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gaudy. The castle construction began in 1869, but was never completed since King Ludwig II died under mysterious circumstances.
Neuschwanstein Castle
In the morning, we were off to Reutte. Sue spied an ALDI store and we stopped to take a look. It was one of the trip highlights for her. LOL. Our next stop was the Linderhof, a hunting lodge of King Ludwig II. The “lodge” was small, but over the top gaudy. The king ate 17 course meals and his dining table could be lowered to the kitchen and raised with the food displayed on it. After a pretzel and a Coke, we headed to Ettal to see the Ettal Kloster. The church was very plain on the outside, but the inside was baroque architecture to the max. Sue’s comment was, “Who do they get to dust all this?” A small adjoining chapel was very plain, Danish modern. What a contrast! We continued on to Oberammergau and Garmisch for some photo opportunities. On the way back to Fussen, we passed the Ehrenburg ruins. The ruins were on a hill connected to another hill by a suspension bridge over the roadway. The bridge is 1.2 meters wide, 114 meters high, and 406 meters long. Yikes! No way were we walking over that thing!
We left Fussen on a foggy morning toward Dinkelsbuhl. On the way, we stopped at the Steiff Museum in Gienger an der Brenz. Steiff makes high-end stuffed animals of all kinds and sizes. We took a tour and the stuffed animals were the narrators. It was very well done. We both really enjoyed it. It would be awesome if you had small children. For lunch, we had currywurst with French fries. It was surprisingly tasty. Dinkelsbuhl is a medieval walled city with tower gates wide enough for a single car, and cobblestone streets. We
enjoyed walking around town and eating cherry strudel in a bakery. Yum! In the morning, we found a farmer’s market in front of the church - fresh owers, lots of produce, and a bakery food truck. Awesome!
Three Bears at the Stei Museum
In Nuremburg, we opted for a stay at the Hilton. Nice amenities, great Wi-Fi, nice bar, and an excellent restaurant. It was also within walking distance to Nazi Party Rally Grounds and the Documentation Center that explains how the Nazi Party wasabletorisetopower.Therallygrounds had space for over 200,000 people and Hitler made many of his speeches there. You have probably seen it if you watch any programs on the History Channel. Todayitcontainssoccer eldsandalarge paved area for roller hockey. While I toured the Documentation Center, Sue opted for a park bench by the lake. I was a beautiful day to be outside and watch people. The area around the lake is a very family friendly place. Excellent walking trails lled with dogs taking their people for a stroll, families with baby carriages, and people of all ages out for a walk.
Rothenburg de ober Tauber, a beautiful medieval city, was our next destination. This is the most photogenic place we visited. The town is lled with colorful medieval buildings, unique city gates, museums and has a mechanical clock in the town square. The old town is completely enclosed by the original wall that you can walk on. The central square is large and the winding, small streets connect to it like spokes of a wheel. The town has many bakeries and I think we sampled something in each one. One of our favorites was the salt and pepper pretzel. The pretzel seems to be the go to snack in Germany. We saw toddlers in strollers gnawing on them, teenagers, adults, and seniors were all enjoying them.
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