Germany Trip Day 13: Hohenschwangau and Füssen

After breakfast, we hurried to make AJ's doctor appointment for his head injury. We found the clinic using our GPS, and made our way inside the building. After talking to the receptionist, we payed the fee and found the waiting room. The waiting room was actually really great for the kids. AJ didn't get a chance to really enjoy it as he was soon called back to the examining room, but H and K really enjoyed playing with all the toys, and it was relaxing for me because I could just sit there and watch them play happily. No one else was there most of the time while we waited, so I didn't have to run interference with H.

After the doctor gave AJ the OK, we drove to downtown Füssen, found a parking spot, and walked around.

I'm not sure what the stories of these paintings are, but I saw a man making a violin, and I remembered reading that Füssen is historically a violin-making town.

This was the entrance to a museum we later chose not to explore.

The museum again

A church we passed.

The ceiling

The right part of the front

Looking left

Center

A painting of what looks like the Last Supper

Another church. I didn't enter this one, though.

After walking down the main street a little, we found a store that specializes in traditional Bavarian clothing, including dirndls and lederhosen. We had already bought the lederhosen (for more money) in Hohenschwangau, but I was unsatisfied with K's dress. We decided to go in and look around. They had an incredible selection for adults and children. There were so many beautiful dresses that I had difficulty choosing which ones K should try on. We finally settled on a few, and, after trying them on, K and I decided to buy a beautiful light purple dirndl for just a little LESS than the cheap dress we bought at the souvenir shop. The boys' clothes were acceptable, but if we had bought them at this store, we would have been able to get the correct size for H (AJ's size was easy to find) for a lower price. Oh, well. You live and learn.

After purchasing the dress, we wandered around a little more. We found imitation crocs for K for only three Euros. This was great, since her old shoes were dirty and worn and needing to be replaced.

Füssen

Then we stepped into another shop that carried some cuckoo clocks. The kids had been admiring them almost the whole trip, and we decided to finally look closely at the ones in this store. After looking and listening to many different clocks, we decided on one.

Our cuckoo clock. The people at the top dance, the water wheel turns, the men raise and lower their steins, and the lady brings them more beer from the Biergarten.

Another cuckoo clock we considered. This one also has men with their steins and a water wheel, but this one has kids playing instruments at the top. It was just too big.

Another cuckoo clock we looked at. The men saw the log, the waterwheel turns, and the people dance at the top.

After purchasing the clock, we decided that we had spent our wad. We stopped at a pharmacy to buy Timo some contact solution and snapped some pictures on the way back to the car.

The pharmacy. The building is flat. The columns are painted on.

Clock tower at the corner of an abbey.

Once in the car, we stopped at a bakery on the way out of town for a sandwich, then drove back to the hotel. The sandwich, along with other sandwiches we had made at breakfast, the bananas purchased the day before, and some chips leftover from Heidelberg provided enough sustenance for our lunch.

After lunch, I left Timo to tend to the kids while I attempted to return K's first dress. The lady wouldn't give me my money back, but she did let me exchange it for other items in the store. I chose a stein, a hat for AJ, and some postcards and bookmarks to round it off. I think she was a little surprised that I didn't exchange it for another dress, but I didn't want to tell her that I thought her store was a rip-off, and her dresses were cheap and overpriced.

Upon leaving the store, I hiked around a little to take some more pictures of the town while I was kid-free.

This is where we had dinner later that night.

Upon returning, Timo and I decided to spend the remainder of the afternoon visiting the famous Weiskirche, which is located about 30 minutes from where we were. We could have visited some museums and another castle in Füssen, but we had to be realistic about what to expect out of our kids. We had planned on visiting this church anyway, on our way north toward Munich and Nuremberg. This allowed us more freedom with our time the next day.

Before leaving for Weiskirche, we dressed the kids in their German clothes, and attempted to take some pictures in a field in front of Neuschwanstein. The foggy weather was not ideal, but we really wanted this setting, so we made do with what we had. It was an adventure, trying to get all kids smiling at the same time. We ended up with some acceptable pictures, and some that might even be considered good. On we went to the church.

As we walked toward the church, I was disappointed to see that no pictures were allowed inside. There was a service going on when we got there, so we sat quietly in the back pew and looked around. Others were not so polite, and they wandered around taking forbidden photographs. I even saw a man in a pew toward the front, taking a video. I bought some postcards afterwards to have a memory of the interior of this breathtaking house of God. Outside, the kids played a little, and H found a pigeon to follow. We attempted to get some pictures on a country road by the church, but that was mostly a bust. Many people commented on our children and their dress, and one woman even asked if she could take a picture of H. He is such a charmer.

Weiskirche

The kids looking at the pigeon

In front of the church

H following the pigeon again

AJ and H following the pigeon together




The boys on the country road we wanted to use as a backdrop for photographs. This picture was just too fun to not post.

A chapel close by Weiskirche

The interior of the chapel

We finally decided it was time to head back. At the hotel, we changed the kids out of their clothes before dinner. We then walked to one of the many restaurants close-by, and we ate German food once more. I chose something that included three thin bratwursts, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes, with a side salad, of course. Timothy chose something that translated to lumberjack steak with ham, onion, and potato wedges. I tried his, and it was fabulous. Mine was good, too, but I would say that his choice was better. The kids ate fish sticks. The name “Captain Nemo” had them hooked (excuse the pun) from the moment they read it on the menu. We concluded dinner with some hot apple streudel. Yum.

The sun came out sometime while we were in the restaurant, so we decided to dress the kids up again and attempt another round of picture-taking. We got some really good pictures, but none of the good ones included all three kids. Oh, well. They were tired, and so done with the whole process, so we climbed back in the car to drive back to the hotel.

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So, here are some of the pictures that most accurately portray the whole photo-taking experience for us. There are too many to post all of them or even the best ones, so I settled on some silly ones mixed with a couple of good ones. You can tell which ones we took in the afternoon, and which we took after dinner.

Action shot

Yes, their fingers, are, in fact, up their noses.

She looks like she is waiting, dreaming of her long lost love, who just happens to be coming along.

Just being silly with her brother's hat

AJ giving K a flower

H looking at a flower

Me and my girl

Germany Trip Day 12: Hohenschwangau

Our morning was slightly rushed as Timo had to hurry to pick up our tickets immediately after breakfast. When he returned, we loaded up with water and a couple of sandwiches and dashed off to Hohenschwangau Castle. We had overestimated how long it would take us to get there, so Timo carried H in the backpack and pushed AJ in the stroller while I booked it up the hills and stairs with K on my shoulders.

We arrived in the courtyard of the castle well ahead of time, glistening with the perspiration from our efforts. Being early allowed us plenty of time to look around and take pictures of the castles' exterior.

Fountain in the courtyard.


View of the countryside from the courtyard

One of the balconies visible from the courtyard.

The kitchen -- this is separate from the tour

The fountain again

Waiting for our turn to tour the castle

Another view from the castle grounds

A side door. I don't think we saw this from the inside.

Finally, it was our turn to take a tour. They have it set up where everyone has a number that corresponds with a time to start the tour. This way, there are no long lines to endure, but it also means that every tour is only allowed a certain amount of time in each room. They don't allow people to take pictures of the interior of the castles during the tour, but they do let you take pictures out of the windows.

Going in

A view fit for a king

Another view from inside

The courtyard. You can see the fountain to the left, and the balcony toward the right

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Exiting

K by the exit. This was the servant's entrance/exit

The exterior of a window near the exit

The tour was interesting. This castle was originally built in the 12th century and maintained by a family of knights, It changed hands several times, and was eventually nothing but ruins by the early 19th century. King Maximillian II, father of Ludwig II (who built Neuschwanstein), was responsible for acquiring the property and rebuilding it in the 1830's. The castle is complete with secret passageways for the servants to use so they were out of sight (but we didn't get to see these on the tour) and a hidden door leading from the king's bedroom to the queen's bedroom below.

We also learned that the queen was a mountaineering enthusiast who loved the region. She is said to have climbed all the surrounding mountains, keeping her ladies-in-waiting in shape in the process.

When we entered the king's chambers, I walked toward the bedroom, and said, "AJ, come look at this." Of course, when I got in front of the room, I realized that this was not where I should be directing my young son's eyes. The king's room was painted with many naked ladies in addition to the other artwork. Oops!

During the tour, we ascended the steps used by the royal family, but we exited using the servant's stairway. I think it is fun seeing both. Upon exiting, we snapped a few more pictures, then descended the hill to catch the bus to Neuschwanstein. It is possible to walk between the castles, but Timo and I thought it might be too much for little legs, especially since we had to make it there before our next tour time.

One of the fountains

View of the town from the way up to the castle

The swan fountain. The swan is a symbol of the region and present in virtually every room in both castles

Descending the stairs to go back to town

One last look back

On the bus ride between castles

When we got to the bus station, we were too late to make the bus that was there, so we had to wait. I hurried over to one of the local souvenir shops to buy some much-needed cold water, and we waited what little shade we could find while we rehydrated. We were toward the front of the line for the next bus, so we quickly found a seat and relaxed for a few minutes. While we sat there, we pulled out the sandwiches we made at breakfast for the kids, and they munched on them as we rode.

The bus doesn't go all the way to Neuschwanstein, but it stops at a crossroads where one can choose to visit Queen Mary's Bridge or hike directly to the castle. We had some time, so we visited the bridge, first.

Walking up to Queen Mary's Bridge

Neuschwanstein from the bridge

It's a long way down

This guy was playing as we walked on the path to the bridge. I am not sure the name of his instrument, but it was interesting.

While on the path from the bridge, we passed a man who was doing original artwork of Neuschwanstein. His pictures were really good, and we decided to buy one. However, we didn't want to lug it around during the whole tour, so I told him I would return to make a purchase. We then walked back to the place where the bus had dropped us off, and journeyed up the mountain to the long-awaited castle.

Hohenschwangau Castle from the path to Neuschwanstein

Not a great picture of me, but look how beautiful everything else is!


Yet another picture of Hohenschwangau Castle

Arriving at Neuschwanstein

The entrance to the castle

A view back to Queen Mary's Bridge. It is difficult to see, but it spans the gully.

When we arrived, we took a few moments to look around and snap some photos before our tour started.

That tiny person in a dark blue shirt up there is me.

A closer shot

After a few minutes, it was our turn for the tour. The group for this castle was much larger than the group with which we had toured the other castle. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hear everything that was said. We weren't supposed to take pictures on this tour, either, so I took a few shots before it started.

The entryway


A view from a castle window

This castle was never finished. After 17 years of construction and only 170 days of occupying it, Ludwig II died under mysterious and possibly suspicious circumstances. Because he was broke, construction on the castles halted upon his death. The rooms that are completed are remarkable. Even the servant's quarters are gorgeous. Every surface made for Ludwig II seems to have something painted or carved on it.

After the tour, we visited the gift shop that it is the middle of the castle. I bought a book on Neuschwanstein, which I saw later at other shops for more money. Upon exiting the gift shop, we entered the unfinished portion of the castle, with the bricks and mortar visible everywhere. We descended the steps and reached a portion that was finished. This included some faucets, a sink, the kitchen, and the scullery. We also saw a portion of the central heating system that was installed, with steam pipes running all over the castle to provide heat during the bitterly cold Bavarian winters.

Swan faucet

Scullery

Part of the kitchen

A sink that is no longer in service.

Exiting the castle. The coolest part of the day. Kind of an antithesis to the rest of the castle.

After exiting the castle, Timo and I agreed that I should run back to buy a painting from the man by the bridge while he stayed with the kids. I quickly walked along the paths, bought a painting, and made my way back up to the castle grounds. The kids were enjoying the freedom, and they had made a friend, too.

H peeking into a dungeon area. I don't know what it really was since the castle wasn't built as a fortress.

Timo and I still had not eaten anything, so we decided to visit one of the snack stands near the castle. We ate our lunch, and then we stopped for ice cream for the kids before completing our descent.

Panorama of the area from the path by Neuschwanstein

Random waterfall

At one point, K and I decided to take a shorter, steeper path down while Timo took the boys down the long way. We then met at the bottom.

Sweet K on the path down

Since we had some time left in the afternoon, we walked over to one of the lakes, called the Alpsee. There, we saw some swans as well as some people enjoying the water.

A swan and her "ugly ducklings" swimming in the Alpsee


In front of the Alpsee

We also visited several souvenier shops, where we bought the boys lederhosen and matching shirts as well as a silver spoon for me. After we had visited the stores, we decided to amble back to the hotel for a few moments before dinner. I did some laundry in the sink while the kids enjoyed some freedom and playtime.

We went into Füssen for dinner, opting for Italian food instead of German for the kids' sake. Timo and the older two ate pizza, while I ordered tortellini with ham and peas in a creamy tomato sauce to share with H. After dinner, we walked over to a grocery store to buy yogurt for snack-time, post cards, and bananas for the next day, in addition to some other items. Then we headed back to the hotel for some rest and unwinding time for the kiddos.

The kids peaking down from the balcony.

Today, it really hit me how temporary earthly wealth is. Neuschwanstein is full of so much beauty, but it was never finished and only occupied a short time. All that time and effort spent "storing up treasures on earth." It just really struck me how true the verse is that says, "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Life and its pleasures just seem so temporary compared to eternity.