Germany was one of those places that was unexpectedly gorgeous, amazing and left me feeling the need to go back. We had the most lovely day visiting Neuschwanstein Castle but in order to really give you the full effect, I must tell you an eventful story of how we got there.
So picture this, two besties who have already been in Europe for 2 weeks are joined by a very sweet and wonderful husband. Although this wonderful husband of mine has been to Europe before, he had only ever been with his parents which means he had itineraries planned, nice hotels booked, meals paid for, and basically didn't have to think at all, he was just along for the ride. The whole point of him coming with us is because I wanted to show him how I knew Europe. The hostels, the lack of plans, meeting new people, sleeping in a room with between 7 to 15 strangers, changing your lack of plans to instead travel with people you met at the hostel bar, and never staying in one place for more than 2-3 nights.
The day he arrived, we took it easy because he was jet-lagged (if you call taking it easy going to Dachau, the first concentration camp in Germany. So after that relaxing day at Dachau, we learned we had to extend our stay in Munich instead of going to Budapest because of record flooding and all trains had been cancelled. But we promised him we would instead go to this beautiful castle about an hour outside of Munich.
We went to the train station, purchased our tickets, and just told Townsend to follow along. After all, we had been there for 2 weeks, we were well seasoned travelers at that point. It was a very rainy day (hence the flooding across Europe) and after being on the train for about 20 minutes we started to try and look at which stop was ours. We didn't see anything that looked familiar, but hey, we were in a foreign country right? Of course nothing looks familiar! We were convinced we would be there at one of the next stops. Then another 20 minutes went by and the person who was checking tickets came by. We handed over our tickets and he looked at us with confusion and then quickly informed us we were on the wrong train and were going in the wrong direction. AWESOME........... PERFECT................... I had been telling Townsend for months, YEARS how great it is to travel Europe with no plans and to just go with the flow and meet people and really just liiiiive. YOLO ya know? Just what I needed was for him to totally lose confidence in me on DAY 2!!
So we got off at the next stop and began our slow return back to Munich. We spent the rest of the day hopping from Biergarten to Bierhall and back again. We made the best of it and the next day, we were prepared. It turns out, everything happens for a reason (you know I have to say that) because the next day was clear skies which was perfect for Neuschwanstein.
The train ride in was spectacular! We were glued to our windows as we approached Fussen. One thing to be aware, every single person on that train is there to visit Neuschwanstein. I recommend you take the first train out of Munich so you have the most time to explore this little town and surrounding area because we definitely could have used more time. When you arrive in Fussen, first thing, you need to take the bus up to the ticket area and get your tickets. Don't stop and have lunch, don't stop and walk around Fussen, even though it is tempting because it is an adorable little town, just go get your tickets. They issue them with certain time stamps so chances are, you wont even be going up to the castle until two hours after you get there. If for some reason you get there early and are able to walk right up, you will have plenty of time later to explore the area.
We got there and waited two hours. So we had lunch, walked around stores at the foot of the mountain, and then walked over to the lake. Townsend saw that there were people boating on the lake so he quickly found a little boat rental spot and we were off on the water. The views are incredible so if you have time, this is really a must.
It was finally our turn to board the bus up to the castle and when we got to the top, we started a beautiful walk with panoramic views. We got to the front gates and were given tickets for a tour. You cant go into the castle without going on the tour, its very managed so there isn't any free roaming or exploring. In my opinion, the inside of the castle and the tour are much less impressive than the grounds. Spend time exploring the waterfalls and hiking to the top for the best views of the area.
Lastly, make sure you know the time of the last train for the day. Luckily, we got on the bus down to the train station just in time for the last train to Munich. We missed walking around Fussen, but at least I didn't loose any more travel credibility with my husband!
