We are wrapping up two weeks of school vacation here (Pfingstferien). We’ve mostly taken it easy with Andreas and I continuing to work and Kai in sports camp for the two weeks. I really don’t think that Kai has ever been so active in his whole life. After a full day of running around and swimming, he could barely speak.
And then his parents dragged him hiking and camping on the weekend! Fortunately, his favourite and only German cousins were part of this adventure and any fatigue was quickly forgotten. We met half way in between their place and ours in the Swabian Jura (Schwäbische Alp) – a ridge of land that runs through the mid-section of Baden-Württemberg and close to where I studied in Tübingen in 1993-4. The attraction here was the castle of Hohenzollern, an impressive castle that rivals anything built by that Mad Bavarian king (i.e., Neuschwanstein). Seriously, if you want impressive German castles without the craziness of millions of tourists, Hohenzollern is an excellent option.
On the first day of our adventure, we hiked along the ridge of the Swabian Jura which gave us spectacular views of Hohenzollern. (For anyone interested, a map of the hike is here. We didn’t do the full hike (too hot), and it is easy to shorten.) The following very hot, and therefore sweaty day, we made our way up the hill to the castle and had a look around. As you can see, the view was spectacular!
by Nancy