Wiesbaden

Thus ends our trip to Bavaria. We came back to Mainz but we didn't stop being tourists! The day after getting back we took Scottie across the river to Wiesbaden, the capital of our bordering state, Hessen.

Although Wiesbaden is a 10 minute train ride away, and Mainz was completely destroyed by bombing from WWII, Wiesbaden was largely spared by bombing raids (I have heard a few different stories as to why that is so I'm going to leave this one unexplained) so it has a very different look and feel than Mainz. We love it. Older buildings, open spaces with parks and a very long pedestrian only road with lots of shopping and restaurants.

Train Station

Crazy trees by the park.

There is a breed of duck here that I had never seen. They are HUGE! Check out his legs/feet!

Wiesbaden is one of the oldest spa towns in Europe. Wiesbaden literally means "meadow baths". It is full of natural hot springs. They have some fountains in town that keep running with hot water in the winter so its very steamy!

The Cathedral - Marktkirsche in the center of town.

This, believe it or not, is a casino. A very nice casino with a strict dress code.

The Marktplatz where they hold their markets.

Very talented bagpiper whom we photographed but did not give money to. We're poor too, Mr., and we don't have a unique talent to share on the streets for income.

We were on our walk down the pedestrian way when we saw the ferris wheel. Sam convinced Scott and I we should take a ride. The only ferris wheel I had ever been on was the one at Mall Of America.

Going up...

We got some amazing shots of Wiesbaden from up there!

Perfect timing with the sunset.

You may be thinking, "Jamie looks way too excited, it's just a ferris wheel". In fact, I am just trying my best not to look scared! It was super high!!!

Day 5 - Neuschwanstein

Neuschwanstein literally means "New Swan Stones" and it is the name of a castle in Fuessen, Germany. It is the castle that inspired Walt Disney to create the famed Disney Castle image we are all acquainted with today.

The story behind this castle is very interesting. It was built for King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the middle of the 19th century. Sardonically referred to as "Crazy Ludwig" by Sam, King Ludwig was diagnosed as mentally ill and incapable of governing over his Bundesland, or region, shortly before his death. The castle was also specifically designed for Ludwig not by an architect, but rather an artist. As was apparent, aesthetics were privileged over ease of construction. Despite its capacious interior and intimidating scale, only 1/3 of Neuschwanstein castle was completed before Ludwig's mysterious death in 1886. Ludwig was an intensely private ruler and took extensive precautions to guide his privacy including secret doors and passageways (some of which we could enter). Oddly, after only spending 172 days at the castle, mostly in seclusion, he and his psychiatrist were found dead in a regional lake as conspiracy theories ran rampant. Construction on Newschwanstein and two other castles of Ludwig's were immediately halted and, ironically (given Ludwig's penchant for solitude and privacy), Newschwanstein was open to the public only two weeks later.

To be honest I was more impressed with the scenery around the castle than I was with the Castle, but that's just me. It was truly fantastic. Enjoy the pictures, they really don't require much explanation.

View as we stepped off the train in Fussen.

Neuschwanstein from a distance.

The other castle in Fuessen where Ludwig stayed while construction on Neuschwanstein occured. We didn't have time to visit this one.

On the way up.

Getting closer.

Oh nothing, just hanging out in the courtyard of the Disney castle looking out at the amazing mountains and lakes below in the village.

Day 4- BMW Museum

The boys went back into Munich a second time to see the BMW World Museum and the Olympic Stadium from the 1972 Olympics in Munich.

I chose to take a day off from traveling. I stayed at the apartment, slept in, went grocery shopping, caught up on some emails, cooked dinner and just relaxed. It was great. Unfortunately I cannot explain any of the pictures from their day but you can use your imagination. Enjoy!