Neuschwanstein Castle - right out of a fairytale!!

One is never too old for a fairytale! The actual line we were reminded of by looking at the beautiful hill-top castle at Füssen Germany - Schloss Neuschwanstein! Popularly known as the Disney Castle. :)

Neuschwanstein is a 19th century Roman style palace in Hohenschwangau village near Füssen in Bavaria, Germany. The castle is nestled on a hill top looking right out of a fairytale movie or a book description. 

Make sure you book the entrance tickets online or reach the destination early in the morning to buy tickets. The tickets get sold out before afternoon.

You can opt to stay at Füssen with all the little town comforts. It's a short 4km drive to the castle from city center.

Once you reach the foothills of the hill and park be prepared for a walk uphill till the castle entrance. There is also an option to ride in a horse carriage. 

If you are not yet satisfied with the views of the castle and it's lush green or snow white surroundings, then walk over to the Marien Brucke to get a beautiful view of the castle from afar from the reasonable height and distance.! There is also a top down view of a waterfalls on the other side of this bridge which is really breathtaking. The temperature here is quite chilled compared to the rest of the places. 

Paragliding and few other adrenaline activities are quite common here. Don't miss if you have time.! 

There are quite a few other places nearby the Neuschwanstein which is not very popular with the tourist folk but definitely has it's own share of history. Some of those are the Schloss Hohenschwangau, Linderhof Palace, Alpsee, Eibsee, Highline179 etc. Visit them all if time permits and you are interested :)

Lights, Food, Restore - Budapest, Hungary!!

Ever wondered how lights can transform something very simple to an exquisite beauty? Light and shadow play an amazing combo role in this transformation. If you have ever wanted to experience the best of both the worlds with respect to the natural sun and man made bulbs, you are in for a visual treat! Pack your bags and fly to the Hungarian capital, Budapest!!!

The city of lights. The big father of Prague. Capital of Thermal baths and spas. The city with lion bridge. Queen of Danube. City with diverse cuisine. County with hilly 'Buda' and flat 'Pest'. It is none other than the "Heart of Europe"!!

Are you already convinced to book your flights? If not, you would soon be! :) Just make sure you book it also for that friend/spouse who needs a break as much as you do.! 

After a couple of solo trips, I thought why not an all girls' cum roommates trip? That's exactly when, Budapest, came into picture. We could experience the richness of Hungarian history and culture and their unique cuisine throughout our stay. 

We arrived at Budapest International Airport late night after all the tourist information centers and government offices were already closed. It was about a 20km drive to the city center from the airport. There was one office 'Airport shuttle services' open 24hours inside the airport. The lady at the desk informed us that there are no public transportation facilities available at that hour in night and that we can book their own shuttle services with pick and drop from our hotel to airport and vice versa. It costed us 3 times more than the public transport.. Next day the guy at our hostel explained us that public transport was indeed available even during late hours at night and would not have costed much! We had not enquired/researched about these teeny details beforehand. Yes, it was a mistake! That's how we learnt ready for our next adventure :) 

We stayed at the Budapest Bubble hostel, a decent accommodation at the city center and close to most of the tourist attractions! There are a lot of hostels/airbnb options available. 

Tip: Make sure you book your accommodation close to the city center. Sometimes costs a few bucks more, but it will cut down your travel expenses from the places you visit and also be sure that you can reach back safe to your hotel even if you are stuck outside until late night! 

The Széchenyi Chain Bridge is the main tourist attraction for everyone visiting Budapest! It has 2 lions at the entrance and is a suspension bridge which is beautifully lit up at night. It is seen from the Buda Castle which is at a good height. The castle in itself has nothing much to offer but the views from the castle both during the day and at night are really amazing! There are also many places nearby the castle like The Fisherman's Bastion and the church. 

Thermal baths and spas are also the most popular and most visited in Budapest. Széchenyi Bath and Gellert Bath are the famous ones. 

If you have enough time or you just want to relax then take a cruise trip along the Danube River. The best time for this would be during sunsets. You can witness the transformation of the city into something mesmerizing! 

The other famous tourist places are in the link below: 
https://www.google.com/maps/placelists/list/1RIfZfNCBkxhQc5Kw7y74vkOxBEg?hl=en

Paprika, meat, cheese! We felt heavenly looking at the food options in Hungarian cuisine! People there are born to eat ;) Lángos (Pizza shaped fried dough topped with grated cheese and sour cream), Goulash (Gulyas - Soup served with a variety of options with or without meat), Chimney cake (Kürtöskalács - Sweet bread glazed with sugar and rolled in cinnamon, nuts and other toppings - same as the ones in Prague). These are some of the very famous traditional Hungarian street foods found all over the city! Karavan Street Food Court is a nice place to visit with both On the go and Dine in options. 
Drinks obviously compliment with all that street food you have had! Szimpla Kert is a great place to go to for some fun dancing. It's the very first ruin bar! Basically ruin bars host anything from flea markets to wild DJs or art galleries. You would definitely find it a bit different from the normal pubs/bars you visit outside. 

Well, I guess I summarized the long story short, what are you waiting for? Open a new tab and start making reservations! Before that don't forget to leave your comments below.! Until next time, Ciao! 

PS: Do not miss the sunset! Remember the opening para above? Best of both worlds ;)