Balvarian Sauage & Salty bread

Well it's rude not to isn't it :)

Munich & sunshine- a perfect combination to start a 5 day break :)

We meet up with Gordy & CC who brought Iona & Shona into town. G&C must have been camera shy as I've not got a snap of either of them, which is strange given how quiet & bashful Gordy is!

Never to miss a party Doug & Kirsten also flew in to join us. We all meet up in the St Peter's platz before Dougie decided it was entertainment time - nice try fella.

The weekend wasn't destined to be all happy. A sobering trip to Munich's North East side had us visiting Dachau the first Nazi concentration camp. The camp stands quiet & somber as a memorial to those that suffered so much - for more information see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dachau_concentration_camp

Returning to Munich after a night in Gutung (The Finley's souther suberb) we headed for the English Gardens, Munich's Hyde Park were a great morning visit. Being some 10kms in length we went to find wheels & hopped on 2 rental bikes to explore. City goers were out enjoying the weather & by early lunchtime the Beergardens were starting to fill up with weekenders & tourists alike.

Instead of partaking in more beer & sausage during the afternoon we made tracks for the Austrian border town of Fussen & it's fairytale castle countryside & picturesque scenary. We travelled down by train, taking the countryside in as it went by. We spent much of the early trip avoiding being given greif from old grumpy locals keen to shut the drafty open train windows. I let them enjoy the after effects of too much Sausage & cloudy Weisbeer instead!

Neuschwanstein castle is situated in the town of Hohenschwangau 5kms from Fussen. We checked into a local B&B & went for an evening stroll. There's a father & son thing going on in Hohenschangau, with both sides of the valley decorated in these grand buildings. If you want more history click on. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein


Karina & I ate Deer Goulash & Gnocchi in a delightful local restaurant before crashing early. We been warned about the tourist buses arriving from 10am onwards so up early & 1st in line to buy tickets. The hike up into the mountains had the heart pumping & the sweat going but it was infinitely more fun than an experience than taking a bus to the top.

The interior is magnificently decorated with every surface painted, carved or cloth covered. The only let down of the castle is that given it's size, it is incomplete. The King's death halted building so most of the buildings are actually unfinished & inaccessible. What was on display however was just the dreamland world that he had tried to create.