Germany has been great so far. I've been down in Bavaria - in the Southeast corner of the country. The food has been really good - I've had sausages, sour kraut (which I actually liked, unlike the times I've tried it in the US), schnitzl, pork knuckles, etc... And, the beer has been fantastic. I've had lagers (light) and dunkels (dark). I've also had some beer mixes. A Radler is lager mixed with lemonade/sprite (a shandy in the US). I've also had a dunkel mixed with coke. That was pretty good, but nowhere as good as a Radler.
My 2nd stop in Bavaria was the city of Fussen. It's a small town that many people stay at while visiting the castles of Neuschwanstein & Hoenschwangau. I toured the castles, which were pretty cool - especially Neuschwanstein. Many people believe that Neuschwanstein was the model used for the Walt Disney castel - I'd believe it. They look a lot alike.
The tours through the castles were a little rushed (but going on a tour is the only way to get into the castle). The artwork & decorations inside the castles were really impressive - they are more recent than other castles, and have been really well preserved. Lots & Lots of gold, ivory, and jewels...
While the insides were cool, the area around the castles was really cool. There were mountains around them, and an alpine lake (Alpensee) nearby. I hiked around the castles for a while, and went up to a bridge that spans a gorge & waterfall for a better view of Neuschwanstein. Unfortunately, there's a lot of scaffolding up on one side of the castle. I guess I'll have to come back again someday.
Alpensee is awesome - it was really calm (mirror-like), a dark blue/green, and surrounded by mountains. I rented a row-boat & paddled out on the lake for a great view of the castles & surrouding area.
Back in Fussen that evening, I grabbed an outdoor table at a restaurant. Since they were pretty crowded, I invited a couple to sit at my table. They were from Spain, and we had a great conversation throughout dinner. I was amazed at how much of my Spanish came back. I was able to communicate w/ them (albiet in somewhat broken sentances), and they helped correct my grammar as I went along. :-)
This morning, I woke up & checked out of my hostel. I had a few hours to kill before the train, so I seized the opportunity. I dropped my backpack off at a locker at the train station & rented a bike. I biked down to Alpensee (only a 15 minute ride), and went for a swim! It was great - cool, but not as cold as the water in the English Garden in Munich. Definitely a great way to end my time in Fussen.
I'll be back to Germany in a week or so, but for now I'm off to Salzburg Austria.
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