3 day weekend in Bavaria- Alps, Castles, & Bees

01/02

            Last night,the overnight bus to Munich was almost a nightmare. We got on at 11:40 pm, expecting to get on and pass out for an easy 8 hour trip, but unfortunately the only seats left were near the doors, so every time the bus stopped (once an hour), the literal freezing air rushed in and woke us up. The lack of leg room, smelly neighbors, and a 4 sq. ft. bathroom were secondary problems. It was quite awful... But would I do it again? Absolutely!
            We still ended up getting to Munich on time, so we went to the hostel and dropped off our backpacks in storage lockers for the day. We walked to Marienplatz, which is the central plaza in Munich. There was a protest to stop global warming and save the bees, so there were people in bee costumes on the stage chanting *to the tune of We Will Rock You by Queen,* “We will we will SAVE you.” Their movement seemed to be getting a lot of support but it was really funny because I was on a walking tour and the guide couldn’t yell over the sound of chanting bees.

After the tour, we went back to the hostel to officially check in. We had reserved beds in twelve- bed room, but once we checked in and made it up to the room, we found that we were in a tiny room with only four beds (two bunk beds). There were already two dudes laying in the bottom bunks and we knew there was absolutely no way we were sleeping on their top bunks for the next two nights. We immediately made up an excuse to got a new room and hoped to avoid our old roomies for the rest of the weekend.

After resting up, we ventured out again to the famous Hofbrauhaus for beer, music, and Bavarian food. It was absolutely over the top, but definitely something that we couldn’t pass up while in Munich. After, we went to a different bar and tried the “Radler,” which is beer mixed with lemonade, which was better than I expected but definitely something I’d only drink while in Bavaria.

02/02

This morning we woke up early to start our adventure to Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss Hohenschwangau. It took about 2 hours to get there by train, but the views were so incredible that it didn’t seem long at all.

Seeing both of the castles in the snow-covered Alps was absolutely breathtaking. We first toured the smaller castle, Hohenschwangau. The interior felt so magical because the paintings on the walls and architecture details looked straight out of a fairytale movie like Rapunzel or Sleeping Beauty. They also had a piece of royal bread from 1891, which I have absolutely no idea why they chose to preserve. After, we hiked up to Neuschwanstein, which was the real-life inspiration for the iconic Disney castle. Hands down, this was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to!

Unfortunately, in all the rush of getting on the train and picking up the castle tickets on time, we missed our chance to eat breakfast or lunch. By the time we finished with the castles, the only sustenance I had all day was half of a Kit Kat bar and some coffee. I was so hungry after we made it down the mountains, but we luckily found a cute German restaurant in the nearby town. I ordered my favorite dish of course, schweinebraten!

We stayed at the restaurant a little too long, so we had to sprint through feet of snow to make it back to the train in time. I seriously wouldn’t be surprised if all the calories I’ve consumed in potatoes and beer have been burnt running for the train/tram/bus.

03/02

            What a weekend! Although it was long, I am ready to have a day to chill before leaving for Vienna. Travelling is exhausting, whether it’s from walking 13 miles a day (rip) or just not getting enough sleep. Pray 4 me and hopefully I’ll survive this 8 hour bus ride back to Bonn. JAuf Wiedershehen!