Rothenburg ob der Tauber | Germany

Rothenburg has made the favorites list in the household!

There is no denying the fact that Van and I both love Germany. We both just feel really comfortable when we are in Germany. And while we were visiting for the first time, we were able to visit the most spectacular little town. Enter Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The town is the quaintest and most picturesque medieval village you will ever visit! While we went primarily to visit the Christmas Markets, the town exudes charm all year round. The Christmas Market was actually much less impressive than I imagined….maybe because we had already visited the Dusseldorf and Cologne markets…but nonetheless, it set the perfect scene for our stay.

Edelweiss Lodge and Resort | A Mixed Review

While skiing/snowboarding at Garmisch-Partenkirchen we chose to stay at Edelweiss Lodge and Resort solely for the fact that we had friends staying there. Edelweiss Lodge and Resort is a US Military owned resort and is primarily for military members whether active duty, retired or reserve. Which makes this a tough review. And I'll get to that soon.

You may or may not know that Van is a prior military member. He served in the Air Force for 6 years and I still feel so much pride when I think of his service and I feel very blessed that I was able to call myself a military spouse. It was a great opportunity for Van and the military treated us very well. It's not for everybody and it definitely wasn't an easy 6 years, but it started Van's career on an amazing path.

Alps Trip 2015 | Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Around the end of 2014, I scheduled two Alps ski trips for us for Winter 2015. And our first trip was shaping up to be a good one...lots of friends were coming along and we were excited! We chose to stay at Edelweiss Lodge and Resort which is a US military owned resort. I was leery about booking a place here but did it anyway since everyone we knew would be staying here. And trust me.....I have a whole lot to say about Edelweiss but more on that later in a separate post!

Edelweiss is located in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a small Bavarian ski town that was home to the winter Olympics in 1936. The town itself was quaint and cozy and I was excited about getting there. We flew into Munich and took the train down to Garmisch. It was super easy! What we didn't expect was to see green ground EVERYWHERE when we arrived!! Um, are we going to be able to ski??

Neuschwantstein Castle | Germany

Well, I’ll be posting a little out of order over the next few weeks but for good reason….my momma is here!! And finding time to keep track of our recent travels is a bit scarce and I’m ok with that!!

On our recent trip to Germany, we were able to visit the world famous and gorgeous Neuschwanstein Castle. We visited on a crisp and clear day which was just what I was hoping for. Built by King Ludwig II in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps, it is definitely a sight to behold. Van was feeling a little under the weather (to say the least) on the day of our visit so we opted to take the horse carriage ride up the steep slope to the castle gates. 

We took the guided tour of the Castle and while brief, I’m glad we did. While we were unable to take photos within the castle walls, but let me tell you, the interior was beautiful. Filled with swans, lots of gold, and incredible intricate details it was one of the most ornate castles we have seen…..and we only saw a small piece of it. Unfortunately, King Ludwig died while the castle was still being finished and it has been left unfinished. But I think he would be happy that so many people flock to see his dream castle.

I wasn’t able to get the ‘money shot’ of the castle from the super sketchy suspension bridge, but I am very happy with our experience and that we had such a gorgeous white setting. 

Aren't the views just incredible? 

I feel so fortunate to have had such a beautiful day to view this beautiful castle! Fairytale? I think so...

Rheinstein Castle | Germany

One of the best decisions we made in Germany was renting a car! We were able to leisurely move about the country, drive the Autobahn and stop at roadside gas stations and eateries whenever we felt like it. And on our roadtrip adventure agenda was a stop at a German castle. My first choice of castles on the way down to Rothenburg was Burg Eltz, but seeing as it was closed for the winter, we stopped at Rheinstein Castle which was just as great.

Perched high above the Rhine, Rheinstein Castle is just one of many castles along the winding river. While I love British castles, especially ones along the coastlines, there is also something that makes a river castle just as enchanting. 

When we arrived at the castle, we parked at the bottom and began the trek up the hill to the castle door. It was hard to get a good picture of the castle from our angle and we couldn’t really see just how high up the castle went….but we would get a good understanding soon enough. We paid our entry fees and Van took over as tour guide. He was pretty pumped about his first German castle. 

Van and I basically had the castle to ourselves and we wandered around with the guidebook and took in the gorgeous views of the Rhine. 

The history of this castle is pretty much like other castles…various owners, used for differing reasons to protect different peoples, etc, etc. Construction of the castle began in the 14^th century and served to protect the Mainz territory on the south Middle Rhine. It eventually fell to ruin but restoration of the castle soon took place and has continued over the years. 

The interior of the castle was open for exploration as well. And good thing since it was really chilly that day! I always love when a castle is set up to look the way it did back when it was in use. I love to imagine what castle life must have been like. Rheinstein is not a large castle and I think life would have seemed a little bit isolated here. Castles dot the river but I'm not sure if they were friendly with each other....I need to brush up on some of this history!

We eventually got to the point of the tallest tower after browsing the interior. With only a very narrow staircase leading to the top, I was terrified to go to the top. But of course, I did….someone has to take the pictures around here!

And then it was time to haul butt down becasue I was about to start hyperventilating! 

Rheinstein Castle was a great introduction to German castles and it was super cool to have the place to ourselves. Our own little royal day. A day to remember! 

We are hoping to visit Neuschwanstein in a few days and are pretty excited about it! Have you been to any German castles? 




Linking up with these ladies  bonnie, courtney, yalanda, & cynthia for Travel Tuesday!