Fussen is a medieval town nestled at the foot of the Bavarian Alps of southern Germany. This post is part one of two for Fussen, as we will write one entire posting on the palaces and castles.
Leaving Rothenburg, we drove the ‘Romantic Road’ most of the way to Fussen instead of taking the autobahn. This was well worth the extra couple of hours of driving and took us through dozens of small villages and gave us a glimpse into the beauty and everyday life in this area. About a half hour before our destination, majestic mountains appeared over the next hillside and the last part of our drive drew us closer to magnificent snow-covered peaks. Our first full day here was spent visiting the castles and our second day provided us with opportunities to explore the area.
The hotel is only a five minute walk to the Austrian border and we enjoyed crossing the bridge over the Lech Falls to walk to dinner in charming Fussen. It snowed here a few days ago so all the mountain had bright patches of snow in early May. The Bavarian Alps in the distance were breathtakingly steep and beautiful.
We will never forget the sweet sounds of birds in the mountain forest behind our hotel, interrupted only by a quickly passing flight of a bee, and how clean and fresh the air is here.
On our second full day, we took a stroll along the Walderlebniszentrum Tree Canopy Walk, a wooden walkway 20 meters above the forest. It crosses the border of Germany and Austria, so of course we had to ham it up with pictures of one foot in each country!
We took a car ride into Austria going up the Lech River. It, and its feeding lakes, shine brightly with that intense mineral color of turquoise-aqua water just like we’ve seen in Glacier National Park.
Driving in Germany has been easy, as they drive on the same side of the road as the U.S. Our meals have been a mix of local German food and a small family-run Italian place similar to the Il Pirate Restaurant we enjoyed so much in Vernaza, Italy. Ted has relished drinking the local ‘dunkel’ (dark) beers everywhere in Germany!
I’m so jealous! That looks amazing!