One last ride - Linderhof & town of Oberammergau

 All good things must come to an end .  But our last day abroad was no less action packed.  We started by going to Linderhof castle.  It is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria and the only one which was actually completed and that he lived in most of the time from 1876. It was designed to be a rococo-style royal villa after his original idea to build a magnificent Versailles-inspired palace.  After a tour of the castle we went to the town of Oberammergau,known for its once-a-decade performance of the Passion Play in the Passion Play Theater. After lunch and shopping in the town it was time to head back to Munich. Later on that evening we had  our farewell dinner. It was tempting to stay longer. After all after an experience  like that it is sad to go. But  it definitely assured me that I want to continue to see as much of the world as possible. 

Munich and Nymphenburg Palace

 For most of the trip the weather was in favor. There was only one time I can say the weather was not in our favor. That was when it was time to go to Munch ,Germany.  When we got there it was cloudly and even rained for a little bit.  But despite the weather we still got to see the Glockenspiel, which dates back to 1908. This colorful mechanical clock has life-size figures that dance to music with shows several times a day.  We also got to visit   Nymphenburg Palace with its gorgeous Baroque facade, once the  summer residence of Bavarian rulers.  After visiting the palce, we got a tour by bus of the city of Munich. Olympic Stadium situated in the heart of Olympia Park in northern Munich built as the main venue for the 1972 Summer Olympics.  But the night did not end there. We ended up going to a liginament German beer hall to check out the scene there. It was loud, crowded, full of people and music. But it was definitely more fun than American bars because it was definitely a more positive  atmosphere. That is something we can all learn no matter where we are in the world - just to have fun, have a meal and enjoy one anothers company. 

                 The hills are still alive with the sound of music. 

Our next stop on our trip was Salzburg , Austria.   If you are a music lover, this is the city to go.  Not only is it Mozarts birthplace.  But you can visit places where they filmed The Sound of Music, and learn more about the family that inspired the movie starring Julie Andrews.  After a walking tour of the city we also went to visit Eagles nest. The view  was amazing. I am still trying to picture Hitlers driver driving him up there back in the day because for us to get up there, our tour bus took us up to a certain point. Then another bus that was specifically for going up the winding road .  There was no origonal furniture there because it was destroyed the Allies when they came in . So it is just a resturant now.  But they still have information about the history and our tour guide mentioned students visit the concentration camps as a reminder of their history so it won't be repeated. To end on a fun note, our last stop  before our hotel was the Gazebo where the song "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" from The Sound of Music was filmed . So let's all remember to continue to be excellent to one another. 

                   So, there are no kangaroos in Austria . 

We got a walking tour of the City of Innsbruck, Austria. There we got a tour of the old section. The Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof) is a landmark structure located in the Old Town (Altstadt) section of Innsbruck, Austria. It is considered the city's most famous symbol. Completed in 1500, the roof was decorated with 2,657 fire-gilded copper tiles for Emperor Maximilian I to mark his wedding to Bianca Maria Sforza. The Emperor and his wife used the balcony to observe festivals, tournaments, and other events that took place in the square below.

We also learned this culturally and historically rich country often times gets confused with Australia, even on the iPhone for some time, which is where the phrase “No kangaroos in Austria” comes from, because in actuality this country has so much to offer on its own. 

The walking tour ended with something that everyone understands in any language-jewerly. We got to go inside the Swarovski store there and look around. Founded in 1895 in Austria, the company designs, manufactures and markets high-quality crystals, genuine gemstones and created stones as well as finished products such as jewelry, accessories and lighting.  After looking at all the bling we took a train to Seefeld where we got to take a horse carriage ride through the town. After we got back to Innsbruck, we got to let our hair down for the evening and see  a Tyrolean Evening Show with the Gundolf Family. It is one of the best folk performances all across Europe which only includes authentic Tyrolean music, Folk dances and “shoe-slapping” as well as typical Tyrolean songs and “yodelling”. They have got to perform all over the world. It was nice to have a couple of drinks and watch them perform before turning in for the night. 

                              Time to storm the castle! 

Next stop on the tour was  Neuschwanstein Castle  . Seven weeks after the death of King Ludwig II in 1886, Neuschwanstein was opened to the public. The shy king had built the castle in order to withdraw from public life – now vast numbers of people came to view his private refuge.I was nervous about the tour because I knew it was going to be alot of walking.   Just to get to the castle after our tour bus parked, we had to  take another bus up to a certain spot  where we had to still walk half a mile to the front of the castle. Then we had to wait to be let in the castle courtyard. There we had to wait until our time slot before we could be let into the castle. Then inside the castle  the palace building has 5 floors, so you'll have to go 165 steps upstairs, and 180 steps downstairs.  Let's not forget about the walk back as well! I was nervous because I live in Converse, Tx.  I live in a one story house I don't climb 165 steps on a daily basis.  But I got a  reminder that I am still stronger than I give myself credit for. I was able to make the climb, see the rooms they where touring , and made it back to the tour bus in time.Although no pictures could be taken inside the castle, it was still a dream come true to finally see this retreat. 

            Adventures in Switzerland continues

The next stop on our trip was a walking tour of Lucerne , Switzerland.  We got to walk on the 14th century medieval Chapel Bridge one of the oldest covered wooden bridges in Europe. It is named after the nearby St. Peter’s Chapel, and was built in 1333  It's purpose was to connect the  old part of town on the right bank with the new part on the left and to serve as protection from attack that could come from the lake at south. One of the characteristics of Chapel Bridge is that it has painting hanged bellow its roof. In the beginning, it had length of over 200 meters, but in time, because of replenishment of banks, it was shortened and now has length of 170 meters. After the tour of Lucerne, it was up to Mount Pilatus. It is  best known for its mystical dragon legends and stories of Pontius Pilate's soul. There I really feel like I got the Swiss experience. Not only was I in the mountains. But I also got to see someone play the alphorn. As icing on the cake,  I learned even 7000 feet up you can find  a watch shop in Switzerland. In the town there where a bunch of watch shops, even right by each other.  But finding a shop up in the mountains was a nice suprise. So, if you know someone who loves watches, run don't walk to Switzerland. They will be able to get a watch as fancy as their budget allows them.   Then it was nice to shop and enjoy the town a little more before our next adventure. 

The Black Forest and Switzerland. 

The adventure continues. We went through the Black Forest region, an area of unrivaled natural beauty with its dense forests of thick pine trees.  There we got to see a cuckoo clock demonstration. I was just amazed by the amount of detail they put into those clocks. I was tempted to bring one home but I didn't know how cuckoo the cuckoo clock would make me after a while .  Then we got to shop, and most importantly, try the Black Forest cake there.   Then it was time to head over to Switzerland Our first stop  was Schaffhausen, where we got to see the thunderous Rhine Waterfalls; one of Europe's largest and most powerful falls.  We also stopped to see the inspiring Lion Monument, one of the best-known monuments in the country, created in remembrance of the heroic death of Swiss guard killed in 1792. Then we got to head for our hotel for the night.  There I learned you do not have to worry about desert in Switzerland.  After our dinner  at the hotel I didn't realize there was a desert as well. But the waiter said ,"this is Switzerland, ofcourse there is desert."  But  they forgot my coffee when I requested it with my desert. So while I got desert, they forgot my coffee by mistake.  Desert, coffee, desert , coffee. Like the Swiss I am remaining neutral on this.  I was also happy we where staying at the same hotel 2 days in a row because normally we would have to pack up in the morning before we headed to breakfast. But staying 2 nights meant one night we did not have to pack up our belongings and put them on the tour bus.  (It really is the little things.)