Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle - Germany

We flew to Munich last Thursday. We got our Eurail tickets validated and then grabbed a quick lunch of bratwurst and Polish sausage at the train station. Mmmm...they were really yummy.

After lunch we found the train we needed to catch to Fussen. Well, we thought we'd found it anyway. After we started looking at the Eurail schedule book we received with our tickets, we realized that there was a different train that we could take and get there an hour earlier than we were planning. The only problem was that the train was leaving in about 5 minutes and we had no idea what platform it was on. We made a split-second decision to try to make it, and then ran from the train we were on. We glanced at the board as we ran through the station, found our train info, and realized that the platform we needed was on the other side of the station. We made it just in time! Whew! The train wasn't as nice as the one we'd gotten off of, but at least it was direct to Fussen with no changes, and we'd get in a little earlier.

On the train, we were looking at the route we would take the next day on our way to Switzerland. As we looked at the map, we noticed that the most direct route to Zurich took us through Austria. That seemed like a small problem since our Eurail pass was only good in Germany and Switzerland. We checked with the attentant at the station in Fussen and we were able to buy two first class point-to-point tickets to get us through Austria for only €11.50 each. That was much cheaper than it would have been to add Austria to our Eurail pass.

Travel Tip: When you're traveling through Europe via train, make sure that your tickets or Eurail pass is valid for every country that you will be traveling through on your journey. It you're just cutting through a small part of a country, it might be less expensive to get point-to-point supplements instead of adding additional countries to your rail pass.

Since we had arrived in Fussen earlier than we'd planned, we decided to see the Neuschwanstein Castle that day. We checked in to the Hotel Sonne, which was very nice, then took a taxi to the next little town where we could buy the tickets for the castle tour. The castle was really cool. I've been dying to see it in person ever since Billy and Nicole brought us the 3-D puzzle from their honeymoon!

We got some great pictures of the castle and surrounding area, but we weren't allowed to take pictures of the interior. After the tour, we walked a little further up the hill and over to the bridge I had photographed from the castle windows. The view of the castle from the bridge was absolutely amazing!

We walked back down the hill, and just as we were approaching the town, it started to pour. We waited on the porch of a nice hotel, and one of the hotel staff called a cab to take us back to Fussen.

We ate dinner in the hotel that night, and then relaxed in our room for a bit before going to bed. It was a great day, even though we'd been up a long time. I think you'll agree that it was worth it once you see some of the pictures!

What's next?

We saw Wicked yesterday! It was fabulous! We both loved it. The music was sensational, and the actors were phenomenal! We both loved it. We bought the soundtrack as soon as the performance was over. We highly recommend it!

We're off to bed early tonight because Michael has to get up at 4:30 in the morning to go to Brussels. On Thursday morning we're flying to Munich, Germany then taking the train to Fussen. We're planning to spend a couple of days in Germany seeing Neuschwanstein Castle and the surrounding area before taking the train to Zurich, Switzerland. We'll take a couple more days there, enjoying a scenic boat and train tour through Switzerland. We'll be back late Sunday night and be able to relax on Monday since it's a holiday here. Then Michael's off to Lisbon, Portugal for 2 days. He'll be home for one night and then it's off to Budapest, Hungary. I actually get to with him on that trip. He'll be working on Thursday and Friday and then we'll stay the rest of the weekend.

There is a lot happening over the next two weeks. I'll get the pictures and the blogs up as soon as I can. I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am!

Little Venice

Little Venice

The first weekend in August Michael and I spent the afternoon in Little Venice. Little Venice is close to Paddington Station and is formed by the junction of the Regent's Canal and the Grand Union Canal. It is a very quaint area of London, and we enjoyed a leisurely stroll up and down the canals.

Travel Tip: If you're looking for a quite place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the City, then take the time to explore Little Venice. There are several waterside cafes where you could grab lunch or afternoon tea.

Regents Park

Regent's Park

A couple of weeks ago I spent the afternoon in Regents Park. I walked all along the park and up Pimrose Hill. The park is beautiful, and the view from Pimrose Hill was great. There are a lot of quiet, scenic places in the park. There's also a rose garden with some of the most unique roses I've ever seen.

Rachell and Jeff in London

Chell and Jeff in London

I caught up on our Rome excursions and Kara’s trip, but I still haven’t talked about Rachell and Jeff’s visit. So, before I tell you about the other things we’ve been up to lately, I should tell you about their week in London.

Chell and Jeff arrived on the same day Kara left. They were both exhausted, but excited to be in London. I helped Kara to the train station with her luggage while they relaxed at the apartment and talked to Michael. In the afternoon, Jeff decided to take a nap. We took it easy that day. We went for a brief walk to the little grocery store around the corner, but otherwise, we just hung out around the apartment for the day.

On Sunday they took a city bus tour and a river cruise, which enabled them to see a lot of the city without wearing themselves out. On Monday we saw the Changing of the Guard ceremony at the Horse Guard’s Parade before exploring the nearby Winston Churchill Museum and War Rooms. After lunch at the museum we walked around Westminster taking in the sites, including Big Ben and Parliament, on our way to the London Eye.

On Tuesday we spent the morning at Madame Tussaud’s, then checked out the Beatles Store. We had lunch at a little sandwich shop. Jeff wasn’t sure what he wanted, so the waitress took him up to the counter to just point to what he wanted (maybe they should just have picture menus, huh Jeff?). After lunch we went to Abbey Road. For those of you who are Beatles fans, I’m sure that’s all I need to say! We ordered pizza for dinner from our favorite Italian restaurant. Chell has decided that she loves Carbonara pizza!

By the time we’d finished our Beatles walk, Chell and I were getting a little tired, so we headed for home. Jeff decided to visit the Imperial War Museum, so we left him with my city map, my cell phone, and 70 pence.

Travel Tip: Many of you are probably wondering about the pocket change. You see, many public toilets in London require money in order to enter. If you don’t have any change when you need to go then you’re just out of luck, unless you’re brave like a lot of people in Europe who just find a secluded corner somewhere to relieve themselves.

On Wednesday we explored Kensington Gardens, toured Kensington Palace, and then had lunch at The Orangery. Chell really loved the flower garden at Kensington Palace. In the afternoon we took the tube to Piccadilly Circus then walked to the Lyric Theater where the two of them were seeing Cabaret. Michael and I joined them for dinner after the show. We went to the Golden Oven for Indian Food, which they both discovered they liked!

On Thursday morning I took them to Harrods. If you’re in London you have to go at least once just to say you’ve been there! We went to the Emporium after that for a little last minute souvenir shopping. We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting at the apartment before they had to leave. They were spending their last night at a hotel near the airport so they wouldn’t have to get up quite so early in the morning. When we called for a taxi to take them to the hotel we assumed that it would take 10 or 15 minutes for a taxi. Well, after I spent an hour on hold with the first company we decided to call a different company. I spent about 5 minutes on hold with them and decided to try another one – hoping to speak to a real person and not a computer. I finally got through and the taxi showed up about 10 minutes later.

We had a great visit, and took some more pictures, of course. I’ve probably forgotten something, so when they read this maybe Rachell and Jeff can add their thoughts and comments about the trip too.

Rubbing Elbows with the Stars

Rubbing Elbows with the Stars

After resting for a day after our trip to Rome, we decided we were up for a star studded extravaganza. We spent several hours rubbing elbows with the stars at Madame Tussauds. Then we were off to King's Cross to check out Platform 9 3/4 - Harry Potter's portal from London to the Hogwart's Express.

Exploring London with Kara

Exploring London with Kara

On Wednesday, July 4th, Kara and I explored London. We watched the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace then walked through St. James Park. We watched politicians debate a bill in the Parliment building and enjoyed seeing Westminster Abbey and Big Ben before heading home.

I finally got through the pictures, and got them up on the web. I hope you enjoy!

Roman Holiday: Day 4 - Piazza del Popolo & Villa Borghese

Roman Holiday: Day 4

On Sunday morning we slept in a bit and then checked out of the hotel after breakfast. We took a leisurely stroll through the Piazza del Popolo, which was just around the corner from our hotel, and then walked up the hill toward the Villa Borghese gardens.

It was a large beautiful park. We enjoyed the scenery – and a lively debate on the virtues and shortcomings of public school vs. home schooling. Kara is a school teacher, and Michael and I are considering home education if we ever have children. Needless to say it was a very interesting discussion.

After leaving the park, we went through a fabulous little museum that contained the notes and sketches of Leonardo Da Vinci and had interactive replicas of his ideas for pulleys, motors, etc. on display. This exhibit will be traveling through the U.S. this year as well.

When we left the museum we decided to get gelato once more before leaving Rome. We sat on the steps of the Santa Maria dei Miracoli and enjoyed watching all the people in the piazza.

Travel Tip: Eat Gelato! There is a reason that no matter where you are in Rome you see a Gelateria on every corner and everyone walking by you with a cone in their hands. It’s heavenly!

We finished our gelato and then wandered around a bit before returning to the hotel to collect our bags and catch our ride to the airport. The hotel call a taxi for us. Well, it wasn’t a traditional taxi – it was a beautiful town car with leather seats. It was a fabulous, relaxing ride, and our driver spoke English very well. We enjoyed talking with him about his upcoming trip to the U.S.

We arrived at the airport and grabbed a bite to eat after checking in. By the way, don’t judge the food in Rome by anything you get at the airport. It was edible, barely, but that’s about all I can say about it.

We boarded our flight and then we were delayed for an hour because we didn’t have clearance to fly over a certain area of our flight plan. They finally got it straightened out and we left the historic, elegant city behind as we traveled back to London.

We were all exhausted by the time we got home. We hiked up the stairs, dropped our bags, and immediately got ready for bed. Michael took Monday off, so we all lazed around the next day.

Overall it was a fabulous vacation. Busy, and exhausting, but we saw and learned so much. I’m so happy to have had the experience, and I’m also thrilled that Kara was able to share it with us. I hope that it will be a trip that none of us will easily forget.