Hohenschwangau
Alpsee
Hotel Alpenstuben
Neuschwanstein
Saturday, June 8, 2019
Night 12: Hohenschwangau (Eric)
Night 12: June 8th, 2019. Since it is our last day here, we decided to go on nighttime photo safari. I thought I’d share some of the best pictures.
Alpsee
Hotel Alpenstuben
Neuschwanstein
Alpsee
Hotel Alpenstuben
Neuschwanstein
Day 12: Füssen (Eric)
Day 12: June 8th, 2019. We decided to head into the town of Füssen today. It’s a short bus ride down the hill from our hotel.
After the town center, we climbed a little uphill to Lech Falls. The Lech River runs through Füssen and is normally a beautiful bluish-green color, but we found out that because it was a warm day yesterday, the snow melt from the mountains turned the water brown. The river and the falls were still cool to see. Later in the day, when we took a boat on the Forggensee (a large man-made lake created from damming the Lech), we did get to experience the more picturesque color of the waters in this area. I’ll provide a little more information about that later. For now, some pictures of the river and the falls...
We had a nice lunch at a the Steakhaus Füssen and Tapas Bar. We tried some tasty tapas as we were not in the mood for a heavy steak for lunch as we still had more walking to do. Below is the view from our lunch spot.
Our next destination was a boat ride around the aforementioned Forggensee. We took the shorter of the two trip options, and this was enough to give us some majestic views of the surrounding mountains. We could even see Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau from the boat. At one point during the trip, we were joined by a large group of wedding guests who rode across to a church on the far side of the lake (see the fourth picture below). This created a fun, but crowded, atmosphere on the boat. This incident aside, the whole trip was a relaxing way to take a break from a long day of walking.
The town itself is another charming German town with an old town complete with a pedestrian only district that was fun to explore.
After the town center, we climbed a little uphill to Lech Falls. The Lech River runs through Füssen and is normally a beautiful bluish-green color, but we found out that because it was a warm day yesterday, the snow melt from the mountains turned the water brown. The river and the falls were still cool to see. Later in the day, when we took a boat on the Forggensee (a large man-made lake created from damming the Lech), we did get to experience the more picturesque color of the waters in this area. I’ll provide a little more information about that later. For now, some pictures of the river and the falls...
We had a nice lunch at a the Steakhaus Füssen and Tapas Bar. We tried some tasty tapas as we were not in the mood for a heavy steak for lunch as we still had more walking to do. Below is the view from our lunch spot.
After the falls, we climbed further up the hill to the German-Austrian border where we paid 5 Euro each to walk along several treetop swinging bridges. It had fabulous views, and there is one bridge where you can straddle the border of Germany and Austria. It was a fun experience. Below the swinging bridges was a kind of miniature ropes course for children, but Jenny and I channeled our inner children and played around for a while. We were both laughing hysterically during the whole adventure.
Our next destination was a boat ride around the aforementioned Forggensee. We took the shorter of the two trip options, and this was enough to give us some majestic views of the surrounding mountains. We could even see Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau from the boat. At one point during the trip, we were joined by a large group of wedding guests who rode across to a church on the far side of the lake (see the fourth picture below). This created a fun, but crowded, atmosphere on the boat. This incident aside, the whole trip was a relaxing way to take a break from a long day of walking.
Of course after relaxing, we decided to walk the approximately two miles back to our hotel instead of riding the bus. We’re gluttons for punishment, but it was a nice walk with some beautiful scenery and views of our favorite castles along the way.
Friday, June 7, 2019
Day 11: Hohenschwangau (Eric)
Day 11: June 7th, 2019 (a day of wow). I’m typing this from the balcony of our hotel and just can’t help but be in awe of this place. Here’s the view.
Today’s adventures involved a visit to both Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein, and we ended our day relaxing in the Kristall Thermal Pools in the nearby town of Schwangau. All three things defy description, so I will be brief and share some of the highlights in pictures.
To get to our next destination, Neuschwanstein, we paid for the shuttle bus to take us up the hill. We walked back down. I recommend this option unless you’re in reasonably good condition. Ludwig II was of particular focus as he is the king who was responsible for the construction of the castle 150 years ago. He died young (age 41) under mysterious circumstances before he could complete this castle. He had a reputation of being a little eccentric if not a little crazy and has earned nicknames like “the Mad King”, “the Fairytale King”, and “the Swan King.” Schwan means swan in German. Neuschwanstein was basically built to be his playground. He loved myths and legends and had murals of his favorites all over the walls. Many of the rooms were designed for him to play the central role in the stories that interested him the most. Here are some of the pictures from the exterior which, despite my best efforts, do not capture the beauty of this amazing place.
Our final destination was the Kristall Thermal Spa in Schwangau. It was a beautiful day today, so we decided to walk the thirty minutes it took to get there from our hotel. The walk, as is the norm around here, was filled with one majestic view after another.
The statue above was near the entrance to the thermal baths. The whole experience was extremely relaxing as we climbed into several pools of various temperatures and salt levels. The high salt-level pools allowed you to float without any effort, and it was an awesome way to alleviate the muscle fatigue from all the walking we’ve been doing. The views surrounding the pools were also amazing. It was an awesome way to end a fabulous day.
Today’s adventures involved a visit to both Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein, and we ended our day relaxing in the Kristall Thermal Pools in the nearby town of Schwangau. All three things defy description, so I will be brief and share some of the highlights in pictures.
The tour of Hohenschwangau was first on the agenda, and it is a relatively short walk from our hotel to the castle. It’s a little uphill, but not too strenuous. Unfortunately, the tour did not allow pictures, but it was a highly informative and interesting tour with a focus on the architecture, artifacts, and people that make this place one of a kind. Here are pictures from the exterior which is worth seeing even if you don’t take the tour.
To get to our next destination, Neuschwanstein, we paid for the shuttle bus to take us up the hill. We walked back down. I recommend this option unless you’re in reasonably good condition. Ludwig II was of particular focus as he is the king who was responsible for the construction of the castle 150 years ago. He died young (age 41) under mysterious circumstances before he could complete this castle. He had a reputation of being a little eccentric if not a little crazy and has earned nicknames like “the Mad King”, “the Fairytale King”, and “the Swan King.” Schwan means swan in German. Neuschwanstein was basically built to be his playground. He loved myths and legends and had murals of his favorites all over the walls. Many of the rooms were designed for him to play the central role in the stories that interested him the most. Here are some of the pictures from the exterior which, despite my best efforts, do not capture the beauty of this amazing place.
Our final destination was the Kristall Thermal Spa in Schwangau. It was a beautiful day today, so we decided to walk the thirty minutes it took to get there from our hotel. The walk, as is the norm around here, was filled with one majestic view after another.
The statue above was near the entrance to the thermal baths. The whole experience was extremely relaxing as we climbed into several pools of various temperatures and salt levels. The high salt-level pools allowed you to float without any effort, and it was an awesome way to alleviate the muscle fatigue from all the walking we’ve been doing. The views surrounding the pools were also amazing. It was an awesome way to end a fabulous day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)