Photo #1534 – 01.27.13
Old Downtown Heidelberg
Taken from Heidelberg Castle up on a hillside overlooking the town, this photo captures much of the old downtown area of Heidelberg. The castle itself was pretty impressive as we toured its ruins, especially considering the earliest castle in this location was built before AD 1214 and it is just a massive structure elevated up on the hill.
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Photo #1194 – 02.21.12
Ettal Abbey
Located in the small village of Ettal outside Oberammergau, Germany (a quite lovely town!), the Ettal Abbey is a Benedictine monastery full of interesting architecture and history. The Abbey has experienced plenty of change since it was founded in 1330, including a house of the Teutonic Knights, a Knight’s Academy in the 1700s, and even a massive fire and subsequent rebuilding that produced the impressive structure seen above.
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Photo #1009 – 08.20.11
Schloss Hohenschwangau, Alpsee Lake, and the Ammergau Alps
While we didn’t have a very clear day on our visit to Neuschwanstein Castle {photo #72}, we were still treated to some outstanding sights and experiences on this day during our class trip to Germany in high school. After checking out the awesome Neuschwanstein, we headed back to our tour bus and were treated to this great view of the yellow Castle Hohenschwangau, the Alpsee (a small lake home to wild swans), and the snow-covered Ammergau Alps beyond. The Ammergau Alps are a small sub-section of the Alps between Germany and Austria, and the border between these two countries is actually along the ridgeline of the shorter hills just beyond the Alpsee.
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Photo #934 – 06.06.11
Rhine River from Lorelei Rock
Situated at the narrowest part of the Rhine River in Germany, Lorelei Rock is a rock cliff that looms 400-feet above the passing river. It is a stretch of river that has seen many shipping accidents through the ages, and Lorelei Rock is linked to a number of stories and myths, including stories about dwarves as well as beautiful women either luring ships to their destruction with their singing or falling to their death while searching for their lovers…
As you might guess, this location does not have the best reputation, but it sure does afford a great view of the Rhine from atop its rocky perch! Although difficult to see, the above photo that was taken from the overlook on Lorelei Rock also includes the Burg Katz (Cat Castle) near the center of the photo on the hillside overlooking the Rhine.
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Photo #916 – 05.19.11
Wieskirche
The Wieskirche (pronounced “veese-keer-khuh”…or Wies Church) was built in the mid-1700s in the Bavarian area of Germany, and from the outside, it seems like a beautiful church, but rather simple when compared to nearby castles {photo #72} and other elaborate structures. One step inside, though, and you’ll find a fantastically ornate interior that is quite awe-inspiring. I wasn’t able to take a photo at the time with my disposable camera (No Flash Photography Inside!), but check out the inside by clicking here.
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Photo #876 – 04.09.11
Hotel Wittelsbach, Oberammergau, Germany
Oberammergau is a cool little town in southern Germany that is best known for its Passion Play that is performed every 10 years (it was started back in 1634!). We explored this town and its surroundings for a couple days during our German class trip 10 years ago, staying at the Hotel Wittelsbach shown in this postcard. While there, we befriended a couple of older teens that worked at the hotel, Michael and Lide, and on our first night, they brought us to a super-crowded Disco…we didn’t stay long, but we did spend a few hours with them at a pancake house. The next night, we went back to the pancake house and met some of their friends as well before racing back to the hotel to beat our 12am curfew by 2 minutes…
So wherever you might be, thanks Michael and Lide for giving us a great cultural experience in Oberammergau!
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Photo #648 – 08.24.10
Rheinfels Castle, Rhine River, Germany
Built in 1245 (by none other than Count Dieter von Katzenelbogen…nice name!), this castle was once the largest castle on the Rhine River in Germany. It was largely destroyed in 1797, leaving only a small amount of ruins that remain today.
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