Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. My parents also wanted to see these castles while they were in Bavaria, so we arranged a meeting. What are the chances?
My parents pose for me by Hohenschwangau (the yellow castle on the left). From here you can also see Neuschwanstein (the light gray Disney castle) on the mountain in the background.
I pose with my mom on our walk up to Hohenschwangau. From here you have a nice view of the village below.
I love this moment between Sigrid and my father. While my mom and I were walking the grounds of the castle before the tour started, Sigrid and my dad were deep in conversation.
I really enjoyed Hohenschwangau. I think because it is so close to the impressive Neuschwanstein, it often gets overlooked. But Hohenschwangau is a castle that was lived in. This is where King Ludwig II spent most of his childhood. I really enjoyed this castle. It was huge and impressive, but it had been a family home.
With not a bad view.
Neuschwanstein, on the other hand, though beautiful, strikes me as such a lonely castle. It was built to be a memorial, had rooms that were never meant to be finished, was not finished as much as it was supposed to be, and was lived in for only a matter of days before the king was arrested, sentenced to an insane asylum, then found dead days later in Lake Starnburg.
The view from Neauschwanstein of a childhood home with happier memories makes me even more sad for the lonely king.
My feelings about Neuschwanstein were a little mixed, but I enjoyed the day completely. I loved being able to spend more time with parents in Germany. And I really enjoyed learning more about this time of history in Bavaria.
Sigrid and I left my parents and started making our way to Elke's house near Starnburg. But first things first. I need food! We had not had time to eat anything (except for the chocolate stashed in my mom's purse) between our tours. And, it took almost an hour to walk from Hohenschwangau to Neuschwanstein, down one hill and up a mountain (and this after an exhausting bike ride the day before!). Needless to say, I was tired and hungry. We stopped at an authentic Bavarian restaurant (outside of the tourist-filled village near the castles), where I had my fill.
Shortly before we got to Elke's house, Sigrid drove me to an overlook where we saw a nice view of Lake Starnburg. It was a cloudy, foggy day (see, not every day was sunshine), but I can imagine what it would like on a beautiful summer day. What I loved about this spot was the cows. They were wearing cow bells around their necks, and it was such a peaceful sound hearing them ring as the cows grazed in the field at the top of this hill.
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