Where was I?
Ah yes. July 8th (my 23rd birthday - yay me!) was spent wandering around Leipzig and then watching Germany beat Portugal for 3rd place in the World Cup. That was nice.
July 9th: I took myself and my two rather large suitcases and went up to Berlin to meet my friends, Aimee, Cheryl and Phil. (note: from now on, I will refer to us in the collective: CJAP. It's pronounced CAP. The 'J' is silent.) Now, I don't like to brag, but these suitcases were HUGE and I made it all the way from Leipzig, to Berlin, getting on and off trains and streetcars and buses. I mean, they were in the area of 50 lbs each! Of course, the next question is why did I have so much stuff? The answer? I have NO idea. I think it multiplied during the night inside my suitcases. Like Gremlins.
Anyway. Back to July 9th. CJAP took a 6 hour train ride from Berlin to Munich. It was long, it was boring and we were all tired. CA&P were much more tired that I (you know that whole jetlag thing), but we managed to pass the time by playing cards, sleeping, reading, talking and just generally causing havoc. They kept us updated on the final game of the world cup with periodic announcements. Italy won, but I guess you already knew that.
July 10th: We woke up early and went to Neuschwanstein. It was about a 2 hour train ride outside of Munich and the train was PACKED with tourists - most of them asian. Japanese, I think. The castles were amazing! We first saw Hohenshwangau, which is smaller and older. Neuschwanstein is not yet finished (or, I guess I should say that it's as finished as it will ever be, seeing as how Mad Kind Ludwig is dead and out of money.) Interestingly enough, Neuschwanstein looks exactly like it does in the pictures. Behold: The hike between the two castles was LONG and STEEP (somewhat like another hike I'd had recently). We only had 45 minutes between tours, and we weren't sure if we'd make it back up that mountain. I can't tell you how relieved we were to see the "Neuschwanstein 8 Minuten" sign. Oh man. But, the hike was totally worth it! I got to see something that I never thought I would see. The architecture was amazing, the stories fascinating and the history was just wonderful. All in all, a long, but very beautiful day.
Ok, so, you know how you start a post and then it's so involved that it keeps getting back-burnered, and then here it is, 8 years later, and you've never finished it? Yep. that happens. Today is December 5, 2014. I very fondly remember my trip to Germany, but I'm no longer so clear on the day-to-day details. Lots has happened since then. As I remember things, I'll add them here, but I think it's time to admit that this particular post has defeated me, publish it, and move on. *nods*
