Along the Romantic Road

Füssen - After Munich we headed to a small town, Füssen, just on the edge of the Alps. There was a beautiful lake called the Forgensee (pictured), and we stayed in a guesthouse, right near the marina, with an energetic and charismatic Bavarian named Christian. It was a welcome change from the big city atmosphere.


Neuschwanstein Castle - On the other side of the Forgensee lies two castles of Mad King Ludwig II. One was the home where he grew up, and the other was Neuschwanstein (New Swan Stone), a project Ludwig worked on until the day he was found mysteriously drown with his physician, in a nearby lake. The castle, although never completed according to the orginial plans, was a magnificent sight, and apparently the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's castle in Disneyland.

Augsburg - The next stop was the larger town of Augsburg, which had a nice historic center, a few Roman foundation pieces here and there, and at a restaurant, which had supposedly been visited by both Mozart and Goethe in the past, they had some of the best spätzle (noodly-things) in Germany.

Rothenburg od der Tauber - Further north we happened upon a historic castle town, Rothenburg (pictured), everything within the giant stone walls was preserved in medieval design. The town was mainly a tourist stop for Germans, so English speakers were harder to come by. That's not usual around Europe in Summer.