Castles!

A weekend away in Germany with the Jill and her two kids-- Maddie and Will....  With her husband away on business we did our own little get away--  Well, three hours away, and we find ourselves at the base of two castles in another country.  I always hold my breath a bit as we pass the border-- always with a quick check to make sure I still have my passport--  then a little sigh of relief when we are through..  You would think I had something to hide with my reaction but since my view of Europe is basically action movies you never know what might happen!

Our first German treat is a Diet Coke.... aka coca cola light with pebble ice!  The diet coke in Switzerland tastes different but that Saturday I cheered the Germans for getting it right!  This girl really isn't too hard to please--  My sweet little room for the night was full of cottage charm--

Our first destination was a church out in the middle of nowhere...  They call it the Church of piligrimage, Die Wies.  It was hard to imagine people coming to worship here and the contrast of the simple farmland and open spaces outside to the ornate details inside...  There was a painting on the ceiling depicting the doors to heaven.  A favorite.  The light coming through the windows,  woodwork on the pews, details on the doors, and the quiet to take it all in. 

Time to explore the village of Füssen-- photo op with King Ludvig-- before the big day of seeing inside the castle...

Breakfast was like being invited to a German tea party--  homemade bread, jams, strawberries served in little mason jars, and hot chocolate!  Seemed fitting before heading off to a couple of castles--

With stomachs a little too full--- Castle bound ---Royal Castle Hohenschwangau.  The walk up the path feels like a walk back in time and wondering what it would have been like to live here... I wonder how they got all those materials up the mountain roads--  A favorite detail was part of the castle wall that looked like cut outs of candles--  

View from one castle to the other as we make our way up the path---

Now on to the main attraction-  Royal Castle Neuschwanstein...  It was stunning from afar and overwhelming up close.  It somehow makes the past seem more real to walk those halls that hold history and stories---

In my mind is seems like a simpler time yet the details and complexity in the designs, craftmanship, and color makes me think it not simple at all.  I guess in every time and life there is simple and complex--  Looking for the simple good things and trying not to make life harder or more complex ----  Maybe out of the complex and complicated comes the simple truths that lead us to a deeper understanding and meaning in our lives..  which moves us all to become more deeply rooted with more complex systems to hold fast to that mountain of stone!

I left wondering what someone would think in a couple hundred years if they bought a ticket and a headset to have a tour through my home and life ----what they would leave thinking----- 

Carriage ride down to the bottom completed the trek back to 2013!