We left Munich Friday morning in the rain again and started our journey toward Konstanz. We stopped on our way out at a grocery for some snacks.
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| A little donut research |
Our Nutter Butter had planned a stop about halfway between Munich and Konstanz - Neucshwanstain Castle. It sits above a tiny town called Hohenschwangau that actually already had a castle dating back to the 12th century. The Hohenschwangau Castle was originally used by knights but in the early 1800s, it was acquired by the Bavarian royal family.
King Ludwig II grew up visiting Hohenschwangau Castle but when he became king he decided he wanted to live like a medieval king and needed a palace to fit. Hence, Neucshwanstein Castle became one of his many eccentric endeavors.
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| Neuschwanstein Castle |
King Ludwig II was known for his eccentricity in style and behavior and actually was later declared insane by the state. He was living in the finished part of the castle while the rest was being completed and it was there that he was arrested by the government. He was taken into house arrest at another royal palace and the next day was found in the lake on the property. It is believed that he took his own life. The Neuschwanstein Castle was never completely finished.
If you’re thinking it looks familiar that’s because Walt Disney visited this castle and loved it so much that it became the inspiration for the castle in his Magic Kingdom. The castle was also one of the sets in the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! It was the home of Baron Bomburst whose personality was taken from King Ludwig II.
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Marienbrücke - bridge over the gorge by the castle
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| Photo from the Marienbrücke bridge |
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| Another photo from the bridge |
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| Looking out from the side of the castle down into the town and the lake |
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| Bavarian Alps |
After our castle tour and our steep walk back down the giant hill it sits on, we grabbed some lunch at a local restaurant and then got back on the road to Konstanz. Part of our journey was on the Romantische Straße, Germany’s Romantic Road. It’s a popular route filled with medieval German towns.
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| I was amazed by these tree roots on our journey back down the hill. |
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| Daisies - my favorite |
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| Romantic Road |
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| Chris taking advantage of the no restrictions! |
Konstanz is a German town surrounded by Lake Contance (Bodensee in German) and Konstanz is also bordered by Switzerland. The lake itself is shared by Germany, Austria and Switzerland. To get there we rode a ferry from a small German town. We didn’t arrive at the hotel until after 8:00pm so we just hung out for the evening.
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| Views from the ferry to Konstanz |
Saturday we woke up to absolutely gorgeous weather! Sunshine and high 70s! We headed to Insel Mainau or Flower Island. Even though the island is in Germany, it is owned by a Swiss foundation created by Swiss Royals whose family used to live on the island. Prior to their ownership, it was owned by an order of Teutonic Knights and remnants of their castle are still there. The island is a gardener's paradise! It is filled with flowers, herbs, vegetables and trees of soooooo many varieties! There is also a church, the former royal house, and other various historic buildings.
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| Yes, the wings are actually transparent! |
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| Love this pic! Chrysallis |
After we left the park, we took the bus into the old part of the town of Konstanz. The town is much bigger than I thought it would be. It’s a mix of old and new. We did a little shopping and a little walking around to see the town. We then headed to the harbor area where we found the first European auto ferry - Historische Fähre. It is now a cafe or can be reserved for events. We ate dinner there and hung out a bit on the water. We do like an evening on a boat!!
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| Konstanz |
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| We walked all the way to Switzerland and back!! hahaha! |
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| At the Konstanz Harbor |
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| Beautiful Nutter Butter! |
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| Traveling Trio |
Tomorrow we are heading north!
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