I was faced with a tough decision this morning. I knew we were headed to the traditional Bavarian breakfast to stuff ourselves with veal sausages and pretzels so I questioned if fried bacon was worth it today. I decided no. For the first morning this trip, I did not eat fried bacon. Without eating, I boarded the bus to make way to a traditional breakfast. After about a 30 minute ride we arrived at a small barn. I stepped inside and was bombarded by the smell of fresh meat; the air I was breathing felt dense and heavy. We sat down at picnic tables and were quickly greeted and before you know it, a bowl of fresh steaming hot sausages in water was placed in front of us. They were somewhat difficult to eat for many reasons. They were slippery because they were in water. They were hard to separate because the linking of the cases. And finally the cases alone were a hassle. However, after struggling through, you get to the meat. Then combining the meat with the sweet mustard is a match unlike any other.

My biggest regret is not getting some mustard to take home. One thing I noticed at the barn was a child playing with construction toys. I guess it never occurred to me that even German toddlers still like the same toys as American toddlers. This was the first time today I realized a major similarity. After we all had a bellies full of sausages, we headed back on the bus and took a long ride to Wieskirche. This was a large church in the nearly the middle of nowhere; it was surrounded by farmland and pastures of cows. As we approached it, from the outside, it didn’t look very special, but once we got inside I saw its significance. We’d seen many different churches on this trip. The Wieskirche had to impress me most by far. The art on the ceiling was unlike any I’d seen before. Every section of the dome was covered intricately. I thought I’d seen every type of religious architecture Germany could offer, but today, I was amazed.

After hopping back on the bus we headed to the main attraction for the day: Neuschwanstein. It’s claimed to be the inspiration for Cinderella’s Castle in Disney. I came to believe this after seeing it in person. Before we went on the tour we were given some time to walk around the small town at the base of the hill so a group of students decided to walk around the lake. We only stopped when we got to a point that had a bank to the shore. We walked down and began skipping rocks with the German students. For the second time today, I realized that we’re all very similar. Skipping rocks is such a simple past time that I imagine everyone does at least once as a kid.

Now, it was time for the tour. After hiking up to the castle, we waited in the courtyard for our tour section to be called. To be honest, the tour was slightly underwhelming. It was very short but that’s partially because only so many rooms of the castle were completed before construction was halted. The outside of the castle is marvelous though.  After touring the inside we made our way around to a bridge overlook. The view of the castle was remarkable and it was a great photo opportunity for the group!

After leaving Neuschwanstein we took an hour to walk around the small town of Füssen. It was a lovely little town right near the castle. I really didn’t do anything special in our hour here. Just walked around with a group of students and looked at all the places to shop. I really liked the town. It seemed like a very calm and relaxing place. Almost like the type of place where everyone would know everyone.

Afterwards, got back on the bus and I think everyone took a long nap on the way back. It was much needed after such a full day. Once arriving back in Augsburg, a group of us decided to go back to Dragone for more Italian food. This time, I made sure to get pasta and not pizza so I wouldn’t have to deal with cutting it.

After a full day today, I’m expecting another tomorrow for the free day when a group of us will take on Salzburg!

Highlight of the Day: Seeing Neuschwanstein

Low of the Day: Walking up the hill to Neuschwanstein while still being sore from Ulm.