We were so excited to see one another and to meet each other's kids. (Hers are total cuties, by the way! I knew they would be!) We decided it would be best, since we were making the long drive anyway, to meet up at the castles.
You probably know Neuschwanstein Castle because it is the model for the Disney castles. Some people say it's Sleeping Beauty's castle, some say it's Cinderella's. What do you think? This is a view from the back and it's covered in scaffolding for renovations, and it still looks amazing.
We decided to take a tour of the Hohenschwangau Castle. Lindsay and I went to buy tickets and the lady told us that all the English speaking tours were sold out. We figured the castle would look the same no matter what language the tour guide spoke, so we asked what other tours were available. We were told German and Italian, and since I took Italian in college and Lindsay and Phil live in Italy, we thought we could at least follow along a little if we took the Italian tour. We were wrong. I picked up on a few words, but it was mostly numbers. I heard, "...dodici anni..." and I told Andy, "Something about 12 years, but I have no idea what." I told him I also thought I heard the word "tavola," but I have no idea to which table they were referring. Andy said, "Just look where everyone else is looking so they won't think we are stupid." It was actually really funny and although we didn't understand, it was a unique experience to see the inside of a castle. Phil told us that he was getting some fabulous decorating ideas; I can't wait to see that house that he builds!
The inside of the castle was pretty, but it was the outside and the surrounding scenery that was truly breathtaking. The natural backdrop of crystal-clear water and snow-covered mountains was so calming for me. I always say that pretty scenery, especially water, makes me happy and helps me to appreciate life.
It wouldn't be an authentic blog post of mine without a couple pictures of the German doors that I love so much. This was one of the doors of Hohenschwangau Castle. I love the stone around it and I wanted to go in this door just to see what was behind it. I imagined a passage way for the hired help, but I'll never know.
This was another, much larger and much more ornate door. There was a tub inside and what I thought was a creepy red light. Lindsay said, "It looks like some kind of baptism tub, but I guess the king could have been just taking his baths in there." That gave me a good laugh. Who knows what kings do, right?
The gardens outside the castle were nice and I appreciated their recent renovation to make them look exactly as they did when the castle was first built. This fountain was fun, and Evan liked the lions, of course.
Lately, Evan has hated having his picture taken because I am like his personal papparazzo. However, he had no trouble posing for pictures with the beautiful Allie, Lindsay and Phil's daughter.
Here they are again, and this one is my favorite! It could only have been better if little Jack was in there too, but he was busy exploring.
While we were in the mountains, it was a good chance for a quick family photo. I only wish we had gotten a family picture with both families in it! Why didn't we do that? And I took lots of pictures of Lindsay and her family, but with her camera. That's ok; It gives us a great excuse to do this again!
After touring the castle, we decided to go back to Garmisch where the military resort, Edelweiss, is located. (Does that seem like an oxymoron to anyone else? Military resort? Ha!) While we were waiting for a table so we could have dinner with our friends, Dunkelweizen beers in hand, Andy decided there was no way were going to try to make the four hour drive home that night like we had originally planned. I was excited when Andy went to see if there were any rooms available at the resort because it meant more time hanging out and catching up with Lindsay! The resort only had suites available. Oh darn, how sad. We got to really relax and enjoy dinner because we didn't have to worry about hurrying home. Dinner was so fun and we had SO many laughs. I realized how much I really missed hanging out with Lindsay and Phil! It was great to spend time with them and their awesome kids.
Our dinner was good, too. It was an American restaurant, and as crazy as it sounds, I was so happy to see "normal" items on the menu, like chicken wings and mini burgers! When we finished our dinner, we went to see our room.
It turned out to be two rooms, and to my husband and son's enjoyment, two TVs.
I don't know why they were excited about two TVs, though, since they were both watching the Notre Dame game. Those two are just alike! The best part of the trip was when Lindsay came down to our room and we stayed up talking until almost two in the morning, just like old times. We talked about what's been going on in our lives, what our plans are, parenting, farming, school, politics, being foreigners now....everything! Most importantly, though, we talked about doing it again, and not waiting five years.
After a great day and evening, this is the view we woke up to in the morning. The Alps are amazing! For a last-minute adventure, this trip was so relaxing for Andy, Evan, and I, and we needed that. We will definitely be going back to do some camping and hiking (and some resort-staying!). To Lindsay, Phil, Allie, and Jack: Thank you so much for spending time with us! You are a beautiful, fun family, and I have no other way to describe it, except that I felt so at home hanging out with all of you. We had the best time and this was definitely one of our best experiences so far! We will most definitely meet up in Europe again, but make room, because we are coming to Italy!
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