Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Hohenzollern Castle

I haven't been to a castle in a while, so the Monday of my dad's four-day visit in Strasbourg, we drove out to Hohenzollern Castle in Germany. I've really wanted to visit this castle for a while anyway, and as it is really difficult to reach by public transportation, and as my dad had rented a car, it was perfect!

Hohenzollern is two hours away by car from Strasbourg, and you see the castle in the distance way before you see any road signs for it. It's pretty imposing.


My dad and I arrived around noon, and the only English tour of the day was at 2pm, so we ate a great lunch at the castle's restaurant and walked around (taking a million pictures all the while). We even saw a little owl! Unfortunately it is forbidden to take photos inside the castle, but the interior was absolutely beautiful: marble floors, gold gilt walls and ceilings, and fantastic views of the countryside below. The castle we walked through was actually the third to be built on that hill, as the original (built in the 11th century) was besieged and destroyed. The second fell into ruin, so the third was built in the 19th century. It's not a true medieval castle, of course, but it still felt like I was walking through one. 






On one final note, I'm pretty sure I saw a prince and princess in person, but I'm not quite sure. They were filming something in the castle, or having a photo shoot there. It was a Monday after all, so there weren't as many tourists. Also, they'd only be the prince and princess of Prussia, but still, it was cool. Apparently they don't live in the castle (surprising, right?). 

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