Deutschland Adventure!

So I have just returned from my EPIC adventure in Germany with my friend Alecia. We spent I think nine days in Germany, seeing Berlin, Munchen (Munich), Fussen, Augsburg, and Heidelberg. Alecia speaks German, so we were able to navigate fairly well, and got to see:

The Berlin Zoo: OMG...so many animals! I felt a little like an excited kindergartener, running around and saying things like "Look! A gorilla! Look! A camel that has two humps! Look! Penguins!"
The Brandenberger Tor: We found this whole area kind of by accident, mainly using Alecia's memories of a children's book she read when she was little.
The University of Munchen, Frauen Kirche, and the Englisher Gartens in Munich
Neuschwanstein Castle and Hohenschwangau...We walked like 10 miles that day, but it was totally worth it...those castles are AMAZING...one actually has a tiny grotto in it!
Heidelberger Schloss, which was totally cool and run-down, unlike most of the Bavarian castles, which are so incredibly opulent and decorated, it is almost distracting.

Germany is really different from Ireland, not just weather wise (I actually got sunburnt!) There were actually very few people who spoke English to me, and I mainly had to ask Alecia what to say, since it was a new experience being in a country where I literally didn't understand anything beyond "Hello" and "Thank You." The people were really nice, although much more reserved, and I also noticed an unsettling tendency of the young men to wear capris, or man-pris, as Alecia and I termed them.

Some favorite memories: Making dinner in Berlin and walking down the street holding Wurst, apple rings and spatzle (definitely got some strange looks from that one!)
Riding the bus to Fussen and sitting next to a seat with a half-eaten candy bar. A man sits down next to me and asks if the candy is mine. I say no. About 15 minutes later, I hear some rustling next to me. Man is eating candy bar. This probably wouldn't have been so funny if he hadn't been wearing one of those German hats with the feather.
Being harassed by an old man in Lederhosen at the bus station at 9:30 in the morning. I didn't know people actually wore those, but apparently they wear them all the time!!
Exploring the Heidelberg Schoss and climbing down this strange German recreational playgound thing.
Playing a forbidden temple kingdom board game in German at 1:30 am while waiting for out flight

So...in conclusion, I would highly recommend visiting Germany as soon as possible. It is a country of excellence for sure! I am going to post pictures of it soon, but my camera is out of batteries right now, so I will have to save it for later. As they say "auf deutsch" (in German) "Ciao!" (Yeah...I know...not German...but everyone says it!)