Day 41: Fairytale Castles!

Today we did what I've been waiting for the last 3 days to do: Day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle! Said to be the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle, initially it was also the only reason I wanted to go to Munich, not having a particular affinity for beer or Bavarian food. But actually, Munich has really grown on me, and it was a little bit sad to check out of our hostel and know that we were leaving today...

Back to the summary... So yesterday's post I said we were planning on going to the Kocherlball at the Chinese Tower. The plan was to wake up at 4am, and get there by 5am, so that we could get a spot since it was supposed to get really crowded later on. That totally didn't happen, as we all overslept, and didn't end up getting up until after 6am.... And by the time we got to the Chinese Tower, it was almost 8am! It was still fun though, because everyone was dressed up in traditional Bavarian costumes, and drinking beer and eating pretzels/schmalznudels. But it was SUPER crowded! We ended up just looking around (and buying our beer/pretzel/schmalznudel combos) for about half an hour before heading back to our hostel to check out.

Kocherlball! Chinese Tower in the background.

After checking out, we caught a train from Munich to Fussen, which took about 2 hours. And once in Fussen, there was a bus that took us to the small town the castle overlooks, called Hohenschwangau. (Omg all these German names are so long) The castle itself is situated on the side of the mountain, so requires a good 20min hike up (the shortest way) to get to the castle. You have to reserve tickets to tour the rooms, but just walking around the castle and courtyard is free! (Which is all we did) But the best views of the castle were from Mariennbruke, a bridge higher up in the mountain that overlooks a waterfall! I was actually a little disappointed though, because even at the bridge you couldn't get the beautiful front-facing view on most postcards/google images.... >.< We even hiked further up the trail to see if we could get a better view, but without much avail (Although Zach got a pretty sick instagram photo). And on the way down, we took a more scenic but longer route, that actually passed by the waterfall! Took us a lot longer to get back to town, but thank goodness it was all downhill at that point!

Courtyard of Neuschwanstein!

View from the trail! (You can see Hohenschwangau, the other castle, in yellow)

View of Neuschwanstein from the bridge!

Watefalllllll

Overall I really enjoyed Neuschwanstein, although I really wish you could get front-facing views of the castle. (That was my main complaint) But it's still worth a day trip if you're in Munich or nearby! And don't go with a tour group; it's perfectly straightforward getting there on your own, and then you'll save a ton of money on transportation by buying a Bayern ticket (that can be combined for small groups). There's also another castle in town (the older of the two), but that wasn't as exciting looking and we didn't bother hiking up to visit it...

It was around 7pm by the time we got back to Munich, so we just went to grab dinner before our night train to Berlin. We opted for Italian because it was cheap and nearby, and then hung out at the hostel until 9:30, when we headed to the train station. That's when we said our goodbyes to Zach too, since he himself was headed out of Munich the next morning, and flying back to the States. 

Day 40: Why I'm Not a Scientist/Engineer...

Today Stephanie wanted to spend all day at the Deutsches Museum (a science and technology museum), so we split up for the morning and Zach and I headed to Olympic Park, which was the site of the 1972 Olympic games. (Also the one involving the kidnapping of the Israeli team and subsequent bloodshed) The park wasn't actually as interesting as we expected. Pretty much anything that sounded fun (ziplining, roof climb, etc) was also super expensive! Although we also went into the swim hall, although you need to pay a fee if you want to swim in it. In the end, we actually had more fun at the neighboring BMW World, which displayed a bunch of current and upcoming models/designs. (Including motorcycles! haha)

Olympic Park!

BMW World!

Look Ma, I'm on a motorcycle!

We actually ended up finishing around early afternoon, so we headed back to Marienplatz and the Viktualienmakt for lunch. Zach got a bratwurst, and I wanted a pretzel (from the amazing bakery that we visited on the tour yesterday) but the bakery had sold out!! So sad, because it was a damn good pretzel! We then walked down to the Deutsches Museum to meet up with Stephanie. It was during this museum visit that I realized that I really don't enjoy science and technology museums. Looking at the exhibits, everything seemed so overwhelming! It made me feel so dumb haha. I had totally imagined something like the Exploratorium or the AZ Science Museum, not a legit museum where all the exhibits involved reading... Woops! Zach and I had planned to meet Stephanie at the entrance at 4pm, so at around 3pm we literally found some comfy couches and sat/spaced out/dozed off for a good 40 min to pass the time!

When we did find Stephanie, we went to the Mining exhibit together, which was actually pretty cool, because it was all underground and they had modeled the rooms/walkways to look like an actual mine. Also a little bit scary because it was cold and dark.... At one point, we were one of the rooms and someone started banging on a door in the wall! Totally freaked us out! hahaha

After the museum, we went to try Currywurst, which is basically sliced up sausage/hot dog covered in a spicy curry/ketchup sauce. It was definitely interesting, but can't really say it's delicious haha. Then we went back to the cafe from yesterday and got more donuts to go! (It's apparently 50 cents cheaper for takeaway, woops) They are soooo goood! And apparently called Schmalznudels!

Forgot to take a photo, but this is what they look like! (courtesy of google)

We also bought some fruit from a fruit stand (there are a bunch of them on the pedestrian street) on our way home, and then called it a day because we had grand plans of waking up early to go to Kocherlball at the Chinese Tower beer garden, which is a local celebration that takes place from 6-10AM (and thus the beer garden is open all night). More on that tomorrow!

Day 39: "Don't be Smart, be Wise"

Is what our tour guide was telling us and trying to hammer in throughout much of our walking tour.

Today we went on a free walking tour of Munich! Not technically free, because the guides make their money off of tips so you're still expected to tip well, but I guess you have more freedom to choose how to tip depending on how you liked the tour. So this tour was actually the longest I've ever been on, over 4 hours! Luckily there were lots of sitting breaks and eating breaks. I actually really enjoyed the tour, and I think the guide, Ozzy, did a great job of spacing it out and structuring it so that it was never too much walking or too much talking all at once. During the tour we were also able to have lunch at an outdoor marketplace (bratwurst, pickle, preztel, and dessert!) and try a shot of raspberry schnapps! (Didn't taste that bad, but also didn't taste like raspberry...) Our guide also went super in-depth into the history of the city, and its infamy about being the birthplace of the Nazi party. Gave a different perspective on the Nazi history, and really gave you food for thought haha. Also! Apparently most of what is stereotypically German (beer, Oktoberfest, Laderhosen) is actually Bavarian! And Bavaria actually thinks of itself as a "free-state" from Germany. Thus, if you ever go to Munich, call the people and culture there Bavarian, not German!

Mmmm bratwurst! Could eat this all day errday!

Schnapps!

After the tour, it was already mid-afternoon, so we walked to the English garden, which is like Munich's Central Park. It's a huge park that has a gushing river running through it, and at one end, there are waves that people can surf! And throughout the park, people will just jump into the river and swim/ride the current downstream. It looked super fun, but also kind of cold, because the water was not that warm... Overall, I really liked the park, and would definitely like to spend more time there if I ever came back to Munich.

The Surfer's Wave in the park! People with surfboards line up on each side and take turns surfing the wave.

After the park, we walked back to the marketplace (Viktualienmakt) to a little cafe that served donuts. We each tried a jelly-filled one, and then a plain "flat" donut, and the flat one was actually our favorite! (Fresh made too!) And for dinner, we decided to just do bratwurst again (it's only 2.80 euros and so yummy!) and then head back to the hostel to rest. Later on we tried going out to a bar, but it actually was kind of empty and we felt super awkward, so decided just to go back to our hostel and have drinks there (since we had coupons for a free drink)

Stephanie looking super refined with her book & wine, and me chowing down on a calzone!

Day 38: More Beer!

Today we moved on to Germany! Didn't do much in the morning other than have breakfast at our hostel before checking out and heading to the train station. We caught our train around 11am, and it was a 1.5 hour ride to Munich! The ride went pretty fast, and the scenery was beautiful! When we arrived in Munich, it was super convenient because our hostel was literally a block away form the train station. And most of the attractions in Munich are within walking distance of our hostel! The facilities and everything are really nice too; the only annoying thing: they only have wifi in the lobby! In order to encourage socializing or something... >.<

For lunch we actually ended up going to a Turkish place because it was close and we were trying to kill time before checking in. I got a falafel sandwich, and Steph tried this Turkish "pizza"! After we checked in, we walked over to Marienplatz, the main square of the city. We also walked up to the tower of Peter's Church for an awesome view of the city! (But so many stairs T___T) Afterwards, Steph tried to buy new flats, but was unsuccessful... She even found the exact same pair as her current ones at H&M, but they didnt have her size!

View of Marienplatz from the tower!

We then came back to the hostel to try to catch a Beer Tour that left at 6:30, but it turns out they cancelled it due to low participation >.< So instead, we went to another beer hall, within walking distance. It was much of the same as the one in Salzburg, except this one wasn't self-service, and I opted for just a half liter. I also ordered a 1/2 chicken, which was actually really good! (Just a lot of meat) Good thing Zach is travelling with us, so he can help us finish any leftover food and beer. ^__^

The plaza we are constantly walking past to go towards the city center. There's a rainbow in the fountian!

After we finished eating, we wandered around Munich for a bit longer, and tried to find a donut shop that we were pretty sure wasn't open anymore (which it wasn't), and then headed back to our hostel to call it a day.

Woops, I guess I didn't take many photos on my phone today...

Day 37: Ice Caves!

Note: I have not been keeping up with posts, not so much out of laziness, but rather because our hostel in Munich only has wifi in the lobby (and it's super slow too!) and we're on the 3rd floor >.< So this post is still about Salzburg haha.

This morning we went to another nearby cafe to have breakfast, and I got to try a Croque Monsieur for the first time! (It's really just ham and cheese on toast, with an egg sunny-side up) Afterwards, we did some grocery shopping and got ice cream before heading back to our hostel to meet for an ice caves tour leaving around 12:30pm. The tour was with Panorama Tours, and was basically just transportation for a bus full of people to/from the ice caves. The ice caves itself involved a separate ticket, and a separate tour led by their own staff. The drive to Werfen (where the cave is) was about 50 minutes, and the last segment from Werfen to the ice cave was up a huge hill with awesome views of the countryside! Also kind of scary considering it was a tiny winding road and we were on a huge tour bus.

See the castle on the hill? And see the huge mountain on the right? Yup we went up that one.

After we got as far as we could go by bus, we had to get off and hike another 20 min to get to a cable car, which we took up another steep incline. And after that, it was another 20min hike up to the entrance of the cave. Immediately at the entrance, it was already pretty cold, and you could see your breath! So we all bundled up in warm clothes and got ready to go in! The ice cave is called Eisriesenwelt, and is apparently the largest ice cave in the world! (It's 42 km long, but only the first km is filled with ice) Inside the cave, it's pitch black (you have to bring your own lighting, in the form of lanterns that were interspersed throughout our tour group) and also below freezing! At first it was alright, but towards the end of the 1-hour tour, my feet and fingers were definitely freezing! The only downside to the tour is that because you're in a big group and there's a lot of stairs involved, there was no photography allowed! (Otherwise it would slow down the group and/or could be hazardous) I know I definitely needed a lot of concentration to make sure I didn't trip on the stairs! So instead, Stephanie Zach and I snuck photos using our phones...

That's the entrance to the ice cave, all the way up there!

All bundled up and ready to go!

At certain landmarks, the tour guide would also light up some string-like fibers that would provide enough bright light for us to admire the ice forms! The stalactites/stalagmites were really pretty! But it was super hard to take photos of them >.< The whole tour inside the cave involved traveling about 1 km into the cave, and about 700 steps each way. All in all, I thought it was a fun experience! But at 35 euros for the bus tour and 18 for entrance it was also pretty expensive!

The guide had to light fibers to illuminate the caves!

When we got back to Salzburg, it was dinnertime, and we opted for Italian food at this small family restaurant that served 3 different types of pasta each day. (I got pesto) Afterwards, we went back to the hostel to grab some drinks we had bought earlier in the day, and then headed to the river (Salzach) to sit, drink, and watch the sunset. Unfortunately, the cherry liquor we got wasn't that tasty (it got too sweet after just a few sips) and we ran out of red wine (Steph was an alcoholic and drank it all haha) pretty fast. Then we had to go in search of a bathroom. And then we almost lost Stephanie after she wandered off when I stopped inside a cafe to get some apple strudel. Quite literally couldn't find her anywhere! Til a canon went off in the distance and that scared her back hahaha. (Her new nickname is Drunk Swei) Apparently she had been sitting on a bench by the river, so that's what we proceeded to do until we decided to go back to our hostel.

Coke bottles have the coolest names here!

View from the river!

Day 36: Beer and Pretzels!

Our night train arrived in Salzburg hellishly early: 4:30AM! We were pretty drowsy, but managed to find our way to the hostel (thanks to Zach's handy compass on his iphone) and a rough map of the city. (Luckily the hostel was only like a 10-min walk from the station) Of course, we couldn't check in until later that day, so we dropped off our luggage and literally sat/sprawled in the lounge for a good hour or two using free wifi and trying to plan our day. We ended up leaving the hostel around 7:30AM, to go to a cafe and then do a short walking tour of the city. The cafe we went to had free wifi and was open at 8AM (places open so late here!), but it was actually vegan/vegetarian! Aka Zach got a ham and cheese omelet and the ham was vegan :P But the food was good, although a little bit expensive, and we finally got something to eat.

We then walked to the other side of the bridge, where most of the attractions are. We walked through the old town, and visited a bunch of churches. All the churches were so beautiful! (And free, yay!) We went to a total of 4, including a Cathedral and an abbey, and then headed back to our hostel to check in and shower!

Mozart's birthplace! (But it was a museum with admission so we didn't go in haha)

Franciscan Church! (One of the many we visited)

Gummy bear cake!!

In the afternooon, we walked back to the other side of the river, and hiked up the mountain to Hohensalzburg Fortress, which overlooks the city. It was a tough hike, but pretty short, and the views from the fortress are awesome! Then we got hungry, so decided to leave and head to a local brewery/beer hall for dinner.

View of Salzburg from the top of the fortress!

View from our hike down to the brewery!

After walking for about half an hour, we finally reached the Augustiner Brewery! (Literally followed arrows for beer on the direction signs) How it works is you pay for your beer, then grab a huge mug (liter or 1/2 liter) and they'll fill it for you from a keg. They also have various other food places (like a food court) surrounding the dining hall where you can buy real food to eat. Most of the people were sitting outside in the garden, but we couldn't find an open table, so ended up going inside to the dining hall.

A liter of beer and a huge pretzel!

Drunk Sweii!

Afterwards, we wanted to buy some more drinks and then sit by the river and watch the sunset, but freaking all the supermarkets closed at like 7:30 or something! Literally could not find a single store open >.< So.... that's our plan for tomorrow night haha. In the end, we just walked back to our hostel and called it a day.

Day 35: So Many Failed Meet-ups

This morning Zach was supposed to meet us at our hotel because he was coming in via night train from Paris. So we woke up, enjoyed a cute breakfast out in the garden of our hotel, and packed up, expecting Zach to show up at any time. Then he didn't. Then we got worried. Especially because he didn't seem to have had internet in the past 2 days. Then we're about to check out, and the hotel manager gets a call on his cell phone for Stephanie, from someone at another hotel. Turns out Zach wasn't able to figure out how to get to our hotel, so had asked another hotel to call us and let us know! We thus decided to meet at the main bridge in front of the train station instead. 15 minutes later, we get to the bridge, and he's not there T___T We're like aoeifjaoeifjoaei could he have gone to another bridge?! And I go to the bridge on the other side of the train station, in case he might be at that one. I don't see anyone, so I head back, and then Stephanie's gone too! I have a mini freak out, then decide to just wait in the shade in case they had gone looking for me. Turns out Steph had actually found Zach after I left, and so he had gone to drop off his luggage while Steph went to look for me >.< And this is only the first failed meet-up haha.

Cute breakfast provided by our hotel!

So we ended up just having Zach drop off his luggage at our hotel, since the line for left luggage was super long. First thing we did: buy a take-out box of gelato to share! (6 scoops total) And then we walked down to San Marco! We didn't actually go into the basilica or museums, but Stephanie wanted to go across the water to the church of San Giorgio. The fare for the vaporetto to get there was pretty expensive, and I didn't particularly want to see the church, so Zach and Steph went to the church, while I went shopping for Murano glass gifts. (I had a couple I needed to purchase anyways, and they weren't really going to be buying anything, so it worked out perfectly) We agreed to meet back at the station in 2 hours, and then went our separate ways.

Gelato from SUSO! (Loved their Mango-Peach and of course, Stracciatella)

Piazza San Marco!

Buying/finding great pieces of Murano glass is such a chore! But I had a great time. It literally consisted of me walking into different stores, looking at what they had, and then if there was something I liked, trying to make a mental note of where that store was located so that I could come back. Except this is Venice, so you are never really sure if you'll be able to find that store again, and it can be risky leaving a store to keep on looking. But I ended up getting what I wanted: Two beautiful plates as gifts, and a small pitcher for myself! There were some even prettier plate designs, but wayy too expensive for my budget >.< (I still ended up spending over $50 for each piece T__T) But yay, shopping done! The only downside is now I have to carry this heavy glass for the rest of my trip! Good thing we don't have too many more cities...

This was the design of the plates I bought!

So I went back to the vaporetto station at 3pm to meet up with Steph and Zach, but nobody was there... I thought hmm they probably missed the boat and so are catching the next one, so I waited to see if they showed up. Waited for a good half hour and nothing, and I was starting to worry. Then I thought, what if they caught the boat in the wrong direction, and so had to ride it ALL the way around the Grand Canal? (As the church was only the next stop from this station). And what if they thought I had already left, and so just got off at a station closer to our hotel? Decided then to just head back to the hotel in hopes of being able to meet up with them there. (We all had our luggage there, so they would have to come back eventually) They did come back to the hotel, like 15 min after I got there, and it turns out they had taken the boat in the wrong direction. They also had gotten to the station like 10 minutes after I left >.<

Now that we had our luggage, we decided to eat at a restaurant close to the train station. However, it was only 5pm, and when we got there we realized the restaurant wasn't open yet! (And neither were most of the restaurants in the area) So instead we headed to a bakery, to eat dessert first! I got a fruit tart (it was only ok), Zach got tiramisu, and Steph got a vanilla/strawberry cake! We chilled until 6:30, and then went back and the restaurant was open! And we finally got a good meal in Venice! I got a tagliatelle with scallops, and we all shared a liter of prosecco! And afterwards, it was off to the train station to catch our night train to Salzburg.

Zach filming his video clips! (He's doing a video project of this trip)

Pre-dinner desserts!

Steph being an alcoholic!

As for our night train: we had 6 beds in one compartment, so when we first got in it was just a bed on the bottom and on top, and there were 2 fold-up beds that go in the middle. All in all, that makes for a very cramped sleeping space! But once the train got started, we pretty much all knocked out. (Especially Zach, who had barely slept in the last few days)