Ascension Trip to Bavaria: Neuschwanstein Castle

Started the day with a proper German breakfast.

Uli, Leonard and Lina Marie take refuge from the rain.

We had to buy ponchos - effective.

Neuschwanstein Castle.

The kitchens of Hohenschwangau Castle - now that's a stove!

Hohenschwangau Castle.

These castles are on hills - good thing we had carriages nearby!

The entry of Hohenschwangau Castle.

1 Euro ponchos hit the spot.

Hohenschwangau Castle from Neuschwanstein Castle.

Climbing to the bridge rewarded with incredible view. Karsten and Leonard joined Steve for the hike.

The castle's surroundings are stunning. 

Visiting the famous Neuschwanstein Castle was always high on our list and we were glad that we could spend the day at this historic place. 

The castle is every bit as beautiful as one sees in photographs. We knew that it was the inspiration behind the Disney castle. What we didn't realize was all the history behind the castle and Ludwig II of Bavaria. Not only was it to be a personal refuge for the regent but also to pay hommage to Richard Wagner.

It is a fascinating place to visit. We enjoyed visiting both Nueschwanstein and nearby Hohenschwangau Castle, the childhood home of Ludwig II and where he lived and watched the construction of Nueschwanstein. 

Ascension Trip to Bavaria: Lachen and Nesselwang

View from our apartment in Lachen.

The farm had kitties.

Anna holds one too.

Bavarian countryside.

A painting in a local restaurant. Steve thought Maria could learn from this depiction, particularly since Steve has so much Schneid.

Uli and Maria.

Kate and Leonard play on the car.

Picturesque Bavaria.

Traditional Bavarian clothing in a local shop.

Dinner in Nesselwang.

Our breakfast in our apartment.

They had rabbits too.

Kate learning about milking.

Karsten decides to take a ride.

Local church.

Bavarian cousine.

The girls enjoy spaetzle.

Steve and Karsten have a beer.

Traditional post wedding decoration - starts the clock on when the baby should arrive.

Last year we travelled to Luxembourg and Trier for Ascension weekend with our good friends, the Vierkas. We met the Vierkas in Dubai and both families moved to Europe in 2010. The Vierkas moved to Hamburg and us to Switzerland. We enjoy their company and our families travel well together. We agreed last year to meet again over Ascension. This year it was Bavaria.

Last year Uli found as terrific accomodations in a small German village. This year was the same. We stayed in furnished apartments at Veiter-Hof in Lachen, Germany. Lachen is comprised of a handful of buildings, mostly related to dairy farmers. Our hosts are dairy farmers plus work other jobs during the day. They were terrific hosts and we managed to get by despite our limited German and their limited English. 

Just up the road is the town of Nesselwang, a municipatlity in the district of Ostallgäu in Bavaria in Germany. Though only 3,200 fulll time residence, its location foot of the Alps in Allgäuat make it popular with tourists for skiing in the winter and scenary during the summer. 

We enjoyed the local cousine and taking part in the daily activities of dairy farming in Bavaria.

Steve Birthday 2013

Girls and kitties under the happy birthday banner.

Steve ended up traveling to Pittsburgh for his birthday. So the girls (including our 3rd daughter Camilla) worked extra hard to have a fantastic early birthday. Of course, Cappuccino and Minuit worked super hard to help. We later had neighbors over for an American tradition of hot fudge sundaes.

A Bridge Too Far - Nijmegen and Arnhem

It is difficult to appreciate how the lives of so many were impacted by the War.

It is equally hard to imagine how devestated this area was.

The Airborne Museum did a nice job telling the story.

Uniforms of the British 1st Airborne.

Airborne Museum - the exact location of General Urquhart's command post.

Headquarters in Oosterbeek.

Too many of these on both sides.

John Frost's Bridge in Arnhem.

Not a great picture of Nijmegen bridge - the last bridge needed to relieve the British 1st Airborne.

Steve's new job has taken him to business trips in Nijmegen. On the way to the last visit he took the train from Schiphol to Arnhem and Nijmegen to visit the site of Operation Market Garden, the largest airborne operation of the Second World War. Having seen the movie A Bridge Too Far several times while growing up, it was nice to see the place where these events took place. The Dutch have done a nice job preserving the location of key events, including General Urquhart's headquarters in Oosterbeek which has been converted into an airborne museum. Nearby is the Commonwealth Military Cemetery. Though Arnhem was heavily damaged (as most Dutch cities near the operation) there is a memorial for those men under General John Frost who fought to hold the Arnhem bridge. After these visits, Steve headed to Nijmegen. He left the trip with a better understanding of the operation and, more importantly, how the Dutch people suffered from German reprisals that lead to the Hunger Winter.

Visiting Pam and Henry in Their New City

In front of the new apartment.

Pamela and Henry's street.

1928 Olympic Stadium.

We didn't eat here.

Henry in his new apartment.

At the Mexx store at Schiphol airport.

In February, Steve had a business trip to Singapore. The flight involved a long layover at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. So, Steve spent the afternoon with Pam and Henry at their new apartment in Amsterdam. Following some lovely nibblies, we took a walk in the neighborhood, including a stop in front of the Olympic stadium from the 1928 Olympic Games. We stopped at a shushi restaurant for takeaway and enjoyed a nice evening getting caught up. On they way back, we stopped at Mexx store so Pamela could give Steve an insiders view of the world of retail apparel. The visit was too short, but good to catch-up.