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Why I Want to be Locked in a Room in Munich, Germany (plus a special offer for BV readers!)

6/11/2015

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Photo credit: HintQuest.com
The Wall Street Journal recently published this article about the swarm of travelers that will inundate Europe this summer, thanks to the strong US Dollar, the continued rise in tourism from Asia and the World's Fair in Milan.  Some of the more famous attractions are actually asking people to delay their visits to avoid overcrowding. 

Like most people, Chris and I abhor crowds.  While we love visiting museums and historic attractions, we try to visit during non-peak hours.  We also love finding activities that are unique to each destination and less frequented by the masses. Sometimes, these are the most memorable experiences of our trip. 

I was recently made aware of an alternative attraction, called HintQuest, located in Munich, Germany. It is a "live escape game" or a real life version of those video games where you have to solve a series of puzzles to unlock a room.  While I have not experienced it myself (yet!), I thought it was an intriguing idea that might appeal to BV readers. 

The Concept:
You and a group of 2-6 people are locked in room and given 60 minutes to figure out how to escape. You must work as a team to solve a series of puzzles & riddles in order to unlock the door to your room before time is up. The game requires all group members to work together creatively and efficiently!  
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The challenge: Use the clues in this room to unlock the door.  Photo credit: HintQuest.com
Ok, admittedly being locked in a room with a group of people may seem like a rather odd activity to try in Munich, but if you think about it, it could be a lot of fun and the source of many funny stories for years to come. I see this being a particularly fun activity for a couple of scenarios:

  • Family-friendly activity that will provide entertainment for both adults and kids.  Now that Chris and I have Benjamin, we keep a running list of activities that we can enjoy with him when he is a little older.  This seems like a good way to break up a day of historical sightseeing for kids.

  • Team building fun for corporate groups, students, bachelor/bachelorette parties or just a group of friends looking for something different.

  • Perfect activity for inclement weather. Avoid the rain/snow/heat at HintQuest and then celebrate your victory with a stein of fresh beer at a local bierhaus. 

  • It's a great way to exercise the mind, challenge yourself and take a break from the massive tourist crowds.

HintQuest receives phenomenal reviews on TripAdvisor, with over 220 ranked as "excellent".   
Sadly, Chris and I won't be in Munich for a while to try it out, but I reached out to HintQuest for more information and they kindly offered a 10% discount for the first 20 Beyond Voyage readers that book a room! Just mention our blog when you make a reservation.  

Upon further research, there are several of these live escape games located in major cities throughout the world, so if you can't make it to Munich, there might be a similar activity at your next destination, or better yet, in your hometown. 

If you try HintQuest or any other live escape game, PLEASE write in and let us know what you think! 


Note:  HintQuest did not sponsor this blog post. I'm writing about it because I  think it would be a fun activity and a unique way to spend a couple of hours in Munich :)
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Globally Inspired Home

4/23/2014

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This spring, I'm making a few changes to my home and garden and I'd like to incorporate elements inspired by our recent trip around the world. Although I can't plant exotic tropical flowers in Boston, nor do I have the space for nest beds, I can look for a few pieces that remind me of some of my favorite places. So, in no particular order, here are a 15 things from around the world that would be fun to replicate at home. 

1. Bangkok, Thailand: Nest Beds
Nesting has taken on a whole new meaning in Bangkok. The shape of these human sized sanctuaries will make the most boring of outdoor spaces intriguing. Add a light inside and create glowing garden sculptures at night!
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Photo by Eva Barbier from blog post: Chillin' Out In Bangkok

2. Hamburg, Germany: Modern Rococo
I'm typically not a fan of rococo and prefer balancing frills and flourishes with corners and crisp lines. However, I reveled in this little cafe in Hamburg, sipping my chai tea slowly while sinking into a cozy velvet couch.  I have no idea if they intentionally distressed the walls or if they just spruced up a derelict space with vintage couches from Oma and Opa's house. Whatever they did, it worked. 
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Photo by Eva Barbier from blog post: Hamburg, Bremen & Bloemendaal

3. Cappadocia, Turkey: Canvas & Carpet Covered Terraces
While in Turkey, we spent two glorious mornings having breakfast here, overlooking the cave town of Goreme. I've been thinking about using canvas to provide shade on my deck during the hot summer since it's pretty easy to put up and take down. I also love the rug covered table for extra lounging.
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Photo by Eva Barbier. To learn more about Turkey, visit our Turkey Destination Page. 

4. Cambodia: Colored Wooden Blinds
These colorful blinds would add cheer to any space such as a nursery, kitchen or my home office.
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Photo by Eva Barbier from the blog post: Waterworld: The Floating Village of Kompong Phluk, Cambodia

5. Yangshuo, China: Wagon Wheel Benches
Check out these benches at our Inn in Yangshuo. They are made by attaching local wood planks to an axle and wagon wheels. This set-up is a charming alternative to a traditional picnic table. 
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Photo by Eva Barbier from blog post: Days 167-170: Yangshuo, China - Hiking and Biking the Karst Mountains

6. Koh Lanta, Thailand: Bamboo Lounges & Pyramid Pillows
Koh Lanta is one of the places i miss most often because we found total relaxation here. Perhaps it's because bamboo lounges and beds are scattered along the beaches, waiting for a wanderer to plop down for a cold beer and a little shut eye. The colorful pyramid pillows are a nice touch, and help prop up one's head in order to enjoy the sea view.  I don't think bamboo would last in the harsh Boston weather, but if i ever live somewhere milder I plan on creating my own little slice of Lanta. 
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Photo of The Indian bar in Koh Lanta by Eva Barbier from Our Guide to Koh Lanta, Thailand

7. Ubud, Bali: Stone & Wood Carvings
Bali is full of insanely talented artisans and artists that have been perfecting their craft for generations. We visited gardens, homes and temples full of intricately carved statues and furniture. Two of my favorite pieces were these Balinese women who seem full of happiness and peace. Generally, this is how I feel after a really good meal. They would look lovely in my garden and remind me of the warmth and hospitality we experienced in Bali. 
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Read more about Bali here: Ubud, Bali - The Barong Dance, Stone Carving & The Awe-Inspiring Contact Lens 

8. Melbourne, Australia: Bold Tile
This tile covered the inside of a bench shelter in Melbourne. It was a pleasant surprise, since the structure was grey on the outside. I thought the pattern would make a nice outdoor table top. 
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Photo by Eva Barbier from blog post: 3 Days In Melbourne

9. Kruger Park,  South Africa: Drapery Over Doors
The decor at safari camps is fantastic, but much of what you'd expect from the African bush - typical wood furniture, local animal fur rugs, and lots of neutrals.  One thing I really liked was the use of drapery, particularly over doors or entryways.  I'm not sure if this has a practical use in the summer (ie keeping bugs out of rooms) but they really made our accommodation, a tent, very homey. 
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Photo by Eva Barbier in blog post: Tanda Tula Safari Camp

10. Paris, France: Black & White Tile
Black and white tile was everywhere in Paris so it always reminds me of my favorite city.  I don't know if it's the the tile that contributes to the glamour of Paris or if it's Paris that makes the tile so chic.  Let's just say it's a symbiotic relationship. If my bathroom wasn't so tiny, I'd tile it like the picture below. 
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Photo by Eva Barbier from blog post: Our Favorite Room in Paris: Six Cent Deux 

11. Arrowtown, New Zealand: Recycled Container Garden
This is a neat idea for people who have a lot of outdoor space. Arrowtown is an old gold mining town in New Zealand. There was a lot of abandoned equipment from the mining days so local artists used them in their artwork and homes. Here is an old pipe transformed into a container garden. 
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Photo by Eva Barbier. To learn more about New Zealand visit our New Zealand Destination Page. 

12. Winelands, South Africa: Chrome+Stone+Wood
The wineries in Franschhoek, South Africa are stunning both inside and out.  I particularly enjoyed the modern decor of the tasting room at the Gran Provence. The chrome bar and fixtures gave it a sleek modern look which was nicely offset by the rest of the room, comprised of natural elements from the region - stone, clay and wood. While it's void of color inside, the view was bursting with color outside the glass doors. 
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Photo of the Gran Provence tasting room by Eva Barbier as featured in The Winelands Awards.

13. Seminyak, Bali: Colorful Shutters
These pretty shutters, spotted in Bali, would liven up a pool house or backyard shed. 
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Photo by Eva Barbier in blog post: Bali, Indonesia - Laid Back Seminyak

14. Chiang Mai, Thailand: Copper Light Fixtures
Giant copper lights were suspended from tall tree trunks in our hotel lobby in Chiang Mai.  They were especially enchanting when twinkling at night. Perhaps they could be used on a much smaller scale in an entryway, over a dining room table or kitchen island. 
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Photo of VC@Suanpaak lobby by Eva Barbier from Chiang Mai, Thailand - Hits & Misses

15. Caye Caulker, Belize: Weathered Wooden Signs
The tiny Caribbean island is comprised of small wooden structures that have been weathered by the salt and sand in the air.  Painted wooden signs were strewn about the island featuring island mantras (Go Slow) and store names. I think these would look great hanging in a bohemian urban garden. 
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Photo by Eva Barbier from Caye Caulker - You Better Belize It.

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Days 100-101: Hamburg, Bremen & Bloemendaal

8/22/2013

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After Rügen Island, we had to make our way back toward Amsterdam. Sadly, our time in Europe was coming to an end and in just two days we'd be on a flight to Iceland.

Quirky Hamburg
We  originally wanted to spend one night in Hamburg, but decided stay in nearby Bremen because we found a really good price on a hotel and Bremen was an hour closer to Amsterdam. Therefore we only spent an afternoon in Hamburg- driving around the new town and walking around the old party of the city, near the fair grounds.  If I could do it again, I'd spend more time in Hamburg because there is a lot to see and this town would be so much fun at night!   
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Flirting with a thunderstorm heading into the old city from the new city.
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Hamburg old town
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Hamburg
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This was a novel concept.  A mobile bar where the drinkers do the pedaling while the bartender (in the middle of the bar) pours from a keg.  I guess there are no DUI laws here!
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Just a typical Saturday afternoon in Hamburg! Nothing like a bunch of dudes in drag/tight tennis outfits looking at you like YOU are the attraction.
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A really cool coffee shop we stopped off at for a drink.  
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We also stopped into a few shops and walked through a pretty big flea market. That was about all we had time for in Hamburg, and I'm sure we missed most of the highlights.  However, we did enjoy our few hours walking around and I hope to be back someday to see more!
Bremen
That night we just needed a simple place to crash before our flight out of Amsterdam the next day, so we picked a place called Bremen which was about an hour further up the road from Hamburg.  We didn't know anything about Bremen other than the fact that it had a reasonably-priced Holiday Inn Express.  Turns out Bremen is a manufacturing town most notable for its Mercedes and EADS plants, with a really nice downtown area.  

We did some poking around and found a great little place to eat in the middle of a cool residential neighborhood. It's called Medoo, and it was packed with locals from the area. Lots of families and friends were having dinner here and they all seemed to know one another. It reminded me a lot of the neighborhood restaurants we used to frequent when we lived in Chicago.  We had the friendliest waitress who helped us navigate the German menu. I ended up with a delicious vegetable strudel and Chris had a nice fish dish. After we paid for our meal, Chris tipped the waitress which led to a lot of confusion on her part  because apparently they don't tip here (though it is common elsewhere in Germany). We insisted she keep the money since she spent a lot of time walking us through the menu and she was elated! 
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Bremen neighborhood
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Medoo Restaurant - Great neighborhood spot if you ever find yourself in Bremen, Germany
Sunday Afternoon Beach Clubbing
We left Bremen before noon the next morning and arrived on the outskirts of Amsterdam by the afternoon. We didn't have to drop off our car until 8pm for a 10pm flight, so we had some time to kill. We had already been to Amsterdam and didn't want to deal with driving in the city.  Since it was a beautiful day we decided to check out a popular beach north of Amsterdam called Bloemendaal. 

Upon first glance, Bloemendall is a beautiful massive sandy beach with lots of kite surfers and regular surfers enjoying the windy conditions.
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Bloemendaal
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We noticed a string of restaurants below so decided to check it out. 
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Walking down to the beach against the wind.
We arrived at the first restaurant to see a bunch of people hanging out and enjoying lunch. It was a very chill scene. Then we started noticing something odd - people dressed up in clubbing outfits were walking by.  What were girls in 5 inch heels and guys in leather doing on the beach at 2pm on a Sunday??  We had to investigate. 

We walked past a couple more restaurants, each one a little swankier then the last. As we walked the heels got higher, skirts shorter and the leather and mesh more common. We soon heard the thumping of a DJ and walked right by this MASSIVE club on the beach:
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The picture doesn't even do its size justice. This first club went on and on and every inch was packed with people. The DJ was spinning pop music and I'd say the average age of the patrons was around 22.   Right next door was another club - this one even more packed than the first one. This club explained all the leather sightings. The DJ was playing some kind of heavy metal dub-step mix that was so loud that you shook as you walked by. I didn't take a picture of this club, fearing that someone might punch me in the face for the fun of it. 

We saw one more club at the end that was much more chill. It was colorful, quieter full of different places to lounge around.  We both thought this could be a cool place to hang out. Upon closer inspection we realized that the average age of these folks was probably mid-40's to early 50's.  This was the catch-all club. If you aren't a 20 something or a metal head, you go here.  
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Random couches on the beach outside the club
Chris and I decided to pass on the clubs and head back over to the chill restaurant we saw when we first arrived.  It was the perfect little spot! We had a tasty lunch right by the beach while listening to someone playing the acoustic guitar. 
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Little surfer shack where we had lunch
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Bitterballen - yum!
Bye Bye Citroen
After our meal we went to the airport where we dropped off our Citroen, ending our short-term lease.  We were pretty sad to say goodbye to this car which drove us for 2 months throughout Europe. With the exception of when the GPS lost its signal in Vienna, this car was a great way to travel throughout Europe!

That night we said goodbye to continental Europe and made our way north west to Iceland!
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Days 98-99: Rügen Island, Germany

8/20/2013

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About three hours north of Berlin sits Germany’s largest island – Rügen Island.  Rügen is a great weekend destination for residents of Berlin and Hamburg since it's only a few hours' drive from both cities.  We had heard great things about Germany’s Baltic Sea coast, so decided to head up for a couple of nights. 

We booked a hotel in Binz, which is one of the main seaside towns on the island.  Binz features a really nice beachfront promenade with lots of great shops and restaurants.  The area reminded us a lot of Cape Cod, with slightly warmer water, whiter beaches and newer buildings.  While people do live on Rügen, in the summer time it’s mainly filled with vacationers – probably about 80% from Germany and most of the rest from Sweden, which is a short ferry ride away.

After a short time in Rügen, we also proclaimed it the friendliest place on earth.  Everyone we saw there was happy and cheerful, and without fail, everyone we saw said hello to us! 

White Cliffs of Rügen
The morning after we arrived, we headed up to Jasmund National Park, home to Rügen's famous white chalk cliffs, leading many people to call it the Dover of Germany.  There are some nice hiking trails that take you along the top of the cliffs and down to the water.
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View from the trail
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Hiking in Jasmund Park
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Overlooking the white cliffs of Rügen
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On the shore of Jasmund National Park
Prora: Abandoned Nazi Resort
Next, we stopped off at Prora.  This place was very interesting and a little spooky.  Shortly after the Nazi’s came to power, they introduced a program called ‘Strength Through Joy’.  It was sort of a ‘work hard, play hard’ concept, where they believed that happy people would be productive workers.  As part of this program, they decided to build a huge resort on Rügen Island called Prora, which could accommodate over 20,000 vacationers simultaneously.  Between 1936-1939, seven massive (and ugly) concrete buildings were built along the coast.  Each building was 1.5km long and six floors tall.  Each room was to have a sea view, and all rooms were to be identical.   The halls and communal bathrooms occupied the side of the building facing away from the sea.  The beginning of WWII meant that these monstrosities were never used as a holiday resort, but instead, as military housing.  After WWII, Rügen became a part of East Germany, and the Soviet and East German armies both maintained a presence here.  Today, the buildings are abandoned, and two of the seven have been demolished.  There are plans to redevelop the area, and a large hostel recently opened in a portion of the northernmost building.   The good news is that if you pass through the ruins of the Prora buildings, you find yourself on a beautiful, expansive beach, which has become very popular with vacationers.
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Miles of abandoned buildings at Prora. The first section painted white is now a youth hostel.
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View from the ocean side
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Entering the complex
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Fortunately, on the other side of miles of ugly buildings sit miles of beautiful beaches
Beautiful Binz
We spent the rest of the day back in Binz, walking around the town and later, enjoying a local festival.  We heard a great local band playing – sort of a Rockabilly type group covering techno songs, which was much better than it sounds.  
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Strandkorbs on our local beach in Binz
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Sand sculpture near the pier
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On the pier in Binz
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Typical beach front architecture
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Strandkorbs at sunset
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Watching the band by the beach
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On the pier
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Binz at sunset
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Our hotel from the beachfront promenade
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A bride walking to her wedding
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An other-worldly dining room
We also sampled some of the local fare:
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A Bismarck - pickled fish sandwich with onions on crusty bread - the local specialty. Stands selling these are all over the island.
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A new fan. And quite a bargain at 2-3 Euros each.
We really enjoyed this pretty little island and would highly recommend a few nights here if you ever find yourself in the area.  One word of advice – another thing Rügen has in common with Cape Cod is its weekend traffic.  There is only one road in and one road out, and you can expect to sit in some major traffic jams if your timing is poor, so plan carefully!
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Days 93-97: Adventures in Berlin

8/18/2013

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We loved Berlin so much that we decided to add an extra night to our stay while we were there.  We stayed in the former West Berlin near Savignyplatz, which is a great area due to its proximity to loads of restaurants, shopping and unique design boutiques - including clothing, jewelry and home.  I'd highly recommend visiting this area to anyone who designs jewelry or interiors.  

After many successive stays in hotels with uncomfortable European style mattresses, we broke down and booked ourselves at the good old Hampton Inn (incidentally, rated the #16 hotel in Berlin on TripAdvisor!).  It ended up being a good choice, as the beds were comfortable, the internet fast and the A/C cold.  This triple threat is a very tough score in Europe. 

Our first morning in Berlin, we had, of course, booked ourselves on a bike tour of the city.  This particular tour was a Fat Tire tour on one of their new e-bikes.  An e-bike operates like a regular bike, but has an electric motor that gives a turbo boost to your pedaling effort.  Therefore, you can accelerate uphill and zip around the city all day without breaking a sweat.  This was great, as it allowed us to cover a lot of ground in this massive city. 
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Chris on his e-bike
The bike tour was fantastic. Our guide, a British expat named Neil, was extremely knowledgable about the city's complex history.  Berlin is a fairly young city by European standards, and Germany is a very young country. Until the late 1800's, Berlin was the capital of Prussia, at which point Prussia merged with several other states to become the German Empire.  Most of our tour, therefore, was focused on the events of the twentieth century.  Here are some of the sites we visited along  our tour and during our next couple of days in town.
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This TV tower is the tallest building in Germany and is located in the center of former East Berlin. It was built by the communist government to demonstrate their technological prowess. What no one knew at the time was that they had run into construction challenges and had to smuggle in a team of Swedish engineers to finish the job.
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The communist government actively discouraged organized religion and disbanded many churches upon coming to power. When this tower was unveiled, the sun ironically created a huge shiny cross on the side of the sphere, as shown here, resulting in the tower's nickname: The Pope's Revenge.
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Our tour guide, Neil, giving us an impromptu geography lesson of Germany post WWII.
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Berlin Wall
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Behind one of the remaining sections of the Berlin Wall is the Topography of Terror museum, built on the remains of the basement of the Nazi secret police headquarters where political enemies were tortured and killed. This free museum was excellent and describes the history of the Nazi rise to power and the many atrocities committed during this period.
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The line of the former Berlin Wall running throughout the city. The inscriptions are always legible from the perspective of former West Berlin.
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Chris crossing over the line into former East Berlin.
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The old sign posted at Checkpoint Charlie. This was the only place that anyone who was not a resident of West Berlin could cross from East to West.
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Today it's Checkpoint Cheesy
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Chris is pointing at the spot where Hitler's Fuhrerbunker once stood. This was where Hitler hid out during the final days of the Battle of Berlin. It was here where he and his wife (whom he married the previous day in the bunker) killed themselves. He ordered his guard to immediately burn his body as he was afraid it would be dragged through the streets of Berlin. Today it's a parking lot. The buildings in the background were some of the nicest homes in communist East Germany, where high-ranking government workers lived. These were erected near the wall to show anyone looking in from the West that things 'weren't so bad'. Of course, most East Berlin buildings did not look like this.
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This is the Reichstag building, which famously burned down during the early days of Hitler's rule. Hitler used the fire, which he claimed was started by a member of a rival faction, as justification for the outlawing of other political groups and consolidation of all governing power under him. It later turned out that the guy accused of starting the fire, and ultimately executed, suffered from mental disabilities. However, today many people suspect he was actually innocent and that the fire was an inside job to help the Nazis make their case for single-party government.
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On the runway at Tempelhof airport in southern Berlin. This was Berlin's major airport for a long time. Shortly after West Berlin was cut off from East Germany, this airport was the primary way supplies were brought into the city. The airport was closed in 2008 and today serves as a large park. We had fun testing our our e-bikes' top speed on the old runways!
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The "New" Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The old church was bombed during the war and its remains still stand today. Next door is the modern new church which is nothing spectacular from the outside. But the inside is definitely worth a look! All the walls are covered in blue glass from the floor to the ceiling.
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This plaque is located in Bebelplatz, where the Nazi book burning occurred in 1933. Young Nazi students (many of whom attended the nearby Humboldt University) gathered here and burned "undesirable" books including those of Einstein.
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Humboldt University. Einstein was a professor here before leaving for New York when his teachings, books and theories were disallowed because he was Jewish. Interestingly, it was Einstein's theories that led to the development of the atomic bomb via his participation in the Manhattan Project. Had the Nazi's not shunned all Jewish ideas, the war might have ended differently. Humboldt sits on Babelplatz, so named because it was the site of Hitler's massive book-burning. Today, there is a daily book sale in front of the university where books that were burned by the Nazis are sold.
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The 'French' church. This was built for French settlers who came to Berlin in the 1800's. The building was entirely destroyed during the Berlin bombings in WWII and subsequently rebuilt. However, the statues survived, as Hitler had them removed and hidden in the river prior to the war. They were re-installed on the rebuilt church.
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"Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe" designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold. The designers left the sculpture open for interpretation, but many say it looks like a cemetery. It reminded me of a lost city.
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Einstein?
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The Brandenburg Gate. This was the old city entrance from the 19th century. This actually survived the bombings of the city during the war, and during the cold war the gate was located in the 'no man's land' zone between the two Berlin walls.
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Hotel Adlon - Berlin's most famous hotel. We know it best as the hotel where Michael Jackson famously dangled his youngest son, Blanket, out the window.
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Berlin has a very large Turkish population - we were told it's the largest Turkish community outside of Turkey. You can always tell a Turkish apartment building by the satellite dishes, which they use to watch Turkish TV stations
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They decorate their satellite dishes with pictures of their kids or other interesting designs.
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There are lots of 'beaches' in Berlin. These consist of sandy areas on the banks of the river or a canal where someone has built an outdoor bar or club. While you can't swim here due to the pollution, you can have a lot of fun at the clubs, some of which get crazy at night.
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Another beach bar
We also enjoyed a wide variety of food in Berlin.  In Savignyplatz alone, we had Vietnamese, Spanish, Mexican and Mediterranean meals.   You can find just about anything within a few blocks.  This was a nice break from non-stop German fare for several weeks.  

Aside from the sight seeing and the food, we had a lot of fun exploring different neighborhoods throughout the city.  It's a very diverse city that is changing and growing rapidly as the East continues to evolve following the fall of the wall.  There are lots of fun and interesting neighborhoods to explore and many different types of people to meet.  This city really does have something for everyone.  We had an awesome time in Berlin and can't wait to come back.  
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Berlin Street Art

8/15/2013

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I love Berlin. I'll write about our adventures there later, but first I want to highlight one of my favorite features of this city - the artwork.  I'm not talking about the art hidden behind marble walls, but the everyday creativity you stumble upon while walking down the street.  Every inch of Berlin's streets is full of color, expression, and emotion. The art is unexpected and makes a neighborhood stroll a really fun experience . Here is some of the artwork we saw throughout Berlin:
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Outside our hotel room
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"The Wall" (fall of communism, rise of capitalism)
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Someone's front door
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The Leviathan
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Remnants of the Berlin Wall
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Days 86-88: Munich: The Fairytale Land of Beer, Lions, Lederhosen, And Surfing 

8/7/2013

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Yup, you can surf in land-locked Munich! But more on that later.  Bavaria and its main city, Munich, is the Germany of fairytales. It's surrounded by beautiful mountains and quaint villages, there are beer gardens everywhere, ladies clad in durndls sell giant pretzels out of baskets,  oompah bands play in plazas and restaurants, and men really do wear lederhosen (it's considered dressing up and many men wear them to church). If you want to see the Germany of story books then definitely pay a visit to Munich. 

We arrived in Munich in the late afternoon and checked into our hotel, the Eurostars Grand Central.  We highly recommend this hotel for a trip to Munich.  Although it is located near an office park just west of central Munich, it is right around the corner from an S-bahn stop (Munich's metro system).  This meant we could get from our hotel room to the center of Munich in 10-15 minutes. It also had one of the best free breakfasts we've experienced so far - complete with two violinists as entertainment.  The rooms were spacious, wifi was fast and the beds were really comfortable which was a nice change from the lumpy Italian beds. We could park for free on the street next to the hotel, and best of all, it was very reasonably priced for the area. 

Beer as Big as Your Head
On our first night in town, we decided we needed to check out the famous Hofbräuhaus, the huge state-owned beer hall that goes back hundreds of years.  They say that here, Oktoberfest lasts all year long.  The place was absolutely mobbed, hot and loud, but lots of fun! Interestingly, the crowd was a mix of tourists and locals, and many of the locals were clad in their best lederhosen.  We ordered a couple of plates - Sauerbraten (basically pot roast) and a bunch of sausages, and washed it all down with the obligatory giant beers.  
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The famous 1L mug. Bigger than my head. It did eventually get finished!
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Half a beer later, apple strudel.
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Oompah band at the Hofbräuhaus
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Happiness is a Bavarian with a beer and a song!
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Typical scene at the HBH. Cozying up in the 90 degree weather!
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Inside the HBH
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The huge hall on the top floor of the HBH
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Just a couple of beer maids
Biking Munich
The next day, we booked a Mike's Bike Tour at 4:30 pm.  Since the weatherman was forecasting temperatures in the upper 90's, we chose the later tour to miss the hottest part of the day.  We spent the early afternoon checking out some of the sites around the center of Munich, then met up with our tour, which brought us through some historical spots in central Munich and through the Englischer Garten, the city's main park.  Here are a few things we saw along the way:
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The White Church in Odeonsplatz. The interior of the church is completely white.
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The Feldherrnhalle in Odeonsplatz. In the background are statues of four famous Bavarians and three lions. In the foreground are seven jackasses imitating them. Chris and I were selected to play the part of Mr. & Mrs. Bavaria. Lucky us.
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A close-up of our dopplegangers. Notice the different expressions on the lions' faces. The one of the left stands with his mouth open, looking in the direction of the royal palace. The one on the right is looking in at the church with his mouth closed. Some interpret this to mean that one should always question the government but never one's church.
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Lions are everywhere in Munich. From Odeonsplatz you can see this victory arch in the distance. It depicts lady Bavaria on a chariot being pulled by four lions. So badass!
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Another lion. They say rubbing the nub of this one's shield brings good luck. In fact, people in Munich rub a lot of statues for good luck.
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The Poet's Garden behind the old palace. The park is ringed with marigold beds.
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Cooling off in one of the Poet's Garden fountains
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The Chinese pagoda in the middle of the Englischer Garten. Around the base is a massive beer garden where we stopped for an early dinner and some suds with our bike tour.
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Surfing in the park. There's a spot on the Eisbach river where water shoots out of a tunnel underneath a road and then hits a lip in the canal which creates a stationary surfing wave. Surfers take turns showing off their moves.
Check out one of the surfers in action:
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The University of Munich. Half of this building was destroyed by bombs in WWII and subsequently rebuilt. It costs less than 200 Euros per semester to attend this famous university.
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After WWII, almost all evidence of the Nazi regime was intentionally destroyed. However, small reminders are still present. For example, look closely at this door and you'll see a subtle swastika pattern. This used to be a Nazi air force building.
The next morning, we set out to see a few of the spots we had missed the day before.

White Rose Society
This was a pretty fascinating story. When the Nazis were in power, there was a secret non-violent society of brave students at the University of Munich.  Their mission was to anonymously distribute leaflets that encourage opposition to Hitler and his regime.  Some of their leaflets were smuggled into the UK, copied and then dropped all over Germany by Allied planes under the title The Manifesto of the Students of Munich. One day a gardener saw White Rose member, Sophie Scholl, dropping leaflets out a window at the university and reported her to the gestapo.  She and five more members (including her brother Hans) were arrested by the gestapo and were subsequently beheaded via guillotine.  Today, there is memorial for these brave students and they are considered among Germany's greatest heroes. 
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White Rose Society Memorial. The title means "To Remember To Commemorate".
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Similar to the Jewish custom of placing a rock on top of a loved-one's gravestone, people from all over the world place rocks on top of the memorial for those family members lost in the Holocaust. Chris places one here for his grandparents' relatives that stayed behind in Germany and perished too soon.
Marienplatz
Marienplatz is the biggest plaza in central Munich, home to many shops, outdoor markets, and the New Rathaus (City Hall).  We had a lot of fun wandering through this bustling area. 
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The "New Rathaus". Notice the Glockenspiel above Chris' head. It's a mechanical clock that performs a miniature jousting tournament several times a day.
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The outdoor markets. Germany has the most organized and beautiful food markets I've seen thus far. Everything is in perfect order and I think they might even shine the produce! You are not allowed to touch anything, and have to point out what you want to the person working the stand.
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Spice Market
One more food-related recommendation - while searching for a supermarket to buy water, we stumbled into the Galeria Gourmet in the basement of the Galeria Kaufhof near Marienplatz. This was hands down the nicest supermarket we've ever seen!

Team Tanda Tula Reunited! 
During our safari in the South African Timbavati reserve, we became friends with a really nice German couple, Thomas and Sabine.  
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Chris is standing next to Sabine and Thomas is sitting on the Jeep.
They live near Munich, so we all got together one night while we were visiting town. Thomas and Sabine picked us up at our hotel and we drove about 45 minutes to Schliersee, a lake town south of Munich near the Austrian border, where we met up with Sabine's sister Karin and her boyfriend Michael.  That evening there was a festival called Seefest, where we enjoyed traditional Bavarian food, music, games and other customs, some of which we might bring back to the States :)  We had such a great time catching up with Thomas and Sabine and meeting their family.  We can't thank them enough for their hospitality and a really fun night! 
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The crew: Michael, Chris, Karin, Thomas, Sabine
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Approaching Seefest
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Traditional Bavarian dance. Back in the old days, young men & women from different villages would meet each other dancing at festivals.
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The German game Nagelspielen. Believe it or not, there are several different games you can play with a tree stump, hammer, and nails. We plan to try this one when we get back home!
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Sunset over the lake
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Stunning!
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Fireworks show set to various AC/DC tunes. Awesome!
While our time in Munich was short, it was very memorable. This is definitely a place we plan to visit again one day.  
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Days 82-85: Orvieto Round 2, Verona, Lake Garda and Neuschwanstein Castle

8/4/2013

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We spent days 82-85 in a variety of places. First we took Chris' parents to see Orvieto. Since we had such a nice time at La Rocca the week before they arrived, we decided to go back for their last two days in Italy. This time we stayed in a two bedroom apartment in Villa dell'Olio. Once again we had a great time relaxing by the pool, grilling dinner and wandering the streets of Orvieto. 
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La Rocca - a familiar view!
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Entering Orvieto
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Orvieto, twinkling at night
Orvieto Cathedral
This time we entered the beautiful cathedral in Orvieto.  While the facade of this cathedral is its most impressive feature, the inside of the cathedral is also stunning. Inside the cathedral there are two chapels covered in frescos. My favorite part was the Chapel of the Madonna San Brizio which is adorned with gold-toned frescoes by Luca Signorelli. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the cathedral but I did capture this shot of the facade in the late afternoon sun:
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Orvieto Cathedral
Butcher? Buuutcher? Bu-CHER? 
One night we decided to grill at the apartment but we were missing a key ingredient - meat! Therefore we were on the hunt for a butcher during our visit to Orvieto. Before we left, we looked up the Italian word for butcher which is macellaio.  In and effort to remember the word, we walked down the street repeating macellaio - but all of us pronounced it in a different way. We kept saying it over and over for what felt like 10 minutes and then realized that all the Italian people around us probably thought we were crazy. Imagine if you were in the US and a group of 4 adults kept saying butcher in various accents over and over and over again. We eventually found the macellaio so while we may have sounded crazy, our efforts paid off!  
Ciao Ciao! 
After 2 days in Orvieto we drove back to Rome where we dropped Mom & Dad Barbier off at the airport.  While we were sad to say goodbye, we were so happy and thankful they made the trip out to Italy to see us! 

Verona & Lake Garda
From the Rome airport, we immediately drove up to Lake Garda in northern Italy, where we would spend the night before heading up to Munich. On the way we stopped in the fair city of Verona.  We all know Verona as the setting for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. There is even a tourist spot where you can pay to take pictures on Juliet's (supposed) balcony. We briefly stopped by the balcony but it was mobbed with tourists. Chris quickly wrote our names on the Wall of Love, as is custom, and we skedaddled out of there. We enjoyed walking through the colorful streets of Verona and decided it would be a very romantic vacation destination if we were ever to come back to Italy. 
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The old Roman theater in Verona
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Verona's marble-paved shopping street
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Juliet's balcony
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21st century Juliet
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Writing our names on the wall of love.
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I couldn't reach our names. They are under the "DF".
We arrived in Lake Garda that afternoon and stayed at the Arciduca Charming House in the little town of Arco. It was a bit rainy in the evening so we took a quick stroll around Arco and then spent most of the evening at a cute little cafe in the park.  The next day we visited the giant blue lake surrounded by grey and green mountains.  The towns are not as picturesque as those on Lake Como, but I think it's a better place for people who enjoy swimming & sailing. There seemed to be more families on the beach enjoying the water. In fact, the water seemed a lot cleaner than Lake Como's.  There were also lots of older people sitting along the lake which makes me suspect that this is a popular retirement destination. 
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Lake Garda Harbor
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Lake Garda
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Another exciting day at Lake Garda
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Testing the waters. Verdict: Cold.
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Polar bear-ing
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Downtown Arco
Neuschwanstein Castle
On our way to Munich, we took a small detour to see Neuschwanstein Castle.  This is the castle after which Disney modeled Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disney World.  However, do not refer to it as The Disney Castle if you are speaking with a German. I did this, simply because I didn't know how to pronounce Neuschwanstein and was immediately informed that this castle predates Mr. Walt Disney and the Magic Kingdom:)  Our German friend Thomas did provide a tip that really helped me remember the German name for the castle: In German the name Neu-schwan-stein translates to New-Swan-Stone.   The English and German words are very similar! When I first tried to pronounce it, I said the German words for New-Swine-Stone, which elicited a few more chuckles.  I eventually got it right and now I will never forget how to say Neuschwanstien! 

The castle dates back to 1892 and is definitely worth a visit. It's about an hour outside of Munich in Southern Bavaria and easy to reach by car or public transportation.  Consider buying your tickets for an indoor tour in advance because you can only enter the castle with a tour guide at a set time. By the time we arrived, it was too late to book an indoor tour. However, we enjoyed seeing it from outside and walking around the little town below. Here are a few pictures of this fairytale castle:
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At the entrance to the castle.
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In the upper courtyard
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Neuschwanstein!
Next stop...Munich!!!
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    Eva has been traveling for 15+ years, including an 8 month journey around the world.  

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