Fussen

And now for a bit about Fussen. Fussen is a small town in the most southern part of Germany. It is a part of the Bavarian state, but just a stone's throw from the border. Why would we visit this small town? Well, if you saw it, you wouldn't want to miss it! It took us 5 hours to reach by train from Baden-Baden. Such a trip! But we made it. We had to change trains 3 times. But we made it! And we think it was worth it.

So, what was the draw? Why Fussen? What would make this little practically border town catch our eye? The castles of course!! Today we went to see both of the castles: Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. Still not ringing any bells? Neuschwanstein is the castle that Disney modeled his castles at the Disney parks (and on the show, and on the movies, etc) after. It was built in the latter half of the 19th century and was never finished due to King Ludwig II's death in 1886ish. It is amazing. We toured both castles - the one he grew up in and the one he lived in for 172 days before his death.

So, yes, we did spend the day touring castles. We also enjoyed the little town around the castles. John found a coockoo clock for me to buy him for his birthday! (Now pray for me so that I can gain an appreciation of the clock!) We enjoyed our favorite beer in town with a plate of french fries (the place didn't have any pretzels!). Then, having whet our appetite, we went to the restaurant attached to our hotel and gorged ourselves on the yummy faire they offered. I couldn't even finish my beer, let alone my dinner. We ate all we could, then waddled back to our room. John collapsed at 7:00 pm. I guess all of the uphill walking really wore us out!! The best part about walking uphill? You get to walk downhill at some point!! Anyway, that was our day. We will post pictures later. Tomorrow we go to Munich and Oktoberfest begins the next day. I've tried to buy John some lederhosen, but still no luck. I'll keep working on it!

God has blessed us so tremendously on this trip. I pray that he has blessed you as well. One last thing, a big welcome home to my parents. They arrived safely home after 10 days in Greece. I can't wait to see the pictures!! Peace - Melissa