Neuschwanstein isn't in Salzburg?

I had an interesting tour in Salzburg today. You're probably thinking to yourself, 'When is it not?' That is the thought that I have whenever I come home and simply laugh as I reflect on my day.

Sometimes I am truly amazed at people and this job, much like teaching, it always leaves me with something new to consider. I have to say they give me material for my future tours, when I give random warnings that I never would imagine happening, until of course they do. It's always something, which makes going to work really exciting for me.

Here is today's new experience:

As we were leaving the train station I turned around to make sure there weren't any stragglers that were getting lost. You would be amazed at how easy it is to lose adults.

It was then that I noticed an Italian woman who I thought had paid for the Neuschwanstein tour. I picked her out of the bunch and asked her if she was sure she was going to Salzburg, 'Yes' was her response. Fair enough, she knows what ticket she bought and where she wanted to spend her day.

On we go... and 2 hours later we arrive in Salzburg. Yes, Salzburg the home of Mozart, that is located in Austria, a completely different country.

I get to the middle of the tour, right in front of Mozart's birth home, when she says, 'What about the castle that I paid to go into?' I tried with everything I had to take a deep breath and then I said, 'You came on the wrong tour'. I asked to see her receipt to verify and sure enough she did.

She still did not seem to entirely grasp that there would be no castle tour, unless she cared to visit the largest fortress in Austria. I demonstrated with my hands 6 inches apart, that Füssen is here, where my left hand is, and Salzburg is here, where my right hand is. Not close to each other at all.

She continued to ask me questions and I was so appreciative when the Italian family chimed in, in Italian, that there in fact, would be no visit to Neuschwanstein today, it was too late and she came on the wrong tour. She really didn't seem too taken aback, especially after I reassured her that we'd get her 9€ castle entry refunded.

Minutes later the older couple from Australia tells me, 'We've been traveling all around Europe, and the Italians are the only people we've encountered that we didn't like.'

I really should have enjoyed my free time with a glühwein or two. I'm definitely not in America anymore when I can drink on the job and it's acceptable. Days like this definitely make me appreciate that.

Instead, I went shopping for my cousins and bought the adorable wooden pens I mentioned last week.

Not all was lost, the Italian woman came back with full shopping bags. I'm sure her husband would have preferred if she went to Neuschwanstein.

Allgäu + Neuschwanstein

Today we went to visit Stefan's parents and then stopped off at Neuschwanstein.

Stefan's parents had some beautiful crocus that were blooming in their garden. I was happy to see some bees swarming about, since I keep hearing how they are disappearing more and more. It's great to see little touches of spring cropping up. I'm a sucker for pretty little details.

It was also fun to see our parents together again. I found myself taking on the role of translator when conversations diverted into German. It reminded me of how times were when I didn't understand much. My mom was particularly interested in how long it took me to understand and learn where things were in the city - those are the small details that I can't pin point a time, probably because they happen gradually and also because I didn't spend tons of time dwelling on the small things.

We had lunch together - leberkase and potato salad and then set off for the mountains. The traffic was ridiculous due to the Bavarian Easter holiday. There was one tunnel towards Austria and when the traffic becomes chaotic they open it for 10 minutes per side while the traffic backs up on the other. I could not figure out why people were so overzealous to leave. I thought it would at least be more practical to leave the next day to avoid the rush. Evidently many Bavarians disagreed.


Thanks to our trusty maps and my Dad's navigating skills, we made it to Neuschwanstein and had a pleasant drive through some small villages. Initially we weren't sure if we'd make it up to the castle before the sun set, but fortunately we did and the site was just beautiful. I was impressed with how quickly we did make it. I had fun telling the stories I know about King Ludwig II and about the tourists, which you can read about here.


I must say the the castles were more beautiful than the previous times I have visited. Perhaps it's due to being there with fewer tourists or the beautiful day - complete with a sun set over the Alps, but something was more wonderful there. I also love how Hohenschwangau seemed to glow as it became dusk.

We finished our evening up with a traditional Bavarian 'brotzeit' - an array of meats, cheeses, and assorted fruits, vegetables, and breads. It was a great night and a joy to spend it with family.

Visitor's Guide to Munich

I have previously written about my favorite things in Munich, which you can get to by clicking the link. Other posts about Munich can be found here.

If you're visiting Munich on a budget, you can see my favorite things to do while spending only 30€ a day here.

...and if you are looking for information about Oktoberfest click here.

If you are an expat or new to Munich also check out Internations, which is a networking resource to get out and meet other expats in your new city.

Obviously the list will continue to grow and I will do my best to update it when I stumble upon great things.

These are some of the restaurants + stores that I enjoy and hopefully some helpful info for tourists. Please let me know if you have questions or are planning a trip by commenting on any post. I'll do what I can to help!

Some of my favorite restaurants - addresses and locations can be found on the respective websites. I've marked my favorites with a star.★

Inexpensive

• Vapiano - open kitchen Italian. German chain that is opening in the US.
• Gast - open kitchen pizzas, pastas, salads, + rice dishes
• Ocui - open kitchen pizzas, pastas, salads, + rice dishes [review]
• Kaimug - Thai
• ★ Taco Libre - Chipotle-esque tacos, quesadillas, and burritos [review]
• Dean + David - fresh salads, wraps, and specialty dishes
• Schnelle Liebe - pastas, salads, + focaccias
• ★ Stachaus Passagen - lots of inexpensive food options in a beautiful space
• ★ Le Buffet - top floor of Oberpollinger department store (right near Karlsplatz). Upscale cafeteria with great food, a beautiful roof top dining area, and huge portions. The stir fry is my favorite.
• Pasta e Basta - Italian. I've never been, but I always hear it's very inexpensive with large portions. Many dishes are less than 6€.
• If you are looking for a grocery in the city, they are located in the basement of many of the department stores.

Beer gardens + Bavarian food

• You may want to sample various beers from different companies, or if you are partial to one you can visit their specific biergarten.
• A word to the wise - if you go to Hofbräuhaus you will be amongst tourists. You can walk through without eating there. The food is better elsewhere.
• Stammtisch - this is the table designated for the regulars, it typically has a table cloth and sign. Don't sit there.
• You can bring your own food into the biergartens, although not the outdoor restaurant area that is served. Bringing your own beer is 'verboten'.
• Michaelibad - a bit off the beaten track, located in the multi cultural Ostpark. Scenic with a nice pond.
• ★ Paulaner am Nockherberg- sit down restaurant + beer garden. My favorite place for Bavarian food. Mostly locals.
• ★ Wirtshaus in der Au - knödel dumplings and great Bavarian food in a quiet neighborhood. 
• Hofbräukeller + Biergarten at Wienerplatz - a nice neighborhood biergarten in Haidhausen with many trees. [it's beautiful, but a bit trendy and can be difficult to find a place to sit]
• ★ Augustiner Keller - Home to Munich's beloved beer with a great beer hall atmosphere and affordable food.
• Hirschgarten - large park + biergarten complete with 'hirsch' (deer).
• ★ Chinesischer Turm - Chinese tower located in the Englischer Garten. Live music and a mix of tourists and locals.

Nicer dinners

• Tramin - reputed to be the best restaurant in the city with an inventive menu
• Cocoon - mixed menu with interesting combinations
• ★ zum Goldenen Kalb - the best steak house in the city
• Brenner Grill - pastas and Italian foods
• Hippocampus - mixed menu with a large variety of fish - beautiful courtyard

Unique / Specialty

• ★ Nero - exquisite wood fired pizzas with terrific value. One of my favorites.
• Bernard + Bernard - crepes. Located at Innerer-Wiener-Str. 32 (Haidhausen) - small restaurant with delicious variety.
• ★ Ganesha - Indian. My heart swells for this food + it's the best I've found in the city. 
• ★ Pavesi Picnic - modern Indian inspired dishes in a beautiful atmosphere. 
• Welser - Kuche - medieval dinner complete with ancient recipes (located under the Feldhernnhalle at Odeonsplatz)
• ★ The Burger House - the very best burgers in all of Munich, even for an American. 
• Blind Angel - dinner in the dark
• Pommes Boutique - french fries with 20 sauces
• Condesa - Tacos, burritos, and quesadillas 
• ★ Fei Scho - dim sum with Bavarian influences [review]
• Cosmo Grill - gourmet burgers
• ★ LaBaracca - Italian style tapas with a self serve wine bar
• ★ Milagros - charming + authentic Mexican food
• ★ Nomiya - Bavarian meets Japanese 
• ★ Sababa - awesome and inexpensive falafels at Viktualienmarkt 
• Emiko - small portion Japanese inside the Louis Hotel.
• Sasou - quick asian dishes (mainly Japanese) with a beautiful interior
• Sushi + soul - sushi
• Mao - chinese
• ★ Cyclo - vietnamese 
• Schneewittchen - a beautiful little café with coffee + pastries
• Theresa - great atmosphere with a wide array of grilled foods
• UniLounge - lounge bar with a beautiful interior. Many young people + students.
• Lorenzo Corno gelato (Hohenzollernstraße 44) - my favorite taste of Italian gelato in Munich.
• ★ Ballabeni gelato (Theresienstraße 46) - serves the same gelato as Lorenzo Corno's, but closer to the city center. You'll be dreaming of this for a long time!
• Schubeck's ice cream - specialty flavors
• Sarcletti's ice cream - specialty flavors
• Der verrückte eis macher - really off beat ice cream, weißwurst, sweet mustard, Augustiner...
• Gesellschaftsraum - an interesting fusion menu with very unusual parings [review]
• ★ Negroni - the best cocktail bar in the city
• ★ Maelu - incredible pastries 

Shopping

• ★ Stancsics - specialty truffles + chocolates (try the salt chocolate!)
• Stolberg- high end chocolates
• ★ Schrannenhalle - Indoor market with individual stalls. It's lovely. 
• Dallmayr - Munich's high end grocery. You can get lunch to go, or specialty items to take home
• Käfer - another upscale grocery with a large selection
• Tea House - an enormous assortment of loose tea, candy with tea, tea pots... everything tea related
• Angermaier - nice 'tracht' (dirndls + lederhosen)
• Fünf Höfe - architecturally stunning shopping mall in the city center. Great place for inexpensive meals.
• Muji - Japanese 'no brand' store
• Alessi - design store inside Fünf Höfe
• Obacht' - modern Bavarian souvenirs
• ★ servus heimat - another great shop for modern Bavarian / Munich items
• Hugendubel English - Book store with English books + magazines
• Literatur Moths - an interesting book shop with a modern selection - the children's books are particularly nice.
• Kleidermarkt - vintage, thrift, and new clothing... always something new. 
• ★ Bears + Friends - exotic gummy candies - if you like spicy things try the chili peppers. I love them. The tea leaves are delicious, too. 
• ★ COS - collection of style... my favorite clothing store
• ★ Globetrotter - impressive outdoor / travel store with many interesting elements
• ★ Kokolores - a great stationery/curiosities shop in a great neighborhood
• Magazin - design store inside Fünf Höfe with many Scandinavian designers represented
• Kokon - home wares
• Kare - home wares + unique furniture
• Kochgut - anything you'd want for a well designed kitchen
• Butlers - entertaining + kitchen accessories with unique table settings
• Das Depot - modern homewares and inexpensive seasonally themed gifts
• 1260 Grad - handmade dishwear by Petra Fischer
• Janik + Janik - a tiny, but beautiful stationery and gift shop
• Carta Pura - unique and specialty papers
• Semicolon - another paper shop with a decent selection
• Engel + Bengel - design oriented gifts for little ones and moms to be

*my favorite gifts to take home are : exotic honey, jams, teas, chocolates, curry ketchup, gummy candies, creamy balsamics, and mustards. They have an enormous variety for each of these.

There are also a large assortment of Birkenstock sandals, which are one of the few things that seem to be cheaper here than in other countries. (My favorites are the Madrid style).

Tourist information offices

• Pick up brochures and other information about Munich and surrounding cities. Locations at the Hauptbahnhof (near Busbahnhof) and in Marienplatz.
• A helpful pdf file can be downloaded here (in English): Young and about in Munich
• Prepare for your trip while looking at Munich Daily Photo

Subways + Public Transport

• Public transport here is safe, affordable, efficient, and widely used.
• Coming from the airport you will need to purchase a ticket. While the transport is based on the honor system, being fined 40€+ per person won't leave you happy. For additional information about traveling to and from the airport click here.
• Group tickets are good for up to 5 people and are good for the entire day.
• Maps and bus plans can be obtained free of charge at tourist information or at the Marienplatz underground MVV office.
• Buying a weekly ticket is sometimes the best option. Depending on how far you want to travel (how many rings). They offer unlimited travel within the number of selected rings. Be aware this will not work to get you to the airport, unless you purchase the more expensive ticket, which defeats the purpose.
• Tickets can be used on straßenbahns, Ubahns, Sbahns, and buses. The same ticket is valid on all modes of public transport.
• Validate your ticket in the blue box - the only needs to be done once at the start of your journey. Weekly tickets do not need to be validated, nor do those with the date pre-stamped.
• Subway doors do not open automatically - you will need to push the button or pull the handle.
• Use the MVV route planner (also in English) - it can tell you the fastest routes and you will see more of the city if you're not always taking the subway.
• Straßenbahn 17 is known as the sightseeing line - take a ride and hop off when you see something interesting.

Best City Views

• Alte Peter - not for the faint of heart. It's a climb, but the views are worth it. My favorite time is at dusk to watch the sunset. I also like having Frauenkirche in the view (I took the above photo there)
• Frauenkirche - elevator ride to see Munich from above. 3€.
• Olympiadorf - this is student housing, however there's a great view on the 15th floor roof terrace. On a good day you can see the Alps.
• Olympia tower - large panorama of the city
• Olympiaberg - for those less inclined to heights, is a large hill made entirely out of trash from WWII that also provides great views of the city + Olympic park
• Olympic tent climbing - walk along the tent tops from the 1972 Olympics

Popular things to do in and around Munich

• Free city tour - This 3 hour walking tour meets daily at 10:45am + 11:45am in Marienplatz in front of Mary's Column (the golden statue). Workers get paid by tips. Very informative and a nice inner city tour.
• If you come with children have them look for the 'Münchener Kind' or lions (the symbols of Munich)... they are everywhere.
• Visit one of the parks - Englischer Garten + Ostpark are large and distinctly different. Munich is very much a city that loves it's 'green lung'.
• Check out the Eisbach surfers - Yes, in the middle of the city.
• Look at Munich Tourist info's suggested itinerary based on the number of days for your visit.
• Nymphenburg Palace + Gardens - Baroque summer palace built in the late 1600s.
• Deutsches Museum - the world's largest technology + science museum.
• Glyptotech - Greek and Roman antiquities
• Alte Pinokothek - Middle age through Rococo European paintings
• Neue Pinokotek - Late 18th to early 20th century art
• Pinokotek der Modern - modern works in various media
• Brandhorst - the city's newest museum featuring an impressive contemporary collection
• Lenbachhaus - 'Blauer Reiter' (blue rider) and 'Munich School' works featuring Klee + Kandinsky
• Haus der Kunst - temporary art exhibits
• Kunst Halle fünf höfe - changing exhibits in a beautiful exhibition space
• Allianz arena tour - English tours of Bayern Munich stadium at 1:30pm daily. Approx. 10€
• Andechs - brewery run by Monks in suburbia Munich.
• Neuschwanstein - King Ludwig II's castle that inspired the Disney castles.
• Dachau - Former concentration camp. Educational and informative, although depressing and prepare for voyeurs. This is a memorial - dress appropriately. Closed Mondays.
• Salzburg - beautiful Baroque city in Austria. 2 hours by train.
• Regensburg - medieval city that survived most WWII damage. Approx. 2 hour train ride.
• Nürnberg - famed for their 'lebkuchen' (christmas cookies) that can be bought year round. Approx. 2 hour train ride.
• Augsburg - once a major trade city during Roman times. Now a college town. The Romantische Straße scenic drive goes through this city.
• Chiemsee - uncompleted replica of Versailles with small islands featuring a nunnery and monastery
• Bier + Oktoberfest Museum - includes the history of beer + purity laws
• Paulaner Brewery Tour - visit one of Munich's beloved breweries for a behind the scenes look + some sampling.
• BMW Welt - where you can watch people pick up their cars direct from the factory. The architecture is worth walking through, which is free.
• Bavaria Film Studios - large film studio where 'The Never Ending Story' was filmed.
• list of more obscure museums (hunting, potatoes, etc.)

If you have a car:

• Hallein Salt mines - learn about the history of salt + visit the mines that made Salzburg wealthy.
• Affenberg Salem - if you want to feed monkeys this is your place.
• Zugspitze - Germany's tallest mountain. The Frillensee at the foothill of the mountain is just spectacular.
• Walchensee - a beautiful lake tucked between the mountains - great for hiking, wind surfing and other outdoor activities. (read about our trip)

[last updated: April 2013]

sign of the times

After all of the travels it's back to work. I guess work and travel have become synonymous in my world, but never the less I was able to join tourists on their vacation to Salzburg.

It's been a long time since I visited - September to be exact.

That was right before we left for our trip... when I decided it would be fun to take my husband to work and had a crazy awful group, which included the wandering off guy (who by the way was left at Neuschwanstein the next day), and the entire group showing up to the meeting point a good 15 minutes late, which is impressive since they all had marked maps and weren't traveling together.

We made it to the train with about a minute and a half to spare. Thankfully someone took to pushing the Grandma in her wheel chair through the city or we never would have made it. Stefan ended up schlepping some woman's bag of beers back to the train station so we could make it on time, because she decided they were too heavy. They drank their beers on the train and didn't even offer Stefan one for all of his troubles.

All in a day's work. When working with the public, various cultures, or those with so so English skills that sometimes feign understanding nothing surprises me anymore, but it's also the reason I love what I do.

Today I did get an unexpected surprise - one glaring sign of the times. So many stores have closed.

Yes, there are several new places that have opened, but there are plenty of empty store fronts. I'm not really sure I can complain, because I did only partake in window shopping at a lot of them - the gorgeous rose shop (Gerhard Swarovski Rosentury) with the wedding gown made of fresh flowers - gone.

The egg shop... downsized. Don't worry, it is still there, but now those windows that seemed to go on and on filled with beautiful painstakingly decorated eggs doesn't have the same affect in such a small window.

I try not to make a big deal out of the things that people wouldn't know they are missing, but today was different.

I love seeing how the city changes - the scaffolding comes off the cathedral, when an archeological dig is going on, or where the horse carriages will be moved to accommodate whatever is new, but I am surprised the winter was so harsh to so many stores. I know that's the nature of business and new shops will hopefully fill the vacant spaces, but it's a real bummer that this economic crisis has taken its toll on the independent shops - and beautiful ones at that.

camera zoom

This past week I joined one of our groups down to Neuschwanstein - the fairytale castle that Germany is so well known for. Can you believe it would have costed roughly $280 Million / 200€ Million to build now?

I was able to try out my camera's mega-zoom and was really impressed with the results. This camera is also capable of panoramas (like my Olympus stylus verve), so I included that as well. The photos are scaled down because they were too big to upload!

It appears as though Christo + Jeanne-Claude got ahold of it, but it's just undergoing renovations.

Here's another one of Hohenschwangau - the castle that was the summer home of the Wittelsbach family.

It looks like I'll be able to take a lot of fun photos during our trip.

Salzburg... noch mal

My Dad recently read that tour guiding is the worst job to have. I am not sure of the reasoning. Probably because it's so unpredictable. There was a tourist that had a heart attack and died at Neuschwanstein this year (not with our groups)... and a co-worker told me about a woman this week, that took the horse carriage up and there is a last bit that people must walk. At this point she decided to tell her that she only had one lung and a brain tumor, so she didn't think it was best for her to go in. Yes, there are quite a few steps in the castle and some serious altitude with bone chilling air. Perhaps we should put a precautionary measure on the brochure.

My last tour group was an American family living in Venezuela for 15 years, a group of 4 young girls from the UK, and a chatty Texan couple that had a lot of pride. It was a nice day and I wished I had brought my camera along. I've already got it packed for tomorrow, which probably means the tour won't go. I am also hoping that it's not so cold. I literally stopped in the middle of one of the Christmas markets and purchased some felt insoles. At the end of the day the man from Texas asked me what exactly I did for the three hours of their free time. A lady never reveals her secrets... I think I do know every chocolate shop in the city, as well as where to get some divine pastries. Not Paris divine, but they will suffice. I also spend a fair amount of time at interio, a fun and affordable design shop. I'm also anxious to try out Carpe Diem, partially owned by Salzburg's own Dietrich Mateschitz... also known as Mr. Red Bull Billionaire.

I'm still a bit behind on my cookie baking. My new favorites are oatmeal coconut chocolate chip cookies sprinkled with sea salt.

That will be my job for Friday. I am also depressed over the discontinuation of one of the best chocolates - the Domori latte sal (sea salt chocolate).

That is part of my sea salt oatmeal inspired cookies. I am still hoping that's just a rumor, although I am having the urge to start stocking up now!