Munich and Bavaria

The transition from Athens Greece to Munich Germany, was not as odd as I had anticipated.
The trickiest part was realising we were extremely tired and we still had to navigate the S-Bahn from the Airport in Munich with 3 children that just wanted sleep. It was a struggle, but the hotel was close by and check in was quick.

On arrival at our room we were very pleased to see we had a huge suite with lounge and dining area and everyone had a real bed. Oh and there was air conditioning. This might sound normal, but after a week on a yacht with no AC, low ceilings, small beds and close living conditions…..this was pure luxury!!! That doesn’t mean we didn’t love our week at sea, but we do like creature comforts too.

In the usual “Jo style” we had to be up early to catch the train to Neuchwanstein Castle in Bavaria, which would take 2 hours. Unfortunately I didn’t put on my Capt Von Trapp hat and we were rather tardy and therefore missed our train by about 5 minutes. Of course it was everyone else’s fault, not mine. Luckily the train runs hourly, so we just waited it out and then got the best viewing seats on the next train. Of course the views are amazing but the kids really weren’t that excited. Even so, I loved watching the beautiful countryside roll by and then the mountains appear before us with all their grandeur. It was the hottest day on record for Munich (37c) for 50 years, so we had hoped the mountains would give us some respite. I think it was maybe 2-3c cooler. We soldiered on. Did the castle tour, had a cold beer and then walked to the Alpsee Lake for a dip with everyone else. Truly stunning location and the water was very cool but very refreshing. Before you knew it, it was time to catch the train home. We were stuffed, due to the hot weather and all the walking up the mountainside. My joints were sore for days after that. That evening we found a lovely traditional Biergarten called Augustiener Keller- Biergarten and left it to the waiter to order. The beer was very good and the food was schnitzel.

The following day was my Jo shopping day and Dan and the boys went to the Deutsche Museum. Both parties had a successful day. It was just lovely strolling around the beautiful streets stopping when I chose to, without the "Come on Mum" When we made it home it was time for a sleep in the afternoon. Yes please!

On Tuesday we went to Salzburg Austria, which only took 1.5 hours. I had bought the train tickets the day before so we knew exactly which platform to go to. Munich Hautbahnhof is huge, so it is very easy to get confused, especially if you can’t read German. Much to their credit, everyone was extremely friendly and helpful. The train station manages to coordinate UBahn, SBahn, Regional Trains, Intercity trains and trams under one huge roof. With trains going all over Europe, it is quite amazing looking at all the boards, thinking “Berlin today, Prague tomorrow”! Anyway once we arrived in Salzburg we quickly realised it was cooler, so we took the Hop On Hop Off Bus outside the train station. Corny I know, but seeing the clouds grew and then it rained, we knew it was smart decision. Luckily it cleared by lunch time. We had a fabulous meal in the Town Square in a restaurant dating back to 1121. Just beautiful inside and a real “Pinch me moment”. On our return train trip to Munich we were lucky enough to get a double decker train with panoramic windows. I managed to stare at those mountains for most of the journey back.

Finally today, once we packed our bags and put them in storage at the hotel, we took the tram to Nymphenburg Palace, once home to the many Kings of Bavaria. The size and scale of the Palace is similar to that of Versaille in France, but unfortunately the gardens are not as beautiful. All the same the rooms inside were quite beautiful and we really enjoyed the coach and sleigh pavilion. The sun was shining so we sat and enjoyed our last lunch in the Garden Restaurant of the Palace. Soon we were off back to the hotel, collected our bags and headed for the airport for our long journey home to Adelaide. I write this flying from Munich to Helsinski, before turning around to fly to Singapore. I haven’t calculated how many travelling hours, we have ahead of us. It just might be too depressing!

Au Revoir Europe. It was fun getting to know you again!