Individual Days - Austria
Neuschwanstein Castle
September 16, 2023
Even though we stayed the night in Austria, we took a short bus ride to visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. Look at the beautiful weather we have been enjoying!!
We started out walking the main path to the castle but switched to the more direct (and much steeper) path going directly to Marienbrücke (Mary’s Bridge). The views from the bridge (and the lookout point beyond the bridge) were fantastic!
Summer Luge
Lisa planned a group trip to the summer luge. It is a metal track where you ride a sled. There is a lever to apply the brake. If you push the lever forward (no brake) and lean into the turns, you can fly down the track!
We were divided into self-appointed groups – slow, medium, and speed demon. Mark went straight for the fast group, but Jeannie started in the medium group. After the first run, both Texans were in the super-fast group. That may say something about Texas drivers.
Honestly, it was difficult to take pictures. We were more concerned with 1) going as fast as we could and 2) not tipping over on the track. It was so much fun and something we would not have considered doing on our own.
Schwangau, Germany
Highline 179
What will we do with the rest of our day? Well, how about taking a walk over one of the longest pedestrian bridges? In 2014, the Highline 179 bridge was included in the Guinness Book of World Records. It is over 1300 feet long and 376 feet high (spans over a highway). It connects the Ehrenberg ruins with Ford Claudia.
I am not afraid of heights… I am not afraid of heights… I am not afraid of heights… not sure that worked, but with encouragement from Mark and several others from our group, I did eventually get across and then made the walk back again to get to the lift.
Return to Hotel
There were 5 of us who went together to the suspension bridge. We called a taxi to get back to the hotel, but there was only one taxi in the town, and we would have had to wait sometime. So, we decided to walk back (about 45-50 minutes).
Dinner
We had another group dinner at our hotel. The starter was wild garlic soup, Bärlauch. It was amazing!! Made with garlic flower leaves. The next course was a salad bar. The main course was pork with a mushroom sauce and potato croquettes. Dessert was Panna Cotta.
We walked 9.4 miles today.