Friday, March 12, 2010
Schloss Neuschwanstein
This was the last day of our vacation, so Josh and I decided to do something low key. We started the day by getting up whenever we got up. That is always enjoyable. We then left the kids on the hotel computers and headed to the spa. Josh had a deep tissue massage (it was good but it wasn't Amber - who he gets a massage from once a week) and I had the "Renewal" package. An hour long salt scrub and then a facial. What a relaxing time! After the spa and a huge lunch, we decided to head out to another castle. Schloss Neuschwanstein is the "big deal" castle around here. In case you didn't know, it is the castle Walt Disney modeled his Cinderella Castle after. This is another of King Ludwig II castles and though construction went on for 17 years, the castle was never completed due to King Ludwig II dieing a mysterious death. He only lived in the castle 176 days. It was built based on the king's romantic vision inspired by the works of Wagner.
Our little adventure started off with us pulling into the parking lot, getting out of the car and ohhing and ahhing over the sight of the castle on the hill above us. I whip out my trusty camera and realize I left the memory card in the computer in the hotel. Strange, only one shop had memory cards for sale. They got a WHOLE bunch of business from us! Due to the fact I was busy buying the card, I made us miss the horse drawn carriage ride to the top of the hill. We had to walk. Not horrible, but we all decided to wear our snow boots, it was about a 45 degree incline and truthfully, Josh and I aren't in the best shape........We did make it up in plenty of time for our tour. Interesting fact on this tour was that the castle had running water. The castle was fed from a mountain spring and because there was so much natural pressure, the water could run out of the faucet and the king even had a flushing toilet. Pretty advanced for 1870's!
We spent a good two hours touring, walking, sight seeing and clicking pictures. It was a really nice end to a great trip!
Schloss Neuschwanstein
Somehow, I always manage to reverse the photos. So this SHOULD be the walk up the hill - and it isn't a tiny hill! - and the rest at the top before we go in. I reversed the order. You still get the idea!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Horse Drawn Carriage Ride
We took a horse drawn carriage ride around Garmisch tonight. It was informative. Most of the houses/buildings in the "old" section are 100-350 years old. The lower levels are wood with a plaster mix over them. They have a lot of mural work on them that was done in the rococo style. To have murals like that done today, it would cost more than 20,000 euros! (it is a layered baroque style that only 2 locals can duplicate) It was funny to hear our guide, Joseph say that some buildings were "new" because they were only about 80 years old.It was a really wonderful end to a fun day.
Skiing part deux
We decided to do a little more skiing today, but we stayed in the American area. Skye and Jax needed a little more practice and Josh and I were in a lot of pain. Jax wasn't really feeling it today, so there are a lot of Daddy/Daughter shots. I decided to post Skye and Josh on the t-bar, Skye freaking on coming down the hill (she lost control for a sec,got scared but regained control) and then Skye at the bottom of the hill.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Schloss Linderhof
Today we dilly dallied around in the hotel until almost 11 am. We were trying to decide what to do. There are a few castles within driving distance from the hotel, so we decided to check one out. Let me tell you, the kids were not happy with the decision! "It won't be fun!" That is all we heard. So, of course, we ignored them. It was only about 30 minutes from the hotel to Schloss Linderhof, a castle built by Ludwig II after a visit to Versailles in 1876. It was built over a period of 8 years (1870-1878) by architect Georg Dollmann in the elaborate rococo style.
First comment, kinda like Graceland - SUPER SMALL. Second comment - absolutly beautiful. Jaxon was thrilled because every where you turned, there was something he could tie to Greek Mythology. There were frescos and statues of Cherubs. If nothing else, there were naked statues in almost every room. Skye really liked the "purple room". There was a waiting room area between the throne room and the bed chamber that was all lavender. It had a really pretty setee and mirrors and, again, lots of purple. I think Skye also enjoyed that everything was gilded with 24Karat gold. Everything! It was almost like Donald Trump had lived there, but in better taste.
We learned two really neat tidbits. First, there wasn't an open fire in any of the second floor fireplaces ever. King Ludwig II had duct work installed that worked a lot like central heating does today. Second, King Ludwig II had a dining table that could be lowered through the floor of his dining room straight below to the kitchen, filled with his food and raised back up to him. That is a great way to keep things piping hot!
We are SO coming back in the summer time so we can see everything green and in bloom. During the winter, alot of things are covered including a huge fountain in between the Palace and the Temple of Venus. There were also some places we couldn't go because of the snow, like the Grotto and Hundigs Hut. I have to say, it is a great feeling to hear, "I didn't think I would like it, but I had a really fun time!" It makes parenting so awesome.
Stay tuned for more of our adventures!
First comment, kinda like Graceland - SUPER SMALL. Second comment - absolutly beautiful. Jaxon was thrilled because every where you turned, there was something he could tie to Greek Mythology. There were frescos and statues of Cherubs. If nothing else, there were naked statues in almost every room. Skye really liked the "purple room". There was a waiting room area between the throne room and the bed chamber that was all lavender. It had a really pretty setee and mirrors and, again, lots of purple. I think Skye also enjoyed that everything was gilded with 24Karat gold. Everything! It was almost like Donald Trump had lived there, but in better taste.
We learned two really neat tidbits. First, there wasn't an open fire in any of the second floor fireplaces ever. King Ludwig II had duct work installed that worked a lot like central heating does today. Second, King Ludwig II had a dining table that could be lowered through the floor of his dining room straight below to the kitchen, filled with his food and raised back up to him. That is a great way to keep things piping hot!
We are SO coming back in the summer time so we can see everything green and in bloom. During the winter, alot of things are covered including a huge fountain in between the Palace and the Temple of Venus. There were also some places we couldn't go because of the snow, like the Grotto and Hundigs Hut. I have to say, it is a great feeling to hear, "I didn't think I would like it, but I had a really fun time!" It makes parenting so awesome.
Stay tuned for more of our adventures!
Happy Jaxon
Jax is so happy in this picture. He is standing in the Temple of Venus on the grounds of Schloss Linderhof. All I can say is, Thank you Rick Riordan! You have made my son very happy with all of your Greek Mythology. He can find things everywhere that have to do with the Greek Gods!
Quick Revision
UMMMM....yeah I made a mistake.....we were 2926 meters in the air......Still VERY HIGH!!!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Garmisch
So far we have had a great time here in Garmisch. (and we have only been here 2 days!)
The first day we decided to poke around the town and do some sightseeing. We rode a gondola 9262 meters up the mountain to have a bite to eat and take some pictures.
Day two was ski school. Josh and I have both done a little skiing. Ok, nothing to write home about but we felt confident. There is a BIG difference shiing at 12 and skiing at 37. My darling hubby is in a little pain right now. I can't even tell you where it hurts. It might be easier to tell you where it doesn't hurt. His pinky is completly pain free. Me, well, I am a little different. I don't have muscle or joint pain......that would be to normal for me! I have burns. Yes, I wrote burns! I have burns where my socks, long johns and ski boots collided......I really mean burns. Friction is a bad thing!
The kids LOVED skiing and want to go tomorrow, but we may need to put a day's break in between our skiing adventures.
Stay tuned for more Tomchesson Family Fun and photos!
The first day we decided to poke around the town and do some sightseeing. We rode a gondola 9262 meters up the mountain to have a bite to eat and take some pictures.
Day two was ski school. Josh and I have both done a little skiing. Ok, nothing to write home about but we felt confident. There is a BIG difference shiing at 12 and skiing at 37. My darling hubby is in a little pain right now. I can't even tell you where it hurts. It might be easier to tell you where it doesn't hurt. His pinky is completly pain free. Me, well, I am a little different. I don't have muscle or joint pain......that would be to normal for me! I have burns. Yes, I wrote burns! I have burns where my socks, long johns and ski boots collided......I really mean burns. Friction is a bad thing!
The kids LOVED skiing and want to go tomorrow, but we may need to put a day's break in between our skiing adventures.
Stay tuned for more Tomchesson Family Fun and photos!
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