Day 9

We went to Nueschwanstein Castle!!! This castle is basically where Disney got his idea for Cinderella’s castle. We took the train ride to get there again. Taking the train is awesome because you get to see the countryside, but also the real German life outside of a major town or city.

It took two hours to get there plus a bus ride. However there is also a vertical hike up the mountain and with my foot it wasn’t possible for me to do. Instead, I took a horse and carriage to the castle…sounds magical and oh so wonderful right? Not really, it a tourist thing in the town. On the ride up to the castle I went with Johnie. Unfortunately there was a bunch of young kids – so a lot of crying on the way up, but it was worth it.

Nueschwanstein Castle!

The castle is amazing – especially from the outside. You think that inside would be magnificent too, but the castle was never finished. Lugwig II died under mysterious circumstances and the Nueschwanstein castle construction was put to an end at his death. Only a few rooms are completed, which the tour showed parts of. The finished parts of the castle were amazing- for lack of a better word. We weren’t allowed to take photos inside the castle, but the memories of this place will last. There was so much artwork and detail put into a single room that it just sticks with you once you have seen it.

The view from the castle was just as awesome. (We were allowed to take photos from the castle of the outside). You can see the town down below or to the Alps. The castle is basically on a smaller hilltop that brings you real close. I had originally imagined the Alps to be like the Appalachian Mountains – not true. Unlike the Appalachians, the Alps are mostly rocks and peaks and sporadic trees and some how this mountain range is simply breathtaking.

After coming out of the castle we were given a little bit of free time. I had to stop and put on my jacket because of the rain. I have a Brita water bottle that I hook on to my crutches with a hair-tie. In the process of getting my rain coat on properly, my water bottle promptly fell off my crutch and down the side of the mountain. It’s safe to say I will never get that water bottle back. The funny thing is – that water bottle hasn’t, up until that moment, ever fallen off my crutch. So in a weird and disappointing way I left a piece of myself with the Nueschwanstein castle.

With a heavy heart I left the castle and my water bottle for the horse ride down. This time was more pleasant as there were no screaming children on board. After that it was a bus and train ride back to Munich.

Today was amazing and it makes me want to see more castles… and invest in a new water bottle.

Carson

Day 8

Today we left Germany for Salzburg, Austria. This is the day I was waiting for! We traveled via train – it was amazing. The train took us by the Swiss Alps, which is by far the most impressive sight I have seen on this trip.

The trip to Austria is a day trip and it took about an hour and half to get there. It was a cloudy day that promised rain later.  As soon as we arrived we went on a quick tour to see the main streets and sights of Salzburg. Fun facts about Salzburg that I didn’t know before is that this were the Sound of Music was filmed and the Von Trapp family was real. Part of the tour took us through the gardens where Julie Andrews and the children sing “Do Re Mi.”

A street in Salzburg, Austria

The tour also included where Mozart grew up and lived for a portion of his life. Salzburg was what I imagined Europe to be like: filled with people and shops on the side. It was an amazing day and it was a shame that we only had a day to get a fill of the sights. After the tour we had free time, where it started to rain and with my leg I had to take it a bit slow, but I ended up finding some pretty cool things with Alexa. In fact we found a spout in the shape of a gargoyle that shot fresh Alp water for drinking.

After meandering the cobblestone roads, we met up with the group for dinner at a small restaurant called Restaurant zum Eulenspiegels. The food was great and very filling – I also got a dessert of apple strudel (yum!!).  The train ride back to Munich was the perfect place to catch some sleep.

Today was exhausting, but well worth the trip! Tomorrow we are seeing a castle!

Carson

Day 7

Today we went to Dachau. It was one of those days where the sun is shinning and the birds are singing, which was at odds to the gravity of where we were. Dachau is a concentration camp that was used during the 40s.

We took the S-bahn and a bus to get there. At first, the town seems very quaint and pleasant. It would be hard to imagine that  a concentration camp was ever there. To get to the entrance of Dachau you walk down this path with bright green trees. It interesting how you imagine things to be, in this instance I imagine everything to be dead and no life because of the horrors of what happened in that small location. Despite this, life moves on and plants grow and the birds sing.

Entrance to the camp

The entrance to the camp is this massive stone archway with a wrought iron gate. In the door the words: Arbeit Macht Frei, which means, “Labor makes you free.”  The camp is barren, except for the trees lining the road, the one main building and two of the barracks that are reproductions. To be honest the camp reminded me of the Hunger Game set, and in all seriousness it was simply depressing walking on gravel where so many were starved and most likely died on.

Arnoud acted as tour guide and showed us the camp. One of the scariest moments was when he took us through the crematorium. Arnoud took us through as if it was then, we walked through each room – there aren’t words to describe what it felt like. Even years later there is a solemnness that incases the camp. Arnoud said two things that stuck with me during the tour. The first was at the beginning. Being a journalistic group, one of us asked if it was allowed to take pictures. He responded that you MUST take picture. This way you can spread the message. The second was from a statue that stated “Denket Daran wie wir Hier Starben,” which he translated to “Remember how we died here.” By the time we left Dachau, it was a heavy feeling.

The rest day was free time. I decided to forgo crutches and wheelchair for Dachau and probably over did it a bit. So I used the wheelchair for the rest of the day, since tomorrow we are going to Austria! (I’m going to use crutches tomorrow). I went with a group who were going shopping. I really wanted to see the Glockenspiel ring at 5 p.m. so I joined along a.k.a they all took turns pushing me in the wheelchair, which I’m beyond grateful that they included me.

Today was a powerful day filled many emotions and hopefully tomorrow in Austria will be a lighter day.

Carson

Day 6

We have left Berlin and are now in Munich! It is very different from Berlin. Munich has more people and feels more crowded.

The day started at 4:30 a.m. to get to the airport on time. We said our goodbyes to Lorena at the airport and boarded the flight to Munich at 8 a.m. This time we did not have any problems with the plane or our luggage.

It was been an exhausting week and as soon as I was in my seat for the flight I was asleep. It was a wonderful flight. After the luggage was gathered we met with our new tour guide, Arnoud.

Arnoud had a surprise for me – a wheelchair. Today is my last day on crutches, so I was surprised, but I took the offer to use the wheelchair. From the airport we traveled on the famous autobahn. The autobahn is the highway with no speed limit – it was pretty cool. Fun fact about the autobahn, buses and trucks do have a speed limit – so no fast driving for us.

Alexa and Me in Munich, Germany

The hotel we are staying at feels like a Holiday Inn and not modern like the place we stayed at in Berlin. After dropping off our suitcases we went on a quick tour of the area around. With me in the wheelchair and Alexa pushing me (thanks so much, Alexa!!). We journeyed to the main street in Munich.

First, there are more older building here than Berlin. Second, everything is much closer here than Berlin.  I feel I will be able to see more here and do more here since everything is closer.

After the tour, we split up to eat lunch. We went with another traditional place called Weisses Brauhaus to get German food. I got a salad with a sort of pork dish and of course some beer.

A media/ culture visits was next at Munich Tourism Office with Isabella Schopp. Ms. Schopp told us about the value of tourism in Munich and some facts from tourism. In Munich, there are times when there are more tourists than the locals. There are events such as Oktoberfest that draw in tourist.

We then had free time after the media event. I used that time to sleep. It was wonderful – it was a perfect three-hour nap that left me well rested for dinner at 7:30 p.m. Our welcome dinner to Munich was at Café am Marineplatz. It was an interesting dinner. It was traditional German food again except this time there was white sausage.

Tomorrow is my first day that I’m going to forgo both wheelchair and crutches since my fall. I’m being optimistic in the fact that I’ll make it through the day.

Looking forward to a wheelchair/crutches free day!

Carson