Trip Part 1 - Germany

Some of the things we did in Germany where:

Went to the Castle of Konigstein. It was basically the ruins of the castle and you were allowed to wander with no supervision.

We went to Sallburg Roman Castle and Archaeological Park. I give this 3 stars out of 5. It was cool to see such old stuff but wasn't super educational.

Drove along the Rhine and went to Boppard. It was a pretty town along the river.

We saw this castle. I am unsure of what it's name is. We got there too late to go inside but it was still amazing from the outside.

We went into Frankfurt to do some shopping and sight seeing. This is the inside of St. Bartholomew's Cathedral.

We hit up the fair.

We rented a car and drove to Hohenzollern and then to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau (the one above) castles. If you only have a day to do both, skip Hohenzollern. We didn't have time to go inside Neuschwanstein and I wish we had.

This is Neuschwanstein. It served as a model for the castle in Sleeping Beauty.

What I liked about Germany:

1. It was soo pretty. The countryside is amazing.
2. The people were nice. Especially out in the country. An old farmer even invited us to his house, though we didn't take him up on the invite. He talked so much we would have been there for hours.
3. The parts we visited were soo clean.
4. And the people were so orderly. They even followed the laws, including traffic laws, despite the distinct lack of police supervision.
5. Castles everywhere.
6. Cheap food, though it was sometimes a bit hard to find depending on the time of day.
7. Driving on the autobahn isn't as hard as it sounds. And people are very good drivers there.

Things I didn't like:

1. We got stuck in a traffic jam that didn't move for a while. We don't even know why.
2. People just pee at the side of the road so you have to watch where you look or you just may see the stream. Maybe I am an idiot, but it grossed me out a bit.
3. People park their cars in the craziest places in Germany and expect you not to hit them. And I am not talking about old beat up cars. They drive much nicer cars than we do.

Tips:
1. Don't try to get lunch at 2 in the afternoon.
2. Go to Neuschwanstein. You won't regret it.
3. If you have time, take a cruise, or drive a car, along the Rhine. There are so many castles along this river. We barely even nicked this drive. I think if we ever go back we will make time to do more of it.
4. If you eat meat, get a doner kabob. This is the best country to get them in.
5. Cars are not super cheap to rent and gas is quite expensive but if you don't have a lot of time, this is the way to go. Though they do have a great public transportation system.
6. Don't feel shy about going to a bank to exchange your dollars for euro. They may charge a small fee, but the exchange rate will be the best.
7. The small towns scattered around Germany have so much character so be sure to visit a few.