Leg Four (Monday April 8 – Wednesday, April 10)
On the first part of our trip, we were in a new city each day. For the second half, we slowed it down, spending more time in the bigger cities.
On our first day in München was a chilly one. We U-bahn’ed (this should also be a verb) to the Marienplatz. The Frauenkirche was on our way, so we stopped for a look-see, which I didn’t do the first time I was here. It was very pretty! As you walked around the altar, there were several alcoves with paintings or statues, closed off with decorative gates. Afterwards, we walked to Marienplatz. The Münchener Rathaus completely dwarfs the Hamburger Rathaus! Since it was so chilly, we got brunch at Café Glockenspiel and searched for indoor activities. Museums are closed on Mondays, so our options were limited. We decided on Schloss Linderhof, an attraction that we had originally planned for Tuesday.
Schloss Linderhof is the smallest palace of the three built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria (the same dude who built Neuschwanstein, the famous “Disney” castle), but it’s the only one he lived in. It’s a few hours outside of the city, so we arrived early afternoon. The grounds and pond in front of the palace were under construction, but it was still so beautiful – and it would be even prettier in summer. Ludwig was a weird guy (bit of an understatement). He was obsessed with the French monarch King Louis XIV, so he modeled Linderhof after Versailles, along with his other palace Herrenchiemsee. We toured multiple rooms, and my favorites were the bedchamber and the Hall of Mirrors.
We got back in town in the late evening; we were tired and hungry. We ate a Hans im Glück, a cute restaurant down the street from our hostel. We shared a plate of fries (I’m pretty sure it was like a half pound or something!) with delicious dipping sauce. Then we went back to our hostel and settled in for the night.
On Tuesday we had better weather, so we began our day at Marienplatz again. My first time in München, we climbed the tower of Alter Peter. I faced the 14-plus stories with Colette and Lindsay for a beautiful view overlooking the Rathaus and the square. We accidently had perfect timing – we watched the Glockenspiel play from the tower! After that, we walked through the English Gardens and watched surfers on the river. We ate a late lunch at Andy’s Krablergarten with the biggest and yummiest schnitzel EVER. We walked around Marienplatz after dinner, checking out shops and whatnot.
If you ever visit Germany, you have to go München at least once. That being said, it’s not my favorite city. It’s rich in history and importance, but it lacks a certain charm that other German cities have. I think if I visit München again, it will be for Oktoberfest or the Christmas markets.
Wednesday morning, we stopped at a nearby bakery for breakfast (pretzels and hot chocolate) before leaving for Salzburg.
Leg Five (Wednesday, April 10 – Friday, April 12)
Upon arriving in Salzburg, we got lunch and checked into our AirBnB. After that, we picked up the Salzburg Card and toured the Weihnachtsmuseum (Christmas museum), since it was free for cardholders and right next door. It was a neat collection of German and Austrian Christmas traditions, gifts, and decorations. We also went inside the Dom and discovered that the Salisbury Cathedral Choir was performing. It was amazing to admire the beautiful artwork with wondrous music echoing through the cathedral. I’ve also been to Salzburg; it was so fun to remember the places I had seen four years ago.
We had walked past a pretzel stand earlier, so we went back after walking the Altstadt and I got a delicious Schokonuss Bretzel (chocolate nut pretzel). Big doughy pretzels are a more southern Germany thing, so I needed to make up for lost time and consume all.of.them (I didn’t consume as many as I wanted, but oh well). We turned in for the night fairly early; but with good reason: we wanted to watch The Sound of Music, because the next day we were going on the tour!
The Sound of Music tour was a four-hour, singalong extravaganza. Needless to say, it was amazing. Our guide and driver were hilarious! I won’t give away the secrets, but it makes the classic film even more impressive by ruining the movie magic. Aside from listening to the song, The Sound of Music, while driving through the Austrian countryside, my favorite part was learning the real story of the Von Trapp family. 10/10 recommend.
The tour took up the whole morning. We ate lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant, where we experienced southern German hospitality. Our waiter was so friendly! (By friendly, I mean friendly by German standards). We treated ourselves to dessert and lemme tell you – Austrian Sachertorte is de.lic.ious! After lunch, we went up Hohensalzburg Fortress (which was also free with the Salzburg Card). I toured the fortress grounds the last time I was in Salzburg, but I didn’t go in the museum there. It was pretty neat!
On Friday morning, we traveled to the final destination of spring break – Vienna!
Leg Six (Friday, April 12 to Sunday, April 14)
I was surprised by Vienna – it gives off a different vibe than the other cities on our trip. The architecture, though so thoroughly European, reminded me of something I couldn’t quite place. After dropping our luggage off at our AirBnB, we got lunch and toured Stephensdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral). The weather was chilly again, so we set off for Belvedere.
Belvedere is an art museum inside a palace. Yes, you read that right. Works from Klimt, Monet, and Van Gogh were displayed in a building that is art itself (which, I suppose, is only right). We spent several hours inside and walking the palace grounds before picking up dinner at a grocery store and turning in for the night.
On Saturday, we set off for Schonbrunn Palace. We wanted to get there early to get tickets for a decent time. We arrived probably by 11:00, but it was already so crowded! Our tour wasn’t until 13:30; luckily, there was an Osternmarkt (Easter market) on the grounds. We admired the wares in the booths and ate Käse Spätzle. Our tickets were for the longer tour and it was awesome. The palace rooms were incredible; I can’t imagine living in that much grandeur.
After the tour, we stopped at the Prater amusement park. Entry is free, but you have to pay for each ride. We rode the Blumenrad, one of two famous Ferris wheels in the park. Colette and I also tried our hand at Skeeball, and I won a little plush heart for my efforts. The gentleman running the ride was so sweet and apologized that my prize was so small (I had only scored the base level, so I wasn’t expecting much).
That night, we got dinner from the grocery store again and packed up our things. Our flight back to Hamburg left early Sunday morning. Since we’re paranoid and wanted to get to the airport an hour or two beforehand, we woke up at 4:00 and were on our way by 5:00. Thank goodness for mobile boarding passes – the check-in line was sooooo long. Security wasn’t too bad, but I was subjected to a full pat-down (note to self: bobby pins will set off the metal detectors).
Flying home was a genius idea; it was more expensive than a bus but much, much quicker: only one hour compared to 15! I was back at my host family’s by 11:00 Sunday and had the whole day to recoup before class on Monday (as opposed to two hours beforehand…).
Spring break 2019 was the most incredible adventure I’ve been on. There really aren’t words to describe it. I’m so grateful that I am privileged to experience all that I did. I’m also thankful that I shared it with great friends!
