Germany was our second stop on our month long Eurotrip, and it was also the country we stayed the longest in. Here David, Kim’s husband joined us for a few days too and we got to see so much of the southern part of the country. We arrived in Deutschland at some ridiculously early time in the morning on the 19th of July and after some slight interrogation at the customs office, we were picked up by Kim’s aunt,uncle and cousin. I slept all the way in the car, until we got to Aalen. {This sleeping in the car thing became quite the unavoidable habit. I don’t know what it was but I just couldn’t stay awake in transit! As a result I must confess I didn’t see much of the German countryside.}
We stayed with Kim’s family the duration of our stay and were so grateful for their hospitality and generosity! They kindly enough took us each day to a different tourist spot, and even drove up to 2 hours to get to some places for a day outing. One of these amazing trips was to Schloss Neuschwanstein (New Swanstone Castle) in the province of Bavaria.

 

 

 

The castle was one of four to be built for King Ludwig II as a retreat for the King and as a homage to Richard Wagner, the famous German composer. King Ludwig paid for the building of the palace out of his own fortunes and eventually created a lot of debt in doing so. They started building in September 1896 and the king moved in in 1884. He only lived in the palace for a total of 172 days, and died under mysterious conditions in the shallow shore water of Lake Starnberg along with his Psychiatrist. Schloss Newschwanstein’s design was also the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle and has the most extravagant interiors which had me itching to do a styled shoot in there! But unfortunately one isn’t allowed to take any pictures of the inside of the Castle. Boo hoo!

 

 

 

We also made a visit to Rothenburg ob der Tauber which has the most beautiful Altstad (old town). Here you can still see much of the medieval town design and take a walk around the city wall.
Visit the crime museum and learn about some interesting forms of torture and punishment, like shaming masks, iron maidens, chastity belts and violin necklaces. Some of these methods will have your really grateful that you never lived in the dark ages!!

 

 

 

Another trip we did was to Bordenzee, which is a lake that borders Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The weather was really great on the day and everyone was out on their boats and in their cozzies enjoying the warm summer weather. We took a walk along the waterfront and then later into the town itself.

 

 

 

We went to Koningsbron, which is a natural fountain that after coming out the ground has a strong enough flow to produce hydro electricity. It also comes out cold enough to freeze your limbs off if you put them in. Think both Kim and I lost a toe in there somewhere. Brrrr!!!

 

 

 

They have lots of fresh fruit and veg markets with the most amazing array of berries and fresh goodies. {Just between you and me, I still think that the South African markets are way better though.}

 

 

 

Dinkelsbühl also has an Altstadt much like Rothenburg. We (David spearheaded the operation) stopped at almost every bakery we walked past and had something from there. We found a nice shady spot under the trees and had the picnic we packed, then enjoyed some of the delicious confectioneries that we had acquired on our walk through the town.

 

 

 

Our last stop was Heidelberg where the wedding took place. Most of the time was spent helping with the last minute wedding things but I also got some time to walk through the town and look for spots for the couple shoot. The result of which can be seen if you click here.

 

 

 

Travelling tips for Germany:

1. Wear comfy shoes no matter how ridiculous they may look.

2. Don’t speak about Hitler or the war.

3. The thing about Germany is its bakeries. They smell too amazing to walk past. Go in and get a Bretzel or some yummy baked goodies and stuff your face. Then go for a run that afternoon and try shake off all the starch because you will get fat. :)

4. Learn one or two German phrases. I learnt one: “It’s gut ja?” And I don’t think it’s even German, but it makes them laugh. Probably at my incorrect German.

5. Go see Schloss Neuschwanstein. My one regret here is that we stuck to our tour group. They moved through the castle so quickly, we barely had time to take in the exquisite interiors. We could have so easily slipped into the next tour group- no one would have known.

6. Then last but not least… “Tell someone today that you love them, because life is short. But shout it at them in German because life is also terrifying and confusing.”