Castle

I started my morning with a typical Austrian/German breakfast: an open-faced sandwich with boiled eggs. I was surprised when I struck my knife against the egg’s shell and found that the yoke was hard, but the white part was runny. Yuk! I quickly gave it to my dad. Poor him, he had to suffer eating that weird egg. It still puzzles me how that could even happen… How can the yoke be hard and cooked all the way through when the white part is runny?

Anyway, our first stop today was at Hohenschwangau Castle outside the city of Füssen, Germany. The castle was a very light shade of yellow with gardens that surrounded its perimeter. The castle stood on top of a mountain, and it was right next to the famous Neuschwanstein Castle (the inspiration for the Walt Disney castle). The place was filled with tourists from all over the world. I was literally suffocating from all the different people. They were from every corner of the world: China, Sweden, Germany, Austria, USA, Spain, the Netherlands etc. Just to think that so many people from different places came to see the castles was just amazing. Though, in my opinion, it was so cliché to go to a place like this during our vacation. It’s a place where everyone goes to visit and it just ends up being too much. Too many people, too much waiting, and too much walking around. The place I went to yesterday was so much better because there wasn’t a lot of people. It was a special little place that people wouldn’t think of visiting. I actually thought that the ruins I saw yesterday were better and more interesting than the castles. You can read more about it here.

Even though I was quite disappointed of all the people, I was impressed by the castles. The first one we went to, Hohenschwangau Castle, is a less popular castle, but it was very nice. It was built by King Maximillian II of Bavaria in the 19th century. I thought it was beautiful with its highly decorated rooms of exotic themes. One room had the theme of the country Turkey, another had a starry sky painted on the ceiling, and another room was made for the interests of the King’s son, Ludwig. The rooms were very elaborate and eye-catching. I sadly wasn’t allowed to take any pictures inside because of copyright issues, but I do have pictures of the outside of the castle.

The view from the castle

Our next stop was Neuschwanstein Castle, which was higher up on the mountain. My family and I were freaking out because we thought that we only had 30 minutes to make it to our guided tour. My sister and I were basically speed walking up the mountain. We were kind of disappointed because we wanted to ride the horse-pulled carriage, but the line was way too long. Once we were almost to the top, my dad checked the times for our tickets, and we had a whole hour left… Well, my sister and I got some good exercise.

When I first saw the castle, I was stunned. It looked magnificent with its white façade an its beautiful view of Southern Germany. It really did remind me of the Walt Disney castle. I took like a million pictures, but here are just a few.

The back of the entrance

The entrance

The view

The castle was built and owned by the son of King Maximillian II. His son, King Ludwig II, was crowned at the early age of 18 1/2 years, soon after his father died. King Ludwig was known as “the king of fairytales”. People say that he was crazy, but I have different opinions. After my reflection of the castle and its interior, I believe that he was depressed and lonely. I think that he was not fully accepted in his time period, which led to the fact that he wasn’t able to live his life in the same way we do today. Back in the day, a psychiatrist declared him crazy/insane without even meeting him to diagnose him properly. I find it strange that people found them both dead in a lake three years later. Today, the incident still remains a mystery.

After a long day walking around, bumping into people, and trying to find my way around Austria, I’m existed and ready for a good nights sleep.

Last evening in Austria. Colmar, here we come! To my followers, any suggestions of what to do in Colmar?

After a shopping spree in Würzburg, my dad took us on the road again. My sister took one last picture of the place, and I was just amazed.

A garden outside of our hotel

On the road, we reached speeds up to 100 mph (165 kph), legally. That was the first time my dad drove that speed legally, other than when he was drag-racing in California in the late ’70s. But, he assured me that he has been above that speed limit many times in the past (illegally, haha).

We said our last good-byes to Germany, and 3 and half hours later we were on the border of Germany and Austria. The border was literally inside of a mountain, and two-thirds through it, we were in Austria. Thankfully, there was a gas station right outside of the border. We had to make sure to buy a freeway pass to avoid getting a huge fine if pulled over by the cops. I think the fee would be as much as 300 euros (about $300).

The first thing I saw in Austria were the enormous, majestic Alps. It was almost like they were reaching up to the heavens. These mountains were unlike any I’ve ever seen before. The rocky, steep slopes joined together in numerous of sharp points in the clear skies. The mountain’s rocks were a very light color: a gray with a tint of brown. Evergreen trees grew from the sides of the mountains, and lessened in thickness the higher up I saw.

We drove further into Austria, and came across a small village. We drove in and explored the unique place. The buildings were so different and beautiful. Yellows, whites, and browns filled my eyes as I gazed at the landscape. Windows were square with shudders dangling from their sides. Paintings of family crests and Christianity decorated the walls. Small fences guarded the houses and their newly clipped yards.

The most beautiful river I’ve ever seen soon caught my eyes. The river was very turquoise and was framed by very smooth, white pebbles. It almost seemed like it could’ve come straight from a fairytale.

When we arrived at the hotel, we unloaded our bags and went to our hotel room. We could see gorgeous mountains and castles from our balcony. We were soon inspired to do something exciting in the area. My sister then found a brochure of Highline179. It’s the longest Tibet Style pedestrian suspension bridge in the world. The bridge is designed so that people are able to walk across it all year round. It also connects the ruins of Ehrenberg castle with Fort Claudia.

My dad, sister, and I quickly packed our bags and tied on our shoes. Once we were there, we bought our tickets and climbed the steep hill up to the suspension bridge. We were first struck by the sight of old ruins. Then, we turned our heads and saw the medal bridge. My jaw dropped and I just couldn’t believe it. It seemed like the bridge stretched out for miles. I was stunned to see that the narrow bridge could support so many people without falling. When I took my first step onto the bridge, my body began to sway. I looked back and said to my dad, “Stop moving the bridge!” He said, “I’m not doing anything!” And then I realized that it was the wind… The wind was moving the whole bridge back and forth. I gripped the railing with one hand, and held my camera with the other.

Here are some of the pictures I took on our trip: