MUNICH
I left work and headed for Heathrow to catch a flight to Munich. When I got there it was snowing just a tiny bit, but it was my 1st encounter with snow since hmmm 10 years maybe? My excitement levels were peaking at the thought of seeing Jackie and Jenny again and I wasn't sure how I'd handle it. I made it worse for myself when I caught the wrong train, extending my journey by about half an hour. I finally got to the Hilton Munich City Centre where the girls were waiting for me in the lobby. I was so overwhelmed, I made this weird crying yelping kind of noise I don't think I've ever produced before. Goodness knows what sounds I'll make when I go home and see my family after 8 months away.
I had high expectations of Germany but I wasn't afraid to keep it that way - the food, culture, history, language, scenery, all of it! The day after I arrived we went for a tour to Linderhoff and Neuschwanstein Castle. It was lovely as it snowed and it was so pretty. I'm so fascinated by Mad King Ludwig now and want to watch the movie, but not the version I got through Amazon...the English version with Italian dubbing and English subtitles. I tried for about 10 minutes but found I was lip-reading and getting mad at not just being able to hear what they were saying. Anyway, tangent. By Neuschwanstein I was a little over it as the main tower had scaffolding on it and it was raining and I was completely soaked and therefore freezing. Oh yeah, some Japanese tourists had their photo taken with us. I don't know why... was it because we were Westerners (although not an uncommon look where we were)? Gorgeous? Soaked? Ummm... not sure, although it did make me smile.
That night as we arrived back to the hotel I remembered Chelsea were playing Tottenham in the League and kindly excused myself from the girls (yep, after 4 months apart) to watch it in the lobby and make friends with an old Geordie man telling me loads of his life stories.
We also did a walking tour to Dachau which was really (insert appropriate word for enjoying a concentration camp experience but not actually enjoying it in a fun kind of way). I'm really intrigued by the propaganda of the Nazis so I might look into that and learn some more. I (actually we) also had a massive crush on our guide Stefan. Felt extremely politically incorrect.
When we got back to Munich we had an awesome schnitzel and then explored the Christmas markets and ate loads of market food. It was awesome. Well, that pretty much sums up Munich. Next stop... Salzburg!
Cold but happy - Linderhoff Castle grounds
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