We woke up and each showered and packed our own things and then returned ski rentals, lift passes, did dishes, took out trash, etc. Once things were tidy enough we loaded up our iced over cars and set out for the day. We were going to drive to Neuschwanstein castle on the way to Munich. It was about 3.5 hours away and then less than two hours to Munich from there. A lot of driving, but you spend 2-3 hours on the train each way if you do a day trip from Munich, so it made sense to us. We put the address in our GPS (that came with our upgraded car) and then headed on towards the castle.
I was on the verge of tears the first hour we were in the car because the white-out from the day before had left the mountains completely powdery and the skies were crystal clear, all the conditions I had dreamed of when I planned our trip to Kaprun. I had even suggested to Daniel we extend our rentals and buy another day pass and ski til mid-afternoon and then drive back to Munich, while our friends drove to the castle and then to the city…but I had been vetoed. And so, I was hit with utter disappointment as I saw the conditions and views I had always dreamed of skiing in fly by from the window of a car. :(
The views from the car as we drove along through Austria and the mountain towns of Kitzbuhel and Innsbruck were absolutely spectacular – and we have some phenomenal pictures to share with you that we took as we drove by.
And now for our next misadventure. That infuriates all of us still. We’ve essentially all agreed not to talk about it. Our GPS led us onto an UNMARKED toll road without warning…we thought we were just merging onto another main highway – we had already driven on several. The GPS said nothing about it being a toll road…and the road itself said nothing about being a toll road…and Hertz rental typed in an Austrian address for our destination and said nothing about the medallion we needed to be on a toll road…BUT the Austrian officer who pulled us aside and charged us TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY EUROS was very clear that we were in fact illegally on a toll road. 120 Euros a car. Two hundred and forty euros (for those of you who do not know) is 360 freaking dollars. Seriously?!
You can laugh if you want, but it really wasn’t funny. We may have earned our Czech fine, but we really didn’t earn this one…the entire hour we were on the toll road we never saw a single sign indicating it was one.
Now the plus side of the journey? Again, the view was fantastic. And to add insult to injury it would have been cheaper for Daniel and I to ski for another day than to weather the fines we incurred driving a different way.
To make matters worse, when I had checked online, the official website for Neuschwanstein claimed it closed at 3pm. We were scheduled to reach Schwangau (the town where the caste is) at 1:45 (because we had been pulled over). Daniel and I knew it was at least 30 minutes maybe 45 from the time you park to when you can buy tickets for the tour and hike up a very steep (and probably icy) hill. So tensions were high, we were going to have to live off granola bars and trail mix for lunch again and we were going to be making a mad dash up a very steep hill without truly knowing if we would make it…again.
Ginger and Chris wanted to tour the castle and the rest of us (Daniel and myself especially) wanted to hike to the bridge up on a hill behind the castle that allows you to get a great view and to get a picture of the entire castle. Daniel and I hadn’t gotten to do that last time because we were out of time after our tour and in danger of missing our train back to Munich if we did.
Now when we arrived there was good news and bad news. (Which used to be my favorite line because it’s what Daniel used when he proposed to me…but on this trip I’m getting really tired of hearing it…and very tired of playing Pollyanna’s glad game when our plans continually go up in smoke). Good news? Castle tours were running until 4:05 and those who wanted a tour would get to go and would have enough time to make their way up the mountain, eat lunch, and enjoy their tour. Bad news? The damn bridge was closed. So again, the one thing I wanted to do that was previously not achieved is again unattainable.
So we started our hike up the slushy, horse poo-ed road and found our way to a restaurant that had been one of my favorites of our entire last Europe trip. Everyone loved it, had time to vent about our toll fines…which had left quite a sting for all of us, and we regrouped and rallied. From there we headed to the castle – which actually had some new additions from when Daniel and I were there in 2008. They have built a lookout towards the base of the castle that allows you to get a much better picture with the castle behind you.
Ginger fell absolutely in love with the castle. Our English speaking guide was pretty terrible, very hard to understand and very hard to hear, but that didn’t keep us from soaking in the intricate details and splendor of the castle. I had forgotten how spectacularly detailed the painted ceilings, walls, and archways are and how much I loved all the colors and ornate, symmetrical patterns. Because our guide was pretty inattentive we snuck a lot more pictures than last time. :)
And, since we had the last tour at 4:05 and the sun goes down by 4:30ish, we got to walk down from the castle in the dark and enjoy the stark contrast of the castle all lit up against the night sky and the mountains. We also go to see the castle for most of our walk down, as leafless trees made it easier to see and enjoy the castle from different angles.
We were in Munich by 7:30, checked into our new hotel which was perfectly close to the train station (about a block), returned the rental cars and headed out to grab a bite to eat (and a classic Munchen weissebier) at the Augustiner Brewery which was less than five minutes walk from our hotel. We enjoyed the fun atmosphere of the beer hall as a very traditional woman waited on us and we ordered more delicious classic German dishes. I may not be as big a fan of the wienershnitzel and jagerschnitzels and sauerkrauts and sausages dishes as most of our group is, but I love the mushroom sauces, potatoes, and spatzel. We’ve really had some delicious food.
And from there we went back to the rooms and hung out for a little bit as we wound down from one of our more stressful days. …Now that I am a few days away I am not quite as blood-boilingly angry about the fine, but it has now become the thing of which you do not speak because of the feelings of anger and exploitation that resurface so quickly.
Our beautiful drive from Kaprun (more pictures to follow soon...my laptop battery is almost done).
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| Heading to and Enjoying Neuschwanstein! |
(Click on the picture above to view the album)
1 comment:
I looked up the Autobahns on Wikipedia--it seems that a tollway sticker or device is required for all of them or the smaller schnellstrassen system. It wasn't just that one highway, probably. I think the car rental agency should have helped you out with this--if not providing it automatically, then warning you about it and giving you the opportunity to get it. Perhaps a complaint to the rental agency would help
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