First, I cannot begin to tell you enough the glory that is sleeper train travel. I was mystified and altogether in love with the ease and convenience found in the simple act of going to bed on a train. And not only that, but falling asleep in one town on the more northeastern side of Germany and waking up in the southernmost part of the country… Bavaria.
Oh glory.
I get chill bumps even as I think of the beauty that is southern Germany. A little like home, with its green rolling hills and open pastures. And then in some areas, so much like the places we love out west, with jagged mountain faces and alpine lakes. And yet, in the end, so altogether very much unlike any place we’ve ever been.
I could only laugh as we shared with our Potsdam friends what our plans were for our departure from East Germany. A night on a sleeper train. A drop-off of our luggage at a Pension in Munich. A train ride to Schwangau to visit the infamous castles. A night back in Munich. A day of jaunting about said city. Another night on a sleeper train. And a Berlin flight departure. We sounded like the most unintelligent beings, I’m sure. But you see, we extended our stay before we knew where we wanted to go elsewhere in Germany. For years, I’ve thought of coming, and yet to decide where to spend two extra days? Torture.
But over time, it became pretty clear that for us, there was no other place for our first “outside of East Germany” journey but Bavaria. With German teachers, friends, and relatives from this part of the world, not to mention the castle that every girl who has ever watched Sleeping Beauty dreams of visiting (if they knew where its designers took their inspiration) one day, it should have been clear from the beginning. Our plan pieced itself together over time and despite its erratic nature, worked perfectly.
And so, we spent our first day in Bavaria chasing the magic. After a brief interlude between München Hauptbahnhof and Pension Gärtnerplatz (where we had the most adorable room and delicious coffee), we made our way back across town for by foot to take in everything we planned to see in the whirlwind second day we’d spend there. But for the time, our sights were mostly set on Schwangau where, to tell you the God-honest truth (despite the cliche), a slice of pure heaven awaited us. So, I guess in that sense, it was a lot like home.
Between spots of rain and clouds and bright blue skies, we walked and hiked and toured, marveling at the extravagant beauty and perfect setting for such romantic castles. And for us, a setting for yet another adventure to mark in the books of our story.
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