After a few of days of slow and quiet, we drove about 5 hours to Munich for a couple of nights. Jeff did an AWESOME job of navigating the autobahn and following GPS (although "she" took us through TOO many small towns). People drive FAST on the autobahn (duh) (which is actually several highways throughout Germany--I didn't know this). The good thing is people know to stay out of that fast lane and no trucks are allowed to drive in any lane but the slow one.Our hotel in Munich was the Leonardo Royal Hotel out by Olympic Park. It just opened in January and it was a DIRECT contrast to our hotel in Freudenberg--very modern and cutting edge with, ummm, interesting modern artwork around the lobby (note the picture). After settling in we walked to the subway (right around the corner from the hotel) and went to the central area of Munich, Marienplatz. The subway exit brought you up into a central square and it was a very lively area with street entertainers and hundreds of people. One entire side of the square is taken up by the neo-Gothic Rathaus (0r town hall, 1867-1908). It has a world famous Glockenspiel in it's 278 foot tower--quite an impressive sight. After walking a few blocks we came to the famous Hofbrauhaus, a traditional open eating area restaurant where the live polka music is enjoyed while sharing long tables with others and enjoying your sour kraut and bratwurst. Yum! It was a great place to people-watch.
Next day (May 4th) we took a full day tour to Neuschwanstein Castle, commissioned by the Bavarian King Ludwig II in 1869 and never completed. Our tour began with a two hour train ride into the Bavarian Alps (beautiful country) and then a bus took us to the small town below the castle, Fussen (700 year old medieval village). We had an awesome Bavarian guide and our tour was English only, so a great group of people from all over the world. After a quick lunch at the village we boarded ANOTHER bus to an area you can go out on a foot bridge and have a panoramic view of the castle, the gorge below and the beautiful Bavarian Alps. Stunning place! Then we walked to the castle and received a 30 minute tour (no pictures allowed inside). It was really over-the-top ornate. Area's like the Throne Hall are heavily painted and chandeliers are heavy and majestic, but there is no throne. Ludwig was in debt and the banks threatened to seize his property, so the government had him certified insane and interned in Berg Palace. On June 13, 1886 he drowned (or that is one of the theories--our guide had several more intriguing thoughts on the subject) and never actually lived in the almost completed castle of his dreams.
By far it was the most opulent structure and breath-taking area I have seen in my life. I must have taken 500 pictures!
