The second day of our vacation we visited two of King Ludwig’s castles. They are located fairly close to each other, and between them there is a little village at the base of the mountains connecting them. We bought a pass to see both castles in one day. The first castle we went to was Hohenschwangau (High Swan Country Palace).

Village between the two castles where you buy your tickets, arrange transportation up to the castles, grab a bite to eat, buy souvenirs, etc.

 

You can ride a horse drawn carriage up to the castles, walk, or take a shuttle bus. We walked up to Hohenschwangau and then took a shuttle bus up to the higher Neuschwanstein castle after (next post).

Hohenschwangau Castle

The 3 girls walking up to the castle

 

 

Neuschwanstein in the background (quite a few pics in this post will show the famous castle in the background).

There was a definite swan theme in both castles- you could find swans everywhere you looked (on plates, bedding, art, built into the architecture, etc.).

 

 

 

 

 

 

You are not allowed to take any pictures of the inside of any of the castles. Views from windows are the only ones allowed…

 

Neuschwanstein in background…

On our way to Neuschwanstein Castle! It took forever to get there because the girls love to climb and explore, and we let them do it to their heart’s content.

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s more information on Hohenschwangau Castle if you’re interested…

 

Bavaria is a very picturesque and traditional part of Germany. It’s famous for it’s Lüftlmalerei- painted houses usually depicting religious scenes or themes. There are also lots of Fachwerkhäuser- half timbered houses. It is a very Catholic and traditional region. To the point that my usually “anything goes!” husband wouldn’t let our girls walk barefoot in their bathing suits from our hotel room down to the 1st floor pool because, “This is Bavaria!” It was not unusual to be hiking in the middle of nowhere and come upon a HUGE wooden Christ on the crucifix. Or to find one on the side of a shoe store of all places. The whole area is amazingly, breathtakingly beautiful and unique- especially with The Alps as a backdrop! We spent our first day exploring the Garmisch-Partenkirchen area near our hotel on foot. You can click on any photo to get a better view…

 

 

 

 

 

Love the pretzel sign…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simon was in awe of this car

 

 

Simon and Kiera

 

 

 

 

 

Pharmacy in Bavaria. Not too shabby…

 

Crucifix on a music store

 

 

We ate here a lot-delicious!

View from the restaurant

Butcher shop sign

favorite Eis place

 

Upscale clothing shop in Bavaria…

 

 

 

 

 

We found Garmisch-Partenkirchen to be a beautiful town where you could find most anything you’d need. It’s location was a perfect home base and in close proximity to all of the day trips we wanted to travel to.