Bavarian Castles and Cowbells

Jon: After our magnificent time in Zell am See, it was bittersweet to depart. However, we were on a tight timeline for Austria and Bavarian Germany and had to move along. We were on our way to Schwangau to take in Neuschwanstien Castle. The drive took us along winding mountain roads that gave a good sense of the area – interesting towns, castles, fall colors, and mountains. No complaints aside from a little rain here and there. We also discovered the GPS on our tablet worked beautifully. Thanks GPS!

We came through the town of Fussen to reach Schwangau. We were told that the castles draw a lot of people and driving through the historic part of Fussen proved this. As we approached we could see not one, but two, castles. I’d forgotten that both father and son Ludwig had built castles here – bonus. Neuschwanstein has been on the bucket list for me and I was not disappointed. We dropped the car at our guest house, the Romantic Pension Albrecht, and walked around to kill time prior to check-in. Both castles could be viewed from our location and added to the excitement of where we were.

Shortly after checking in, we made an evening hike to the Neuschwanstein Castle as the sun was starting to set. It is as magnificent up close as it is from afar. Though not super old, it was built to mirror the castles from the days of German knights. Towering tourettes, big blocks, a giant door, and loads of other cool features. The Disney castle was modeled after this, but is more frilly for the kids. 😉 Our evening hike was lovely. We enjoyed our walk around the castle, views of Hohenschwangau Castle across town, the aqua lake below, and the towering Alps.  We had dinner in town and we opted for a gigantic beer to serve as both beverage and desert.

Our second day was even better than the first. We made our way to a nearby ski and hiking area, enjoying the cow bells chiming and jingling in the nearby pastures. We climbed just below the summit of the little, but steep, Hornburg Mountain. We had awesome views of Neuschwanstein Castle along the way AND I even saw a small group of Ibex as I rounded a corner. Sadly, they spooked and scampered away quickly. I had longed to see some different wildlife and this encounter was brief, but great – for the eyes only. We concluded our hike at a mountain lodge/chalet and had beers with local hikers and other visitors. Perfect.

As the evening set in, we found ourselves at a food stand with some indoor seating and wonderfully loud dance music. A handful of brats and some beers filled our bellies and provided a little fuel to continue our walking tour. After our early dinner break, we hiked to Hohenschwagau Castle and enjoyed the architecture. The best part, however, were the views of the aqua colored lake below. We took in the castle and made our way down to get a close-up view of the lake. The lake was surrounded by trees wearing their fall garb and had swans swimming. Though chilled by some rain, the lake did nothing to disappoint.

Amy: As our flight to Africa was on the horizon, we needed to get back to Salzburg for our departure. We drove across Bavaria and stopped in lovely Oberammergau (per a suggestion from my former colleague, Casey). The sun was shining on the many painted houses lining its streets. We took another long walk through town and found the grocery store to pick up some treats and supplies. The grocery store is one of those everyday places that we enjoy exploring in other countries.

We headed to the town of Ruhpolding, which we chose mainly due to affordability and proximity to Salzburg. We loved our accommodations at the Gästehaus Geist with views of the surrounding mountains and country side. We walked a bit into the sleepy town center and didn’t find much open due to it being the slow season. We walked into a little pizza-by-the-slice restaurant and had one of our best meals and conversation with some kind German travelers. The pesto and olive oil on the crispy crust was tasty and left us wishing we had another day in Ruhpolding. The other reason we wish we an additional day was we were given another free card for local attractions. The next morning we took the free cable ride up the Rauschbergbahn into the clouds. Our luck with clear skies didn’t hold true here, but we still enjoyed hiking around the peak in the misty clouds.

We jumped in the Yaris for our last drive through Berchtesgaden to Salzburg, as would soon be off to a new destination. We had exciting things ahead and would be in Africa after a long series of overnight flights.

(Dates: October 7-10, 2015)