We travelled into the Bavarian Alps for the next stage of our holiday. The scenery was stunning as we drove further along the Romantic Road towards Schloss Neuschwanstein. The castles at Hohenschwangau are magnificent and worthy of many a painting. I did sketch a postcard which I sent to my Mother but I don’t have a picture of it with me. (to be added later). Here is a photo I took from the really scary Marien bridge of the rear of the castle.

Neueschwanstein Castle

We stayed in the hotel/restaurant at the foot of the castle. More a hostel than a hotel and it was fun to be walking around the castle at sunset when the crowds had disappeared.

An early start along the German Alpine Road took us through Bad Toltz, a pretty spa town and where I bought my only souvenir for the holiday, a x3 Faber pencil sharpener. Sad really but who needs souvenirs when you have a camera and sketchbook. Moving on we reached the Berchtesgaden Alps and stayed in a comfortable hotel besides the fast running and light blue Ache river. I tried sketching the wonderful sunset on the mountains from our bedroom balcony but I was too late and my mind was not in tune.

The next day we visited the Eagles Nest, with its glorious views and dark history. We chanced upon their busiest day in 20 years and there was a long wait in the cold tunnel for the spooky elevator into the center of the building. But the views were worth it.

Eagles Nest

We returned to an equally busy Berchtesgaden, where a music and dance festival was in full progress. Very  colourful and cheerful it was great to be a part of the local scene. The next day we hopped across the border to Austria. We wanted a quiet day after the previous crowds and visited the delightful open air museum of Salzburger Freilichtmuseum. We had a relaxing time wandering in the shade of the woods, visiting chalets, homesteads, watermills and a small railway.

Freilichtmuseum

The light and shade were inspiring and I hope to get some paintings from this visit. We had a day in Saltzburg, discovering the, castle, Sound of Music sites and wandering around the busy buy pretty streets.

Satzburg Castle

Next post: Munich