Europe 2013 Neuschwanstein Castle and Linderhof Castle

We took a tour out of Munich with Gray Line to go see Linderhof  Castle and Neuschwanstein Castle. I had never actually heard of Linderhof and it ended up being awesome! Being the Disney fans we are, it was so great to see the actual place that inspired Walt Disney's castles! Both of the castles we visited were imagined by King Ludwig II. 

 Linderhof was so charming

Gorgeous gardens surrounding the castle

 It's hard for people to use my camera so we will be out of focus in lots of our pictures:) 

 The big yellow castle below is Hohenschwangau Castle, it was King Ludwig's boyhood home. 

This view is from up at Neuschwanstein Castle.

 I thought the fog/mist was so magical, I loved it! 

 Again, the blur...

These two shots of the Castle were views I had never seen. I didn't know that Neuschwanstein Castle looked like this from other angles! It was a nice surprise! 

 I have a thing for fun street lights !

Marienbrucke (Mary's Bridge) 

You must hike here if you visit the Castle, the views are amazing and it is super scary to be up that high on the bridge! Rick Steves recommends going to Mary's bridge as you leave the Castle and I agree (Just make sure if you are with a tour you allow time for it). Walk up to the bridge and as you leave follow signs down to Pollat Gorge, this will lead back to town. This trip down takes about 15 more minutes! 

Looking at the castle from the bridge. I'm so glad we took the extra time and effort to go! 

Looking down over the bridge! I was FREAKED! 

Europe 2013 Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Our next stop was the cutest little German town on part of the famous romantic road. Oh how we love Bavaria. I can't begin to tell you how much we loved this place and Bacharach, the previous town we were in. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is Germany's best preserved medieval walled town. We stayed at another cute little hotel that we found in Rick Steves guidebook. We arrived by train and because of time, took a taxi to our hotel. Then we quickly checked in and got our bums over to Market Square to meet for the fun and odd Night Watchman's Tour. The tour was enjoyable and gave us a little history on Rothenburg. We also spent time here shopping at the famous Christmas shops, doing Rick's self-guided walk from our guide book, checking out St. Jakob's Church, eating lots, enjoying all the cute shops, and my favorite thing was walking the town wall! So neat! 

I love everything about this place! So, so, so, cute! 

I am so thankful this Gma of mine decided to join us for some of the trip. I love traveling with her! 

Our cute hotel, Kreuzerhof Hotel, with AWESOME owners! Breakfast here was so yummy! 

European streets get me every single time

Walking part of the town wall

Love this dude

View from atop the wall fortifications  

This is how the town was, perfect

I had been warned in my guidebook not to eat this yummy LOOKING treat that is sold all over this town. I forgot and tried one...NASTY! It was a wannabe shortbread with no flavor and rock hard. Sorry Schneeball.

Gorgeous wood-carved Altar of the Holy Blood by Tilman Riemenschneider. It was carved between 1499 and 1505! 

Of course we did! 

The best hot chocolate ever is found in Germany! 

Europe 2013 Bacharach, Germany

Bacharach, Germany. One of the cutest little towns on the Rhine River. All of our dreams of cruising down that river were spot on. It was amazing! We stayed at the most adorable little Bed & Breakfast called Pension Im Malerwinkel, you can check it out here if you're headed that way. It had a gorgeous garden area and was situated alongside beautiful houses and gardens. The best part was the romantic stream that ran through the area as well. Breakfast was delicious and the staff was very helpful and friendly.

Some of the gardens and the B&B in the background. Cute, right?! 

The cute stream! Gorgeous!!!

Our hotel was in an area known as "painter's corner", it was picture perfect!  

Strolling through town in the rain (living in the desert, we love that)! 

Hiking to some ruins

Self-timers are awesome 

Literally right on the Rhine, I can't wait to go back! 

Grandma and Gary met us in Bacharach that first night! Love traveling with my Gma! 

I'll never get over the beauty of cobblestone streets. 

While we were on the boat! We trained from Bacharach to St. Goar then jumped on the boat to cruise from St.Goar back to Bacharach, all on my buddy Rick Steves reccomendations! 

Playing some jams at Stefan's wine Paradise in St. Goar! 

If you travel to Bacharach you must eat at this place! The restaurant in Hotel Kranenturm is so so delicious and the owners, Kurt and Fatima, are a hoot! 

Looks creepy but it was yummy! The potatoes in the bowl in the background were the best I've EVER had! 

On the train headed to Rothenburg ob der Tauber!

Travel is part of us

We are home. In April we started the summer of travel! First we were off for our big Europe trip, then we had two California trips, a Utah trip, DC and New York trip, and finally our Phoenix trip! Holy moly, we've been busy! Our plan is to get at least our Europe trip blogged before we wrap up our summer travels at our annual Johnston family beach house trip!
With all this fun we've had, I've been thinking of what a blessing it is in our lives that we have been able to do this. Travel is a huge part of us. We love seeing new places, trying new things, experiencing new cultures, and doing all of this while spending time together. I understand that we are extremely blessed to be able to do this. Before we were married we had both been fortunate to travel.

 Rob has traveled this country north, south, east, and west. He is my go to source for all things U.S.A. and history! Love that dude. I have spent lots of time traveling in Europe, it is my comfort zone. Excuse me for a moment while I toot my own horn, here it goes...I know how to plan one rockin Europe trip!

We truly believe that travel is good for the soul. Travel has changed us. Travel has helped us grow. Travel has helped us appreciate all we have. Travel has made us more aware of the world. Travel has taught us. Travel is forever in us.

Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany