We Get Around

I mentioned last week that we were heading to Munich for Thanksgiving #2. What I didn't realize is that we'd also get to see a bit of Stuttgart (while waiting to switch trains), a lot of Bavarian countryside, and the Austrian Alps! Highlights included:

Panda pooped in the huge park in central Stuttgart from which you can see the former royal residence, the current state parliament, the opera, and - in this picture - the state theater .In case you're keeping track, Panda has now pooped in at least three states (GA, NJ, MA) and three countries.

We perused the wares, sights, and smells of Christkindlmarkt in Munich's Marienplatz (where you can also find the not-so-new, gothic-out-the-wazoo Neue Rathaus). We did not try Glühwein, the mulled wine that everyone seemed to be enjoying in festive mugs (it's served hot).

Saturday evening we attended Thanksgiving Dinner II chez Maggie's first cousins once-removed (or, Maggie's mom's first cousins). You'll notice that, as traditional as the rest of the meal was, we could not avoid socking away massive amounts of delicious beer.

Sunday, we took a spin through Bavaria and saw three castles. Neuschwanstein, constructed by crazy Bavarian King Ludwig II (my namesake!) as an homage to Richard Wagner's creative genius and influence, was Disney's inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's castle; in the same town, the much less crazy Hohenschwangau is very yellow; Linderhof is more of a country chateau than an honest-to-goodness castle. To get from Schwangau (the town at the foot of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau) to Linderhof, we drove through the Austrian Alps and enjoyed the views.

The entire weekend was basically made possible by the incredible hospitality of Rebecca (Maggie's second cousin) and her boyfriend Moritz. We stayed at their lovely apartment, shared excellent food, and enjoyed their company throughout our excursions within Munich and throughout the Bavarian countryside. Thanks so much, and see you soon in Paris!