Euro Trip 2013 - Germany - München & Neuschwanstein

Munich was the only city where we stayed in a hostel. Luckily for us, most places in Europe have an option for three-person hotel rooms which actually ended up being cheaper than staying in a hostel! Our first day in Munich was overcast, partially raining and cold. So we did some shopping and visited a Brau haus for some Mas Beer (1L)! 

We had an early second day of travelling as we jumped on a train from Munich to Fussen, then bused from Fussen to Hohenschwangau where we had a horse drawn ride up the Neunschwanstein Castle. We basically covered all methods of transportation that day, minus flying. We took the guided tour through the gorgeous castle which was definitely worth the line and money. After that Carlon and myself hopped the "beware of avalanche" sign and walked out to the Marienbruke bridge which gave us a full view of the castle. On our hike down the sun started to break through the clouds and gave us an awesome view of the Alpsee and Hohenschwangau Castle. After that we enjoyed a bit of the town then walked down to start our journey to Munich.

Our final full day in Munich was spent walking around seeing the sights. We watched the Rathaus-Glockenspiel play at 11am at the New Town Hall. Then we headed over and check out the Frauenkirche and its onion topped towers. We got a better view of them from the top of St. Peter's Church which was a fun tight staircase to walk up its 91m tower. The next day we boarded a train for Paris, which would be the worst train ride of my life. 

Viva Las Vegas!

My family got invited to a destination wedding in Las Vegas so we turned it into a vacation. We had a good weather for the 3 days we were there and did a whole lot of walking. Hope you enjoy my shots of the strip and the always delicious In-N-Out.

Euro Trip 2013 - Germany - Nürnberg

After staying at Elisabeth's for the week she drove me down to Nürnberg to meet up with Amanda and Carlon. Who we randomly bumped into each other crossing the street! Our first day in Nürnberg we spent wondering the town and visiting different monuments around the city. Our second day involved a little more traveling as we visited Reichsparteigelande (Nazi Party Rally Grounds). It was a close transit ride but we spent the entire day walking through the museum and touring the grounds.

Euro Trip 2013 - Germany - Coburg

On my last day with Elisabeth we went to Coburg. This town is beautiful and has a cool tie to the English Royal Family. After lunch and a very delicious Scheidmantel Bier we went to Ehrenburg Palace which was built in 1543. This castle held many famous Royalty; in 1860 Queen Victoria (whose mother and husband grew up here) met Austrian Emperor Franz Josef for the first time in The Hall of Giants. Also in 1894 many of the monarchs of WWI found themselves in Coburg for a wedding: King George V, Kaiser Wilhelm II and Tsar Nicholas II.

After, we had to bomb over to the Veste Coburg, which is a massive fortress on a hill overlooking Coburg. By the time we arrived at the castle we found out it was closing early and we had 30 min to explore. So Elisabeth took me to see the little church Martin Luther lived in for a couple of months during the Diet of Augsburg in 1530. Also the floor to ceiling wooden rooms in the castle were amazing and I could have spent hours in those rooms alone looking at all the carvings. I would love to visit this castle again and take some of the guided tours.

Euro Trip 2013 - Germany - Kornbach & Gefrees

On my way back to Gefrees with Elisabeth, I had her drop me off at my oma and opa's hometown of Kornbach which is about 10 min away from Gefrees. I had a beautiful hour to myself to explore the snow covered town, and the sun actually made an appearance for the first time in week! Last time I was here in 2006, the temperature was bordering on 40 C; this time it was well below 0 C. I walked from my oma and opa's house, through the forest, down a snow covered field, by the old school houses, visited the WWI & WWII memorial sight, through the town (40 houses) back up to my oma and opas house.

After that Elisabeth picked me back up and drove back to Gefrees. She dropped me off at the church that my oma and opa got married in; unfortunately this time it was locked. After that I told Elisabeth I would walk back to her house so I walked around the town and enjoyed the afternoon taking pictures of places I've heard stories about.

Euro Trip 2013 - Germany - Schloß Seehof & Theresienstein

On our way home to Gefrees from Bamberg, Elisabeth took me to see Schloß Seehof. During the summer months this castle is surrounded by beautiful gardens and fountains which lead down to the Altsee. The day I was there was a little different the flowers were in greenhouses and the fountains were turned off and drained so they wouldn't freeze. But the castle sitting on the hill of snow really made the castle's colours come alive.

The following day Elisabeth took me to her work in Hof. On our drive it the temperature was -18 C but minus the cold it made for a beautiful sunrise. We were at Elisabeth's work for a couple of hours. She toured me around the grounds and introduced me to co-workers then we headed into Hof for lunch. After lunch we stopped off in at a park called Theresienstein which is one of the oldest citizen parks in Germany. It also won the most beautiful park in Germany award in 2003 so I plan on a summer visit of Theresienstein next time.

Schloß Seehof

Euro Trip 2013 - Germany - Egerquelle & Bamberg

On one of my first days in Gefrees, I visited my Uncle Herbert and my Aunt Gabi. Uncle Herbert took me out to see the Weißenstadt,  the Egerquelle and some of his hunting spots. The Egerquelle marks the source of the Eger River which is a tributary of the Elbe River in Bavaria and Bohemia. It rises at Weißenstadt in the Fichtel Mountains and flows into the Elbe at Leitmeritz. Because of the ease of accessibility, the source had already been marked in 1850 with a single stone that read "Egerquelle 1850". In 1923 the monument you see in the pictures was erected. The head stone was kept slightly larger with the word "Eger" and the coat of arms of the old imperial city. The other stones of the source version bear the names of the places that helped to finance the project. The water flows through the little drain that starts the Eger on it's 325 km long journey. After our trip around the snow covered country side and some 4x4ing we went back to my uncle's house for some lunch, which was when I first found out my power converter didn't work. The next day and half I took four pictures. Thankfully my Aunt and Uncles daughter Silke drove to a bigger town and picked me up one!

With a fully charged battery Elisabeth and myself set out for Bamberg which is 75km South-East of Gefrees. We visited the beautiful Bamberg Cathedral which has the only Pope buried outside Italy and France. Then we had lunch at an old pub which served a Bamberg original Rauchbier which is a smoked beer. After that we froze our butts off by the river and then headed back to Gefrees. 

Bamberg