The Grand Finale

Tuesday, Mar. 9
This was kind of just an extra day that we had to hang out in Prague. When I was planning the trip people kept telling me that you need at least 4 days in Prague, especially the first time you visit, so that's the way I planned it. It turns out that for what we were really wanting to do and see, we would have been just fine without the extra day, but whatever.
We slept in a little bit and then hung out in our room after breakfast. We'd been starting our days so early that we were tired and half frozen before it even got dark outside, and since we didn't have any particular goals for the day we decided to have a late start. We took the tram into the center of the city and made our way toward the river and the Charles Bridge. We wanted to walk across the bridge to see the city from there, and to take a picture of us touching the statue of the golden dog. We didn't know what that meant or why we were supposed to do it, but a friend of ours told us we had to make sure we did. It turns out that if you rub the golden dog it means you will make it back again some day, kind of like throwing your lei into the ocean when you leave the Hawaiian islands.
Once we made it all the way across the bridge we figured we ought to check out the area, since the castle was the only thing we had seen on that side of the river. Even though most of the historical and touristy stuff is where we had been most of the time, it's still really cool and interesting to just walk around and see all the great things that tourists miss in a city like this. For me it's not just about the monuments, but about life there and what things are really like. For example, we ended up walking through this park (because it was there) in the neighborhood where someone we know used to live. Lee found this out when he got back home and was talking to people about the trip, and that's just kind of a cool, crazy coincidence.
Anyway, in our wanderings through this part of the city we made our way all the way back up the hill to the castle. The view from there is absolutely amazing! Then we just wandered around the streets in that area until we found our way back to the train, which we took into city center.
We found another Czech restaurant that was a little fancier than the other one, and even older. They had mead there, which they sold in a 5 cL size (that's 1.7 ounces) and it was so good. We were confused at first when we saw the size listed for the mead (it was a spirit, not a beer or something like that) but when you tasted it it all made perfect sense. It was so rich and thick, it was almost like drinking honey. The food was great, too, of course. Food is a really important part of experiencing a culture, and I think we got a pretty good experience.
After dinner we did some last souvenir shopping, more for people at home than actually for ourselves. What we did get for ourselves was a small bottle of genuine (not the fake stuff they've recently decided to allow in the US) Bohemian absinthe. When in Rome, right? Anyway, we did the whole spiel with the sugar and the spoon and everything. I tell you, if you are not a fan of anise, than absinthe is brutal. Not to mention the fact that, even extremely diluted with water and sweetened with sugar, it basically tastes like pure alcohol. And no, it doesn't have any hallucinogenic effects, it's just a really concentrated spirit with a pretty green color.
We ended our day with some bad Russian television and then went to bed, looking forward to seeing Munich the next day.

Wednesday, Mar. 10
After breakfast we packed up our suitcases and made sure we had everything we were taking with us. Leaving stuff behind in a hotel is one of my biggest fears while traveling, so of course we quadruple checked everything. That's when I realized that something very important was missing: our RailPass. We had paid a little over 300 EUR for a ticket that allowed us to travel together anywhere we wanted on the German rail system for 6 days within a 30 day period. It sounds expensive, but it was actually a great deal. Without it, however, we had no way of getting anywhere. I was freaking out because I could specifically remember setting it aside so it didn't get lost in all of our stuff when we were packing at home. I knew that it was important, and that we needed to bring it with us when we left for Prague, and therefore it had to be in the luggage. It wasn't, and all we could do was hope that I had left it at home and didn't lose it.
When Lee finally convinced me to calm down because there was nothing I could do about it at the moment anyway, we went downstairs to check out and figure out how to get a cab. We looked into the possibility of taking public transportation to the airport, but it required switching trains twice and then taking a bus, so we decided to just pay for the cab. Lee asked the woman at the reception desk if she could call a cab for us, and we sat in the lobby and waited.
When we got in the cab and started driving, the first thing that Lee noticed was that there was no meter in the car. In other words, it wasn't a taxi. It turned out fine because the guy took us exactly where we needed to go, but we think that the receptionist basically called a friend of hers with an opportunity to make an extra buck. The price was the same as the day we arrived, too, so he wasn't trying to rip us off. Unfortunately, however, I ripped us off, by about 90 CZK. I wasn't paying enough attention, and money math always confuses me (don't ask why) so when he gave is 300 back in change from a 1000, and the total was 640, I got confused and gave him the extra 37 CZK I had in coin. It makes no sense, I know, but whatever. They guy got a sweet hookup and he didn't even have to scam us for it, so good for him.
When we landed in Köln and got our luggage, I immediately opened everything up and emptied it looking for our RailPass again. I refused to believe that it wasn't there, because I couldn't buy a new one and it would suck to have to go home looking for it when we actually already had it. Once again, it was not there. So Lee and I took the train to the Hauptbahnhof and I left him there with the luggage while I hauled my ass home to look for the ticket.
Luckily my train was leaving right when I got there, so I didn't have to wait for one. When I got off the train I walked as fast as I could back home. When I got there Amelie greeted me at the door, and only Günther and Pauline were home. I said hello, gave Pauline a kiss and went straight downstairs to look for the RailPass. Sure enough, I found it in a plastic shopping bag along with all the other papers I had removed from the suitcase from the Frankfurt trip. So I set it aside to make sure I packed it, and then put it back where it came from and packed it away instead. I grabbed the ticket and went upstairs to say bye and left. Before I left I asked Günther if I should let Amelie into the house because she was still in the foyer. His response was, "Nein. Sie hat mich geärgert," which made me chuckle because it just sounded so funny. She looked sad, though, so I made sure to give her a big kiss before I left.
With the ticket in hand, I went as fast as I could back to the S-Bahn. Once again I got there just as the train did, so I didn't have to wait at all. I wasn't sure where Lee was going to be when I got back to the Hauptbahnhof because I had tried calling him from the house before I left, but it went straight to voicemail. I didn't realize that we had turned my phone off on the plane and he didn't have the pin to unlock the sim card, so there was basically no point in even leaving the phone with him. Anyway, I had told him to find the Starbucks or the McDonalds, and since I get off the train next to McDonalds I tried there first. He was sitting next to the window, so I had absolutely no trouble finding him. We hopped on the next ICE train to München and were on our way.
It was pretty late when we arrived in München, so we didn't get to explore the city on that first day like we had planned to. We looked at a map in the Hauptbahnhof to figure out where we were and where we needed to be before going to our hotel (which was conveniently located across the street). It had been a long, stressful, exhausting day, so after we checked in I wandered around until I found a Döner place that was open and took some back to the hotel for us to scarf down before going to bed.

Thursday, Mar. 11
We got up early in the morning to enjoy a delicious breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Once again it was a typical European breakfast, but it was even better than the one in Prague. Germans know how to eat.
We looked on the internet really quickly to figure out how to get to Hohenschwangau before we left the hotel. The DB website is really good at helping coordinate and plan trips, so even though we had to take 2 trains and a bus, it was going to be really easy. There's no high speed train that goes that way, though, so it ends up being about a 2 hour trip each way because of how many stops the trains make.
When we got to the end of the train line and went to get on the bus, we didn't have any cash to pay for the bus ticket (our pass is only good for the trains) and there was no ATM at the train station. I hadn't thought about withdrawing money in Munich before we left because it never occurred to me that there might not be an ATM at the train station. I had to ask for directions from a couple of people to get to the nearest bank to withdraw some cash, and while we were hurrying back to the station to catch the bus before it left, we saw the bus drive past us. Bummer. So we just went back to the station to find and wait for the next possible bus up to Hohenschwangau. Just as we got back, the same bus pulled up again. The driver apparently saw us walking back from the bank and, knowing we wanted to be on that bus, came back to pick us up. How awesome is that?! No wonder I love these people. So we didn't have to wait at all but just hopped right on and headed up the hill.
It was a little after 2 when we got off the bus, and we were really discouraged when we saw a sign stating that the Neuschwanstein castle closed at 3. When we went to buy the tickets, however, we asked the guy there if it was really closing and he looked at us like we were crazy. Apparently they need to update their sign. We bought the tickets and he told us that the next and last English tour was going to be at 5:45. Since we were going to be making the trek up the mountain instead of catching a ride in a carriage, we went straight there. It's a hell of a workout getting up that hill, especially if you're out of shape. Even though it was snowing, we were both so hot by the time we got to the top that we had taken our jackets off and pushed up our sleeves. People probably thought we were crazy, but I'm used to that around here.
What we didn't realize when we were told the next tour was at 5:45 was that it actually meant we would not be able to get into the castle at this time. This is the first place I've been to where you can't actually enter without being part of a tour, so I had no idea that we were going to have to wait once we got up there. It kinda sucked, because we probably could have toured the Hohenschwangau castle in the meantime if we had known instead of waiting at the top of the hill with nothing to do. It wasn't too bad, though, because we met a few Americans that we were able to talk to. There were 2 guys there that were traveling Bavaria for a few days, and then there was a family that was actually living in Germany. The guy was in the military and had been living in Germany with his Spanish wife for several years. Plus, his little sister was there with her son, and she was actually born in Germany when their father was stationed there during their childhood. It was kind of crazy. But they were really nice, and it was cool talking to them while we waited.
Inside the castle is just as amazing as outside. Unfortunately you aren't allowed to take any photos of the interior, so I don't have any images to share, but it really is spectacular. It's clear to see why Bavarians were so pissed at Ludwig II for using all of the state's money to build his ridiculous palaces. No wonder he died "mysteriously" in a lake! This guy really knew how to live. I don't think I've ever seen woodwork as intricate as he had in his bedroom. It's kind of funny, though, that there's no throne in his throne room. He died before it was ever completed, so he never had a throne in his own palace. And rather than waste any more money finishing it (such as completing unfinished rooms or adding a throne) the Bavarians almost immediately turned it into a museum. That was a good choice.
When we got back to Munich we pretty much went straight to the Hofbräuhaus, which is a must if you travel to Munich. We ended up sitting at a table with a group of people who were visiting from Serbia. It was kinda weird to ask them in German if the 2 seats were available and get a response, in English, saying that they didn't speak any German. So Lee and I sat with them and hung out for about an hour and a half. It was too late for us to order actual food so we both ended up getting an apple turnover, which was delicious. I forgot that they put raisins in their apple turnovers, though, so that was kind of a surprise. They served it with a vanilla sauce, and it was really good. And, of course, we each enjoyed some of their beer. The smallest size you can get there is a half liter, which is a big contrast from the typical 200 mL you get when you order beer in Köln. It was fun to sit there and listen to the band and watch the Bavarian dancing. We didn't get to see too much slap dancing (although they did actually do a little of it) but they were definitely wearing the Lederhosen, and they did this one dance where there were 2 guys cracking whips over their heads the whole time. It looked dangerous and exhausting, but it was fun. We basically stayed until they closed, right after the band packed up and left and the place was essentially empty. I always like being places when they're empty, because then I can get good pictures of what they look like without a million people blocking my view. The last time I visited Munich, when I was in high school, I was really sick and didn't get to go to the Hofbräuhaus, so I'm really glad I got to go this time.

Friday, Mar. 12
Originally we had planned that we were going to visit Neuschwanstein one day we were in Bavaria, and the other day we were going to travel to Salzburg. Unfortunately, because I was an idiot and left the RailPass at home, we didn't have enough time. We arrived in Munich over 4 hours after we had expected to, and that was the time we had intended to spend exploring the city. So we decided that, instead of going to Salzburg, we were going to hang out in Munich until it was time to leave and head back to Köln.
After breakfast we checked out of the hotel and went to the Hauptbahnhof to store all of our luggage. From there we headed toward Marienplatz to see the Glockenspiel, using a map we got from the hotel to hit all of the cool spots along the way. Munich is such a beautiful city.
We got to the town hall where the Glockenspiel is at just a little before 2 and hung around to see it do its thing. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that the whole display only runs 3 times per day, so we were a little disappointed when we waited for 10 minutes and ended up seeing nothing. We found out what time it was going to play again and then planned to come back then. At one end of the square was a toy and teddy bear museum, which we thought would be cool to check out. They don't have any toys in there that are newer than 1960, or something like that. They also have the story of the original stuffed animal, which was an elephant that a blind woman had created, intending to use it as a pin cushion. She even made teddy bears with movable arms and legs. It's a pretty cool story.
We also went inside this church where, according to the story, the devil's footprint can still be seen in one of the marble tiles. The story goes that the devil walked into the church and saw that there were no windows. He declared that a church is worthless without windows and stomped his foot in triumph, leaving a footprint (with a spur from his heal) in the ground. Then he stepped forward and saw from his new view that the entire building was lined with beautiful windows that he could not see from his prior position. So he got all pissed off and created a wind storm in an attempt to blow out all of the windows, and to this day there is still a wind that circles the church. It's kind of crazy, because there really is a wind that's just around the church. Lee and I commented on it when we first approached the building, before we knew anything about the story.
We checked out a few more churches and cool buildings before we headed back to Marienplatz to watch the Glockenspiel at 5. After the show we went to a cafe right on the square because we were both cold and hungry. We both ordered Weißwurst, which is the regional specialty of Munich. It was delicious! It's really hard to describe the flavor of it, though. It's kind of sweet, and it has a really soft texture. It was really good, but I just found out it's made from veal and therefore am not likely to eat it again. Oh well.
Once we were done eating we collected our luggage from the locker and headed toward home. It's about a 4 and half hour train ride, so it was already going to be super late when we got home, and then we still had to walk from the S-Bahn. We weren't really ready to leave Munich when we did, but we had to. As I said, it was really late when we got home, so we went straight to bed. We didn't have anything to do on Saturday and knew we could sleep in, so we enjoyed knowing we could just sleep until we were done sleeping.

Saturday, Mar. 13
We didn't go anywhere or do anything in particular this day. We planned it this way, knowing that we would be exhausted from our trip and that it was going to be nice to relax with the family. We didn't get to sleep in the way we intended because the kids came running in to wake us up. That should've been expected though, since that's been the tradition for Saturday mornings since I first got here.
After breakfast we literally spent the whole day hanging out with the family and playing with the kids. Esther wasn't there because she had gone to Bielefeld to visit her mother. Lee and I were wanting to send her and Olaf out for a nice dinner on us as a thank you for letting him stay at the house, but we obviously couldn't do that. It was still nice, though, to just sit around and relax. And, of course, play with the kids. Naturally we spent a good amount of time playing with the Legos. I've always had the habit of organizing Lego blocks according to size and color (it's the OCD in me) and Gustav thought that I was building towers, so he and I made a city. He was very proud of it. In addition to the Legos Lee and I read books to the kids (both the new English books that he had brought for them and some of the German ones they already had here), pretended to ride in the train with them, and let them play with Lee's hat and hair. They both really enjoyed having him here to play with, and he fell in love with both of them right away. These kids really are too precious, too funny, and too smart not to love.

Sunday, Mar. 14
What a sad day. It was Lee's last day here in Germany, and we were all really bummed about it. We got up in the morning to have breakfast with Olaf and the kids, and then Olaf took the little ones to go to the animal park for the day. It made Lee really sad to have to say goodbye to the kids. It was a moment he definitely wasn't looking forward to. At first Pauline didn't want to say bye to him or give him a hug. I think it's partly because she knew he was leaving. She does that a lot when she doesn't want Esther to go to her office or something like that; she gets upset and refuses to say goodbye. After I explained to her that he wasn't going to be there when she got home, and that he wasn't come back, she finally said bye to him.
When everyone else was gone, Lee and I finished making sure that all of his stuff was packed so that we could head to Frankfurt. His plane didn't leave until after 9 pm, but we wanted to spend some time sightseeing in Frankfurt, since we didn't really do that the last time we were there. We packed everything up, he cuddled with Amelie a little and gave her some love and a goodbye kiss, and off we went.
In Frankfurt we stopped at the airport first so that we could drop off Lee's luggage. We checked him in for his flight (only to find out that he had a stop in Newark that wasn't on his itinerary) and then found their luggage storage so we could leave his carry-on there while we went exploring. As with every place we visited, our main concern was seeing the Alt Stadt and all of the historical, cool looking stuff. There were a lot of Fachwerkhäuse (half-timbered houses) in the main square and the Römer area, which was really fun to see. We also got to see a little bit of archaeology in front of the cathedral that had been exposed when the city was bombed during the war. They excavated this area (called the Archaeological Gardens) in the '50s and uncovered foundations of a Carolingian chapel as well as Roman ruins, the oldest traces of inhabitance in Frankfurt. Archaeology always makes me happy because it makes me feel at home, so of course I really enjoyed seeing that.
After some quick sightseeing and one last meal together, it was time to take Lee back to the airport and part ways. I went with him to pick up his stuff at the luggage storage, and then I went with him all the way to security, as far as I could go. After not being able to see him for almost 6 months it was really hard to let him go. The 2 weeks went by so fast. He unfortunately had a hell of a trip trying to get home (he loves Lisbon, by the way) which didn't make having to leave any easier for him. I had to sit on the floor of the train on the trip home because all of the trains were at least 45 minutes delayed (Frankfurt apparently has a problem with this) so it was really crowded. That didn't really matter to me, though. When I got home I went straight to bed, and then everything went back to normal the next day. It was a great vacation, and I can't wait to do it again.