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.) 

                                                             Rollin' on the river! 

Have you ever heard the expression when you're early you're on time, when you're on time you're late , and when you are late well, you're late?  That is the case when you are on a tour group.  We had to have breakfast, have our luggage out because we are checking into another hotel later that evening, and be ready to leave by 8. So that meant we had to be ready to board the tour bus by 7:45 am.  Our first trip was  a cruise on the Rhine river. We got to see hilltop castles, terraced vineyards and villages of timber-framed houses along the course of the river. We also got to pass by the Lorelei rock rising vertically from the waters named for the siren "Lorelei" who bewitched sailors passing by. After the ride on the river, we headed to home to the oldest university in Germany, view the imposing red sandstone ruins of Heidelberg Castle originally built in the 12th century.  Since Germany is home to 25,000 castles I was happy just to see a few  while I was there. 

                       Ready , set- go!

It is almost Halloween.  If you live in Converse, Tx that means the high is still 89 degrees.  My mom and I where fortunate to get a little break from the heat because from October 7th-17th we got our passports and headed for Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Our first flight was from San Antonio, Texas- Atlanta Georgia. Then we got a connecting flight from Atlanta, Georgia - Frankfurt, Germany. After the long flight, a girl from Gate1travel picked us up, as well as other passengers who where also traveling with gate1. We headed to our hotel - the Hilton Mainz. We got to meet our tour manager  and check in for the night.  Then before our welcome dinner we got to take a walk around the city of Mainz. We got to walk along the Rhine river which was nice after the long flight. What also caught my attention was the architecture of the buildings because we don't have that back in the states. I also couldn't believe we where within walking distance of the Gutenberg museum.( We didn't get to go in because it was close to our welcome dinner.) But I still got to see a statue of the man who invented the movable-type printing press. At the welcome dinner we got to have a glass a wine, and meet the other people on the tour with us.   After dinner, mom and I  headed back to our room , excited about the tour that has just begun. 

 Hello everyone! Sorry it has been a while since I last blogged. But it has been a busy these past few weeks.  I took a few days off for the holidays.  It been nice being able to sleep in, read, and relax.  Right now I am just drinking coffee and My mom and I are almost done binge watching The Amazing Race. (Hopefully they will be able to continue to shoot more episodes after the epidemic is over.) 

As most know, I have traveled by myself every summer since I was six to visit my grandparents in Washington state from Texas and vice versa when I went to college. I have been to France, England, and the Philippines. I have traveled for business and  for fun.  So, in preparation for the traveling I know we all want to do once it is safe again. Here are some travel tips.

1. Cooperate with airport officials.

2. Keep your travel documents (passport, tickets, ect) with you at all times.

3. If you have to have a connecting flight, try to make it with the same airlines so the gates won't be too far apart. 

4. If possible find your gate first then  go the restroom, get food, ect if you need to before your flight.  

1st Blog of 2021

 Happy New Years everyone! We all made it to 2021. Sorry it has been a while since I last blogged.  I took time off for the holidays, and honestly I wasn't sure what I wanted to blog about.   But after everything I guess what I want to say is this. Remember we survived everything that happened in 2020, and the new year just started so we still have the chance to make 2021 what we want it to be.  So as we head into the new year, continue to be "excellent to one another." 

-Donna Buse