EuroMegavacation Episode 7 - Füssen, Germany

Spring Snowflake flowers bloom in a cemetery in Füssen.  I thought they were such adorable little flowers.

Our travels from Rothenburg odt to Füssen were smooth as silk.  This was a lovely contrast to the last big travel day.  We had a new transportation twist in that the final leg to Füssen was by bus instead of train, since it was so early in the tourist season.  The road was narrow and windy through the green countryside.  It was a fantastic drive.  We saw lots of farmers on tractors and cows grazing.  The stunning skyline of the Alps appeared on the horizon--a most fabulous backdrop for the pastoral countryside.  Ohhhhh, those are some pretty mountains.

A view from the bus to Füssen.

Upon arrival in Füssen, we walked from the train station to our accommodations at the Hotel Sonne.  I had a heck of a time with Google Maps, so we...took the long way.  Hotel Sonne was the "fanciest" place that we'd stay during the trip.  It had quirky yet elegant art and decor.  Our room was very attractive and had fun decorative features.  The towels, robes, and slippers were folded up in an open vintage suitcase in the bathroom, for example.  A vintage hat box disguised the small garbage can in the room.  The room had both a minifridge and air conditioning.  That was an unexpected surprise.

I dug the vibes at Hotel Sonne from the moment I stepped into the foyer.

Matt and I dropped our bags in the room and then went to find a late lunch.  We walked up and down the pedestrian zone, but ultimately decided on an Asian restaurant called Gia Dinh right around the corner.  I was successfully able to order in German--even requesting "no fish sauce" in my chop suey.  We ate outside in the sunshine.

Beer and chop suey in the sunshine.

Hotel Sonne boasts an incredible spa and wellness area called the Orient Oase (Oriental Oasis).  One of the main reasons that Matt chose the Hotel Sonne was because of the saunas.  He knew how much I would LOVE-love-LOVE that.  I was truly in heaven.  Sauna heaven!  The spa is more than 2,100 square feet of relaxation.  Because King Ludwig II (and other royals) had "a thing for the Orient," the spa is in a Moorish style.  The floor was mosaic tile, and the wallpaper made it look like a jungle--enhanced further with a gajillion potted plants all over.  There was relaxing music piped in, a variety of infused waters and hot teas were available, comfy rattan chairs, sofas, hammocks, beds, and cushions were EVERYWHERE for lounging.  There was a rooftop courtyard patio with lounge chairs galore, too.  

A peek inside our hotel room.  

There were two saunas and a steam room.  The largest sauna was a real cooker!  There was a thermometer on the wall as well as 15-minute sand timers (so one didn't overstay and actually cook themselves).  The lowest temp I saw in there was 176 degrees F (80C) and the highest temp I saw was 204 degrees F (96C).  It was intense and incredible at the same time.  The whole place was co-ed and clothing optional.  That is ideal in my book.  It really was heavenly.  I tried the steam room and both saunas during my first visit to the spa.  The hot-hot-hot one was instantly my favorite.  I really enjoyed the lounge spaces, too.  I brought my book and read in a swinging chair, drinking mint-and-berry water between heat sessions.  I spent pretty much all evening in the spa while Matt went off to explore Füssen on his own for a while.

A street scene from Füssen during Matt's solo walkabout.  Photo credit to Matt...obviously.

While I was basking in the heat and flute music, Matt stumbled upon the architectural/decorative wonders of Rococo!  Oh my gosh, this stuff!  It is SO pretty.  Rococo was a word Matt and I had both heard before, but had no idea what it was all about, I guess.  Rococo design is truly incredible to behold.  Incredible!  So elaborate and organic and colorful.  This style came out of France in the 1730s as a rebellion against the fairly rigid formal style that was the norm at the time.  Where the old style was geometric, clean, and symmetrical, the new would be asymmetrical, lavish, and dramatic.  And boy howdy!  Matt and I fell in love with Rococo in Europe and this church was just the start.

The stunning interior of the chapel at the Franciscan Monastery of St. Stephen.  Photo Credit to Matt.

Matt went on a purposeful scouting mission and found a REWE grocery store up the street that had a fabulous vegan section.  They had six doors in the refrigerated case jampacked with plant-based products.  There were so many kinds of sliced "meats" and cheezes.  It was remarkable.  So many options!  Since we actually had a way to keep it cold, Matt stocked our minifridge with a variety of German beers.

Füssen beer round-up.  We didn't have a bottle opener and Matt impressed me with his ability to use all sorts of other things in this capacity.  From a carabiner to a chip-clip to a balcony railing.  The swing top beers sure made it easy.

I came back from the sauna.  Matt returned from his walk.  We rendezvoused at our hotel room for a cheese and cracker snack and a drink.  Then I was off to the spa again--but it was even better because Matt came with me this time.  We started off with the steam room because I know he likes those, especially when they have a cold water shower option--which this one did.  After about an hour in the spa, we showered, changed, and headed back to our room.  We started putting together our daypacks for the excursion to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau the next day.  We walked to the REWE to select snacks and picnic supplies for our day trip.  We sat by the open windows and enjoyed a dinner of seitan salami, cheez, and pretzel bread.

A quick and easy cold dinner!

After dinner, Matt stayed in the room to do a little excursion planning and to read his book.  I returned to Sauna Heaven.  I remained there until closing time at 9pm.   We called it a pretty early night since we had a big excursion the next day.  Even still, the alarm felt a little too early the next morning.  

The quiet morning street scene from our hotel window.

Hotel Sonne is known for having an exceptional, "deluxe" breakfast buffet.  It 100% lived up to the hype and was by far my favorite breakfast spread of the trip.  The options seemed endless and included a few things I hadn't seen yet--like nondairy milk and hot/cooked breakfast options.  I'm planning a whole separate post on the amazing vegan meals we enjoyed during our EuroMegavacation so I'll leave the deluxe spread at that for now.  My only complaint about it was that I was on a schedule, meaning I couldn't linger over my meal and have a second mimosa.  But!  We had to get going!  Places to go, things to see.  Specifically, we had a couple of castles to visit!  

Matt, Neuschwanstein, and me from the Marienbrücke (Mary's Bridge).

We walked back to the train station to catch the bus.  Our day trip to Neuschwanstein Castle (Schloss Neuschwanstein) and Hohenschwangau Castle (Schloss Hohenschwangau) was completely perfect.  We had an incredible day filled with nature, history, and opulence.  We couldn't have asked for a better time at the king's castles.  There is a separate post about that excursion.

Matt and the Alpsee (which was so still it was reflecting like a mirror).

We got back to Füssen around 4:45pm.  I asked Matt to take me to the cool churches he'd found near our hotel.  We were calling it "Matt's Church Tour."  The first place he took me was the Franciscan Monastery of St. Stephen (Franziskanerkloster St. Stephan).  One of Matt's favorite Grateful Dead songs centers on St. Stephen and we would encounter statues, chapels, stained glass, and tapestries dedicated to St. Stephen all over Europe.  The Franciscan monastery here dates back to the 1600s and is still an active monastery.  We only visited the church part, but it sure was beautiful.  

A closer view of the interior of the chapel at the Franciscan Monastery of St. Stephen.  Photo Credit to Matt.

The outside is rather simple and white, making the red marble altars, bold ceiling paintings, and gold trim galore all the more surprising when I walked inside.  I'm not certain, but I think this might be true of many Rococo churches.  Simple outside, over-the-top inside.  (And I mean "over-the-top" in a good way.)  They also often have clear glass windows and/or limited stained glass so that more light enters the interior--illuminating all that elaborate carving, mural, and sculpture.  

The gorgeous interior of the Church of St. Sebastian.

After taking in the church, we strolled through the adjoining walled cemetery.    Then we made our way down the street to the Kirche St. Sebastian (Church of St. Sebastian) and the adjacent cemetery there.  I've always enjoyed a walk through a cemetery.  They're usually calm and parklike, a tranquil spot with birds and trees.  These European cemeteries are all that and more, somehow.  The trees are so established and they're often surrounded by a stone wall.  The variety of headstones--metal, stone, wood, inlaid, freestanding, built into the wall, etc.--is fascinating.  The dates on some of the headstones made my head spin a bit, too.  History is so long.  My segment of time in it is so infinitesimal.  

The exterior of the Church of St. Sebastian.  Photo credit to Matt.

Kirche St. Sebastianchurch has some really unique windows.  They almost look like clover leaves or paisley.  Matt and I both thought they were pretty cool.  The inside was rather similar to the Church of St. Stephen up the street--loads of gold and red marble.  The mural paintings--especially on the ceiling--were very dramatic and impressive.  

Interior of the Church of St. Sebastian.  I quite admired how skeletons and death were common motifs in churches.  A reminder of our brief time in this mortal existence and how death is the common denominator for all people.  ...but still pretty!  And fancy!

There was a third stop on Matt's Church Tour, but by the time we got there, the church was closed up for the day.  I can't remember which it was now.  So we went back to the room...and Sauna Heaven.   Matt enjoyed some more delish local beer and did our laundry.   (Shout out to Matt for doing all the laundry as we traveled, allowing us to pack light!)  

Mountains, and clouds, and trees...oh my!  Photo credit to Matt, from his solo walkabout.

I set off for the spa again, of course.  I spent most of the time alternating between the hot-hot-hot sauna and the fresh air of the balcony.  I came back to the room after an hour or so.  Matt and I enjoyed a quick and easy dinner of sandwiches and chips by the open windows again, taking in the street scene below.  Matt and I talked a lot about our day of castles and swans.  I put Wagner's swan opera, Lohengrin, on the stereo.  It was the perfect soundtrack.  Eventually, I felt the magnetic pull of the spa and headed back to Sauna Heaven--this time with Matt in tow.  We stayed until just before the 10pm closing time.  It was so blissful and relaxing.  We read a little while before turning out the lights, but not for long.  It had been a long day.  A long, but glorious day!   

Matt is eating a spicy vegan pepperoni stick and drinking a crisp, bright German pilsner--and I adore how happy he looks.

The next morning, we packed up our bags.  Our time in Füssen had been short and sweet, but it was time to move on to the next town on our itinerary.  Matt and I walked back over to the REWE for travel snacks, enjoying the street landscape one more time.  

A colorful hotel along our walking route.  I simply adored the way the buildings were painted.  The accents under the windows, the pseudocolumns on the front, etc.

Since we had no schedule to keep, I got to linger over my DELUXE breakfast spread at the Hotel Sonne.  It was as epic as I'd hoped the day before.  I sipped my way through two cups of coffee and two mimosas!  Made with fresh-squeezed juice and everything!  It was a top-notch start to the day. 

A mimosa bar with breakfast?!  Don't mind if I do!  This one was with carrot-orange juice.  I think my favorite was the black currant.

We collected our bags and walked back to the train station. Then we were off to Austria!

Fields of yellow canola flowers alongside the railways.