Scenes from Germany - Day Two

We got up this morning and had a delicious breakfast at Edelweiss.  If I ever make it back to Germany - I am coming back to this place for sure!  We then took a leisurely drive to Bavaria - a state in Germany - where we were going to spend our day.

When we arrived in Bavaria, we bought tickets to tour two different castles.  One was called Hohenschwangau and the other Neuschwanstein.  They were both castles to King Maximilian II and his son, King Ludwig II.  Before I came here, I had no interest in this history whatsoever, but as I toured both of these castles, it amazed me that the original furniture, architecture, paintings and artifacts are still standing and in pristine condition since the 1800's!

They did not allow you to take many pictures inside the castles, but the artwork, colors, ornamentation and little, distinct details blew me away!  So, so amazing to have this piece of history right in front of me!

Views from the top of Hohenschwangau...Ludwig's childhood home...

His outdoor fountain...

After we left Hohenschwangau, we had to hike 30 minutes up a hill to reach King Ludwig's adult home.  We had a little snack when we reached the top before the tour began...

This was a bridge called "Mary's Bridge" that was across from King Ludwig's adult home.  It was very high up and we ended up walking to it after our tour.  This photo is taken from outside the castle looking across.

At the end of the tour, we were able to photograph the kitchen.  HUGE!  So, so big for one person.  It took King Ludwig four years to build this home and he only lived in a little over 170 days before he died at the age of 41.  No one has lived in it since and any construction that was still being done before he died ceased immediately.  Again, I was just completely amazed that this kitchen had all the original details from so long ago...

Starting to walk out on "Mary's Bridge" - but I could not make it as it was too high up.  I am not too fond of heights and the wooden boards were creaking and shaking...

View from the bridge back to the castle..

They call Neuschwanstein "Cinderella's Castle" as Walt Disney designed Cinderella's castle after much of Neuschwanstein.  It was apparent after taking the tour as we could see many things that reminded us of details we have seen at Disneyland.

We had a four hour drive back to Joe's apartment...didn't take us too long, though, as you can see below.  Thank goodness for the Autobahn!

All packed and ready for tomorrow's adventure - Paris!