On Sunday, we made our way to Berlin’s Hauptbahnhof (my favorite German word) and hopped on a train to Munich, a 4.5 hour journey. When we arrived to the Munich Hauptbahnhof, we discovered the our hotel was literally next door, which was fantastic! We deposited our bags and then set out to walk to the historic Marienplatz area, about 15 minutes from our hotel.
We passed through the Karsplatz area on our way, and walked by the huge, iconic Frauenkirche just as the church bells were chiming. It reminded me of the wedding scene from “The Sound of Music!” All throughout the square were shops and restaurants with biergartens. Eventually we got to Marienplatz, where the New Town Hall and its Glockenspiel reside. We didn’t catch the Glockenspiel in action that evening, but Clare definitely reminisced about seeing it during her Bearing Witness trip in 2019, and her classmate’s amusing report on it. We wandered around some more, walking through the famous Hofbrauhaus, which is massive and also gave me Disney vibes.
After making our way back to the hotel to change clothes, we headed to dinner, a walk in a slightly different direction but equally scenic. Tim had honed in on Burger & Lobster Bar for our crowd, and it was a winner. We had a table in their outdoor patio at the back of the restaurant, which was charming - as was our waiter, who would respond, “You’re welcome” to our requests, well before we had said, “thank you!” He also won over Laura by crafting her “the best drink she’s ever tasted” in response to her request for “still lemonade” (she’s not a fan of carbonation).
The next day we woke up early, and Tim braved the car rental place so that we could drive up in the mountains and see some castles and hike. The morning was cool and drizzly, in other words perfect for being outdoors as far as I was concerned! Our first stop: Schloss Linderhof, one of several castles that Ludwig II built. He was a very strange individual, but he sure did make some beautiful homes! This castle wasn’t particularly big, but it was very ornate and heavily influenced by Versailles, as Ludwig hero-worshipped Louis XIV. The grounds were also stunning.
On our way to our next stop, the famed Neuschwanstein Castle, we pulled over to just enjoy the breathtaking misty mountain views - which of course are next to impossible to photograph, but we always try!
Tickets were sold out for touring the inside of Neuschwanstein Castle, but given that it wasn’t finished and there’s not a lot inside, I don’t consider that a huge loss. We did make the VERY uphill trek to see the exterior, which also afforded some glorious views of the surrounding area and nearby Hohenschwangau Castle (I still have no idea how to pronounce it). We were all a bit hangry by now, so opted to go get lunch before our next tour and hike.
Tim, ever the amazing trip planner, had scouted out a nearby, new restaurant that overlooked the mountains and castles and also had some great grounds itself. I enjoyed my first bratwurst of the trip for lunch!
Now we were ready to tour Hohenschwangau Castle, which was where Ludwig II grew up and began his plans for the other castles. I couldn’t help marveling at how all of these castles were erected in the midst of very steep mountains!
After this tour, we walked down to The Alpsee, the lake nested below the two castles and just breathtakingly beautiful. We walked the entire circumference, and it was gorgeous. The water was the most gorgeous shade of teal!
We drove home eating chocolate and vibing to music - okay, some of us snoozing - and, after quick showers and changes of clothes, walked through the rain to an Italian restaurant that was absolutely delicious. By the end of the day, we clocked 12 miles!
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