Unser Kini*

Schloss Hohenschwangau





Neuschwanstein Castle















Pictures were not allowed in either castle. Hohenschwangau is very much more of a large home than a castle. Neuschwanstein Castle is completely over the top in all respects.

Mad King Ludwig was only 18 when he became King of Bavaria. He grew up in a spartan and sheltered environment with parents who didn't seem to enjoy each other's company and who didn't spend much time with their children. Composer Richard Wagner became very close friends with Ludwig, spending time at Hohenschwangau. Ludwig was engaged, kept postponing the wedding, and finally broke the engagement right before the wedding. While using his personal fortune to pay for his many building projects, he was deeply in debt to family members and ignored advice to stop spending so extravagantly. Although well loved by his people, a group of government ministers and his uncle (who would gain the throne if Ludwig was deposed) started a movement to have Ludwig declared insane. The day after he was arrested, he and his doctor were found drown in a lake after they went missing during a walk. The death was suspicious as Ludwig was accounted to be a strong swimmer and the lake was not deep. Some theorize that he and his doctor were killed while they attempted to escape and the manner of his death was covered up.

After touring both castles and learning the history of the family, DH and I are convinced that Ludwig was gay - and that the ministers and, especially his uncle, (who in all photos we saw was in hunting or other macho-for-the-time regalia) could not overlook Ludwig's sexual orientation. (I say overlook since acceptance - during the mid - late 1800s - would have been out of the question.)

*Translates as "our darling king."

Salzburg

In Salzburg we booked the Sound of Music tour - for the entertainment value for my nieces (luge ride halfway through the tour), but also for the amount of scenery for my parents.

Mirabell Garden


Schloss Leopoldskron used to film the back of the Von Trapp home.


View from the luge ride as I was being pulled up the hill.


The Stiftskirche Mondsee where the wedding was filmed. According to the tour guide, the filmmakers wanted a church with steps for "Maria" to climb to show off the magnificent train of her dress.


St. Joseph's Cemetery - inspiration for the graveyard in the Abbey.


Other sites around Salzburg

Two men challenging each other in mega chess.


Part of the trick water gardens at Hellbrunn Castle.


The Lake District.


St. Joseph's.


I had a bit of time on my own as I did our laundry while everyone else toured the castle in Salzburg. (I didn't mind as I had seen it 3 years ago.) To pass the time while waiting for the family, I explored the area near our B&B. While driving through a small village (it was either Glanegg or Grodig) I saw this sign.

While driving by.

Traveling 35 kph.




The Yarn Mojo can be quite strong.

This shop carried upholstrey, decorative fabrics, knick knacks, and yarn.


I bought 2 skeins of sock yarn.


Because you really should support your (temporarily) local yarn shop.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

An interesting little city that was once a kingdom overseeing the 180 square miles around it, becoming wealthy from the textile industry - translation - sheep. Conquered during the Thirty Years War, too poor to rebuild afterwards, Rothenburg is a medieval time capsule.

Views of the town.






The nighwatchman who conducts a tour each evening.


I love the butcher shops. They sell cooked sausage - a marvelous lunch.




There are climbing roses everywhere.


One of the reasons the town survived sieges until the Thirty Years War - they had water fountains within the town walls.


Walkway on the city wall.


St. Jakob church and the Holy Blood altarpiece carved around 1500.






There's plenty of touristy shops but if that's not your inclination, they're easy to ignore. (Although one of the most fun shops is a reasonably priced toy store near St. Jakob church.) If you're staying overnight, this is a town best appreciated after the day-tourists leave.

Berlin

Berlin was one of the more sobering stops on our tour not only because over 60 percent of the city was destroyed in WWII, but because of the legacy of the Berlin Wall. It's not too difficult to notice when you are in the former East Berlin - just look at all the 1960's - 1970's Soviet era architecture (namely, if it can be made uglier and with concrete - all the better).

We had only 2 nights and 1 full day in Berlin. Again, with the folks' mobility issues, DH and I took them on a hop-on, hop off bus tour, then on a river cruise while my brother and his family explored the city on foot. Berlin has great public transportation and is easy to navigate if you've read any good travel book on the city.

The Berliner Dom.



Fernseturm (TV tower)



Brandenburger Tor





and how it looked after WWII. See all the marks from the bullets - although now patched, you can still see them on the gate.



The Reichstag.



A bridge with beautiful scrollwork.



DH and I made it back to Checkpoint Charlie later in the evening. The two blocks surrounding Checkpoint Charlie have this fence of panels that tells the story of the Berlin Wall. We really needed a couple of hours to read it all and take in all the photos and the stories of escapes and attempted escapes.




Mstislav Rostropovich, who spoke out in favour of regime critics and was stripped of his citizenship and expelled from the Soviet Union, celebrates the fall of the wall by playing Bach at the Friedrichstraße border crossing. 11 November 1989.





I'm torn at to what societal/historical/economical statement it makes that there is McDonald's right by Checkpoint Charlie.

The Luther Towns

As Dad is a retired Lutheran minister, any trip in Germany had to include some stops at the Luther towns.

The first on the itinerary was Eisenach and Wartburg Castle.

This is the room in which Luther hid as Knight George after he was declared an outlaw.


It amazes me that within 2 years of Luther's death, people were making pilgrimages to Wartburg Castle.

Wartburg Castle's history includes a Catholic saint - St. Elizabeth. This is a mosaic of her spinning.



Part of the town gate in Eisenach near our hotel.



On our way to Wittenberg, we stopped in Eisleben where Luther was born and also where he died.

The house where he was born doesn't exist, but there is an interesting museum along with a home built in the style of the time.



We also went through the house where he died. Historically, it's a more interesting house as it is the original building.


This is one of the only 2 death masks that exist. I found it interesting that most paintings of Luther are pretty accurate when compared to the death mask.



We went on to Wittenberg.

The Castle Church where Luther is buried.



Castle door where the 95 Theses were nailed.



The City Church where Luther often preached.





An early printing of Luther's hymns.



I was finding fiber all over. There was a yarn shop in Eisenach not far from our hotel. As it was closed, I could only peer through the windows and see that the shop carried a large amount of Rowan and Lang yarns.

On the town square in Wittenberg - but unfortunately closed while we were in town.