Enchanting Tallinn!

For people who wish to experience medieval era Tallinn is a must! We were on our Scandinavian trip when we visited Tallinn. From Helsinki, Finland we headed to Tallinn, Estonia by a ferry. They are frequent and you can get to Tallinn in about 2-2.5 hours. 

 

What I love about Tallinn is you really don’t need an itinerary to discover it. Just take a city map and start walking around. Just going by foot everywhere we explored interesting things, ate some local food in few of the countless restaurants, stroll the narrow streets checking the cute stores around.

Tallinn’s old town is just marvelous! We walked around all the time, loved the cobblestone paths on the narrow streets, staring at medieval cathedrals and sunny squares full of people. Though the city was quite bombed during the WW2, Tallinn’s old town is astonishingly well preserved and therefore it is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list! 

Raekoja Plats (Town Hall Square). It's at the centre of Old Town and has lots of restaurants and souvenir shops and quite often a market too. Some highlights as a tourist are: climb the tower of the St. Olav’s Church; climb up to Toompea (Upper Town) to admire the Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox cathedral. 

Also visit the Radisson blu Skyhotel. You can see the view to the whole city from there, absolutely stunning! While there are many great places to eat and drink my favourite were Elevant (Indian) and Old Hansa bar which is a medieval inspired restaurant where servers dressed in medieval clothes, food is served in ceramic mugs and then the food (don’t miss the special herb bread and mushroom soup)! 

We also did some cafe hopping. Kohvik Maiasmokk is ancient café with amazing desserts. The menu is quite unique, very modern yet truly authentic. It’s really difficult to resist several rounds of dessert when the window displays have cheesecakes.

It’s true that the city is beautiful. Visiting here is like stepping back a few centuries. All in all I was in love with Tallinn. It's very impressive with surprises around every corner. There is no time to be bored in a city beautiful as this.

Lake Chiemsee – A Perfect Weekend!

Lake Chiemsee is popular for sailing, surfing, canoeing and diving. The area also offers many beautiful biking and hiking trails which offer great views of the lake. There are a few islands around the lake, one of which has Bavaria's King Ludwig II's palace called Herrenchiemsee. Neuschwanstein Castle was also built on his orders and is probably more popular and known then this one.

We bought a Bayern ticket and took RE from Munich to Salzburg and got down at Prien Am Chiemsee. From their you can either take a bus or the old steam engine train (Chiemsee bahn) to Prien Stock, where you‘ll find the ferry to the Herrenchiemsee island. We took the old steam engine train.




                                               




                                     

We boarded the good ship Siegfried and sailed, voyaging for about 15 minutes to the island. We had the choice to either walk 2kms to the palace or take the charming horse and carriage to the door. We opted for the walk. The walk between the tall trees is stunning with beautiful scenery along.

                                                   



                                        


This island is pretty small you can take a stroll around the whole island without getting too tired. There are guided tours in different languages and if that's not your thing there is plenty more to see around the castle. I especially like the beautiful big fountains that are right outside the main entrance of the castle and the beautiful gardens. Unfortunately it’s not allowed to take pictures on the inside, but this way you will be surprised by its beauty even more.

                                                   


                                                   

The castle is opened all over the year but the best time to visit it is certainly Spring and Summer when the fountains are active. Soon it was time to board our ferry Siegfried and be on our way back to Prien. There are few nice restaurants in Prien where you can sit outside and enjoy the sun with a cool beer.

                                        
 

                                                   


                                       


It was really wonderful seeing this little seaside village. I hope you enjoy your Spring/Summer weekends here as much as I am enjoyed mine.

Neuschwanstein - The Fairytale Castle!

                                          

Walt Disney modelled the Cinderella castle after Neuschwanstein which is among one of the most famous castles in the world. All the credit goes to its beautiful setting. In winters it's so pretty to visit, not only for the castle but also for the views overlooking the valley below and beyond. Everything on your way is simply dramatic and magical.


                                        

When you live in Germany you can always take advantage of the Bayern or Bavarian ticket and travel around. We took train from Nuremberg around 7.00 am to Augsburg and from there we got our connecting train to Füssen. The train journey from Augsburg to Füssen was full of stunning views of snowy fields, mountains which were the perfect start for our trip. From Füssen we boarded a bus which you can find just outside the bahnof (train station). The bus stops at Hohenschwangau which is a village from where the path to the castle starts. There were horse carriage rides available but we decided to just walk and enjoy the scenic beauty and braced ourselves for the steady 45-minute incline.


                                       


                                       

The Schloss Hohenschwangau castle is the first thing we come across on our way which is situated slightly to the south of Neuschwanstein on a small hill between the Alpsee and Schwansee. It is said to be the summer residence of the Bavarian royal family, built by Ludwig II’s father, Maximillian II. The path towards Neuschwanstein allowed us to take a perfect picture of Schloss Hohenschwangau.


                                       


                                        


                                       


                                       


                                       


                                       


                                       

The walk continued to provide us with stunning views of the castles and the entire area surrounding it as well. The Neuschwanstein is the nineteenth century Romanesque style castle which was commissioned by Ludwig II, king of Bavaria from 1864-1886. Little sunshine, the pines coated in snow reminded us how perfect this day was. It was a storybook scene coming alive, a landscape gently brushed with a soft snow. Finally we made it to the top and walked to view the inside of the courtyard. We were totally spellbound by the fairytale masterpiece surrounded by snow. Nothing can really prepare you for the beauty of this castle in the snow; we thought it was Neuschwanstein at its best. At the top, we were also rewarded with panoramic views which were totally mesmerizing.


                                      



                                      


                                      


                                      

Then we went to Alpsee which is the lake between the mountains, an unspoilt natural beauty. The lake was surrounded by dense forest and was almost frozen but it was really peaceful to sit there like meditation. It was like living each and every moment. We just relaxed and enjoyed the scenic beauty.

                                        


                                       


The day was yet another valued adventure with my love and another reminder why European living is the greatest fairytale of all. It was really jaw-dropping beautiful and worth visiting. We are so pleased we visited and it was worth every bruise and bump! It should be a must on everyone’s bucket list.


                                        

Regensberg- A Jewel on Danube!!!

It is rightly said last minute plans always end up being one of your best memories. Visiting Regensburg was one of such plans. One evening while enjoying the sun in Ansbach two of my very closed friends Waleed and Ahmed decided to see their university friend Sofia who was studying in Regensburg. They asked me out and I said yes. You always need some break from studies. So we decided to make a day trip next day to Regensburg. Regensburg is recognized by UNESCO World heritage as the city has preserved its medieval architecture. I must admit that the city had a rich history.

                                    

We took a train from Ansbach around 8:00am and Arrived Regensburg around 10:30 am (aprpox 2 hours). Sofia came to receive us at the train station and our journey began. Within few minutes i got so comfortable with her that i didn't even realized that it was my first meeting. We decided to enjoy the city simply by walking and discovered things as we went. It was a nice way to visit this pretty city.

Sofia told us about the history as we walking around. We went along the small narrow streets with tall colourful towers, medieval houses, murals, beautiful clocks, gothic churches etc. We visited St. Peter’s Cathedral which is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in southern Germany. The elegant arches and canopies, small statues of kings and saints, along with sculptures were definitely a feast for the eyes!

                                            


                                                    



                                            


The stone bridge also known as the Steinerne Brücke is one of the oldest bridge in Germany and was really magnificent. One of the best things to do was to walk along the Danube River and enjoy the stunning views. Earlier it was a place of trade but now its place of romance and love. I loved how the bridge leads you to the historic Old Town. We spent a good amount of time just lingering by the river, watching the ducks swim across the colourful reflections cast by the historic buildings opposite us.


                                               




                                                

We also went to the Regensburg beer fest though the funny part was that none of us had Beer. It was a nice experience to be a part of Bavarian beer culture. The fest is much more than just beer. There were lots of amusement rides, games, haunted house, gingerbread, chocolate fruit sticks, sugar roasted almonds, Käsespätzle etc.

                                               


                                              

                                              

A short sunny break made it a perfect weekend for us. We had a blast and all credit goes to Sophia who took us around. I would definitely recommend anyone to visit this beautiful place in Germany.