Ahh Bavaria, so pretty

Well, what we saw of Munich and immediate surrounds...

With at least half a coach load of fellow Aussies we were Neuchwanstein Castle bound for a day of cycling, hiking & castle ooh-ing & aahing.  This was our introduction to Bavaria and it was magnificent!  Perched on a hill with a backdrop of lakes and the Alps this really was a picture postcard destination.

All 40 of us went for a cycle around the local town and into a little part of forest to reach Swan Lake in which only Julian, one other guy and one girl were brave enough to jump into for a swim-not because of water quality but water temps-brrrr

We also got to have a quick go on the tobbogan ride conveniently located next to our lunch stop

 The walk up to the castle with a minor detour to Mary’s bridge was very pretty; the route followed a gorge which was well loaded with water, making for some picturesque scenery.  The bridge itself spanned the gorge with a direct view to the one side of the castle.  While the rest of the group headed down to the castle for the guided tour of some the interior we headed further up the hiking track, eventually pausing near to the top of a hill which overlooked the castle and provided panoramic vistas of the region-simply stunning!

THE castle

The obligatory wander through the Altstadt (old town) occurred on day two in Munich where we were exposed to graceful old buildings, well restored churches and bustling squares full of charm.  Seeing as we’re not around for Oktoberfest we thought we’d best visit the Bier & Oktoberfest Museum.  This was a little treasure trove of info and images a cute little 14^th Century house.

A beer of course, down in the museums tavern, at the end of our time in the museum was called for and so enjoyed that we returned for some traditional Bavarian fare in the tavern later that night.

Ooh, another beer stop at the Hofbrauhaus

To celebrate the arrival of sunshine and warm weather (finally) we picked up some picnic type food from the Vikualienmarkt and headed to the English Gardens, a massive parkland right in Munich complete with beer gardens which of course we visited!

Yet another beer garden-this time the Augustiner Bierhaus

To finish off our time in Munich before embarking on the 8hr + train journey to Zagreb we paid a visit to the Asamkirche; tiny but packed full of glorious embellishments.  What a sight!!

Here are a few more photos of this part of the adventure