The Swan Castle
Departing Dachau left my feelings wrestling contradictorily. A medley of grief, fear, and blitheness to leave, but most of all it left me soaked in melancholy. As Leo started the car engine and we all buckled up neat, i decided to hold on to nothing but the blithe sitting at the tip on my heart. Our next destination that evening: Schwangau, where the famous, iconic Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles are still reigning strong. Though some say that the rusty Eiffel Tower is romantic, i think the idea of staying in a castle (hotel) pretty romantic too, don’t you think? After all, we dreamed endlessly as little girls in cute frocks and pink dresses of living in castles like Disney princesses. Lucky, lucky me, that night i had the chance to be one. 😳
That whole drive across the mountain roads we warmed our bodies (and almost roasted our you-know-what) on the heated car seats while chattering away about everything under the big round sun moon. We reminisced past relationships, bitched about ex-es, laughed about our stupid mistakes, and turned tragedies into comedies as we made fun about each other’s blindness when it comes to love. i totally lost track of time hence i could not tell you how long the drive was to reach Schloss Hohenschwangau, but what i do remember clearly is how we got to snap the picture above. Haven’t you wondered how we could possibly capture a picture so sharp and clear at night, in a moving vehicle along winding roads?
We did the unthinkable. Well, obviously we thought about it, but we just never thought we would actually do it. Not until i took 100 blurred pictures of the castle and Leo said something like “Fuck it”, U-turned, and drove into this narrow path across the . . . fields(?) Then we jumped out of the car without our coats and sweaters, positioned the camera at weird angles on the roof of our das auto, i shivered, screamed, and jumped around because it was deadly cold; possibly 0 degree, finally got a couple of good shots, and we even managed to stand there frozen; simply to admire the magnificent breathtaking view, as sharp frosty seconds crept through our skin.
The remaining road trip we cooked ourselves again. This time, i made sure that the heat penetrated my organs.
Upon checking in, i secretly named myself Princess Cinderella. We strolled the quiet Christmas streets, had the most romantic dinner at Alpseegarten; which i highly recommend you to especially if you are on a honeymoon, and though you might not believe this, the highlight of that handsome night for me was the crossword puzzle game / the only app installed besides the bilingual menus of the restaurant’s iPads. The BEST part, needless to say, is the company. 🙂
{mischievous black clouds creating an erasing effect to the otherwise bright silver moon}
{twirling around in the magical little fairytale town of Schwangau, Bavaria}
{night hike up the enchanting Hohenschwangau Castle}
{the classic oh–so–romantic candlelight dinner at Alpseegarten restaurant / cafe}
{gently swirling and sipping the rich 2010 Fellbacher Trollinger}
{his: beef stripes Stroganoff in lasagne leaf with roasted broccoli
hers: fawn saddle in spiced biscuit crust with Brussels sprouts and parsnip purée}
{now turned dinner ritual: crossword puzzles (and cheats) over every wine and dine sessions we plan together}
{dancin’ with wild orchids whilst silent music echoed through the warm, chilly night}
