A castle junkies dad trip report of Germany, a bit belated
Jul 14th, 2008, 12:46 PM
#1
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A castle junkies dad trip report of Germany, a bit belated
My youngest son has always been a castle junkie so this was to be the trip to get his fix. It has been my practice to take my kids on separate trips to Europe just us. It gives us a chance to spend some alone time together and being able to use the military Space A system it becomes an affordable thing to do, particularly since our standards of comfort are low when we do these outings. I have 3 kids and they take turns on these trips. DW does have some comfort standards so we do our trips alone, in real airplanes. It is a system that works for us.
My son missed a turn while he was undergoing chemo so this castle tour was an extra trip for him he was in his 3rd year of remission from NHL at the time (he is now in his 6th !!!)
We left Dover AFB on a C 147 and arrived at the AFB at Ramstein Germany early the next morning. The C 147 is a cargo plane that can be configured in various ways to carry some passengers. For this flight the passenger configuration was netting that folded down from the walls it is more comfortable than it looks. The way military Space A works is that you put your name on a list and go down to the airbase. When a plane is taking passengers that is up to the crew and cargo type and needs the flight is called and available places are filled on the basis of order of signing up. Rank has no privileges.
We were issued our earplugs and purchased box lunches. The boxed lunches are pretty standard, one mystery meat sandwich, apple, can of soda and assortment of whatever snacks that were overstocked in the commissary. Also there is a can opener. I dont know why since the soda has been in a pop top for years it must a regulation or the air force bought up a couple of million can openers or something similar.
We land in Ramstein and go to pick up our rental car I called to reserve a car when I found out what plane we were getting on. The rental car agent was beaming when she led us to our Smart sports car convertible. I was beaming too until I found that there was no room for our luggage 1 small gym bag and one small back pack. You would be hard pressed to even fit a fanny pack in there and dont think about packing along a sandwich. Thoughts of driving down the bahn with the wind whipping through my scalp vanished as we were led to a small Opel that was to be our carriage (and as it turned out, one night bedroom) for the journey.
Of to Trier the city of Roman ruins and Karl Marx. We found easy parking right outside the walls and walked in stopping first in the tourist office to reserve a room for the night. No problem and we noted that when leaving the city, we should stop by again to buy a bottle of Karl Marx wine and a bright red Karl Marx mug that my son treasures to this day as a reminder of the burdens of the proletariat.
Next, a tour of Trier and then on to the Castles
My son missed a turn while he was undergoing chemo so this castle tour was an extra trip for him he was in his 3rd year of remission from NHL at the time (he is now in his 6th !!!)
We left Dover AFB on a C 147 and arrived at the AFB at Ramstein Germany early the next morning. The C 147 is a cargo plane that can be configured in various ways to carry some passengers. For this flight the passenger configuration was netting that folded down from the walls it is more comfortable than it looks. The way military Space A works is that you put your name on a list and go down to the airbase. When a plane is taking passengers that is up to the crew and cargo type and needs the flight is called and available places are filled on the basis of order of signing up. Rank has no privileges.
We were issued our earplugs and purchased box lunches. The boxed lunches are pretty standard, one mystery meat sandwich, apple, can of soda and assortment of whatever snacks that were overstocked in the commissary. Also there is a can opener. I dont know why since the soda has been in a pop top for years it must a regulation or the air force bought up a couple of million can openers or something similar.
We land in Ramstein and go to pick up our rental car I called to reserve a car when I found out what plane we were getting on. The rental car agent was beaming when she led us to our Smart sports car convertible. I was beaming too until I found that there was no room for our luggage 1 small gym bag and one small back pack. You would be hard pressed to even fit a fanny pack in there and dont think about packing along a sandwich. Thoughts of driving down the bahn with the wind whipping through my scalp vanished as we were led to a small Opel that was to be our carriage (and as it turned out, one night bedroom) for the journey.
Of to Trier the city of Roman ruins and Karl Marx. We found easy parking right outside the walls and walked in stopping first in the tourist office to reserve a room for the night. No problem and we noted that when leaving the city, we should stop by again to buy a bottle of Karl Marx wine and a bright red Karl Marx mug that my son treasures to this day as a reminder of the burdens of the proletariat.
Next, a tour of Trier and then on to the Castles
Jul 14th, 2008, 02:42 PM
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You're inspiring me with your castle tour. Any excuse to go to Europe will do, however.
Way back in the early 60's, I was teaching at the DOD school in Chitose, Japan. A general took pity on the teachers and blocked two seats every Friday on a cargo plane to Tokyo--I think it was a C124, but I'm not sure if I have the right numbers. Does that sound right?
Anyway, we had "bucket" seats--just sort of stretchers that hung from the side of the plane. Sometimes there would be a heap of cargo in the middle of the plane. It was very noisy, but the price was right.
The return trip (at 4:00 a.m. Sunday) was on Air America and was like a regular passenger airplane of very low-budget airline. I didn't realize until much later that Air America was the CIA airline.
Have a great trip! I'm glad that your son is in remission. You really sound like a great dad.
Way back in the early 60's, I was teaching at the DOD school in Chitose, Japan. A general took pity on the teachers and blocked two seats every Friday on a cargo plane to Tokyo--I think it was a C124, but I'm not sure if I have the right numbers. Does that sound right?
Anyway, we had "bucket" seats--just sort of stretchers that hung from the side of the plane. Sometimes there would be a heap of cargo in the middle of the plane. It was very noisy, but the price was right.
The return trip (at 4:00 a.m. Sunday) was on Air America and was like a regular passenger airplane of very low-budget airline. I didn't realize until much later that Air America was the CIA airline.
Have a great trip! I'm glad that your son is in remission. You really sound like a great dad.
Jul 14th, 2008, 03:15 PM
#4
Original Poster
Peg - It likely was a C 124. The C 124 was a cargo "workhorse" in the '60s. The seats you describe are the ones on our flight and many others that we have taken. DOD teachers do a great job.
T2L -150 castles, WOW!
BTW in case of any miunderstanding - this is a belated trip report that should have been written a couple of years ago when I was new to fodors. I was finally uploading pictures of this trip to Flickr and was reminded as the memories came flooding back that I should have done this writing sooner.
T2L -150 castles, WOW!
BTW in case of any miunderstanding - this is a belated trip report that should have been written a couple of years ago when I was new to fodors. I was finally uploading pictures of this trip to Flickr and was reminded as the memories came flooding back that I should have done this writing sooner.
Jul 15th, 2008, 12:47 PM
#8
Original Poster
Thanks for the encouragement. I will try to upload the pics tonight.
About Trier - This is a city that doesn't get much play on Fodor's and that is a pity, it is well worth a visit. Trier is the oldest city in Germany, founded about 16 BC, is on the Moselle river and has a fine site of the remains of Roman Baths, important cathedrals including one that is said to house the tunic of Christ (not on display)and the Porta Nigra, an original Roman gate and wall remnant. The Porta Nigra and Roman Baths were the main reason we came to Trier, my son being an ancient history buff and the Porta Nigra, while not a castle, has some structural similarities to one that we wanted to see.
As noted earlier Karl Marx made his home in Trier while he philosophed his time away. There is a Karl Marx museum located in his house and it is a nice house indeed. The museum is heavy on reading and light on other displays, but worth an hour or two none the less. Marx has become a cottage industry in Trier to some extent, but not to the extent that Mozart is a cottage industry to Salzburg.
We had no trouble finding a parking spot just outside the Porta Nigra. Upon walking through the Porta you enter a pedestrian mall, typical of German Cities, that extends through much of the city. The tourist info office will be to your right.
The Trier pedestrian area is very pleasant with the usual shops and restaurants. After arranging for a room for the night through the TI, we made our way straight to the Roman ruins and were surprised as to their state of preservation (for ruins) and extent. The site is much larger than I expected. We finished our morning at the ruins and grabbed a quick lunch at one of the stands on the mall before setting out for Chez Marx. The remainder of the afternoon was spent wandering, sitting in the lovely park, admiring cathedrals, and wondering why we did not feel jet lagged (yet).
Came dinner time and we decided to find our hotel, clean up and then go for dinner. We knew that the hotel was not directly in Trier but had, so we thought, good directions to get there. After a two hour tour of the Rhineland Palatinate, many parts of which we had the pleasure to see two, three and four times in our circling, we finally found the hotel about two towns away on a side road up on a hill. It was good that we found it then because I had used up all of my German asking directions along the way and had none left. If we actually had known were it was, it would have been about a fifteen minute drive.
This was a small family run place and very nice. The room was clean,large and in the morning we found the included breakfast to be excellent. We were the only guests. I forget the exact price, but it was reflective of its distance from Trier. Read that "cheap." Now for dinner, or instead, now to find out that the only restaurant in town was closed. It was getting close to dark and not feeling like searching for a place to eat, we returned to our rooom and had a fine dinner of the considerable stash of energy bars in various flavors that I carry for just such occasions. That made breakfast so much the tastier.
In the morning we hit the Bahn to Fussen to begin our Castle quest. The plan was to go as far as Reutte, Austria and work our way back to Ramstein.
About Trier - This is a city that doesn't get much play on Fodor's and that is a pity, it is well worth a visit. Trier is the oldest city in Germany, founded about 16 BC, is on the Moselle river and has a fine site of the remains of Roman Baths, important cathedrals including one that is said to house the tunic of Christ (not on display)and the Porta Nigra, an original Roman gate and wall remnant. The Porta Nigra and Roman Baths were the main reason we came to Trier, my son being an ancient history buff and the Porta Nigra, while not a castle, has some structural similarities to one that we wanted to see.
As noted earlier Karl Marx made his home in Trier while he philosophed his time away. There is a Karl Marx museum located in his house and it is a nice house indeed. The museum is heavy on reading and light on other displays, but worth an hour or two none the less. Marx has become a cottage industry in Trier to some extent, but not to the extent that Mozart is a cottage industry to Salzburg.
We had no trouble finding a parking spot just outside the Porta Nigra. Upon walking through the Porta you enter a pedestrian mall, typical of German Cities, that extends through much of the city. The tourist info office will be to your right.
The Trier pedestrian area is very pleasant with the usual shops and restaurants. After arranging for a room for the night through the TI, we made our way straight to the Roman ruins and were surprised as to their state of preservation (for ruins) and extent. The site is much larger than I expected. We finished our morning at the ruins and grabbed a quick lunch at one of the stands on the mall before setting out for Chez Marx. The remainder of the afternoon was spent wandering, sitting in the lovely park, admiring cathedrals, and wondering why we did not feel jet lagged (yet).
Came dinner time and we decided to find our hotel, clean up and then go for dinner. We knew that the hotel was not directly in Trier but had, so we thought, good directions to get there. After a two hour tour of the Rhineland Palatinate, many parts of which we had the pleasure to see two, three and four times in our circling, we finally found the hotel about two towns away on a side road up on a hill. It was good that we found it then because I had used up all of my German asking directions along the way and had none left. If we actually had known were it was, it would have been about a fifteen minute drive.
This was a small family run place and very nice. The room was clean,large and in the morning we found the included breakfast to be excellent. We were the only guests. I forget the exact price, but it was reflective of its distance from Trier. Read that "cheap." Now for dinner, or instead, now to find out that the only restaurant in town was closed. It was getting close to dark and not feeling like searching for a place to eat, we returned to our rooom and had a fine dinner of the considerable stash of energy bars in various flavors that I carry for just such occasions. That made breakfast so much the tastier.
In the morning we hit the Bahn to Fussen to begin our Castle quest. The plan was to go as far as Reutte, Austria and work our way back to Ramstein.
Jul 15th, 2008, 02:13 PM
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We visited Trier last September. We did it as a day trip from Bernkastel-Kues. We didn't get to see as much as you did, but visited the Porta Nigra and the adjacent pedestrian area. Agree that it is definitely worth a visit. Hopefully, we'll get back there someday and see more.
Jul 16th, 2008, 05:52 AM
#10
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Irishface - here is the link to the pics:
www.flickr.com/photos/basingstoke2/collections
The collection is "Germany with Seth"
There is a miniscule slideshow icon at the upper right corner of the flickr site.
Lacrossery - will soon try to give some Rhine info for your trip.
To continue -
We hit the road early, our destination being the Ehrenberg group of castle ruins outside of Reutte. A drive of about 6 hours got us there, the little Opel doing a nice job on the bahn - not a Mercedes cruiser but more than adequate. The drive between Fussen and Reutte is particularly scenic.
Arriving at Ehrenberg in the mid-afternoon, we went through the gate to the fort area, had a quick lunch at the Gasthof and headed off to see the ruins. It is about a half hour walk through the woods, mostly uphill, to the lower castle site. After a long ride, the walk felt good. As you can see in the pics, the scenery there is beautiful and the ruins are, well, ruins. After exploring the lower site we debated whether to climb to the upper castle site since it looked to be quite a climb. We decided to do it since we had come all that way. The climb to the upper site was long and rugged on an unimproved path. In some places we had to grab onto branches and even roots to pull ourselves along.
I watched my son ahead of me with wonder and not a little bit of emotion remembering that only 3 years earlier he was so weak that he could not even walk without assistance. It reminded me of two and a half years earlier when we celebrated his completing chemo with a trip to Italy 3 months after and I could not keep up with him on the path up Mt. Vesuvius. Young folk can have marvelous recuperative powers.
But I digress - we finally reached the upper site and were rewarded with a spectacular view of the valley below. The castle ruins were also most interesting. My senior citizen bones found this to be a rewarding experience well worth the climb and I recommend it if you are physically able. The descent was, well, interesting.
When we reached bottom, the day was getting late. This was in mid June, where we had the advantage of long days. I did not mention that nowhere on this trip did we have advance hotel reservations so it was time to find a place to sleep. Since Neuschwanstein and Hohenshwangau were on the next day's menu, I decided to look for a place in Schwangau to be near the castles. We found the Pension Schwansee in Schwangau on the road to the castles and that turned out to be a perfect choice. The Pension had a view of Neuschwanstein from its patio restaurant and since it was already after dark, we were able to get a very good, for Schwangau, rate. Fifty eight euro got us two, yes two, basic but clean rooms in the attic, one ensuite and including breakfast. The room that was ensuite was actually a double but the manager said she would not be able to rent the smaller of the two rooms, not ensuite, anyway so why not enjoy them both for the price of one. Who am I to argue with the nice lady? These rooms had no view but were fine. Pension Schwansee does have rooms with views of the mountains and of Neuschwanstein and would be a great base to visit the castles - it is only a mile away. Dinner in the restaurant was great! A delicious three course Bavarian dinner of soup, braised meat, red cabbage, potatoes, and for desert, crepes with strawberries and fresh whipped cream, all for a total of 10 euro. Im sure it has gone up in price since, but try the Pension restaurant when visiting the castles - you will be happy.
After sleeping like stones, we were off the next day to see the castles.
www.flickr.com/photos/basingstoke2/collections
The collection is "Germany with Seth"
There is a miniscule slideshow icon at the upper right corner of the flickr site.
Lacrossery - will soon try to give some Rhine info for your trip.
To continue -
We hit the road early, our destination being the Ehrenberg group of castle ruins outside of Reutte. A drive of about 6 hours got us there, the little Opel doing a nice job on the bahn - not a Mercedes cruiser but more than adequate. The drive between Fussen and Reutte is particularly scenic.
Arriving at Ehrenberg in the mid-afternoon, we went through the gate to the fort area, had a quick lunch at the Gasthof and headed off to see the ruins. It is about a half hour walk through the woods, mostly uphill, to the lower castle site. After a long ride, the walk felt good. As you can see in the pics, the scenery there is beautiful and the ruins are, well, ruins. After exploring the lower site we debated whether to climb to the upper castle site since it looked to be quite a climb. We decided to do it since we had come all that way. The climb to the upper site was long and rugged on an unimproved path. In some places we had to grab onto branches and even roots to pull ourselves along.
I watched my son ahead of me with wonder and not a little bit of emotion remembering that only 3 years earlier he was so weak that he could not even walk without assistance. It reminded me of two and a half years earlier when we celebrated his completing chemo with a trip to Italy 3 months after and I could not keep up with him on the path up Mt. Vesuvius. Young folk can have marvelous recuperative powers.
But I digress - we finally reached the upper site and were rewarded with a spectacular view of the valley below. The castle ruins were also most interesting. My senior citizen bones found this to be a rewarding experience well worth the climb and I recommend it if you are physically able. The descent was, well, interesting.
When we reached bottom, the day was getting late. This was in mid June, where we had the advantage of long days. I did not mention that nowhere on this trip did we have advance hotel reservations so it was time to find a place to sleep. Since Neuschwanstein and Hohenshwangau were on the next day's menu, I decided to look for a place in Schwangau to be near the castles. We found the Pension Schwansee in Schwangau on the road to the castles and that turned out to be a perfect choice. The Pension had a view of Neuschwanstein from its patio restaurant and since it was already after dark, we were able to get a very good, for Schwangau, rate. Fifty eight euro got us two, yes two, basic but clean rooms in the attic, one ensuite and including breakfast. The room that was ensuite was actually a double but the manager said she would not be able to rent the smaller of the two rooms, not ensuite, anyway so why not enjoy them both for the price of one. Who am I to argue with the nice lady? These rooms had no view but were fine. Pension Schwansee does have rooms with views of the mountains and of Neuschwanstein and would be a great base to visit the castles - it is only a mile away. Dinner in the restaurant was great! A delicious three course Bavarian dinner of soup, braised meat, red cabbage, potatoes, and for desert, crepes with strawberries and fresh whipped cream, all for a total of 10 euro. Im sure it has gone up in price since, but try the Pension restaurant when visiting the castles - you will be happy.
After sleeping like stones, we were off the next day to see the castles.
Jul 16th, 2008, 07:36 AM
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Having just returned from our own tour of German castles last month, we are looking forward to the rest of your report. The C147 Starlifter is an older but still fast (500-600 knots) cargo jet. The same trip across the pond (in the same nylon mesh seats) in the C130 Hercules (turbo prop 300-400 knots) is really painfull!
Jul 16th, 2008, 09:33 AM
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I've flown Space A on 130s and 141s as well as KC-135s and KC-10s. Still haven't ridden on a C-17. Haven't heard of a 147, when did you take your trip?
Went to Ehrenberg with our kids, we only went to the intermediate ruins because the climb to the top looked daunting and they were going to clear trees for a view (2005). The pictures will encourage me to return and climb to the top.
Went to Ehrenberg with our kids, we only went to the intermediate ruins because the climb to the top looked daunting and they were going to clear trees for a view (2005). The pictures will encourage me to return and climb to the top.
Jul 16th, 2008, 11:49 AM
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bdjtbenson
you're right, of course. C141 is the Starlifter. There ain't no C147 that I'm aware of. C47 is the WW2 vintage Dakota that hung around till the 80s in various forms and the C17 is the Cadillac of transports. I presume he's talking C141s ... but we digress ... more castles!
you're right, of course. C141 is the Starlifter. There ain't no C147 that I'm aware of. C47 is the WW2 vintage Dakota that hung around till the 80s in various forms and the C17 is the Cadillac of transports. I presume he's talking C141s ... but we digress ... more castles!
Jul 16th, 2008, 01:37 PM
#14
Original Poster
Yes that was a typo. Of course it was a C 141. IMO the C17 actually is kind of uncomfortable for passengers. My favorite is the KC 10 tanker followed by the C5 (when it works). The last I was on a C 130 was from Sigonella NAS to Rota NAS - noisy and slow but all in all, not a bad flight at all. A C 141 in medivac configeration is pretty good too. The worst flight I ever had was on a C 135 Dover AFB to Mildenhall RAF. Passengers were along the sides in the nets and there was a lot of cargo going down the middle blocking the heating along the top. It was freezing so we all climbed up on top of the cargo for the entire flight.
Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau soon, followed by the Eagle's Nest, Rothenberg ob der Tauber, Rheinfels Castle and St. Goar, Marksburg (now THATS a castle, and Burg Eltz.
Link to pics in post above
Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau soon, followed by the Eagle's Nest, Rothenberg ob der Tauber, Rheinfels Castle and St. Goar, Marksburg (now THATS a castle, and Burg Eltz.
Link to pics in post above
Jul 17th, 2008, 03:50 AM
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I'm really enjoying reading your trip report. DH and I did our own castle tour through Germany last October, having visited many of the same castles as you.
Looking forward to your next installment.
Robyn
>-
Looking forward to your next installment.
Robyn
>-
Jul 17th, 2008, 05:15 AM
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Thanks so much for this wonderful report, basingstoke2. How old was your son when you took the trip (if you said, I missed it).
<i>"It was good that we found it then because I had used up all of my German asking directions along the way and had none left. "</i>
This cracked me up - I know exactly how you feel. Currently I'm listening to German immersion tapes in my car hoping that for my next trip to Germany I won't use up my language skills so easily. I've been several times in recent years and likely will be back once or twice in the next year.
I love your pictures, and am trying not to peek ahead! At Ehrenberg, were the pictures of mountains behind the ruins at the lower or the upper ruins?
<i>"It was good that we found it then because I had used up all of my German asking directions along the way and had none left. "</i>
This cracked me up - I know exactly how you feel. Currently I'm listening to German immersion tapes in my car hoping that for my next trip to Germany I won't use up my language skills so easily. I've been several times in recent years and likely will be back once or twice in the next year.
I love your pictures, and am trying not to peek ahead! At Ehrenberg, were the pictures of mountains behind the ruins at the lower or the upper ruins?
Jul 17th, 2008, 07:59 AM
#17
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Thanks artstuff (interesting name) and noe.
My son had turned 21 a few months before the trip. He had become ill when he was 17 and a HS Senior.
The mountains are from the the lower ruins. The last picture in the set is the lower ruins viewed from the upper castle ruins. That gives you an idea of the climb up there.
Glad you like the pics. They were taken on my old Canon A85 as were the pics in the collections of Prague and Vienna. The Mexico pics were taken on a Kodak Z612 and the other Europe pics on a Panasonic FZ18.
My son had turned 21 a few months before the trip. He had become ill when he was 17 and a HS Senior.
The mountains are from the the lower ruins. The last picture in the set is the lower ruins viewed from the upper castle ruins. That gives you an idea of the climb up there.
Glad you like the pics. They were taken on my old Canon A85 as were the pics in the collections of Prague and Vienna. The Mexico pics were taken on a Kodak Z612 and the other Europe pics on a Panasonic FZ18.
Jul 17th, 2008, 06:26 PM
#18
Original Poster
Neuschwanstein - what is there to say that hasn't already been said on this forum ad infinitum? This was the 3rd time for me but the first for my son. We arrived when the ticket office opened and bought our Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau English tour tickets and headed up the hill. After hiking up to the upper ruins at Ehrenberg, the walk up to the castle was a Sunday stroll in the park with still steaming reminders of passing horse carts filled with uphill challenged visitors decorating the road at almost regular intervals. Memories are made of this.
Unlike castles like Berg Eltz and Marksburg that have up close interest, Neuschwanstein is best viewed from a distance where its fairy tale qualities and spectacular setting can be appreciated. Up close, it is just a big, not too old, building . We did the tour which seemed much shorter than tours past and
DS in truth did enjoy it. Some people collect stamps or matchbook covers. DS collects famous sights. It doesn't matter what, if it is famous he likes it. That was especially frustrating the time I had taken him to Paris when he was a novice teenager. He actually had a list of Parisian "famous sights" that he dutifully checked off. If it wasn't on his list, he did not consider it worth while to see. When his list was done, he was done with Paris and ready to leave. So of course he loved Neuschwanstein (he is getting much better about that). For my part, we walked back down the hill with the refrain of Peggy Lee's "Is that all there is" running through my brain.
On the other hand, Hohenschangau was something else. It was the first time there for both of us and we both reallly enjoyed it. It is more of a palace than a castle and those readers who have been there will understand when I say that for a palace, it is really homey. A visit there will give you a feeling how the family lived. Although we had booked an English tour, there were only eight people (Hohenschwangau is not nearly as popular as Neuschwanstein) and six turned out to be native German speakers so the guide did the tour in German rather English, giving us audio guides in way of compensation. The audio guides were fine but we missed out on the cute stories about little Ludwig that are a mandatory feature of live guidance. The terraced area of Hohenschwangau is delightful and there is a great view of Neuschanstein in the distance as it is meant to be seen. You can see it in one of my pics in that set (see a few post above for the link).
Later in the afternoon evening we explored Fussen. It is nice but we were drawn back to the ambiance of Schwangau. Not seeing a restaurant that we would prefer to the one at our Pension, we headed back for another great dinner in time to watch the refllection of a gorgeous sunset on the mountains (also in the pics).
Next day, it is a day trip to the Eagle's Nest, a place of conflicting emotions.
Unlike castles like Berg Eltz and Marksburg that have up close interest, Neuschwanstein is best viewed from a distance where its fairy tale qualities and spectacular setting can be appreciated. Up close, it is just a big, not too old, building . We did the tour which seemed much shorter than tours past and
DS in truth did enjoy it. Some people collect stamps or matchbook covers. DS collects famous sights. It doesn't matter what, if it is famous he likes it. That was especially frustrating the time I had taken him to Paris when he was a novice teenager. He actually had a list of Parisian "famous sights" that he dutifully checked off. If it wasn't on his list, he did not consider it worth while to see. When his list was done, he was done with Paris and ready to leave. So of course he loved Neuschwanstein (he is getting much better about that). For my part, we walked back down the hill with the refrain of Peggy Lee's "Is that all there is" running through my brain.
On the other hand, Hohenschangau was something else. It was the first time there for both of us and we both reallly enjoyed it. It is more of a palace than a castle and those readers who have been there will understand when I say that for a palace, it is really homey. A visit there will give you a feeling how the family lived. Although we had booked an English tour, there were only eight people (Hohenschwangau is not nearly as popular as Neuschwanstein) and six turned out to be native German speakers so the guide did the tour in German rather English, giving us audio guides in way of compensation. The audio guides were fine but we missed out on the cute stories about little Ludwig that are a mandatory feature of live guidance. The terraced area of Hohenschwangau is delightful and there is a great view of Neuschanstein in the distance as it is meant to be seen. You can see it in one of my pics in that set (see a few post above for the link).
Later in the afternoon evening we explored Fussen. It is nice but we were drawn back to the ambiance of Schwangau. Not seeing a restaurant that we would prefer to the one at our Pension, we headed back for another great dinner in time to watch the refllection of a gorgeous sunset on the mountains (also in the pics).
Next day, it is a day trip to the Eagle's Nest, a place of conflicting emotions.
Jul 18th, 2008, 11:08 AM
#19
Original Poster
This was going to be a day with a lot of driving so we got an early start and hit the road to Berchtesgaden. The Eagle's Nest as Hitler's retreat always held a morbid facination for me. How many times have we all seen those films of Adolf and Eva frolicking on the Eagle's Nest terrace with that gorgeous scenery as a backdrop? A scenic drive of 2+ hours got us there. To visit the Eagle's Nest, you park in the huge lot next to the tour bus station and take a bus up. I understand that you can walk up too in about 3 hours if you are really fit.
The bus ride up to the Eagle's Nest is spectacualar on some of the steepest roads I have seen. The bus deposits you at the entrance to a long tunnel that leads to an elevator to Hitler's tea house/chalet summit. Although June, there was still some snow in spots with temperatures to match
I really had some mixed feelings about visiting. I am a first generation American whose parents immigrated with the immediate family as teens, mom from the then Austro-Hungarian Empire and Dad from what is now Belarus. DW (who I usually refer to as "Mi Chica"
is second generation Cuban who came to the US as a young girl. Her grandmother came to Cuba alone as a teen and her ancestry is Lithuanian-Polish. Mostly all of her family on both sides perished in the holocaust as did those members of my parent's family who stayed behind. I was to find that despite being surrounded by tourists and years that had passed, I could still feel Hitler's presence.
After an hour or so of wandering around and taking pics, we went into Hitler's chalet, now a restaurant, for some hot chocolate. Loads of others had the same idea, but somehow sitting there, the chocolate was especially sweet. In your face, Adolf!
Down the elevator, through the tunnel and onto a waiting bus the ride down was as spectacular as the ride up. Those buses sure have good brakes. Another drive of 2+ hours brought us back to our Pension Schwansee just in time to get some dinner before the restaurant closed. The next morning we said good-by to our gracious lady hostesses and were off to Rothenberg ob der Tauber. I was really looking forward to another visit there and so was DS looking forward to his first.
Next - Rothenberg and Music, Music, Music.
The bus ride up to the Eagle's Nest is spectacualar on some of the steepest roads I have seen. The bus deposits you at the entrance to a long tunnel that leads to an elevator to Hitler's tea house/chalet summit. Although June, there was still some snow in spots with temperatures to match
I really had some mixed feelings about visiting. I am a first generation American whose parents immigrated with the immediate family as teens, mom from the then Austro-Hungarian Empire and Dad from what is now Belarus. DW (who I usually refer to as "Mi Chica"
is second generation Cuban who came to the US as a young girl. Her grandmother came to Cuba alone as a teen and her ancestry is Lithuanian-Polish. Mostly all of her family on both sides perished in the holocaust as did those members of my parent's family who stayed behind. I was to find that despite being surrounded by tourists and years that had passed, I could still feel Hitler's presence.After an hour or so of wandering around and taking pics, we went into Hitler's chalet, now a restaurant, for some hot chocolate. Loads of others had the same idea, but somehow sitting there, the chocolate was especially sweet. In your face, Adolf!
Down the elevator, through the tunnel and onto a waiting bus the ride down was as spectacular as the ride up. Those buses sure have good brakes. Another drive of 2+ hours brought us back to our Pension Schwansee just in time to get some dinner before the restaurant closed. The next morning we said good-by to our gracious lady hostesses and were off to Rothenberg ob der Tauber. I was really looking forward to another visit there and so was DS looking forward to his first.
Next - Rothenberg and Music, Music, Music.
Jul 18th, 2008, 11:29 AM
#20
Join Date: Mar 2008
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Space A is an interesting animal. It always looks like the scene from airplane when they tell the passengers to assume their crash positions.
On KC-135s the best ride is to bring a pillow and blanket (or sleeping bag) and get a space on top of the cargo bins as soon as you can.
Another option (only with a sleeping bag) is to get some sleep in the boom operators station, it's flat and padded! Sleeping on a flat surface! feels like first class!
There are bunks but the crew usually guard those pretty jelously. The nylon jump seats on the sides do get really cold. I don't like to pack heavy, so I usually just have my fleece sweater and a fleece throw that packs easy.
On KC-135s the best ride is to bring a pillow and blanket (or sleeping bag) and get a space on top of the cargo bins as soon as you can.
Another option (only with a sleeping bag) is to get some sleep in the boom operators station, it's flat and padded! Sleeping on a flat surface! feels like first class!
There are bunks but the crew usually guard those pretty jelously. The nylon jump seats on the sides do get really cold. I don't like to pack heavy, so I usually just have my fleece sweater and a fleece throw that packs easy.
