Germany: Now that's a castle

July 25, 2009. We decided to pick up the pace on Saturday, and headed out for a tour of the Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps. We dragged our feet to the Hofbahnhaus (main train station), and signed ourselves up for a tour that cost 49 euros. For some reason, spending euros felt SO much better than spending pounds, even though it really was not a big difference. We met some Brazilian students on the train there, and it was amazing how easily inferior I felt in their presence. I suddenly realized something. These kids are crazy. They learn a language at home, and off they go to that country for six months like it's nothing in order to improve their skills. Here I am complaining about my two month stay in a country that speaks the same language as me while these kids go off from home to all the ends of the earth, learning languages left and right.

We got off the train, and found ourselves in the Bavarian Alps. We made it up to the castle at the top of the Alps, and the view was breathtaking. I couldn't believe what I saw at the moment: clear sky, lakes the color of sapphires, and the dark blue mountain ranges in the back; how can you feel anything but the joy of being alive at the sight of something like that? The work of man nestled in the work of nature... it was just amazing.

After a tour of the castle, we decided to take a different path back down to the gorge. We continued to bask in the beauty of nature around us and climbed down the side of the mountains beside the streams of clear water rushing down. We journeyed down on a metal bridge wide as the size of my macbook in silence and all around, I could hear the splashing of the water; below me, all I saw was the water crashing vehemently against that big ol' rock I was clinging onto. It was definitely worth the 49 euros.

We got home around 5ish, napped and then headed out to Augustiner Bierhalle for some German grub. I ordered "Beef Olive." Sounded pretty sketch to me, but it came out to be like rolled up steak with carrots and other questionable things on the inside, served with mushrooms sauteed in a chive cream sauce and the best stankin' mashed potatoes I have ever had the pleasure of eating. OHMYGOD. 2 points for Europe.

We ended the night with some street gelato in chocolate WAFFLE (because they're better than cake) cones, strolling down lit paths of Marienplatz listening to the echoes of live street classical music.

Now, that is what I was expecting.