Fussen & Hohenschwangau
Last night was a bit rainy so we weren’t sure what today would bring, but we woke to a nice sunny morning! That was such a relief since we were going up to the castles today and I really wanted some good pictures. Another amazing continental breakfast was set out in the dining room of our weird doctor office / hotel, but it was another breakfast I could only pick at. I still felt miserable, but was hopeful as today would be the day the shops opened up again!
We stepped out of the hotel and were met with an amazing view. The dark dreary evening hid the mountaintops off in the distance upon our arrival, but today the clear sky let us see where we really were. It was chilly, but not nearly as cold as I was expecting at the base of the mountains. Snow-tipped peaks towered overhead as we walked the trail toward the Lechsfall, a geometric waterfall in the river Lechs at the Austrian/German border. I’ve never seen river water like this; it was such a beautiful shade of green as it flowed far down below us through its rocky-walled canyon. It seemed like beautiful water for a swim, you know… if it wasn’t December!
We took a quick stroll through the main walking area in Fussen. Nice little town with some shops and restaurants. We found an open Apotheke shop, and I was finally able to get some medicine. Cold medicine and lozenges were an incredible relief after a few days of sore coughing. Hopefully these were going to work because I didn’t want to feel miserable with everything we planned to see… and I wanted an appetite for all the amazing food too!
We had a full plate today with lots of ground to cover, so we didn’t hang around Fussen much past the Apotheke. We drove out into the area called Schwangau – this is where you find the famous castles! We circled a bit around trying to find these alternate trails to climb into the mountains, but it was to no avail. We bit the bullet and went up the main road to the incredibly tourist packed parking lot. One concern we had over Neuschwanstein was that it would have a bit of a theme park vibe to it, and here among the crowds we certainly felt that way.
We made a controversial decision here, as we evaluated our interests vs. our time and decided to skip getting the tickets to go inside the castles. We threw this idea around before the trip and people were questioning that plan. However, we are far more interested in the views and the way the castle fits into the landscape than with what is inside (at least in this case). We have toured castles before, and while there are many worthwhile reasons to do so, we knew that the inside of Neuschwanstein was a gaudy and staged set up. There are two types of castles here in Germany – the ones that are old fortifications and defended cities, and the ones that are primarily large residences for the rulers or the wealthy. Personally, I’m far more interested in seeing the inside of the ones built out of necessity with historical significance than I am with seeing a display of Ludwig II’s riches. Besides, the line for the tickets was incredibly long, and the tours had strict timetables. We decided to skip the tour and enjoy the grounds on our time.
First we came to Hohenschwangau, which was Ludwig II’s original castle. Yes, he already had a castle… but he built Neuschwanstein because he wanted a better one. Must be nice to have that kind of cash, huh??? The landscape here is so beautiful though, I would be happy with a shack as long as I get to look out with that view every day. Hohenschwangau is a kind of yellowish color. It is also very geometric, like how a castle made from cubic blocks would look. It is still a nice place for sure though, and we appreciated its less famous beauty as we climbed the steps to go through to the courtyard where we found some spectacular views from the walls. We worked our way back to the trail that lead up the mountainside. The rest of the hike would be uphill.
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