Cruising Along the Romantic Rhine

 

We have traveled to Germany to explore the

Romantic Rhine Valley.  We love to find our

own way around the world so we have opted

to jump on and off local ferries as they cruise

along the river.

 

 

We left our home village of Bacharach on

the morning's first ferry and headed North.

 

 

This area of the Rhine has mountaintop

castles around every bend in the river.

In this shot you can see a castle built right

in the middle of the river, it is the Pfalzgrafstein

Toll Station, it was built to collect tolls along

the river.  Tolls were collected here from

1327 to 1866.

 

 

Many of the river towns are wine

villages.  The hillsides are filled with

grape vines producing the lovely Rhine

and Reisling wines.

 

 

Along the way you pass the famous rock

called the Lorelei, made famous in myth,

poetry and song.

 

 

We hopped off the ferry in the beautiful

little village of Saint Goar.  Some may

love to visit cities but I love to explore

the everyday life in the little villages.

I prefer to peek into the back lanes,

stop at the local bakery and purchase

treasures from local artisans.

 

 

The hike up the mountain to the Rheinfels

castle is taxing to the leg muscles and the

lungs.  But it was a beautiful view from up there.

 

 

After the hike down the hill it was time

to sit in an outdoor café and watch the

world go by...

 

 

Initially we had intended to take the ferry

ride in the morning and then take the train

back to our town, so we only bought one way

tickets.  It turned out to be such a beautiful

day we later wished we had spent the few extra

euros to get a round trip ticket.  We stopped by

the ticket office and explained what we had

done but told them we'd love to take the ferry

back.  They said no problem,  I guess it never

hurts to ask...  And, oh, what a beautiful day

it was!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waking Up in a Fairy Tale

 

We are in Germany, traveling on the

Rhine through the Middle Rhine Valley.

We have been staying in the town of Bacharach.

 

 

It is a beautiful little town filled with

historic buildings.

 

 

We are staying here, at the Mallerwinkel

Bed & Breakfast.  I keep telling Mr. Wonderful

that I feel like I'm waking up in a fairy tale.

 

 

So, Wonderful asked me what fairy tale

I would like to be in.  I thought about it

and decided I liked Sleeping Beauty.

 

 

I'm not interested in the evil fairy and

spindles and fingers.  I just want to be

in the part about the kissing and

Prince Charming.

 

 

Night is falling upon this enchanted village.

This is our last night here ~ we have had a

full 2 days of exploring villages, climbing

mountain trails to hilltop castles and sampling

the fruits from the local vines.  I hope to

awake to the kiss of my own Prince Charming,

er ~ Wonderful...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schloss Linderhof, Oberammergua & Schloss Neuschwanstein

A Day in the Alps

Today we headed off to the Alps to tour the castles of

 the "Fairy Tale" King Ludwig II.

We took a bus tour, generally we are not tour people but this was the quickest and most efficient way to see all three of these sites in one day.  As we exited at our first stop the guide told us to bundle up since it was -11C.  If you are having difficulty converting this to farenheit, let me just say, IT WAS FREEZING!

The first stop was Schloss Linderhof.  This was a castle of Ludwig II.  It is a small structure as castles go and the King used it often.  Sadly he did not like to be around people and spent much time alone here.  He dined at a table set for one.  The table could be set and prepared below stairs and pulled up with pulleys so the King would not have to come in contact with the servants. 

The grounds must be stunning in summer but even covered in snow it was beautiful.

Next stop was Oberammergua, a charming village known for painted houses,

wood carving and the famous Passion Play.  When the Black Plague swept through Europe Oberammergua was hit hard and many died.  The remaining residents said if the deaths would stop they would put on a passion play.  The tradition still continues every 10 years and the actors are all local residents.

Our final stop for the day was Schloss Neuschwanstein.  You are dropped off in the village and you must hike for 30 minutes up to the castle.  There are horse drawn carriages that take you halfway up the road but Rob said that wasn't our style ~ really?

We stopped at this delightful place for lunch.

As you come around a bend in the trail this comes into view.

Unfortunately photos are not allowed inside.  They called Ludwig mad but if this was madness I'm ready to join in.  The interior is fancifully painted with elaborate designs in fantastic color.  Sadly Ludwig II led a solitary existence here too. 

Again there was a table for one. 

It was from Neuschwansein that Ludwig was taken after being declared mad and he died under very mysterious circumstances soon after.

This is the castle Walt Disney used as inspiration for Cinderella's Castle, sadly for Ludwig II this was not the happiest place on earth.

Munich, Germany ~ Day 2

A Busy Day in Munich

Today was a bitterly cold yet beautifully sunny day.  We had snow last night and as the sun came through the trees it made everything look like it had been sprinkled with glitter.

We visited Schloss Nymphenburg today.  This is where the royals would go to escape Munich.  It is only a short tram ride from the city center and you probably could walk to it in 30 minutes from the center of town.

The Baroque Palace is the birthplace of Ludwig II.

The palaces of this area were built with elaborate waterways so the royals could travel from one palace to another by water.  They brought in gondoliers from Venice and in many of the paintings you can see the gondolas.

When not traveling by water, they had other elaborate means of transport.

In the afternoon we toured the Royal Residence.  It seemed to be a never ending tour of gilded rooms, elaborate furniture and grand paintings.

We would not recommend touring both of these sites in one day but since we only have a limited time here we are trying to see as much as possible.

After a dinner of goulash and yes, yes, some more wurst,

 we headed home happily exhausted.

Munich, Germany

Bavaria

 A 15 minute walk...

dragging 2 heavy bags...

uphill...

on cobblestones...

equals a daily workout.

No wonder these Europeans are in such good shape!

We hopped a train for a 2 hour trip through the Bavarian countryside to Munich.

Strolled the Christmas Market

Sampled some local goodies

A unique studio for this artist, the entry of the closed H&M store.

This is the way to learn to skate!



We ended the day at the Augustine Beer hall warming up with goulash and pretzels.