Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg, with a population of almost 1.5 million. It is a beautiful city with its medieval city centre authentically restored after World War 2. Today the city is a charming mix of old & new. It is a very safe city with a very low crime rate. As in the other cities we have visited in December, Munich is all aglow with buildings decorated for Christmas & Christmas markets around almost every corner. Our first full day in Munich we all opted for a walking tour which was a great introduction to the city & took us to places we may not have ventured otherwise. Our guide explained some of the history of the Bavarian kings as well as telling us how Munich has made a practice of borrowing architecture from throughout the ages with a mix of Italian & French styles all sitting side by side. The following day we toured the Munich Residence, the palace of the royal family which was much extended over the centuries by each new monach. It has been beautifully restored with over 90 rooms on display, including the treasury which contains the royal jewels & other priceless collections from throughout the centuries. In many of the rooms the decoration is very opulent, with gold gilding, silk wall hangings & embroidered silk furniture. We were all in awe at such splendor. The following day we headed to Fussen, a 2 hour train journey seeing some of the most picturesque vistas of the snow covered alps on our way to visit Neuschwanstein Castle. The Castle was built by King Luidwig II, who was known as the Fairy Tale King as well as the Mad King. Luidwig was very unpopular with the aristocracy & government as he funded the building of a series of castles, Neuschwanstein being the last, & to this day remains unfinished. The people of Bavaria now thank Luidwig as so many visitors come to visit these stunning castles. Neuschwanstein Castle is a very romantic castle built in a such picturesque setting. Disney actually modeled Sleeping Beauty's Castle on Neuschwanstein. We also visited Hohenschwangau Castle where Luidwig grew up which is located down the hillside from Neuschwanstein Castle. We now say goodbye to Germany. We have all really enjoyed our time in Germany as the people are so warm and friendly and nearly everyone speak English which is great for we Aussies who know no German.