Quick Index:
Davos, Switzerland
Page 1
Davos & Monstein
Page 2
Page 3
Monstein, Guarda
& the Alps
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Through Austria into Bavaria
Page 7
Hohenschangau/ Neuschwanstein Castles, Tegel Berg, & Wieskirche
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Driving to Baden-Württemberg
Page 14
Page 15
Hochdorf & Schlierbach
Page 16
(Essay)
Page 17
Kirkheim ünter
Teck & our hotel
Page 18
Europe Trip, August 2007
Hohenschwangau, Germany, Aug 11-14
On Monday we toured the castles. This one is the older one, Hohenschwangau,
built by Maxmillian II,
king of Bavaria from 1848-1864. I didn't realize there
were Bavarian
kings such a short time ago. Max was Ludwig II's father.
Apparently Max never thought it was worthwhile to teach his son and heir
anything about politics, and so Ludwig did not fare well in the real world. He
was too idealistic and protected to suffer the foibles of the average man.
Swans are everywhere, including in the arms of this guy,
who was featured in a courtyard of Hohenschwangau castle.
These castles are pretty wild. They're very romantic and
make you
feel like
you're
at Disneyworld. This is where Ludwig II grew up.
He spent most of his childhood roaming the forests and fields
and never really experienced court life or learned statesmanship.
On our way up to see Neuschwanstein, the castle built by Ludwig II, we
came across this guy
playing a
very unusual version of a violin. He rotated
the
handle to activate a
sort of bellows, then played the strings.