Neuschwanstein Castle

You take the Train from the Main Train station in Munich……. the trip takes about 2 hours.The trip is pleasant not spectacular but a nice way to spend 2 hours.

When you arrive at Fussen the closest town to the Castle a Bus is waiting for you outside the Train station it is about 3 USD but included if you have a Bayern ticket.The ticket can be purchased online or at the train station it is about 28USD and can be used anywhere in Bavaria including Saltzburg for almost 24 hours for any type of public transportation.I used the Bayern ticket to go on the U-Bahn to the

Munich central station………. it was used to go to Fussen and then showed it to the driver for the 30 minute ride to the Castle.You arrive at the bottom of a hill to get to the Castle which has its own shuttle to the top……. are you tired yet ? This is a long trip and a lot of people are making a buck from this Castle especially Disney.

But you get your reward when you start to get a view of the Castle and of course you pay again if you decide to go into the Castle.Although the views of the area are nice I think just walking around the area and getting a view of the Castle and the area is more interesting.

My suggestion is to arrive early and try to come in off season.Even though it was late April it was still busy.Also it was about 45 F or 7 C not a Beach day.

How to get a Boarding Pass to Mars.

This is an article from The Verge………………

Now’s the time to get your name on NASA’s next mission to Mars

It’s that time of the year again, when NASA gives you the opportunity to “ship” your name to another celestial body. This time, the destination is Mars, and the shipping service is NASA’s future Mars 2020 rover, which will be headed to the Red Planet in — you guessed it — 2020.

The rover’s primary mission is to get us closer to answering that fundamental question: did Mars ever host alien life? The robot is equipped with tools and instruments that will help scientists figure out if the planet may have hosted life in the past. On top of that, the rover will also be drilling and collecting samples of Martian dirt. It’ll then leave those samples on the ground, where they could potentially be picked up someday by another spacecraft and brought back to Earth.

And while the Mars 2020 rover is doing all of this, your name could be along for the ride. If you send in your name sometime before September 30th, NASA engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will etch it onto a silicon chip with an electron beam, and then the rover will carry it on its journey. The names are going to be pretty teeny, though — about one-thousandth the width of a human hair. That’s small enough so that more than a million names can be included on a single chip as big as a dime — but big enough for any Martian microbes to read (only kidding… Martians can’t read).

NASA has provided this opportunity for members of the public before, when it landed the InSight lander on Mars in 2018 or when it sent the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to the asteroid Bennu. And just like any seasoned traveler, you’ll get a boarding pass and “frequent flyer” miles. Seeing as how the InSight travelers got about 300 million miles from their trip, the Mars 2020 folks are poised to get some serious points, too. Unfortunately, it seems doubtful Delta airlines will accept them.

Oxford

After going back to London made a quick trip to Oxford.It is a great day trip from London since it is only about a 1 hour journey from Marylebone train station.

When you arrive at Oxford there are many buses stopping at the train station.Since I needed to get back to london in a short time decided to take the tourist bus that covers the entire city in about 70-80 minutes.It costs 20USD but you can save about 10 percent by using a Viator promotion code that you can find online.

The bus makes about 20 stops and you can get off and return whenever you want.

I paid about 17 USD for a return ticket from London so it was not an expensive trip.

Here are some Pics

Stratford-upon-Avon

Took the Train from Marylebone Station in London which takes about 2 1/2 hours

It was not a pleasant trip since that day on May 6 had many delays on this route.Every time a Train was cancelled I got off at a new stop and then a new Train was cancelled.At that point I made many new friends who faced the same issues so it was not a totally negative experience.

When I finally arrived in Stratford-upon-Avon after making some good bets on where I should get off and which Train I hoped would actually arrive I was greeted by old style English hospitality.

The Taxi driver would not take a tip and even carried my bags into the Hotel to the Reception area which was not easy to find.

I chose the Arden Hotel since they recently joined Hyatt and as a result I could use Hyatt rewards to get 2 free nights.

The Hotel was old and very charming that charm of course comes at a cost no Elevator.

I was taken to a room with a short group of steps with the wonderful lady at reception taking my bags to my room.

It had a great view of the Avon river and the Royal Shakespeare Company right across the street.

In the Bathroom was a old tub that is larger then many rooms in London or New York City.

It was late afternoon so I quickly went to take a walk to get a feel for the area.I also had booked 2 shows at the RSC so I had very little time to take a quick view of the area.

All in all the 2 Days were great I got out of London got some fresh air visited a lovely and charming city with people who are lovely and charming.

This is not only a great day trip from London but a nice place to stop for a few days.

The German Paradox

When I was in Munich I went to Fussen to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle and also Dachau the first Concentration Camp in Germany and Europe.

While I visited the Castle I thought about the split personality of the German character.The same people who brought us Goethe and the model for the Castle of all Disney properties.Also gave us the Final Solution and the killing of 6 million Jews also the killing of Gypsies and Homosexuals and mentally challenged people.

How can this be ?

How did a society of the highest culture in Europe and the World create in the most detailed way the ultimate killing of most of the Jews of Europe ?

Is there a flaw in the German character or does such crimes represent the ugliness that all human beings are capable of ?

After all the Italians gave our Civilization the Roman Empire its brutality and grand buildings,Machiavelli the Borghese but also the beauty and Art of the

Renaissance.These same people offered the World the Mafia and the Fascism of Mussolini.

But the Germans producing National Socialism and Hitler and the Holocaust

from the aftermath of the humiliation of the Versailles Treaty is unique in a brutality that could not be predicted even with the Prussian side of the German mind.

This question is easy to consider when walking through Dachau or any Concentration Camp and it is a question that many great minds will examine as time gives a better perspective to this period.

Katona Apartments

While in Budapest had a great experience with this property.They are in the center of Budapest and offer a clean and modern Apartment for one or several people.

You need to leave a 20 percent Deposit with PayPal but it is so worth it.

I had become ill in Munich and when I offered Virag the Manager and owner the other 80 percent he told me it is OK he will just try to rent the room for the 2 nights I had booked.

I am not receiving any cash or any payment from the owner I strongly suggest if you are in Budapest you consider one of the rooms they have available.

Virag deserves your support he is a good Property Manager.

http://katonaapartments.hu/

Paris

Do you need to say more……. Have family and friends so I feel at home.

Went to visit the louvre and the Orsay Museum and then took a ride on the Seine all in very bad weather with rain every few minutes.

But who cares it is Paris so life goes on you live you have fun.

This is a great way to feel the City, I was staying at CDG at a Ibis Hotel next to the Airport and took the RER to Chatelet Les Halle.A return ticket which includes all transport for the day cost 20USD

From Chatelet took a Metro Line 1 to the Louvre.

From the Louvre it is a short walk across a bridge to the Orsay Museum.I then picked up a Batobus across the street from the Museum.This ship makes 9 stops in Paris and makes it a great way to get a feel for the City.The Batobus is less then 20 USD.

You can book on Viator and when you are a new customer you can save 10 percent.This is true on any activity regardless where in the world you book.

Will add Photos

The South of Italy

The best way to visit the beautiful areas of Amalfi and Sorrento and Capri and Portafino is using Naples as your base.

You can use the Circumvesuviana train system from the Central station which stops in Pompeii and Sorrento from Naples and it only costs 2-3 USD each way.The only problem is they have no AC so be prepared by bringing water with you.

From Sorrento you can catch a group of Buses that will take you to a variety of cities.They are new and have AC that really works.These Buses are cheap about 3 USD but they can be crowded.I took a Bus to Amalfi and Portafino.

You can also go to Capri with a Ferry and either come back to Naples or go on to another city like Portafino.

You can find prices online for the different options available. I would rather not give a specific Company since it would appear I was getting paid for the recommendation.

The Hotels in any of the cities along the coast tend to be much higher then Naples so if you want to keep your costs low having Naples as your base will help your money go a much longer way.

Which road is America taking ?

The initial theme of my Blog was to talk about travel and to have beautiful pictures so that people can enjoy the experience of traveling to parts of the world that perhaps they have never seen.

I decided to change the name of my Blog to Milky Way Traveler because we all are Travelers we all are on this Planet and we’re hurdling through the Milky Way galaxy and we’re basically going to parts unknown and we’re sharing it all together.

Watching the current news regarding Trump and the Immigration policy of the United States makes me want to acknowledge to everyone that we are at an important point now in our History.

This siren song of hate has happened very often not only in American history but across the Planet.There are now populist movements either it be in the Philippines under Duerte or in Hungary under Orban or in Brazil or in so many parts of the world where the Immigrant is looked at as the other as the enemy as creatures that are not human that should be looked down upon and hated.

Is this any different then previous eras like for example the 1930s which led to the de-humanization of Jewish people ? The Germans called them Communists the Russians called them Counter-Revolutionaries they were called parasites they were called dangerous they were called criminals and how did that work out ?

Now if you’re poor and you’re desperate and you’re escaping the horrors of Guatemala or El Salvador or Honduras or any other area in Central America or South America where people are dreaming of a better life,you are not looked at as creatures that deserve the empathy of Trump and his supporters. Now Trump and his enablers look at these people as not human but as simply creatures that are bringing disease that are bringing the worst that the world offers to the shores of the United States. While the Statue of Liberty cries in New York Harbor……… Trump is capable of doing anything to try to satisfy his political base.

Now is the time that we can’t simply be silent what will people ask in the future ? What will your children or your grandchildren say ? What did you do during this period ? How did you conduct your life when the de-humanization of human beings was being done by the President of the United States and those who enable him ? We as decent human beings regardless of our political parties regardless of our religious beliefs cannot tolerate this type of behavior from the President of the United States and the present Administration, we now must do something.

That involves being politically active being involved in Organizations that don’t accept this type of behavior that means we can not afford to do nothing.

History has proven that those who just sit back and watch end up being a party to those who helped create the environment of not only hatred but eventually people being killed.

Our country is also guilty for the Holocaust we didn’t allow people into our country because of fears and because Politicians and ordinary people said the Jews were Spies the Jews were dangerous that they should not be let into the United States.

And what was the result of that ? Even Ships that came with people who were desperate to leave the ancient hatreds of Europe were not allowed into the United States because of the same type of ugliness and hatred and prejudice that we are singing right now. The one difference is that FDR did not voice the same amount of ugliness and vitriol and hate as Donald Trump.But the results were that so many people could have been saved if the voices of fear had not dominated American discourse.That stain of blood is on America’s hands.

The question we have to ask ourselves is this ? How many people are now not being allowed into the United States who may be killed in their home Countries. Maybe their fears are justified ? Is it proper to treat these people with such a lack of sensitivity ?

History is looking at us now not only as a Country but as a people as to who we really are what are our morals ? What are our ethics ? Are we simply going to turn away while people are begging for help and assistance ? Are we going to allow the haters and the ugliness of Trump and those who support him to dictate our moral and ethical standards ?

We need to act now even before the 2020 Presidential election because there’s going to be a lot of pain and a lot of ugliness before November 2020 regardless of how the election concludes. I suggest that if you believe what Trump is doing now is totally counter to American values then you must act now because the legacy of America is now in your hands.

Santorini

Have been staying at the Atlantis Hotel in Santorini……… and Wow what a view.The view from my balcony is so beautiful it is difficult to have a desire to leave the room.

But this Island is a pleasure to explore and you can do it for very low cost.The central bus station on Fira has a group of buses that go all over the Island and they are new and have Air Conditioning.The rides are around 2USD to almost any part of the Island.

You also can take many long walks that can give you great views as well.

The Atlantis Hotel does not have an elevator so you have to reserve long in advance if you want a room on the first floor.

This property is a good value and since it is in Fira facing the Aegean it has fantastic views.

The rooms are basic but have a Fridge and Air Conditioning that actually works.

It costs about 20USD to take a Taxi from the Airport to the Hotel.