Ok, catching up a little.

Yesterday (day 16) we went to the Kings’ Castles.  That’s plural kings, and possessive.  It was a gray, rainy day.  Just  before we got to the location, we saw Hohenschwangau through the fog. This was King Maximilian’s summer home.  Normally they hung out at the Residenz in Munich.  Hohenschwangau is a tidy little summer home.  Not too big, but certainly not small.  Each room tells a story in words and pictures painted directly on the wall.  One of the king’s sons was Ludwig.  The stories had an impact on Ludwig and when he became king, he started his own castle, Neuschwanstien, which became known as the fairy tale castle. 

Hohenschwangau

Neuschwanstien is anything but tidy.  Ludwig had a big budget and a big imagination.  And not many management skills.  It was a project mostly amok, but the results are completely amazing.  When we arrived, it was in the fog, but by the time we exited Hohenschwangau, we could see it.  Even from a mile away it takes your breath away.  And when you get close, it’s just plain freaking incredible.

Neuschwanstien

Neuschwanstien is about a mile from the parking lot.  When you get your tour tickets, they give you a time for each castle.  You have to be there at that time or you miss your shot.  So we looked at the hike, looked at the watch, looked how far up it was, and decided on the horse-drawn carriage.  Please see the post Ausfarhts and horse f*rts for more details of that ride!

The fairy tale castle is as impressive inside as it is from the outside.  The quality and amount of craftmanship is incredible.  They have a mosaic floor with two million tiles.  All sorts of secret rooms and passageways.  And early examples of indoor pumbing and a telephone.

The whole thing is a tourist trap of course and you pay for everything. Tickets, parking, horse f*rts, even the rest rooms!  Four hours at the castles blows away the cost of a day at DisneyLand.  But in some ways is more fun.  We have nothing like this in America.  The whole premise of the country works against it.  I suppose San Simeon or Bill Gates’ house come close in ambition, but they were built with private money.  These castles were built by the kings, using resources of the kingdom.  Might be part of the reason that whole king-thing has mostly died out…

Today we moved on from Austria, back to Germany.  We’re camped out at a hotel on the edge of Stuttgart and plan day trips for tomorrow and Saturday.  Along the way, we saw a lake that took our breath away.  Check out the photo, that is not a painting.  Not long after that, we hit the autobahn and some of the hardest rain we’ve ever seen.  Even so, I was driving around 100 mph and occasionally being passed!  People really do hammer on the highway here.  I did hit 155 for a short period, that was fun!  Well, at least one of the two of us think so…