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Auf Wiedersehen Hohenschwangau!

29/5/2015

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Goodbye Hohenschwangau, you were a pretty magical place to spend a day in. See you next time!

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Mmm... donuts.

25/5/2015

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A warm, custard filled donut is a magical thing.

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Neuschwanstein Palace, the eccentric creation of Ludwig II, resides high on the mountainside overlooking the little town of Hohenschwangau. Meaning New Swan Stone Palace in English, Neuschwanstein is certainly a site to behold. The outside is spectacular, even though it was left unfinished. Walking up the snowy road towards the palace, one was able to catch tantalising glimpses before you turned a corner and there it was.

I opted to take a tour to the palace, which in hindsight really wasn't necessary. Everyone takes the same train (a two hour trip one way) to the town, and then it really is rather simple to get in to the palace. The tour inside the palace was very strange. It was incredibly rushed, with a small, high pitched man shooting off facts about each room which was so crammed full of people that I couldn't actually see much of the room itself. The tours are timed, fifteen minutes each and you are literally pushed from one room to another. I don't necessarily regret going inside, but I do think that the tour that the palace employees run was ridiculous.

The palace itself though, does not disappoint. They say it is what Walt Disney based his princess palaces off and it is obviously why. Based on Romanesque design, the palace is a mere thing of beauty, rather than anything designed to hold back an army (thus why it is called a palace, not a castle).

Would I recommend a trip there if you are visiting Bavaria? Yes, absolutely. The tour, however, is a whole other story. The town is gorgeous, and the palace magnificent. The whole place was covered with snow and so felt rather magical.

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Little German Town

21/5/2015

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How utterly delightful it was to traipse through snow and ice through the kind of town I thought only existed in old photographs. Germany is a country I would like to explore further, especially the Black Forest region. The tiny glimpse I got was not nearly enough. This town lies at the base of the fabulous mountain ranges that house Neuschwanstein Palace. One can see the towering structure from the town below, and it is a long walk uphill to get to the palace, which is inaccessible by car. I could have spent much more time in the little town though, as it is beautiful all by itself. Snow was abundant, finally, after spending so many weeks in Europe over November and December, we hadn't seen even the smallest glimpse of snow!

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Fireworks over the Charles Bridge

15/5/2015

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What a fitting send off to our time in Prague. Wandering back to our 'boatel' on our last night, Mel and I heard large booms in the distance. Eventually, after a couple of moments of panic, we realised it was fireworks. Hurrying down to the waterfront felt a little like we were in Monte Carlo or some other teen film set in Europe. Dashing through the streets, we barrelled into the fence and stood to watch the unexpected fireworks light up Charles Bridge. It was a gorgeous moment, though to this day I have no idea why there were fireworks. It certainly made for a beautiful goodbye!