Day 4 - The weather is still not cooperating, but we're having a great time. Bavaria in bad weather is still better than a lot of other places in good weather!

The family has discussed where we should be "touristing". We had thought of a concentration camp; the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart; and the "fairy-tale" castle of Konig Ludwig of Bavaria.

Being true Bavarians, they all thought we needed to see Schwangau and Neuschwanstein. Works for Mona and me .

Grey days are almost perfect for being inside churches and castles, and that being said, this is a perfect day!

We drove to the foothills of the Bavarian Alps and found the castles. You have to pay to go in them (of course), but in typical German efficiency, they have the tours down to a science.

Hohenschwangau is near the foot of the mountain, and near a lake. Neuschwanstein is a fair way up the mountain and on a "cliff". You can either walk between the two - a 45 min. hike up the mountain - or take a horse-drawn cart. We decided to walk.

We got tickets for both castles. The tickets were for a specified time in each castle, based on the time in castle and their estimate of how long it would take a person to walk from one to the other. Quite a system.

Here's a look at the tickets and the trail map.