Bleckenau + An Australian Visitor

,I had a Couch Surfer named Chris here from Australia last week and he was really cool; more like a friend. Definitely one of my favorite so far. He's been traveling for nine months already. Man, he has been all over the place (all over South America, Africa). However, I still feel confident that he will remember this place because it's just so damn beautiful here!

We went to the castles (naturally) and hiked in the mountains & up to one of Ludwig II's hunting chalets (see previous post). I also took him to Blondi's on Saturday night so he could try some excellent Bavarian beer. That was an interesting night. Less than two hours after Chris showed up, an acquaintance of mine dropped her Couch Surfer off at my door. He lives in Chicago, but he's from Oklahoma, for what it's worth. I thought she was going to call first, but no, she just dumped him at my house. This was after she had an extensive bitch session about him to me on the phone.

Anyway, this guy came in the door like a bull out of a chute. Non-stop talking and just a lot to handle. I'll leave it at that because he's not an asshole, just annoying. So I won't diss him. Well, except for this part. He ended up having to crash at my place because he hadn't made an arrangement with his host. I KNEW she was going to try to get him to stay here a night even though I already had a guest. Very rude. Moving on, as we all turn in for the night, he warns us that he snores. FUCK YEAH he did! It was like a chainsaw running all night long. My apartment is like one large room. My "bedroom" is behind a large shelf of records, so it's hidden from sight but not from sound. This guy's snoring permeated my dreams all night. Thankfully, I was still fit to go for our hike the next day. If I wasn't, I would have been extremely upset.

Alright, on to the photos. I should add that about a third of these were taken by Chris. (Thanks!)


Chris and I next to a monster glass of beer at Blondi's:


Having a beer with Wolfgang:

Having beer with a couple of Surfers. One slightly crazy, one not so much:

Hiking up the Pöllatschlucht:

Neuschwanstein:




The Bleckenau:



Kneippen in front of the Bleckenau:


My classic pose: "Where the hell are we?":













I thought this was a really bizarre stone at first, but it's a really old piece of wood. Still cool looking:





The curiously cold cure called Kneippen. Say it three times fast!:


Taken from Ludwig's promenade on the east side of town:


The Lech river:

Our little outing with Elli the next day:



Check it out: a grass angel!:





Here's a photo of the couch crasher. Chris threatened to write all over him if he snored, and he made good on that threat. I still laugh at the "I'm sorry".