Germany Adventures

Ahh, the time in Germany has flown by and before we know it we will be on a TAP Portugal flight back to Lisbon tomorrow. And as usual, time with Cesar has flown by and weºve been busy with little time to share my adventures in my blog. It is late but Iºm awake so I decided to take time to record some of our highlights. I think it would take more than 3 days to write about the happenings of our trip, it would take so long to try to describe our experiences. How in words could I relate all that we have said and done and the senses it has touched.

I could write about the incredibly beautiful walk we took today among the beautiful fall colors in the Bavarian countryside as we walked to the famous Neuschwanstein castle. Looking up at the castle rising out of the autumn colors on a mountain top was a sight to behold. One which neither of us will ever forget! Hopefully we will forget the incredible hassle it took to get there, another story in itself. But the walk, an autumn experience to be written about and savored for years. The reds and oranges and yellows, with leaves floating down all around us as we walked to the castle in the overcast, cool afternoon, proved that fall is in the air. But it would be impossible to share the sounds and smells that were part of that other worldly experience. How lucky I feel to have shared this experience with a friend. The castle was beautiful inside too, but the stunning view from outside far exceeded what was inside in my opinion. And, oh my poor legs and feet! Even though we took a shuttle to a spot above the castle, part of the walk to arrive was uphill which was only made worse when we started the tour and climbed many stairs up a winding staircase to begin our tour on the 5th floor. I made it with quite a bit of effort, no way was I going to miss that sight! I am sure that the pain will remind of this accomplishment for days! Ahhh, but how worth it that was!

Yesterday was just as delightful as we explored the streets and sights of Salzburg, Austria. Neither of us had anticipated the quaint beauty of the city! Unfortunately we went later in the day than we should have and with all of the stores and sights closing at 6, we did miss a lot. A great destination for another trip! We saw Mozartºs birthplace but didnºt have time to go in, but we bought a darling musical note umbrella to use in our travels. Seems we always end up in places in the winter that are cold and rainy and now we will be prepared, with a memento of our trip to Austria. We had a true Bavarian lunch, I enjoyed it but Cesar isnºt fond of Bavarian cuisine we discovered. there was an incredible dessert that is named after Salzburg and that was a fun thing to try. Exploring in Europe is somewhat determined by the train schedule, Iºm actually becoming quite good at managing the train trips in a language I canºt read! Although being with Cesar is quite a security even though he knows no German and this is our first time to be where he is as clueless as I am about what is going on. But together we have managed. If you know me you know I donºt have a problem asking questions and the people here are so nice and helpful. We had a quite peculiar happening waiting to board our train. We were waiting on the platform where the train was supposed to arrive. We waited and waited and we were the only ones on the platform, and there was no sign of the train arriving. The info wasnºt posted on the sign, not a person was anywhere around. It was dark, cold and rather spooky being there all alone so we decided to leave and look for someone to ask about the train. We only found 3 workers who didnºt speak English and we tried to communicate to them the dilemma. One kind man tried to help us and pointed out the info on the schedule and we told him there was no sign of anything happening. We turned around and there were many, many people on the platform, and the sign was up and it was as though we had been in the twilight zone! Suddenly, without a sound, all the people had appeared and we were both in total shock. No idea how it all happened but at least being together, we both knew the total oddity of the moment. So on top of all the amazing events weºve had in Germany, we even spent a few minutes in the twilight zone together! On the train back to Munich from Salzburg we met a delightful girl who is a kindergarten teacher in a small town in Austria near the Italian border. She was so friendly and informative and we enjoyed being in her company on the long ride home.

Home, what memories we will have of this home away from home. Finding it was quite a nightmare when we arrived after midnight and wandered around the gigantic train station for at least an hour. We arrived at the airport and it was so empty and there were not many choices for transportation into town to our hotel, the Sofitel. It was just behind the train station we were told, but the journey to reach it after the midnight train ride to town was another story that wonºt make it to the blog. We did finally arrive a little before 2AM and the man who checked us in felt so sorry for us and gave us a room upgrade to a junior suite. WOW!! We were totally amazed when we walked in and saw our home for the next few days. The living room is quite modern, done in lime greens, and plums and black and white. there is a giant flat screen tv with speaker all around. There are stairs that lead up to a bedroom in a loft that is gorgeous and oh, so comfortable!! And the bathroom is incredible! We havenºt been able to spend nearly enough time in the room to enjoy the luxurious setting. Weºve decided to hang out here in the morning before going to the airport. The breakfast that comes with the room is delicious, many wonderful choices to make of foods from Germany and the US. A delight just to eat breakfast! The first morning I was ordering our eggs and mentioned that I was with my Portuguese friend. The sweet young girl cooking said that her colleague was from Portugal and I asked if she would have her come over and just start talking to Cesar in Portuguese. When I got to the table, Cesar knowing I always chat with everyone, asked if Iºd made any new friends and I told him I had. No more information. When the lady came up to our table and started talking in Portuguese, the look of surprise on his face was priceless! What fun that was for all of us.

Yes, Munich has been a delightful experience and now we will head back to Portugal for more adventures. We had a glich in our castle night plan, poor Cesar was given a double shift that day and he tried to get me to cancel our plans, but who knows if and when I will ever be back and even if I am, it isnºt easy to get the royal suite. So being we adjusted the plan and I will not get the part I pictured of us having a dinner outside in the beautiful walled village at sunset. Now we will be going at midnight when he gets off work and staying late the next day. It was the only way it could work out so it was better than nothing. I just couldnºt leave without this exciting part of the plan! Not what Iºd hoped for, but better than nothing!

Well,once again I am off to bed. Ciao from Germany