“Look kids it’s Big Ben! Parliament!”

Above, Schloss Hohenschwangau, the original seat of King Ludwig II of Bavaria until he went off his rocker (“Crazy Ludwig”) and built Neuschwanstein.

Where have I been? Well, let’s see, I started out in Budapest and made my way east through Vienna, then to Salzburg and finally into Germany. I had a great time, got to tour the Hungarian Parliament, ate lots of wiener schnitzel and took in a Strauss orchestral concert, toured the salt mines just out side of Salzburg, and on my way to Germany stopped at Neuschwanstein Castle, the castle which Cinderella’s Castle is based on. That last stop is evidently a haven for American tourists, and sure enough we ran into someone from Philadelphia who was making the same trip in the opposite direction.

And did I mention that I came back with a whole lot of very dark European chocolate? YUM!