Castles!

What a day! Schwangau is such a pretty town, and we get there in time for a walk around the beautiful blue/green lake of Alpensee. so enjoy a little walk around it, marvelling at its colour, the trees around it, the baby cygnets, the wild flowers, the reflections. We learn later that the colour comes from the fact that the water comes from the high mountain areas and runs over limestone, which removes all the impurities. We can see  both castles up in the mountains.

It is wonderful to see the mountains surrounding us today, free, for the most part, from mist and cloud. The weather surpassed expectations all day!

We had a lovely light lunch, and then took the shuttle bus up to Neuschwanstein for the tour we have booked.The walk from the bus stop to the castle affords magical views, though the Marienbrucke is sadly under repair and we can't stand on it to get the very best view. The castle itself is stunning, built as it was as a Wagner opera carved out of stone! We enjoy the tour. Sadly the castle was never finished and Ludwig died under mysterious circumstances before he was 40. But the interior is sumptuous, with oceans of blue and gold in fabric and paintwork.

We catch the shuttle bus down to the town and then get a horse and carriage up through the woods to Hohenschwangau. We clip clop at stately pace up to the castle of Maximilian, all yellow stone, with pretty gardens around it, and stunning views of the lake and the mountains. The women's quarters are pretty and ornate, and I rather think it would be nice to have turrets, so you could have little spaces to create special interest rooms! The male quarters have horrific pictures of so called heroes in battle. Not a backdrop I would like to live with. But it is an interesting tour with a courteous and intelligent guide.We walk down, have an ice cream (mango sorbet for me) and head back to the hotel.

We had a lovely quiet half hour sitting on our balconies in the sunshine, before heading out to an Italian restaurant Dick has sourced from Trip Advisor. Well! What an evening! The manager and the waiter, both address Dick as Richard, with the emphasis on the second syllable, The waiter arrives and he is wearing the most eccentric black wig. He is as camp as I have ever met, and makes our evening most entertaining. He has us laughing and eating out of his hand! His every statement was delivered with high drama. The food was pretty good too. 

It is a lovely warm evening and we wander the lanes of this pretty town before turning in.

And meanwhile war rages. News from Ukraine is dreadful. 

Well Ellie and the children are due, but I have been feeling rough....horrid headache....and then discovered I had been a close contact of two of my dear friends who have tested positive for Covid. Chatted to Ellie yesterday and decided I should do a PCR ....LF's having been negative. It was a horrid wet day and I stood for what seemed ages in a marquee waiting to be tested. I have had a couple of slow quiet days as the headache really affected my eyes. So I gave into it somewhat. I was duly tracked and traced today and asked to take a PCR so I had done the right thing.

Usually the test result is through quite quickly, but it seemed to take forever, and it wasn't until 4 that I got the good news it was negative. Wondered if Ellie would actually come, but they were packed and got into the car pretty quickly. Their journey was extended somewhat because a lorry caught fire on the M6 north of here, and traffic has been rerouted through Kendal, causing gridlock. As if that wasn't enough, rain has continued to be heavy tonight and I pray for all those who live near to the rivers in Cumbria.....especially those near Cockermouth. Difficult days. I also pray for my dear cycling friends who are walking through Scotland to Glasgow on a pilgrimage to COP26.

Meanwhile my sister had to be admitted to hospital on the 26th with a bee sting which caused her hand to swell and the swelling to creep up above her wrist. IV antibiotics, and they did finally let her home for the night. It was some way to spend the anniversary of our mother's birthday. We had intended a nice long chat...but got it the following day.

Since last I wrote I have continued to declutter and tidy here and also spent much of Sunday helping Wendy to have a last push towards emptying Hugh's house. We worked hard and I filled my car. Sadly the charity shop turned the pictures away, so there a lot of them in my garage at present. I think they were being a bit overwhelmed with stuff. They are the easiest charity for me to go to as I can park outside.

On Tuesday the plumbers were here to sort out a new water heater for the kitchen. They also got my immersion heater going again. This entailed me removing all towels and linen from the cupboard. It has gone back very tidily!!

It is lovely to have bright eyed Rufus and Ida here, and Ellie and I had a quiet evening watching Escape to the hotel on channel 4 which features my mother's house, where the owners of Hampton Manor Hotel were converting her garage into more accommodation for overflow guests who can book her house to stay in. Very strange to see it.