Frankfurt & Munich, Germany

The weekend began on the morning of Friday, February 23rd at the Florence airport. We had a bumpy ride but landed in Frankfurt after an hour and a half. We made it the city center and walked around looking at sites such as the Imperial Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew and Iron Bridge. We ate lunch at a very traditional German restaurant and I got to try schnitzel and goulash with spetzel for the first time! Everything was so delicious. After eating and walking around for a little while longer, we decided we wanted a sweet treat. We found a place with famous cinnamon rolls and they were the best cinnamon rolls I have ever had. We tried the basic cinnamon roll and an apple walnut cinnamon roll. After a couple of hours, we headed to the train station to head to Munich. We arrived in Munich late but luckily getting into our Airbnb was quite easy.

On Saturday, February 24th, our day began by grabbing breakfast and taking a train to Dachau. In Dachau we visited the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. The experience was a conflict of emotions. It was absolutely awful to see how the prisoners lived in this camp but it was really enlightening learning about their experiences. We walked around the entire camp and through the museum that contained endless artifacts and stories about the lives of the people who lived here. We grabbed a late lunch afterwards and headed back home. For dinner, we went to a Houfbräuhaus in city center Munich and it was one of the coolest experiences! We ordered pints of beer and pretzels while listening to live German music and watching people cheer, dance, and sing. We truly felt like locals.

Sunday, February 25th, started with a quick breakfast and an hour and a half Uber ride to Schwangau. In this town, is Neuschwanstein Castle, a sight to behold. The castle is a 19th-century palace on the foothills of the Alps in the very south of Germany, close to border with Austria. Neuschwanstein Castle was built for the Bavarian king Ludwig II with construction beginning in 1868 but never fully completed. Additionally, the king saw his castle as a monument to the culture and concept of monarchy prevailing in the Middle Ages, which he greatly admired and wanted to recreate. Built and furnished in medieval styles but equipped with the latest technology of the day, it is the most famous historicist building in the world.  This castle has been on my bucket list for years and seeing it in person was even greater than I could have imagined. We were able to enter the castle but no photos or videos were allowed. As you can imagine, the inside was decorated with gold everywhere from the ceilings down to the floors. We ate lunch below the castle at another German restaurant and I treated myself to another round of schnitzel!

The last morning, February 26th, began by walking around city center Munich and seeing the cathedral as we enjoyed an early lunch. We continued walking around until we found our way into the Haribo store where we grabbed assortments of different gummy bears and sour treats. Soon after, we took the train to the Munich airport and began our journey home to Florence. Considering the amazing food, friendly people, and jaw-dropping views, Germany was greater than I ever imagined!