A Walk Around Staufen, Germany

Have you even visited a place and thought to yourself "I could live here"?

That's how I feel about this little town of Staufen at the southern edge of the Black Forest region. 

Staufen is a town that dates back to the Middle Ages yet is modern and up to date.  Full of history, hospitality and great food.

The train station is just a short walk from the town center. 

The town center is a pedestrian area. The only cars allowed are for deliveries and for those staying in a town center hotel. Once you're here you don't really use a car since everything is close by.

The main street of Staufen. 
Cobblestone road and old buildings. The shops are not your typical tourist traps. To maintain the historical integrity the town strictly monitors not only what the shops sell but the color of the buildings and even the type of shutters. This attention to details allows Staufen to shine as a jewel of a town.

This is a close up of the Bachle or little canals that run along the main street. The original purpose was to do with fire protection. Now they are more for the charm and for the children to play in. 

There are several family owned guesthouses or hotels on this main street.

Gasthaus Krone 
This mural tells the story of Gustav Struve and the end of the German Revolution in 1848.

Puppenstuben Museum - Antique Dolls

During the 1800s and early 1900s Germany was a leader in the production of bisque dolls. Many of which were exported to the USA. This little museum on the second floor was stuffed full of beautiful examples of German artistry. The woman running it was very knowledgeable but she spoke very little English and my German was probably even worse. Even so the look around was worth the 4 euro
admission.

The Puppenstuben Museum was right across the street from our hotel.

Hotel Hirschen 
I loved this hotel so much it deserves a post all it's own!

Just a few buildings down from our hotel is the town square.

Marktplatz

Next to the Rathaus Cafe is the Town Hall here you'll find the tourist information center and a small museum


Signs posted around town show the distruction that was caused by an air raid during the war.

The way to the church was blocked with rubble.

 As you can see the area recovered from the air raid. 

The big red bandages are a different story.

As you walk through the old town you'll notice cracks on many of the buildings and these red stickers.

Staufen must not break!

It seems that when the Town Hall was renovated it included the installation of a heat pump. They drilled into the ground behind the Town Hall for the  heat exchanges. Unfortunately the drilling punctured a layer of mineral in the ground that began to soak up water and it swelled like particle board does when it gets wet. As the ground swells it's pushing the buildings up.

They are now drilling behind the Town Hall again hoping to fill in the puncture and stop the problem.

It's a shame that a town that's survived since the middle ages including being bombed during WWII is slowly being destroyed by modern technology.

I'll leave you on a happier note. There is an actual babbling brook that runs through Staufen. You can cross it on one of the many walking bridges in town.

There is so much to see in Staufen.

You can see my other posts about Staufen.

Gasthaus Zum Hirschner, Staufen, Germany

A Walk Through the Vineyard to Castle Staufen

A Walk Around Staufen, Germany

Eat, Drink and Be Merry in Staufen, Germany

The Legend of Faust and the Pack With the Devil - Staufen, Germany

I'll be sharing in a later post about the castle on the hill, the wine production and the food we enjoyed here.

The Legend of Faust and the Pack With the Devil- Staufen, Germany

Staufen in the Black Forest region is a quaint town complete with little canals lining the streets, family owned hotels, a bakery that serves Black Forest Cake to die for and a castle ruin situated on top of a hill surrounded by a vineyard. Toss in an graveyard, an antique doll museum and an old legend and that makes Staufen a perfect place to visit. 

I'll go into more detail about Stuafen in another post but for now I'll share the legend.

Take a leisurely stroll through the lovely little town and just before you reach the main square you'll see the Gasthaus Zum Lowen.

The building is now a guest house but in 1540 it was home to Johann Georg Faust. He was a sort of jack of all trades. Doctor, scientist, fortune teller and alchemist. You know one of those guys who claims to be able to turn ordinary metal into gold? Well the town thought he could do just that. Unfortunately the only thing Faust could do was to blow himself up while attempting this magical feat. 

Of course this was the middle ages and the town folks were sure the devil was involved in this tragedy and a legend was born.

The legend captured the attention Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and he turned it into his famous tragic play Faust. In the play Faust makes a deal with the devil. The devil will serve Faust on earth and in turn Faust will serve the devil in Hell. All kinds of trouble ensues and the devil ends up breaking Faust's neck which is depicted in a mural on the front of the building.

A close up of the mural

You can stay in the Gasthaus zum Lowen and sleep in the very room where Faust lived almost 500 years ago.

Although with the devil and all I'm not sure I'd want to...Would you?


To see more of Staufen check out my other posts.

Gasthaus Zum Hirschner, Staufen, Germany
A Walk Through the Vineyard to Castle Staufen
A Walk Around Staufen, Germany
The Legend of Faust and the Pack With the Devil - Staufen, Germany

Wednesday Walking 2

This is where I share the favorite place I've walked this past week.

We took a weekend trip to visit our son and his family and I got to walk with one of my very favorite people.

My sweet granddaughter!

 She did more running than walking but we had a fun time.

It was a great way to get in some steps. I would love to have her energy!

She liked that our shoes were the same color.

I wish we could walk together everyday...


Grandchildren are the crown of the aged...
Proverbs 17:6

I don't consider myself to be old but I am blessed!







Where will you walk this week?

The Castles of King Ludwig II and Mary's Bridge

A series on our trip to Germany and Austria in October 2014

Neuschwanstein Castle
Schwangau, Germany
1,300,000 people a year visit Neuschwanstein  making it one of the most famous castles in Germany. Neuschwanstein, near Fussen, was built by King Ludwig II who was also known as the fairy tale king. He began building Neuschwanstein in 1869 and it still wasn't finished when he mysteriously died in 1886. One look at his castle and you'll know why Walt Disney used this castle as a model for the Cinderella's castles that grace the Disney parks.

Due to the long wait time to get a tour we decided to skip the inside of Neuschwanstein. Instead we headed up to Marienbrucke (Mary's Bridge) to get a view of the castle and surrounding areas.

Tip: Don't ever get in front of a tour group. They must have about 3 minutes at any given stop to get out, take selfies and get back on the bus. Seriously just step aside and let them go by. In a few minutes they'll be gone and you'll have the place to yourself. That is until the next tour bus pulls up.

Hohenschwangau Castle
On the lower hill from Neuschwanstein Castle

This was the childhood home of King Ludwig II built by his father King Maximilian II of Bavaria

Mary's Bridge was free and although we could have/should have walked it we did pay 2 euro each to ride the bus up and back down. There was also a parking fee of 5 euro. 


Linderhof Palace
Ettal, Germany

King Ludwig II had a great admiration for the French monarchy and in 1868 he began building what he called a new Versalles in the Linderhof valley.
We did tour the inside of Linderhof. No photos allowed and it's just as well. I don't think I could have possibly captured the opulence of this palace. Gold, mirrors, crystals, brocades,and even a chandelier carved from ivory. Wow!

I felt overwhelmed and a little sad while touring the inside of the palace. According to Theodor Hiernels, a servant in the palace, they would prepare meals for 3 or 4 people even though Ludwig always ate alone. The king would pretend he was dining with people such as Louis XIV and Louis XV and their lady friends. I think he was just a lonely man but the government declared him insane, he was disposed from the throne. In 1886 he was sent to Berg Palace where he mysteriously died the next day. Hum... I wonder what really happened?

The best part of Linderhof Palace is actually the grounds. Beautifully maintained park setting complete with a man made grotto and fountains.  I'd go back just to walk around the palace.

Linderhof Palace entrance fee for the palace and the grounds and grotto was 8 euro each. Parking was 5 euro.

No Day is Complete Without a Little Something to Eat

I'd read several good reviews of the Stortwirt cafeteria style restaurant in Reutte so we decided to stop on our way out of town. Unfortunately the cafeteria portion was closed for the day but the little sandwich shop was still open. We ordered schnitzel sandwiches and they were pretty darn good!

Apple Spritzer - my new favorite drink

Our next stop will be in the Black Forest.

Wednesday Walking 1

This is where I share the favorite place I walked this past week.

Favorite Place

Beach walk at Jekyll Island, Georgia

You can read about my Girls Retreat to Jekyll Island at this post.

It was cold and windy but compared to our neighbors up north we had nothing to complain about! I loved that the beach was almost deserted. So peaceful.

Where will you walk this week?

Austria - Stuiben Waterfalls and Lake Plansee

If you're near Reutte, Austria two places you need to see are Stuiben Waterfall and Lake Plansee. 

Small chapels like this dot the landscape. This one was near the car park
at the trail to the falls.

The inside of the chapel was almost as ornate as the big churches

Stuiben Falls

Even though it was a fairly steep climb to the falls the scenery was gorgeous. Something about looking at the clear flowing Archbach river and the towering mountains takes your mind off the climb. 

On the trail to Stuiben Falls

Stuiben Falls

We were there!

Lake Plansee

I think if I'm ever here in the summer this would be the place to come. I'm sure boats would be in abundance on the water but in the cool of October the lake was quiet. Quiet and beautiful.

...and He leads me beside the still waters.

Lace up and take a walk to somewhere new!

What Goes Up Must Come Down - Ehrenberg Castle Complex in Reutte, Austria

A series on our trip to Germany and Austria in October 2014

In my previous post I wrote about walking up to the Schlosskopf. 

In this post I'll tell you about how we got down...

As they say what goes up must come down. According to the map you can either take the long way down (the way we come up) or take the short cut. 

A 15 minute walk down. So we opted for the short way. 

When I say down...

I mean down...

Like straight down...

This is the beginning of the trail. I feel pretty happy.

Not so happy now.

Just praying I don't break my ankle...

This was a very steep trail with lots of trip hazards in the form of rocks and roots. 

Take note - Good hiking boots and walking sticks would have made this trail easier to navigate and also don't ever wear bifocals when walking down a steep trail. Half way down John told me to take off my glasses. That made it easier to get my footing but this trail was a killer!

According to the map this was a 15 minute trail. Not sure how long it took us but it was closer to 30 - 45 minutes. 

The funny thing was that coming down we met an elderly gentleman coming up. When I say elderly I mean in his eighties and he was walking UP this trail. He wasn't even out of breath! I felt slightly ashamed for the whining I was doing.

At the bottom of the trail we were rewarded with the sight of the Ehrenberg ruins. 

Lace up, grab your sticks and take the fast way down!