Guten Tag

Hello! I am back from my adventures in Germany, long and somewhat tiring yet completely amazing as they were. It is gonna be a LONG blog, so I'll jump straight into it...

26/4- I arrive at the Airport in Manchester about 4 hours early, as I was going to have a look at Manchester, but it was too hard to find a park, and I didn't want to get lost, so I gave up. I flew into Hannover, arriving at 10.30ish, getting my pack and catching the train to the main station, or Hauptbahnhof as they call them there, arriving at 11.05pm, when my train came at 11.55pm. This is what I saw of Hannover.

Then I got on my night train, which was an experience. It was ALL boys, sleeping and smelling up the carriage, and snoring. I was worried about falling asleep and missing my stop at Frankfurt and ending up in Zurich, which is where the train was going. That turned out to not be such a problem as I got about 35 mins of sleep in total. When it got to Frankfurt it stopped short, and gave no warning, so I had to shove past all the sleeping bodies, to get to the exit, and when I get there, I literally have to climb down the stairs and jump down the last bit to the ground as the platform was about 5mtrs away, and I was exiting onto the ground. All the time getting yelled at in German by the train guard cos they almost left and I would have still been on the train! Then I got my train to somewhere else... umm... Aschaffnburg and then from there I caught the intercity express to Nuremberg.

27/4- So technically a new day, although I had not had more than 45 mins sleep in the last 25 hours. I arrived at 8am in the brilliant sunshine and went to the hostel where they let me leave my pack, and pay, but obviously the room wasn't able to be checked into yet. Then I headed back into the Hauptbahnhof and found the info place, and got myself on a 2.5 hour coach tour of Nuremberg, seeing where the rallies were held, and the windows of the room where the trials were held, and then we went into the Castle and walked our way down through and to the main square, where we were dumped and left to find our own way back. I was BOILING and my feet really hurt from all the pack carrying, so I found an Australian Gelato place and had one (not really any different to any other Gelato). I went back to the hostel, checked into the room, put on some shorts and a new top (as I had been in the same clothes for 27 hours) and left again to go on the U-bahn (metro) out the a park we saw on the bus tour, with a lake, and I sat out there for a while and went for a walk around the lake. There were signs everywhere with poison skull and cross bones and no swimming pictures, yet there were all these old people in speedos and bikinis *shudder* swimming in the lake!! Then I headed back, got showered and packed my stuff ready for my early start the next day and went to bed at 6pm, after my 35 hour long day!

28/4- I got up at 5 something to head for the station to catch my train to Munich. I slept pretty much straight through the night for 11hrs and didn't notice any of my 5 or 6 roommates come in, let alone the fact when I woke up there was a person above me, so they not only had to get up there, but also make the bed, and I felt nothing!! I arrived at Munich at 7.45 and had to meet my tour opposite the Hauptbahnhof at 8.30am. It was another glorious day and I was even wearing 3/4 length trousers and a singlet! I discovered my 3 day tour wasn't a 3 day tour, it was 3 days of tours/journeys combined randomly. Day 1 was a castles tour out from Munich. We went to Linderhof castle first. It wasn't as much a castle as a large house, that was owned by King Ludwig II.

He was a bit crazy. Like he didn't like to see other people, so he had a winch put in and the floor under his dining table could be wound down, so the servants in the kitchen downstairs could set the table and wind it back upstairs again for each course. Then from there we went to Oberamagau which was the token buying stuff stop,where the tour company gets a cut of the takings. Then we went to a little place in Bavaria that has another King Ludwig II castle and a King Ludwig I castle, a few hotels, a couple of souveneir shops and that's about it. When we got there they said the tour could go and have lunch at this restaurant in a hotel, and they would go check me in. I was staying in the gorgeous place flanked by 2 amazing castles. I could see the pretty castle we did a tour of out my window!!! It said in the room that it was €120 a night! I usually pay €15-€20 a night!! Then once checked in I caught the bus up to the castle Neuschwanstein. It never got finished but the few rooms that did get finished are on show, and they are all based around Wagner's operas, as a whole stage set. Odd. After I had a meal up on top of the hill and then I walked back down and went around the the lake, which was beautiful, so clear and peaceful, and just sat and chilled out in the beautiful sunshine, with the Alps all around. The only downside was the large amount of bugs, that grew as the sun started to disappear closer to 7pm. If it wasn't for that, I could have sat there all evening until the sun set. If I was rich I would like to retire to somewhere like there. Except the tourists all come through and ruin it all. But when they go away, like all their coaches left at about 6pm, it was SOOO peaceful and beautiful. 29/4- I woke up, had my continental breakfast, then was to meet someone from the hotel who would take me to the bus stop where I would catch the bus up the romantic road. This bus actually goes every day either up or down the romantic road, so they cross at some point, then they go the other way the next day. We did make a couple of short stops to get off an use the bathroom etc. It was me and a Japanese couple for almost all of the trip. The first place we stopped at was not far away, called Wieskirche where there is a pretty church. However it was Sunday, so there was mass. Then we went to a couple more places, Nordlingen, then Dinkelsbuhl, eventually ending up at Rothenburg ob der Tauber where I was met by a taxi and taken to my hotel/guesthouse. I dumped my stuff and went out to explore, grabbing a small dinner. They have these things in Rothenburg called Schneeballen which seem to be native only to there. They are like biscuit scraps that are then put in a special mould and cooked to make them go into a ball. Eating them is like eating a 3D puzzle, as you need to work out where to take the next bit. It wasn't very nice though. Then I went on a Nightwatchman tour that I got a free ticket to as part of my "3 day tour".

It was good as he gave some of the historical stuff, and most of it was stories rather than facts and figures. He was funny too. Then I went back to the hotel, at 9.25, and it was all locked up so I had to use my key to let myself in the back door and then up to my room!

30/4- I got up the next morning, got dressed, had my free breakfast and went exploring. The guide of Rothenburg has a suggested walking tour you can do. Number one on the tour is the town hall, which has a tower you can climb to get amazing views of the city.

Climbing the stairs was a world of fun, as they got narrower and more rickety the higher you went, starting as marble spiral and ending up almost a ladder they were that far apart and that much of an angle. The last little bit to get up the top I had to leave my backpack with the guy you pay, cos I would never have gotten up there with it on! The views were good though. Another perfect day.

Then from here I went to the Christmas store, which is the amazing, maze of a building that has everything Xmas, including loads of wooden ornaments made from Black Forest wood. They had giant displays of things too which were impressive. And then upstairs was a Christmas museum where you could see how the use of trees and ornaments started in Germany. I then went to the church, St Jacobs, which had an amazing carved wooden high altar. And from here I walked down to the first point you can climb the wall that surrounds the town. I walked as far as you can around the wall, which is a fairly long way, before you have to get down, and join it again a little way on. The wall got bombed in the war, so they pleaded for help worldwide to rebuild the wall, so the damaged section has plaques all along with people's names and where they come from, as they donated to "buy" however many mtrs of the wall. It is cool up there because everything inside the city wall still looks like it would have done hundreds of years ago. All the buildings are all built in medieval style, so it looks like you could still be in those times, apart from the odd street light. However outside the wall are modern buildings, schools, coach parking etc. It's like 2 different worlds.

I went into the torture museum, which ironically is in what used to the the nunnery of the church it connects to. I then had a bit more of a wonder and went back to the hotel for my transfer to the bus to continue to Frankfurt. I arrived at about 9.30, checked into my hostel and went to bed.

01/05- (my legs were so sore this day from the steps the day before, and all the pack lugging around (12kg) and the sitting on trains and walking. It actually hurt to sit/stand/walk/go downstairs) May the 1st. I went to the info place which was supposed to open at 8am, but opened at 9am. That was my first warning sign. Then I asked if they had any bus tours or anything as I was only there for that day, and she said there was nothing because of the bike race. That was my second warning sign. Then I went for a walk around and the main square in the old part of town is all set up for something, with a stage and sound checks happening. That was my third warning sign. The whole town shut down because not only was there this bike race around the streets in a 4.5km circuit 2-3 times

There was also May Day protest march, through the streets and into the old square. So I finally found a spot on the Main that had boat cruises up and down, with info, so I booked myself onto one of them, and spent 2 hours cruising up and down the river. You got a really good view of the skyline and could see what it gets called Mainhatten. (Its officially Frankfurt am Main as there is another Frankfurt somewhere in Germany) I was on top of the boat, and it was another really sunny day, and I actually got sunburnt on my arms. When I got back from the cruise I walked over the bridge to the other side and had lunch on a floating restaurant, which impacted the sunburn. Then I went for a stroll through Museum central, where all the museums are in a row. Then I walked back to the old town, sat and had a gelato watching the people pack up from the last of the protest rally, and then went back to the hostel. Even though there wasn't much available to me for tourism-ing, I got to see a relaxed, laid back side to Frankfurt many people probably wouldn't,because everything was shut people were just sitting on the riverbank with impromptu picnics and having lunch in cafes and going for a family stroll.

2/05- I started my day getting hit on by a guy as I waited for the train at Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof. He asked me if I wanted to go to coffee, and my train was just pulling in, so I said I had to get on that train. Awwww. Oh well. Anyways... I travelled the nearly 3hrs to Cologne... or Koln as it is in German. When I got out the station I was amazed to see this huge cathedral towering over the whole of the city. Usually stuff is miles away from the main station, but this was RIGHT next door. It was literally breathtaking.

I dumped my bag in a luggage locker at the station and headed to information, where they gave me some tips on a bus tour and some other options. I went for a stroll to find a chemist as the sun was making my sunburnt arms from the day before excruciatingly burning and I needed some aftersun and some sunblock. Once I had applied both of these I felt better. Then I headed back for a bus tour of the city, where we got to go over the other side of the river and get off the bus to take photos looking backwards towards the city, and see the skyline.

Then when we got back I went on a guided tour of the cathedral... aka the Koln Dom. It has a pretty amazing history, such as it was stopped building for hundreds of years and for the whole time a wooden crane sat on top of what it now a spire, and the crane attracted crowds to the cathedral as it was a landmark in itself! And all the mosaic tiles on the floor of the cathedral are by a local firm called Villeroy and Boch.

After that tour I went back to get my pack, and book a seat for my train trip the next day, and then caught the U-Bahn to the sticks where my hostel was. I was SO annoyed because it took me an hour to find the hostel once I left the station, walking around in the heat with 12kg+ strapped to my back. I even had to ask for help in an office block and the guy had to find someone who spoke English to translate his directions! I'm glad I didn't waste time in the morning when I got there trying to find it. When I finally got there I checked in, went up to my room, had a shower, and couldn't be bothered going anywhere else.

3/05- I got up, had breakfast with my 2 nice roommates, then caught the U-bahn back to the Hauptbahnhof to catch my train to Hannover. Another almost 3 hr trip. Another glorious day, although there was a bit of cloud cover. When I got to Hannover I put my back in a locker again, then went to info and asked about a tour, as I only had 2hrs before I had to head to the airport. There was a coach tour that was 2.5hrs. GRRR. Or there was a walking tour where you follow the red line on a map. They even dumbed it down and you literally followed a red line.

I went to the town hall and climbed the steps to the top of the tower, but most of this one is done by lifts, so that was good!! Great views, once again. Then I followed the red line all the way around some more churches and stuff, and came back to the Hauptbahnhof just in time for my train to the airport, where I flew out from.

Upon arriving in Manchester I picked up my bag, then drove from the carpark to the other end of that street where my guesthouse was, and watched some TV before going to bed.

4/05- I got up, had breakfast, then loaded the car again, and drive to Liverpool. Once there I parked up and got on the open top bus tour, doing one full loop first, then getting off at the Beatles Story, which was a pretty cool tour of their history. Then I went to the new "ultramodern" Catholic Church.

And then I walked down the road to the Anglican Church which is very big and has a cool little garden where there obviously was once a cemetery, so they have used the tombstones as retaining for the embankment.

Then I went back to my car and drove down to Marion's place where I did some washing, watched a DVD and went to bed.

5/05- We got up fairly early and drove to Salcey forest where there is a wooden walkway called the treetops walk. It was quite cool to be up that high, but unlike the ones in Australia where you would see parrots and possums, snakes and koalas, we saw a robin, a squirrel and some tadpoles!

Then we went to a place called Orley, where we had a mooch, then we went back and I baked 72 cupcakes for the band fete. That night I took them all to Louise & Dom's new place where we decorated them all.

6/05- We had a lazy day and I watched another dvd and did not a lot else. Then we all had dinner and I drove back down.

7/05- Today was the band fete, or as I have come to affectionately call it... a fete worse than death. It was ALMOST called of because of the weather, however it started to clear and we had not too bad a day, except for the stupid wind that made everything difficult, especially playing music that kept flapping away. Everyone commented on how nice my cakes looked! It'll be interesting to see how much money the band made. I won 2 prizes in the raffle at the end! YAY ME! Anyways, that brings us up to now. As I have spent the last hour and a but typing this, and now I need to add photos and I'm done. There is going to be a quiz, but I need to go to bed as I am working tomorrow, so I will put it on in a day or 2. And the winner of the last prize for telling me something surprising was my friend who told me he got engaged.