Princess castles, waterfalls and magic

After spending a few days in Munich, I drove 80 miles south to a tiny Bavarian town called Schwangau, Germany. This is where I found a little bit of magic, whimsy and fantasy on my trip. The famous Neuschwanstein castle!

King Ludwig II of Bavaria built the massive Neuschwanstein castle in honor of his favorite composer (and source of his secret romantic crush), Richard Wagner. He was reportedly infatuated with Wagner and wanted the castle to be a shrine to his works, as well as place for the performance of his operas.

The castle is the real life depiction of every gorgeous, opulent princess castle I'd ever seen or dreamed of as a little girl.  In fact, Walt Disney and his wife, Lillian, had taken a European tour before he built Disneyland and they visited the Neuschwanstein castle. Mr. Disney was so awestruck by the castle, it became the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella's castles. See for yourself:

I can certainly see similarities!  To tour the castle, I parked at the bottom of the mountain, paid for admittance, and boarded a shuttle bus that took me to the top of the mountain. After dozen of hairpin turns and twists, the shuttle dropped me and my fellow visitors off at the top, a short walk away from the castle itself.

Part of the magical experience of visiting Neuschwanstein is the incredible walk up to the castle. There is a long path and the castle ispartially hidden,  tucked away behind trees, so as you walk, slowly, turrets and spires come into sight one by one. When I rounded the last corner, the entire castle came into view and nearly took my breath away.

Gorgeous doesn't begin to describe it. It's magical, grandiose and stunning.  I spent about 30 minutes slowly wandering around the outside, taking it all in.  As I strolled, I walked through crowds of visitors from all over the world.  There were dozens of little girls wearing princess dresses. They walked around, waiting to go in the castle, wearing tiny ball gown and princess dresses of white and pink tulle. It was so sweet, I remembered what it felt like to be 5 years old again, twirling around the living room like a princess. I secretly wished I had a princess dress on, too, instead of jeans. What can I say? The place is magical.

Only one side of Neuschwanstein is approachable by foot. On all other sides of the Bavarian castle, the ground drops off in sheer bluffs.  It's absolutely jaw dropping.

After a short wait, my group was ushered inside for the tour. Originally, King Ludwig designed the castle to have more than 200+ rooms dedicated to the performance and appreciation of Wagner's works. 200 rooms...!  In contrast, the White House has just 132 rooms.  Although, the massive Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms, with 78 of them bathrooms! Imagine cleaning 78 toilets.  Ugh.

But I digress.  Despite the plan for 200+ rooms in  Neuschwanstein castle, only 14 were ever finished. Construction began in 1869 and went on for more than 16 years. Sadly, Richard Wagner died in 1883, having never visited Neuschwanstein, and King Ludwig was devastated.  Just three years later (1886), he was declared insane and died mysteriously 3 days after his diagnosis. After his death, because of the massive debt King Ludwig amassed, his family opened Neuschwanstein to visitors.

Today, visitors can only tour the 14 completed rooms. Nothing can prepare a visitor for the dripping, gilded, opulent interior. His eccentric style is distinct and in my opinion, overwhelming to the senses. Every inch of every wall, floor, ceiling, surface was embellished in some way.

My favorite room was the Throne Room. The massive focal point is a chandelier, designed to look like the Byzantine crown.  It weighs over 2,000 lbs!

The castle is full of tapestries, murals of Wagner's works, gilded walls, mirrors and picture frames.

And more incredible chandeliers!

My senses were overloaded during the entire tour, but in a great way.  It was gorgeous, opulent and over the top!   It's hard not to get a little caught up in the love story, as well.  Imagine love so strong that a person would devote their life to honoring another, or building something so massive in their honor. Men built the Taj Mahal and Neuschwanstein, so perhaps men are the romantic gender?  Certainly not in my personal experience...

As I left the castle, I veered off the path to stop on the Marienbrucke bridge.  The long, narrow bridge stretches over a stream and several waterfalls and has an unbeatable view of the castle.  It feels as if this must be the very spot King Ludwig stood when he was designing the castle.  And for all I know, maybe it was.

I'm not a big fan of bridges, especially ancient ones that are just wooden planks with GAPS between the planks. Seriously, gaps! I prefer my bridges to be steel and secure.  But, despite my fear, I did walk out to the middle and allowed the tranquility of the place to wash over me.

There is no denying that King Ludwig II of Bavaria was a strange man. His unrequited romantic obsession with Richard Wagner took over his life, bankrupted him and broke his heart.  But that passion also gave his life purpose. His passion led him to build this gorgeous castle, which has brought millions of people joy and happiness. It inspired Walt Disney, who in turn, shaped the imaginations of millions of little girls about what a princess castle looks like. It inspired Disneyland, and surely inspires the millions of visitors that flock there every year. It's magical and romantic.

I stood on the bridge for so long that I missed the last shuttle down the mountain.  The sky was turning gorgeous shades of orange and the castle was transformed in front of my eyes.  As the sun set over Neuschwanstein, I felt optimistic. Maybe someday, I'd have someone in my life who wants to build me a castle.

As I started the long, slow walk down the mountain, I looked around a few times to make sure I was alone.   And then, I did a few little twirls in my imaginary princess dress.

Munich

March 12^th and 13th

I’m in Munich, Germany!

For some reason I cannot explain, Germany was never high on my travel list.  I have always been drawn to destinations like Ireland, Paris or Italy and not as interested in places like Germany or Poland.  Then, my parents lived in Germany last year for 3 months and raved about it.  I visited Austria in February and loved it. I learned there are obviously a lot of similarities between Austria and Germany and my interest started to grow.  I began suspecting that my German-disinterest was all-wrong. So, when I started to plan my route coming back from Prague to Italy, I realized I could come back through Munich. I decided to check it out.

I’m so glad that I did.  I found that Germany was much different than my expectations. It’s a wonderful country with a fascinating history, distinct regions, amazing architecture, delicious food and warm, friendly people.  I’m about half German and it was comforting to walk around a country where everyone looked like me…blonde hair, blue eyes and fairly tall. I felt right at home…which certainly is not the case in Italy, where my pale skin and blonde tresses stands out!

I only had 1.5 days in Munich, so I tried to move fast and experience as much as possible! The first morning, I took the subway to Marienplatz, the heart of Munich.  The first thing you see as you come out of the subway at Marienplatz is the impressive Neuen Rathaus, or New City Hall.  It's awesome!

The building houses the famous glockenspiel and I timed my visit to catch the 12 o’clock chiming. Now, I’m not a clock buff or anything, but the glockenspiel was so charming!  At the top of the clock tower, you can see a little alcove where the automated little men are dancing, then they joust with one another, and one is victorious! There is a a SHORT video showing you the glockenspiel here. 


Next, I toured the Munich Residenz, a massive complex of buildings that was the former house of the Bavarian monarchs.  I swear, I love touring castles, residences, palaces and mansions. It is so much fun to see how the other half lives...and it makes me feel so poor. How can you not feel poor as you stroll through rooms like this...

I particularly liked strolling through the rooms that contained the treasures of the monarchy. My absolute favorite piece was the traveling set of Empress Marie Louise of Austria, the second wife of Napoleon. It was made in 1812 by the most famous goldsmith of that time, Martin Guillaume Biennais.

I love secret things... secret rooms, passageways, hidden things, secret boxes, etc.  And this set has tons of hidden areas and items that fold into it. It actually contains 120 items, including dinner service for 2, a toiletry set, writing implements, sewing tools, a measuring rod, screwdriver, even dental instruments. It's made of silver-gilt, mother-of-pearl, tortoise shell, ivory and ebony.  The photo does NOT do it justice. 

My favorite room in the massive Residenz was the Antiquarium, which was the biggest room I've ever seen.  I took photo and video, but I still feel that nothing quite captures how big the space was.

After I left the Residenz, I strolled the streets of Munich, talking with people, window shopping and finally, finding my way to Der Pschorr Bier Garten to try to drink a beer. These videos say it all! 

It's true, I'm not a beer drinker. I've never had more than a few sips before pouring myself a whiskey or wine instead.  But, I really wanted the bragging rights of saying I drank my first full beer in Germany.  

I think it helped that I paired my Hacker Pschorr Heifevisen with some delicious weinerschnitzel and roasted potatoes.  

And before long... 

The bartender had told each of the servers that I was drinking my first beer (in German, so I didn't realize). I had wondered why they were all so friendly.  Well, when I finished, they clapped for me.  I love Germany!

The next day I had only a few more hours in Munich. I decided to head to Hofbrauhaus for my second beer. That was a huge mistake.  Hofbrauhaus only has 2 beers.  Dark and regular.  I tried the regular, which was bitter and awful. I choked down 2 sips and left the rest - I know, beer crime! I did love the charm of the Hofbrauhaus, though, and strolled around looking at the stein cages and girls in traditional dress selling pretzels.  

I spent a few hours strolling and shopping, admiring cuckoo clocks, buying gifts and a few beer steins.  And then, far too soon, it was time to leave Munich and head to the Neuschwanstein Castle.  

Germany was an awesome surprise. I can't wait to return to Munich and explore the rest of the country.  But next on my itinerary is the Neuschwanstein Castle, about 80 kilometers south of Munich.

Auf Weidersehen (goodnight!)

Prague, Art Deco, the Golden Lane and tiny homes

March 10 and 11

The drive Vienna, Austria north to Prague, Czech Republic is quite pretty. The drive took me through small towns, villages and vineyards that dotted the otherwise quiet landscape  There were long stretches where I saw no other cars.  I loved that.

As I crossed into Czech Republic, the afternoon was turning to evening. I watched as the sky turned from blue to gorgeous orange and red.

And just as the sun melted down into the horizon, I passed by a gorgeous, still, mirror-surface lake.  I snapped photos as I drove.

I arrived into Prague around 8 pm exhausted. My hotel is the spectacular art deco Hotel Paris.  It's located next to the Municipal House, which was the former site of the Royal Court Palace, the home of the great King Wenceslas IV (from the song!) from 1382 to 1486.  At that time, the Habsburgs took power and weren't interested in using the palace. It fell into disrepair and was later torn down. In its place, the Municipal House was built in 1905.  It is the best example of Prague Art Nouveau architecture standing today.  It's simply gorgeous.

I was super excited to find I'd been given a suite (for no extra cost) simply because I'd asked for a room with a view.  I was on the top floor, corner room with views on two sides. My room was pretty great...and fairly inexpensive!  The benefits of traveling during the off season!

The entrance door was French doors... ALWAYS a good sign.

It had a big, comfortable bed...

 And a massive bathroom...

The next morning, I could truly appreciate the views. From the bathroom, I had stunning views of the top of the Prague Municipal House directly next door.

And from the other windows, I had a view out over Old Town Prague and the Astronomical Clock Tower.

The next morning, I headed to Prague castle. The castle is across the Charles Bridge and up in the hills overlooking the Vitava river. It's the highest building in the below photo.

The Prague castle complex is very large and full of museums. I focused my tour on St. Vitus cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, St. George Basilica, the Golden Lane, and the Powder Bridge.
At the entrance to the castle are armed guards and much like in London, there is a hourly changing of the guards.

It must be so hard to stand perfectly still while tourists like me take selfies with you.  Ha!

Inside the Prague Castle complex, the St. Vitus' cathedral was absolutely stunning.  The below photo is one of my favorites, but the cathedral's massive size makes it difficult to get it all in one shot.

The second shot gives great perspective for the scale of the cathedral. Just look how big those doors are...about 20 feet tall!

My favorite part of the Castle was the Golden Lane. A row of tiny, miniature houses are literally glued to one of the walls of the castle. Legend says that the row of houses was originally inhabited by the castle goldsmiths, hence the name Golden Lane.  Throughout the years, the tiny houses were inhabited by merchants, goldsmiths, alchemists and marksmen who worked at the castle.

The tiny homes are only about 8-10 feet deep, so as not to intrude out into the street.  The entire street feels as though it was built for hobbits instead of real people. You have to stoop to get through the small doorways. I stopped at each house and loved how cozy and charming they were. Some of the houses had just a single bed, a small dresser, a chair, and a wood burning oven for both heat and cooking.  Originally, the homes didn't have running water. In fact, the last house to get indoor plumbing was in the 1970s.  I just loved how charming the houses here were.

After touring the castle, I went back to the hotel to rest and get gussied up.  That evening, I went to a chamber orchestra performance at the Municipal State House next to my hotel.  I absolutely loved listening to the violins, violas, cellos and basses play Vivaldi, Handle, Mozart, Bach and more.  They were truly exceptional.

I had dinner at a steakhouse in Prague called Casa de Argentina. Because what do you want to eat in the Czech Republic but Argentinian food, amiright?   I had an amazing steak there and plenty of red wine.  I was the only woman in the restaurant and that made for great people (men)-watching. The men at a nearby table bought me dessert, which was delicious. My server was gorgeous and we flirted wildly for the 2 hours I was there. There are certainly many benefits to solo travel...flirty waiters is one of them! I blogged while I ate, finished my half-bottle of wine and strolled back to my hotel enjoying the warm evening breeze.  All in all, a great day in Prague.

On Wednesday, I spent the day walking around the Old Town Square of Prague. I went to the top of the clock tower and even tried to make sense of the Astronomical Clock, which is impossible!

Next, I strolled along the Charles Bridge and did some great shopping for friends and family. The bridge is beautiful...second only to the Chain Bridge I saw in Budapest.

I kept wandering the streets and found an old used bookstore with English books. My tradition continued when I bought a book by a Czech writer recommended to me by the owner. Can't wait to read it.

In the afternoon, I toured the Jewish Museum and Cemetery. I'm always drawn to the Jewish History Museums but leave crying, depressed and disgusted by how evil human beings can be. But, in my opinion, travel throughout Europe just isn't complete without trying to understand and learn about the history of each country and the events leading up to the World Wars.

The history, scenery, architecture, art and people of Prague were wonderful. I loved
the city and would visit again in a heartbeat.

Up next, I travel to Munich, Germany!

Vienna...opera, art & opulence

March 8^th and 9^th 

One of the most exhausting aspects of extended travel is that you're constantly researching and booking hotels. Sometimes, I'd have hotels planned in advance, but I wanted to have some flexibility on road trips.  Often, I'd head to my destination and use an app to find a hotel as I came into town.  This can backfire, which is exactly what happened as I drove into Vienna.  I decided to detour to Bratislava, Slovakia and stayed one night at the Danubia Gate. It was clean, comfortable, inexpensive (50€) and had a decent breakfast.  I got in late and left early and was able to book a  hotel for the next 2 nights in Vienna. The next morning, I was so eager to get to Vienna, I didn't even explore Bratislava's historic old town area. 

I got into Vienna early and checked into my hotel - the Austria Trend Parkhotel Schonbrunn Wein. This gorgeous 4-star hotel was the former guesthouse of Emperor Franz Joseph and has it's own private park.  

I managed to get 2 nights here for about what you'd expect to pay for a Holiday Inn, so I was thrilled to find I had a large, gorgeous room, yummy breakfast and a comfortable bed.  I was even more thrilled they let me check in early.

A quick stop by the concierge desk and I had a ticket for an opera performance later that night at the Volksopera house.  I decided to explore the city for a few hours and took the 10-minute subway ride into the center of the city. 

Vienna is beautiful.  It's elegant, manicured and exceptionally clean. The historic area I was exploring is dominated by the stunning, lavish, enormous Hofburg Palace. 

The Palace is the current home of the President of Austria and historically home to the Habsberg dynasty, Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth. The Hofburg area has been the documented seat of government in Vienna since 1279.

The palace is actually a sprawling campus - a series of buildings set on abundant and lavish grounds.  I planned to spend the following day exploring the palace, (now largely museum space), so I spent the afternoon walking the grounds of the palace, the Heldenplatz.  I loved seeing the outdoor sculptures and statues of people like Goethe and Mozart.

I strolled around the area and stumbled onto a Winter Wonderland that was setup in the heart of the city.  It was a beautiful day, so I sat on a park bench and watched parents and kids skate around the ice rink. I even saw a 2 year old in full snow gear and the most adorable little ice skates you've ever seen - flat boots with two little blades on them.  Squeee! Adorable.

The afternoon flew by and I headed back to my hotel to get gussied up for the opera. There are two main opera houses in Vienna, the Vienna State Opera House (Weiner Straatsoper) and the Vienna Peoples Opera (Volksoper Wein), which is where I saw Albert Herring.  

                                          

The performance was excellent.  I enjoyed the comedic opera and despite the opera being in German, I found the synopsis, body language and tone of the performance were enough to have decent comprehension of the overall plot.  There was one standout performer who had me captivated... a woman in her early 40s who was in a supporting role in Albert Herring.  When she hit high notes or projected her voice loudly out into the theater, the hair on the back of my neck stood up.  At intermission, I chatted with the man sitting next to me, who turned out to be friend of the standout performer.  He told me she sings with the Vienna Boys Choir and I understood why she was such a standout - she normally stands in the gorgeous chapel at Hofburg Palace and projects her voice out into the crowd.  It was an amazing performance and a wonderful first live opera experience for me.

For dinner, I had to try weiner schnitzel for the first time. LOVED it!  The thin, crispy veal was delicious and  served with herbed potatoes (a staple in Austria and Germany).  

After dinner, I treated myself to a tiny trio of creme brulee. The first was cinnamon pear, the second blueberry rosemary and I cannot remember the third one.  Even as I stare at the photo, I cannot remember what it was.  It was delicious, though!

************

The next day, I was up early and ready to take on the day! I started with the Albertina museum.

The Albertina had a wonderful impressionist exhibit featuring paintings by Monet, Matisse, Sisley, Kandinsky, Chagall and Picasso.  Photos were allowed, so here are some of the notable works of art... and some of my favorites.

This was one of my absolute favorites, by Karel Appel, "Face in a Landscape."  I love the colors and depth.

Henri Matisse, "Parrot Tulips."

Paul Signac, "Venice, the Pink Cloud."

And finally, this stunner by Claude Monet, "House Among the Roses."

My next stop was the Hofburg Palace to tour (1) the Imperial Apartments, (2) the Silver Collection and (3) Elizabeth's Apartments. I took hundreds of photos in these museums, but I'll only post a few here.  I'm not sure I could ever post enough photos to truly capture the wealth, opulence and grandeur.

The Imperial Apartments are grand and gorgeous. I strolled through room after room admiring the lavish decorations.

But what stole the show was the Silver Collection. The Silver Collection is full of all of the silver, porcelain and serving pieces used by the Emperor and Empress for everything from daily meals, traveling and even official state dinners for visiting heads of state.  It took hours just to see it all.

There was a massive cabinet just for the dozens of silver tea pots.

For example, dozens of solid gold cheese and pastry servers...

Dozens and dozens of solid gold or gilded bronze candelabras.

And the personal cutlery sets for the Empress, Maria Theresa... obviously she can't just use the regular cutlery, duh.

When the Emperor and Emperess travelled, they'd take with them full table service of china, cutlery, crystal stemware and the like. These are a few of cases that would be loaded (by the dozen) into the trains and coaches for transport.

And they'd have to have tea on the road, so they also had a personal traveling tea service of silver and porcelain.

My favorite part of the museums was the Sissy museum, dedicated to the life of Empress Elizabeth.  She was a fascinating woman!  Unfortunately, no photos were allowed there, but I learned so much about her.  She married Franz Joseph in her teens, became an Empress, became overwhelmed by the fame and notoriety of the aristocratic life, became a recluse and was assassinated at the age of 60.  I plan to read more about her life, as well as the life of Franz Joseph. 

Vienna is an amazing city with a wonderfully long history to discover.  I could spend another week in this grand dame of a city, but instead, it's time to move on...

Up next....I visit Prague, Czech Republic.