July 20 - Bavarian Castles

(Gene) We are leaving Füssen later today. But, first it's time to stuff our things into a locker at the train station and head higher up into the mountains of Bavaria.

But, first I need to vent. I'd rather not make public judgements about other people or certainly not generalities about groups of people. But I have had a repeated problem and I think it´s the real thing. I am getting really tired of Japanese women pushing, shoving and generally being a pain in crowds. Okay, I feel better now!

I am very pleased that we reserved our tour times on the Internet prior to arriving at the ticket kiosk. We were the first group of the day before the massses, and I do mean masses, arrived. I would highly recommend this to anyone planning a trip to the castles.

We just left the area and I heard some folks at the ticket kiosk say, "Well, (we have tickets) now what do we do for the next four hours?"

John and I arrived early for two castle tours. Including time between the two sites, our total was 4.5 hours. I can´t imagine traveling all the way to these castles without knowing when, or even if you will get a tour.

We´re back at Füssen station now. This was our tightest train connection because our taxi got to the station two minutes before departure. We raced to the lockers in the train station, grabbed our bags and ran to the waiting train all in less than one minute. Seconds later, our train was on it´s way to Munich.

(John) I have some advice for those who visit Schlose Neuschwanstein: take a taxi! The busses are okay on the way from Füssen to the castles, but they only run about once an hour. And, on the way back to Füssen you're liable to find there are huge masses of people waiting along with you - far too many for one bus to hold.

Transportation aside, the castles really are very beautiful. Neuschwanstein isn't old, nor trimmed with gold. But it is highly unique, fanciful, and filled with beautiful handpainted wallpaper. The throne room and concert hall are especially beautiful. I was in awe of the king's carved bed.

Prior to our Neuschwanstein tour, we were guided through one of the summer homes used by King Ludwig's family when he was a boy: Hoehenschwangau. As castles go, it was really a very small and simple place. But it was very helpful for understanding the life of King Ludwig II.

Once we got into Munich, fatigue was starting to set in again. We managed to walk around Marien Platz and the Viktualin Market (like Pike Place Market). We even spent some time inside the Frauen Kirche. But our energy and patience were running low.

Even when I am tired, I'm capable of noticing cultural differences. I'm already noticing an accent here. Also, one can't help but notice that Munich and Bavaria are very Roman Catholic. The crucifix is everywhere. The greeting here is often Gross Gott ( great God) instead of Guten Tag. While visiting the Frauen Kirche, we noticed several people lined up for confession, something that would be very rare in the US.