Lichtenstein and Neuschwanstein - 2 Castles, 2 Days

Out of Internet range for a couple of days while we visited 2 more of Germany's castles ... Lichtenstein, a small and cozy castle still maintained by the family that built it, and Neuschwanstein, Germany's most famous and resplendent castle, and number 2 on the Must See list, following only Berlin.

Schloss Lichtenstein is small and much cozier as castles go.  Meant for only one man and used primarily as a hunting house, it is filled with cool artifacts and mixed stories about damage during the wars. I had taken my brother there on a fieldtrip when he was 7 and laughed to see another class group of about the same age there when we arrived. The castle is built off the side of a mountain and the sheer drops from the windows and property are a little disconcerting.  The castle is constructed primarily of a white stone found in the south central region of Germany. Because of this, the castle appears very bright and clean ... almost glowing off the side the mountain. The German word for light is "licht" and that is how the castle got its name!

Neuschwanstein on the other hand is enormous and is one of Germany's postcard landscape icons. The castle is massive and stately with balconies, huge stained glass windows, turrets and spires, and flags that wave regally in the wind. Schloss Neuschwanstein was the model upon which the iconic Walt Disney World citadel is based.  

 

Rising up out of the mist in the mountains, it is a majestic sight.  The best pics are taken from a suspension bridge over a valley and waterfall. Also beautiful ... but the bridge is made of wood, and although it has steel rails and support beams, it bounces and bows and feels ... well ... unsafe, quite frankly. Although Nichola can explain the scientific reasons and physics behind why such a bridge will not fail, it didn't help the other four of us very much as we steeled ourselves, took some gorgeous pictures and bee lined it for solid ground. I should note that it is likely that there were close to a gazillion people on that bridge at one time.  A gazillion.  At least.

After an overnight in a hostel in Salzburg, Austria, we are getting ready to head out on our Sound of Music tour for the afternoon!  We will overnight here again and head off to Venice, Italy tomorrow.

#thesisterhood

Europa Park and the Death Ride of 2013

Spent the day at Europa Park. By Europa Park, I mean the second largest amusement park in Europe and the number two amusmement attraction in Germany. And by day, I mean 12 hours ...

It was a great day full of walking, waiting, wandering and rides.  We rode some wicked roller coasters, including Wodan, the ninth tallest wooden roller coaster in the world!!!  We rode the first ride together on Euro-Mir, a one of a kind high speed spinning steel roller coaster - as an introduction to roller coasters and the day ahead ... however, following what has been coined by Marjorie as "Death Ride 2013", she chose to people watch during our other coaster rides. We did ride the Atlantica Supersplash flume ride and the Fjord raft ride together and both were breezy and damp - exactly what we needed to break up the heat of the day.

Wodan Timbur Coaster

Nichola and I rode the Blue Fire, Europa Park's first full inversion roller coaster and only the second of its kind to present with a twisted horseshoe roll anywhere in the world. Needless to say, the hour long wait was more than just a little nerve wracking for me, leading Nichola to ask at one point, "Are you okay, Auntie?  Your face looks a little grim."  The two and a half minute ride measures your pulse as you start and finish ... Mine rose by a minuscule 23 beats per minute. Ha, t'was nothing.
The 112 km/hour ride consisted of a full inversion loop rising to 32 meters, the tallest inversion loop in Europe, followed by the twisted horseshoe roll (what I would later call Hell, as in, "There was a slight pause and then we were in Hell.") and ending with a heart line roll ... I did mention the pulse thing, right?

Blue Fire Mega-Coaster

At the end of our day, we had supper in a restaurant called FoodLoop, where our food arrived via ... you guessed it ... roller coaster. Seated at round tables that centre around a pair of mini steel roller coaster rails, you order your meal using a touch screen computer and the order is communicated to the kitchen upstairs.  Your meal arrives in a small steel pot with a secured lid, and your beverages come in a little carseat-like contraption. Quite wild and amusing to say the least. Food was inexpensive and good though and it was a fun end to a very fun day.  (The restaurant has apparently been featured on Bob Blumer's "World's Weirdest Restaurants".)

Looped and pooped, we bid you goodnight ... from the Sisterhood ...

Haut Koenigsbourg - Big Castle, Small Steps

Today we visited Haut Koenigsbourg, a castle near us in France. First discovered in the 12th century, the castle has now been restored to the way it appeared in the 1400s as a museum of the Middle Ages. There is structural restoration going on right now to help keep the castle within the requirements for safe tourism.

We loved the castle and everything about it but reflected that what we see on TV isn't always an accurate depiction of the real thing. Castles in real life are massive and drafty.  The stone steps are narrow and often curving in tight spirals of pie shaped slabs of stone. None of this wide, sweeping, marble staircase business!  Dressed in many layers and tightly bound corsets, it would have been a challenge to navigate this enormous castle. The hike up to the castle itself was long and sloping - one we couldn't fathom carrying groceries up, let alone moving a piece of furniture or cannon while wearing a chain-mail suit of armor.  Life must have been very hard then, even for the wealthy and powerful.

You must park quite a distance away and walk up the one way mountain road to the castle entry. The climb up to the castle is a daunting feat for many but the view from the top is stunning and is most certainly worth the journey. The view of the Alsatian countryside is unmatched from this perspective.  Widespread deep green forests and fields of wheat and grape vines, dotted with tiny towns of cobbled streets and stone buildings with terracotta tiled roofs.  Beautiful...

Dear France,
Thank you for another breathtakingly amazing day.
Sincerely,
The Sisterhood

Gastronomie! Riquewihr Edition

We've just been billed 54€ for our two meals!!!

Granted, they were spectacular and nothing short of it!

• pan seared white wine citrus breast of chicken 
• Greek pasta salad with feta, olives and tomato, served al dente
• beet leaf salad with fresh berries, boiled egg and peppers
• fresh field berry and Greek yoghurt parfait
• raspberry limonade
• Maurice Schoech Pinot Gris 2011

Remarkable girls!!

And the kitchen is already spotless!

As are the plates of the sisterhood...

      

Struthof Concentration Camp - Natzweiler, France

Typing this entry as our girls cook supper for us ... marinating chicken breasts in some delightful Alsacian wine and pouring their mothers a glass alongside.  Yummy!

We spent the day at Natzweiler, France.  Marjorie drove a grueling route full of hairpin turns and switchbacks, taking us 45 minutes to get up the mountain and a mere 15 to get down.  We stopped on our way up to support a local volksfest market by purchasing some homemade macaroons and local sausage. The second stop for lavender macaroons added to our drive but also to the experience!

Once up the mountainside, we visited the Struthof Concentration Camp, where we toured the barracks, the gas chamber, the incinerator and the prison where Nazis carried out horrible experiments in the name of science.  It was a sobering experience and the girls commented that it was depressing but worth it. It led us to some meaningful conversation on the drive back down the mountainside and we arrived back in Riquewihr feeling grateful for all we have.

Ceux qui admireront la beaute naturelle de ce sommet ne pourront croire que cette montagne est maudite parce qu'elle a abrite l'enfer des hommes libres. ~ Leon Boutbien, resistant deporte a Natzweiler Struthof. 

 Those who admire the natural beauty of this summit can not know that this mountain is damned because she was a free man's living Hell.  ~ Leon Boutbien, Resistance member deported to Natzweiler Struthof.

Thankful for all we learn and experience. Thankful for all we have. Thankful for our friends and family back home.

Thankful ... for the sisterhood...

Naked Sauna Anyone?? ... NOT!

Spent the better part of the day at the Caracalla Therme, a gigantic spa and baths in Baden Baden, Germany. It was beyond relaxing and so much fun. The girls were all set to try the nude sauna and baths upstairs but got up there only to find out that it was co-ed ... No thank you!!  Shocked, they returned to join us in the large massage pool outdoors and we passed a few laps in the lazy river current pool before taking off to shower up.

A Few of the Outdoor Pools and the Lazy River

Some of the Indoor Pools

We then made our way to Hugelsheim, where I lived for a year, many moons ago. We visited my old house and had a great German meal of schnitzel at the Gruner Baum, a restaurant that my family and friends frequented way back when.  Delicious!! 

 

Home again to do laundry and have some great tarte au pomme, au rhubarbe, et a l'abricot, as well as some fantastic flammkuchen, which we bought from a local beer garten to support a ski team from Riquewihr. So cool!

Tarte Flambee, also known in German as Flammkuchen.

But not quite as much so as the sisterhood...

Welcome to Germany... Please Ausfahrt.

After a day of flawless flights, we arrived in Frankfurt, Germany, picked up our packs and made our way down to get our car. Being the lucky ladies that we are, we were upgraded to a fabulous Volvo station wagon, which we've fondly named Lisl the Diesel!

Lisl the Diesel

Marjorie took the first driving stint and was an ace, negotiating the Autobahn like a champion and getting us safely to the medieval walled city of Rothenberg ob der Tauber!  We napped like fools, tumbling into our beds and sleeping where we fell, and then walked the tour of the Night Watchman - led by an endearing and entertaining gentleman carrying a very large axe!  It was the last day of the town Volksfest and there was a big firework display to send us off into our first night's slumber.

After a breakfast of fresh baked croissants, we visited the shops of Rothenberg where we found some new Birks and some Christmastime fun!  We opted out of the medieval crime museum and in to some delicious lunch before getting on the road again to Heidelberg, where we stopped and toured the Schloss Heidelberg before moving on to our apartment in Riquewihr. The people of Riquewihr are lovely and the town is idyllic but the apartment was locked up tight and the owner was nowhere in sight. We had a delicious supper of local treats like tarte flambée and spatzl at a main street pub and ended up winging it and bunking at a nearby hotel for the night.

Today we got the apartment and it is completely comfortable and cozy ...

Living Room at Rue Kilian 1 in Riquewihr, France

Just like the Sisterhood...