Neuschwanstein

Hohenschwangau Castle

If you are in Germany and you're a big Disney fan you have to go see Neuschwanstein because it is the castle that Cinderella's castle is based off of at Disney World. When you arrive at Neuschwanstein, go to the ticket booth and purchase a combination ticket for both the Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein castle. It will be about 23 Euro, that is if you are not a student or military card holder.
Hohenschwangau is the lower of the two castles and is the family residence of King Ludwig II. It is a perfectly maintained residence with a beautiful courtyard and an even better view. You are able to see all the rooms in this castle but are not allowed to take any pictures. It is very intricately decorated in the gothic style.

Neuschwanstein Castle

In 1868 King Ludwig II, King of Bavaria , had Neuschwanstein castle built as a residence where he could retreat from people but also because he wanted a "New Castle" (Neuschwanstein) high above the Hohenschwangau Castle. It was not finished until 1886 when the King died. He only lived in the Palace for 2 years and it has never been fully completed. There are only 5 or 6 rooms that you visit on the tour and you can not go inside the palace without a guided tour. In order to get to the palace you can walk (it's a little hike), take the bus, or ride in a horse and carriage. After going into the castle you should go to the "Marienbruecke", an iron bridge built above the Poellat Gorge, where you can see a gorgeous view of the castle (picture above) and the surrounding area. If however you want the typical picture, such as the one to the right, that you always see then I am sorry to say you are going to need a helicopter.

King Ludwig II had four other castles made and are available to the public for tours. The Linderhof Palace, the King's House on the Schachen, Augustine Monastery Herrenchiemsee, and Herrenchiemsee Palace. King Ludwig II is also known as the "Fairytale King" because he created this fantasy world to live in as a way of retreating from reality. Part of this world consisted of private opera and play performances, and traveling dressed in historic, elaborately designed costumes.         

Cochem, Germany

Life-size chess by the river.

Cochem Castle. It's a little hike but it's a sweet sight. 

Cochem is a small town situated right on the Mosel River. The Mosel River is one of 2 major rivers in Germany and are both major wine regions. On our first tour to Germany we lived right by this town and used to travel to it constantly for walks along the river and ice cream. The town is at the foot of a hill with a castle, the Reichsburg, dating back to 1051. The town is also completely surrounded by vineyards and hills. Looking up at some of them makes you wonder how they could even pick them at the angle they are situated. Anyway, Cochem is a cute little town to spend the day in shopping, exploring the local cuisine, tasting the wine, visiting the castle and playing chess by the river. If you want a breathtaking view of the entire valley you can take the Sesselbahn, a chair lift, to the Pinner Kreuz. About 20 minutes, walking, from the top of the mountain is the Leisure and Wildlife Park in Klotten, where you will find more than 120 animal species. The village of Klotten is a nice little wine village to explore and enjoy an afternoon lunch. If you are into walking and hiking the Nordic Fitness Park is nearby where they have a route for everyone, from flat to ascending and from forests to vineyards.

One of the many house you will see like this.

Eifel Park

Eifel Park was the first of a lifetime of trips and so happens to be the first that I can remember. Eifel Park is an animal nature park along with rides and classes for kids about the different eras that the park went through. I can remember being there and feeding the animals, taking pictures at the fun mirrors and riding down the huge slide with my sister, dad and mom. I'm sure there is much more to the park than I can remember but from what I do it was a lot of fun especially for young kids. The website has all that a visitor needs to know about the park and all that they have to offer. It is slightly expensive but not if you are going to make it an all day event. You can also save money by bringing your own snacks and food with you, even though there are places to eat at the park. If you are in the Eifel region of Germany and are traveling with kids, it is a fun day event that would allow them to be involved and hands on.

Rebecca and I feeding the deer at the park. 

Beginning of an Adventure

Since I have lived in Europe for most of my life, I am going to be talking about it the most in this blog. I will however also talk about the trips I have taken here in the states as well. So here it goes...

First things first, you have to pick where you want to travel to. Once you have decided on the place the next obvious step is to find out how you are going to get there. If you are coming from the States the easiest way is to fly but if you are already in Europe the train system is amazing and can get you anywhere (EuroRail Passes are the best if you are traveling a lot of places). Once that is sorted you need to find where you are going to stay and what you're going to see. The best way to do this is to type the city into Google because most of the time they have tourist sites with all the information you need. If you are on a budget, there are Youth Hostels pretty much anywhere you go and they are generally pretty nice. The only thing you need to realize about youth hostels is that you could end up sharing a room with other fellow travelers that you do not know. Once you get to your destination locate the Tourist Center because they will have maps of the city, special deals for the city travel and any events going on while you are there. I find it though that most cities are small enough to walk around it and see everything you want to in a reasonable amount of time so you may not have to pay for traveling expenses once there. Bring money for souvenirs, food and attractions. Many times you can buy a city pass that gets you into almost, if not all, of the attractions...do this, it's much cheaper.