn't bring my umbrella to save myself from the torential downpour. Oh well.

When we arrived in Salzburg, the first thing we did was hit up an atm. Then off we went. We walked from the train station to the Fortress first. We walked up the steep hill to the Fortress (all the while my legs were screaming "WHY?&quot. We decided to take the tour around the Fortress. I am glad we did. Even if we were the only two not with the school group of kids. The tour was nice, and I think worth the money we spent. We learned some of the history of the Fortress and were afforded some terrific views of Salzburg.

After the Fortress, back down the hill we went and to St. Peter's Cemetary. We paid admission to go up to the Catacombs in the mountain. That was kind of cool, but I guess I thought there would be more to see. From the Cemetary we headed to St. Peter's Church.

After this, we hiked up the steep hill again to Nonnberg Abbey. You would think I would've planned this out better. Well, at least we were getting our workout in! I had never been to the Abbey before. The inside was nice, except that, in order to get the lights to turn on, you had to pay 50 euro cents. So, we just enjoyed it in the dark.

After the Abbey, back down the hill we went. This is about the time it started raining. And I realized I did not have my umbrella (DOH!). We took refuge near Dom St. Rupert, but the damage had already been done. My hair was now frizzy and my jeans were soaked.

Of course, once the rain stopped, it was sunny for the rest of the day. We walked over to the Monchsberg elevator and took that up to have a look at some views. We were going to hike around up there, but it was too muddy. We walked over to the Steingasse from here and walked down the little street. The houses were so cute and little. We then climbed Kapunzingerberg (I have no idea if I spelled that right. I don't have my notes with me). The stairs were very steep. And once again my legs were unhappy with my choice. But once we reached the top, we went into a monastery that was quite pretty. And on the way down the other side, there were lifesize (maybe bigger) depictions of the station of the cross. Very cool.

We then began our walk back towards the train station. We stopped at Dreifaltigkeitskirche (sp?), St. Sebastian's Cemetary (worth a stop), and Mirabell Garden. I wanted to go in to Mirabellschloss because I had read a little bit about it, but we couldn't figure it out. And about this time we were both getting tired.

When we got back to Munich we started looking for a place to eat. We ended up near the Viktualienmarkt at Lotter Leben. This was probably one of my favorite meals on the trip, but it wasn't that special. Our waitress was very nice, and the food was so good (probably because we were starving). We ordered nachos which were better than some I've had in America, BF had Laberkaes and I had a sandwich with a salad. And of course beer! Well, I had a Radler at least, BF had a weissbeir dunkel, and then a russ'n (wheat beer with lemon-lime soda). I expected this bill to be high, but it was only 30 euro. Not bad.

May 18: Today the plan was to go to Herrsching to visit Andechs, then to Starnberg for a little boat trip. We took the S-Bahn to Herrsching and walked a little bit around the town (to see the Ammersee, etc.) and then began our pilgrimage to Andechs. What a hike! I thought the end would never be in sight. Going uphill is definitely worse than going downhill. BF disagrees with me, but I don't care. I kept saying 'there's the end!' only to have BF say 'no, that is still the trail.' But once we reached the top, I knew the walk was worth it. Kloster Andechs is just beautiful without being gaudy. And the food and beer! I would walk up again just to have another beer. And I was so proud of BF on this day, he ordered the beer all by himself, in German! He was finally starting to pick up some of the language! This is a feat for him because he is 40% deaf, and reads lips for the most part. So, it is hard for him to know how to say something if he can't read it correctly.

After enjoying our beer and food, we began our descent. My hips and legs were still sore, so going downhill felt pretty bad. When we got to the train station, I wasn't sure how to get to Starnberg. I thought there was a bus, but didn't see a station. So we just took the train to a town I knew connected with the line we needed to get to Starnberg. So, we finally get to Starnberg, only to discover we missed the last cruise we could've taken. I was upset, and poor BF kept trying to make me feel better.

We came back to Munich and went to Augustiner near Karlsplatz. BF had been most excited about trying this beer, but I don't think he was impressed. He still liked Paulaner the best. We went back to the hotel after that and then BF said he wanted to go get a beer. I was trying to pack because we were leaving the next day to head to Leipzig. But he was persistent.

So, we started walking towards the Marienplatz. I tried to pull him down a street where I knew there was a bar, but he said no, he wanted to see everything one more time. So, we walk to the statue of Mary and stand there looking at the Glockenspiel. It was raining and chilly, and I had my hood up. I was noticing how few people were out. BF kept saying how amazing everything was, and then said "here it goes." He then dropped to one knee. I still am not sure what he said because I started crying and covered my face. He held out a ring to me and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes! What a great end to an ok day!

So, we called our parents to tell them, and then found a place to have a beer. Honestly I don't remember where we went for the drink. It was near our hotel though.

Next: East Germany

Awesome report! Thanks! Keep it coming!

WK

Congratulations!!!

Wow!

That's awesome, StLgrrl! You should add "Ring" to your title!

Eager to hear more!

Great Trip Report !

Also Congratulations from Germany !

Oh StLgrrl, although I have never been in Germany I so enjoyed your trip report..but the proposal, how romantic and beautiful!! From the sounds of your trip I know you two will have a beautiful life together. My very best wishes to both of you.

Thank you everyone for the replies. The proposal was romantic. I kind of thought that he would've done it on our hike, and when he didn't, I figured it wasn't going to happen. So he surprised me!

May 19: Back to the Hbf we went to catch our train to Leipzig. I was worried about being able to find the correct train at the Hbf, but it was so easy. They have an electronic board that tells you the platform of the train and where it is going. So, if your train continues from your stop, you need to know that so you look for the correct one, but all the major stops are listed. Easy.

The train to Leipzig was no problem at all. No changes, no upsets. We pulled into Leipzig where we were to meet our friend, K. She wasn't there, so DF (hehehe) went to look for her. She ended up showing up while he was looking for her. After many hugs we go to put our luggage in her car. The train station in Leipzig is huge! It is like a mall in America. We didn't stick around to shop though, too much to see!

The first stop was the Nikolaikirche. Again, I don't have my notes with me, but K had printed out information about Leipzig sites and for Berlin as well. It was very thoughtful of her to go to that trouble. It really helped me connect better with the history of the area.

Back to Nikolaikirche. Before the wall came down, there were demonstrations at this church against the wall. That is really all I can remember. But it was a nice church.

The next stop was the Thomaskirche. There is a statue of Bach outside of this church, and many of his pieces are performed here. I do believe his tomb may be under the altar...There was a plaque on the floor with his name on it and many people came and put flowers on it while we were there.

We passed by the Rathaus where there is alot of construction going on. Actually, that is what I remember the most about Leipzig, all the construction. New buildings being erected, renewing of older ones. Obviously it was a frenzy of work, trying to get everything done before the World Cup. I don't think that happened. They seemed to have just begun working around the Rathaus, and even our friend commented that it probably wouldn't be done.

We stopped for drinks at Bar Fusz. The cafe was located at Markt 9. This entire "street" (more like an alley) was lined with cafes and outside seating. It was nice. I had a Radler (of course!) and DF had a Diesel (dark beer w/cola).

After this we headed back to K's car and drove to the Battle of Leipzig Memorial. I wish I had my notes, but I'm sure you all don't want a history lesson. The memorial was massive. I would not call it pretty though, just massive. We were able to climb some stairs to get some views of Leipzig. This is another thing we like, views. Anything we could climb, we did. And I think sometimes DF would've climbed some stuff that we weren't allowed to.

The inside of the memorial was very quiet. There are giant statues all looking down on what looks like a grave (obviously for those who had died). It was very impressive (still not pretty).

Ok, I lied earlier when I said we stayed in Leipzig, we actually stayed in Halle, where K works and lives. Sorry.

So we drove to Halle to see K's place and get something to eat. We went to the Schad Eck. Big portions and very good beer. They brew their own there. They are actually the first Halle brewery. We walked a little bit around Halle, but we were planning on seeing all of it on the 21st. We turned in early because the next day was Berlin. The city I was most excited about.

Congratulations on your engagement!! So... are you two planning a European wedding or honeymoon?? ;-)

Wow, what a great trip so far. And he proposed, yeah!!! Can hardly wait for more. Barb

May 20: Ah, Berlin. I had never been to this city, and I just couldn't wait to get there. I don't know what my expectations really were. I wasn't disappointed by Berlin, it was just different than I had envisioned. I'm not sure why I was so excited to see the city either. I'm not a huge history buff, but I guess just the thought of seeing the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie, the wall...I remember where I was when I read the wall was coming down. I was 11 years old, in a waiting room at a doctor's office, reading a newspaper. And I was so excited that the wall was coming down, not that I really understood what that meant, but everyone just seemed so happy. And to hear my friend talk about it, she says there is still a "mental wall" with a lot of people there. She is originally from the West, but moved to the East for school. She said when the wall was up, not many repairs were done in the East, and now that the wall is down, not all the repairs are getting done. I see this more in her town, Halle, then anywhere else. Maybe I thought all of East Germany would be like that. Anyway!

So, this was going to be a busy day. So much to see! The first stop on our list was Brandenburg Gate. The original Quadriga on top was destroyed in the wall, so what is on top now is a replica. We walked through the gate and headed over to the Reichstag. We were in Berlin quite early, and it was still swarming with tourists. And not just 'foreign' tourists, there were German tourists there as well. We didn't go into the Reichstag because the line was too long, so we simply walked around it.

On the other side is the Spree See. Many people were killed trying to escape by swimming across the Spree. Looking down one end of it we could see the TV tower, which is painted like a soccer ball (but pink) for the WC. Pretty cool. Nearby the Reichstag was a little memorial for those who died trying to get over the wall. There were crosses on the fence and stories about the people.

We headed back to the Brandenburg Gate and walked to Unter den Linden. I'm not sure what I expected on this street, but we found some tourist shops. I bought two books on the Wall. One is for a friend who is a History Teacher.

From here we headed to Checkpoint Charlie. This area seemed to contain even more tourists then near the Reichstag. On the ground near the checkpoint was a plaque that read 'Berlin Mauer' and had the dates of the wall. Next to the Checkpoint there was a sign, and on one side it read 'You are now entering the American Sector' and on the other 'You are now leaving the American Sector.' There was a little stand to get your passport stamped for 2 euro, so DF had his done. He's trying to catch up to me on stamps, haha. We walked down this street a ways and there were various pieces of the wall hanging up.

Next up was the Topography of Terror. This is a museum on top of the ruins of the Stasi prisons and interrogation rooms. The museum shows the horrors of the Nazi regime, and shows scenes from the trial of the men accused of having a hand in the regime. Also located next to the museum is a longer piece of the wall, still standing.

We spent a good 2 hours at the museum. There was just so much to see, and the majority was translated to English, so DF and I could read it. We really skipped quite a bit of it. You could definitely take an entire day there.

Next up was the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The original church was destroyed in WWII, but the remains are still there. So, we went in and had a look around. We then walked across from it to the new church. Even bombed out, I think the older one is nicer.

We then caught the train back to Halle. It was a long day, and I had alot to absorb. More than 1 day is needed for Berlin. Probably more like 2-3 days. I would like to go back there again someday and have a more in depth look at everything. This is one city that I would like to go into museums to have a look.

When we got to Halle, we had dinner at the restaurant across from K's apartment. The name was Nexxus. It was a cozy little place with a very good menu.

Tomorrow: You better Halle!

Quadriga was destroyed in the WAR, not wall. I need to proof-read better.

Congratulations on your engagement!

Awesome report. What a lifetime of memories you'll have. I'm glad you found Radler to your liking. I keep a collection of odds and ends about travel to Germany and Austria on my web site. Would you let me post your trip report there?
http://www.thirdmansystems.com/vacation
Its been all my wife and I and friend's stuff so far, but I want to add more. You pics and blog are great. Thanks so much for taking the time to share with us.

That report makes for nice reading! Congratulations on your engagement and glad that you seem to have enjoyed your time around here in Germany!

Forgot to add that I don't share your view on all sausages, lions and horses - although I agree that the omni-present mascot lion of the World Cup is sort of obnoxious. He is called Goleo and I have yet to figure out why Germany has a lion for a mascot that has a Spanish sounding name and does wear a shirt, but strangely no pants...

Very nice report. Easy to read and not too much detail (can't say the same for myself). Congrats on getting engaged, Maybe he didn't propose while you were hiking because he wasn't sure you were gonna make it back!!! It sounds like you were pretty worn out.

Any chance you might post some photos somewhere?

Hi Zeus, FYI-- for pictures look at the original post for her website...very nice by the way.