Clifden Castle

From the famous Sky Road you can look down on the ruins of Clifden Castle, but this time we found a way to actually go into the ruins and see it up close! We set off down the trail to explore the castle ruins, from the crumbling old walls to the towering turret and the overgrown outbuildings!

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Rockfleet and the Pirate Queen

Rockfleet Castle sits on the rugged coastline of County Mayo. The castle is literally built into the sea! Wandering around the seabed at low tide, we got wonderful views of the castle and the surrounding nature… and thought on the life of its most famous resident, the Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley!

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Castle Hohlandsbourg

Castle Hohlandsbourg is a castle ruin reclaimed and preserved. We walked the old castle walls, checked out their museum, learned lots about castle life from their displays, and listened to some great music.. all while keeping an eye on the angry skies overhead.

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In Love With Eguisheim

We made our way back to the wonderful little town of Eguisheim. Very likely my favorite town in the world, I couldn’t wait to walk through those medieval streets and see everything we could! We had amazing food, great drinks, saw the most beautiful contrasts, and settled in to a nice pub for a fun end to the night. What more could you want?

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Saint Ulrich Castle

Saint Ulrich was one of three castles that stood on the mountain overlooking Ribeauville. We wandered through the walls, imagining the rooms we were walking through and how they once looked. We stood above the row of windows from the Salle des Chevaliers, and took in the fantastic view of Ribeauville, Castle Girsberg, and the mountains and valleys in the distance…

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Zeller Horn over Hohenzollern

Sometimes the best way to see a magnificent castle is from a distance. After visiting Burg Hohenzollern, touring its palace rooms and walking the battlements, we decided to hike up to the top of Zeller Horn and find the best vantage point to see the castle as a whole!

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Hohenzollern Castle

The beautiful Burg Hohenzollern is an amazing fantasy castle, both elegant and imposing with the power to capture your imagination. We hiked up to the gate, crossed into the Kingdom of Prussia, looked up to the towers piercing the sky, and explored magnificent palace… and had quite a view to go along with it all!

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Les Trois-Châteaux du Eguisheim

The Trois Chateaux du Eguisheim are three castles that overlook the town. The oldest dates back from 1006! We took a hike up to the castles, climbed the old walls, and contemplated the way of life from one thousand years ago.

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Kaysersberg

On a whim we stopped in the beautiful town of Kaysersberg where we found colorful buildings lining the waterways and cobblestoned streets. We climbed up to the castle on the hill and were rewarded with the most amazing views, before heading back down to the church and the most unexpected find of our journeys - a wall of actual skeletons!

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Kintzheim

We found a castle ruin that housed a bird of prey sanctuary. After our hike up to the ruins, we found the most amazing birds all perched throughout. We wandered through the castle grounds and made our way to the show, where we were swooped over by vultures, amazed by hawks, walked on by a condor, and Beth even caught a falcon!

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Gengenbach

A town I flagged as a must stop, Gengenbach did not disappoint! From the beautiful platz lined with colorful buildings to the back alleys and tiny Bächle, and one of the most impressively painted little churches we've ever seen, this was a great "goodbye" to the Black Forest!

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Liechtenstein - Triesenberg and Vaduz

We checked into our hotel in Triesenberg and drove the small, steep, windy roads along the mountainside. There was nothing between us and a tumble down the mountain but a tiny guardrail! We visited the city of Vaduz, made our way to the castle, and took a detour-filled, nail biting drive back to Triesenberg, where we closed the night with a great meal and some local drinks.

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Bratislava Pt. 2

Surprised at how empty the city seemed, we ventured off to find some excitement. A nice market lined street and cross over the river eventually led us to the UFO. Beam us up!! After surviving our abduction and braving the frigid wind for an outstanding view, we sought out an amazing little restaurant that was well worth the effort!

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Salzburg

Morning in Salzburg! We get a simple yet amazing breakfast with our favorite coffee before venturing out to the cathedral. We found a really cool old cemetery, took the tram up to the castle, got creeped out a bit in a marionette museum, and found a cute little local specialty shop. If all that wasn't enough, we also found a pretzel truck!

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Neuschwanstein

We took the hike up the mountain to Neuschwanstein, the castle that defines the phrase "fantasy castle". We admire the castle from close, from far, and just stand in awe of its beauty... which helps to distract us from the biting wind as we cross the narrow, bouncy bridge that spans the mountains! We hike our way back down, grabbing a local donut snack, before visiting the lonely little church at the base of the mountian.

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Fussen & Hohenschwangau

We woke to a beautiful day in Fussen! We took a little hike along the bluest water we've ever seen, then ventured up to the mountains to see some castles! First we visit King Ludwig's first castle Hohenschwangau, and begin the incredibly scenic hike up to the famous Neuschwanstein! 

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The Romantic Road - Dinkelsbühl

We took the slow way down the Romantic Road to the absolutely beautiful town of Dinkelsbühl, which quickly became one of our favorites! We walked through the old streets lined with brilliantly colored buildings, trying to imagine a life here. We traveled further down the Romantic Road and found an old castle ruin, finishing our day in an interesting hotel in the mountain town of Fussen.

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Christmas Eve in Nuremberg Pt. 2

As the locals made their way home for main part of their holiday, we went on a grocery adventure, spent more time in the markets, and had more of those amazing Nuremberg sausages! We spent the night with an amazing dinner and had our own little German Christmas.

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Christmas Eve in Nuremberg

On the morning of Christmas Eve, we reflected on the German Christmas holidays which are so important here. We found an old bridge, a beautiful cobblestone street lined with colorful buildings, and enjoyed the view over the river. We eventually made our way up through Albrecht Dürer Platz and the Nuremberg Castle!

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