When we first got here we were driven to Neuschwanstein castle in Füssen, around 4 hours away from Münich, where we landed. we mostly slept the way there, none of us having a decent night’s sleep on the flight over from America. When we got there, the first castle we saw was Hohenschwangau (I think that’s how you spell it, there might be an umlaut somewhere in there) and it is the castle of the Ludwig (II) – his parents rather, and I think where he grew up. It was pretty, very pretty, and I would put up pictures except you couldn’t take them inside. Lots of old furniture and even a bowl with bread in it – from a couple hundred years ago! – with salt that is a traditional hospitality gift here, it was from some prestigious Russian family or something. Big furniture, and even a room decorated Turkish-style because the family had traveled to Turkey and had fallen in love with it.

Next we saw Neuschwanstein, the castle of Ludwig himself, the King of Bavaria from a couple hundred years ago. It was even more pretty, though it took some effort getting up there. Since it’s in the mountains we had to hike up steep, tiring paths, but the castle made it worth it. I am told that Walt Disney used it as a model for Cinderella’s castle in Walt Disney World, and you can tell ’cause it’s faintly reminiscent of it. Also no pictures allowed in here, but we could take shots out the window, which were very pretty from the mountains that overlook the lakes and villages that are just down the slopes. Ludwig was a big fan of swans and Richard Wagner and his castle still does show it, swans are everywhere, carved in wood, painted on walls... The name ‘Neuschwanstein’ itself even means ‘New Swan Stone’ when translated from German. And as mentioned, Ludwig was a big fan of Wagner, who visited frequently to perform and stay as a family friend.

The castle was never completed before Ludwig’s mysterious unsolved death when he was found with his doctor (also dead) by the lake, but it is a known fact that the government declared him mentally ill some years before that. But the tour of the castle is marvelous, you can see Ludwig’s throne room, which is lavishly decorated with paintings of the 12 apostles from the Bible while there is a mosaic of the Garden of Eden on the floor with a huge lovely silver chandelier hanging above.

You can also see the King’s private library, study, bedroom and even his wintergarten – or an indoor cave he made that you can walk through. It’s great. There is also a big lookout bridge a few minutes away where you can get the castle and much of the landscape in one shot, but unfortunately, we didn’t have time to visit it. So if you’re ever in southern Germany, Bavaria – or around Füssen in perticular, go and see both castles!

Now I’ll tell you about family life here in Germany. I’m living here with Lisa Luppa, in the heart of downtown Lünen, the pedestrian zone in an apartment right off the main street. Everything is pretty close and convenient, from Döner Kebabs (Turkish gyros) to ice cream to shopping. It’s a surprisingly big aparment; the rooms are just as big as if you went to any other house I think. I have my own room, which I find to be quite comfy.

A typical German breakfast consists of Brötchen – of bread rolls onto which you spread any number of things, jam, butter, Nutella (a creamy, chocolate hazelnut spread that I am infatuated with), or even make a sort of sandwich with meats like ham and cheese. It’s my favorite meal since I love bread, and this sort of thing is not so common back home. Ummm...

Lisa’s parents are also really nice; she lives with her mom, Marlis, and her stepdad, Klaus. They make great meals like a chicken-rice-veggie stir-fry that I had yesterday, excellent spaghetti, and other yummies. They are very flexible, saying I can do whatever I want, it’s no problem, so sometimes I go out in the city to shop, walk around or meet with friends. They do an excellent job on my laundry, too – even press and fold everything, which due to my own laundry habits, I don’t get much at home.

But Lisa and I, when we’re not doing group activities we play rummy, watch German TV (which I can’t really understand but has stuff like Malcolm in the Middle, Home Improvement, the OC, Spongebob... etc.). We usually all eat meals together, too.

Something different about the life here is that the families in general like to keep doors shut a lot. This is something a bit new for me. Usually all doors in my house (with the exception of the bathroom when it’s in use) are always open. Also I have been told that I can’t drink the tap water. My host parents say it’s dirty or not safe which is also different, because usually if I want a drink of water at home, I’ll just go to the sink. But instead I am to drink bottled mineral water, or soda, or juice (I actually have peach tea here in my case which is awesome!) and the mineral water is carbonated... which I don’t like too much and is very rare back home.

The toilets are also a big difference, less water, and different overall designs, and also it’s not uncommon to hang your clothes up to dry after they’ve been washed to save some energy from running the dryer (usually we use a dryer all the time in America). Also, to save energy my host family is always making sure my room light is off when I’m not there, which hasn’t really been an issue at home.

Everything else... is history... or rather not that different, I can’t remember. It’s fun here, and interesting every day with the rapid fire German that everyone speaks, which I can only understand a little. But it’s an adventure and there’s new stuff every day that I’m coming into contact with. I’ll be sad to leave.