Schwarzwald - 2 June 2016

On Thursday we traveled to Schwarzwald, the Black Forest. We stayed in the town of Triberg. The people named it the black forest because it was so dense that it was very dark. It was a lovely drive along a large lake that divides Germany from Switzerland and up through the forest. 

The Black Forest is famous for Cuckoo Clocks. The people who lived here were very good at carving wood and making clocks. This is a statue of a traveling clock maker. As the Schwarzwald clocks gained popularity, these men would leave and travel to other towns and countries. They would set up shop, sometimes staying a few years, sometimes staying for the rest of their lives.

We hiked up the longest waterfall in Germany. 

"Mom, I found a baby waterfall!"

We are tired of Mom making us pose for pictures!!!

Nathan enjoys hikes better if he is distracted so we like to hold hands and
count backwards from 100.
It is a miracle cure when this boy is tired and hungry!

nap time

Nathan is making more friends :) There were black squirrels along the trail that were fun to see, but I could never get the camera out fast enough!

The BIGGEST cuckoo clock in the WORLD!!! 

There's the cuckoo!

We had to try Black Forest cake in the Black Forest.
We got the kind that wasn't drenched in alcohol and we found out that maybe it
tastes better that way! ;)

I love to capture my kids talking, joking, and getting along!

This was a fun souvenir shop that probably really has 1,000 cuckoo clocks!

Mad King Ludwig, The Fairy Tale King of Bavaria - 1 June 2016

 On Wednesday we drove south to the famous Schloss Neuschwanstein. It is located way at the southern border of Germany. It is against the Alps, right across the border from Austria. I know that I keep saying how beautiful this part of Germany is, but this spot was my absolute favorite!
The castle looks quite new because it is. It was built in the 1880's.  King Ludwig II of Bavaria(this was before the unification of Germany) wanted to build a retreat for himself that would also honor the operas of Richard Wagner. It is a palace, more than a defensive castle. It's name means, "New Swanstone Castle" Ludwig helped design it and approved every detail. He was quite eccentric.  His history is interesting. I can't go into all of it here, but please read about it if you are interested! 
He died before the castle was finished, but he did live there a short time. It was never finished and was open for tours shortly after his mysterious death in 1886. 

The castle is set up on a hill overlooking the green valley and lakes below. 

We couldn't take photos inside :( This is on a balcony, looking out at the view!

Notice the yellow castle on the right? We go to that one next! 

They said that he was crazy, but whatever he was, he knew how to pick the
most gorgeous spot for his palace! I wish I could capture it better for you!

I really could've stayed there for hours, but I had to let others have a turn!

At the front Gate

In the upper courtyard

The opposite side of the upper courtyard

I told Addy she was at Cinderella's Castle. I hope she remembers it!

This is the balcony we could take pictures from.

If this castle looks a little familiar to you Disney fans, it is because it was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland.  

Waiting for the bus to take us back down the steep hill. I like these kids!!

Across the valley is Hohenschwangau Castle. It was a castle that Ludwig's father built. He lived there as a child and during the time that Neuschwanstein was being built. He would keep an eye on it's progress from a telescope that is still there today.

Waiting in the courtyard for our turn to tour this castle.

Looking at the town below.

"Schwan" in German is "swan". Both of these castles have "swan" in their names and a
swan theme throughout. I love it!

Other tourists were wanting their picture taken with our family, especially with Addy. Kaylie said she felt like a Disneyland character. Addy was just very confused!

Just to embarrass the kids!

I love Addy's photo bomb in this one. :)

We stayed the night near Lake Hopfensee, in the town of Hopfen. It was close to the castles.

A playground outside of the restaurant where we enjoyed dinner. It had some of the same equipment as our neighborhood park in Colorado! 

This very typical looking German house is where our flat for the night was.
It was really nice and the kids loved it!

Our hotel with the mountains and lake behind.

One thing that I will always remember about this trip is the constant threat of rain. The weather forecast for the week was rather bleak and I was nervous that the kids would be quite miserable. I prayed often that the rain would hold off and it did. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. On this day it started pouring as soon as we got into the car after touring the second castle.
It was a tender mercy for our family.