The fairytale trip continues with enchanting castles, horses, swans, gorgeous mountains and elaborate fountains!
Eric and I took a trip to Austria and Germany in May for 11 days. Click here for Part 1 in Austria and see below for Part 2 including castles throughout Bavaria.
King Ludwig (1845-1886) was born and raised at the Hohenschwangau Castle and took over the throne at the age of 18. He created an ideal fantasy world as a refuge from reality by building three castles: the nearby Neuschwanstein, the Royal Palace of Herrenchiemsee, and the Linderhof Palace.
Neuschwanstein was built in honor of Richard Wagner, the world-renowned opera composer. Many rooms inside the castle were inspired by Wagner’s characters. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the castles, but I did take lots of photos of the exteriors!
Traveling from castle to castle we saw some beautiful scenery.
The Royal Palace of Herrenchiemsee was modeled after the Palace of Versailles in France. The highlights include the State Staircase, the State Bedroom and the Great Hall of Mirrors.
Eric took this awesome panoramic photo with his iPhone!
The Hohenschwangau Castle was built on the remains of the fortress Schuangau, which dates back to the 12th century. A family of knights was responsible for the construction of the medieval fortress. It is considered a jewel of German romanticism.
The Alps are so gorgeous they don’t even look real! Standing there at Lake Plansee I couldn’t believe my eyes. The snow-capped mountains, the crystal clear waters and the rolling hills made my mom want to start singing, “The hills are alive with the sound of muuuuuuusic.”
The last castle we visited was Linderhof, built in the baroque style around Ludwig’s hunting grounds. Whenever Ludwig was in residence, rather than flying a flag, he set two large swan figures outside the doors of the palace.
The slideshow includes more photos of the castles along with a stop in Oberammergau, the Weiskirche Church and the Ettal Abbey where monks have been brewing beer and making liquors for centuries. Check out more photos in the slideshow:
The last part of our trip is coming up next in Part 3: Munich and the Hofbräuhaus and the medieval city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Coming soon!
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