Castle tour in the Black forest

My boyfriend and I are both not particularly good at simply doing nothing. Just spending a weekend at home, hanging out on the sofa or sleeping in? Diiifficult...  No, we're always drawn away. Like two fleas with itchy feet, we have to dash through the countryside, follow our curiosity and discover the world.

This was also the case on the weekend we got on our motorcycles and headed for the Black Forest. As we are both big fans of castles, there were two main things on our to-do list: Hohenzollern Castle in Bisingen and Lichtenstein Castle in the village of the same name. Both buildings look like something out of a Disney movie or a romantic fairy tale. 

We also passed some exciting places on the way, such as the open-air museum in Neuhausen ob Eck, the Thyssen Krupp elevator test tower and the beautiful towns of Rottweil and Tübingen. As every time we are on the road, we were amazed at how many things there are to discover everywhere. Here are the photos - oh, and at the end you'll find some recomendations in case you're inspired and want to explore this beautiful region yourself... ;-)

What better way to start a trip into nature than with a goose parade just after the Swiss border? 

Our first spontaneous stop was at the Neuhausen ob Eck open-air museum, a beautiful museum that uses 25 historical buildings to show visitors how life used to be in this rural region. It's a wonderful place to walk around, step inside the buildings and feel like you've stepped back a few decades. Oh, and if you want, you can even dress up to feel even more like you've stepped back in time! 

We came closer to our planned destination - the Hohenzollern castle - and suddenly saw it - enthroned high up on the hill. And it looked as if it had been the model for Walt Disney! What a castle! 

We booked 2 tickets for the next day - and were not disappointed! We discovered the wonderful castle with an audio guide - and apparently I was so fascinated that I forgot to take any photos... :-)

Our next stop was the Lichtenstein Castle - much smaller than its big brother Hohenzollern, but maybe even more fairy tale-ish than the other one. Or what would you say? 

Quite spontaneously we decided to visit the city of Tübingen, a university city on the river Neckar. And we were shocked - but in a positive way: How could it be that we had never heard of this beautiful city before?! We were absolutely thrilled! Ok, there was also a music festival going on that day and the streets were filled with people, music and dancing. That helped. But even without it, the city must be beautiful: Old houses, the river - and on the river small boats on which people sail down and up the river. What an idyll! And by a glass of wine in the old town, we decided to come back very soon. Tübingen is too nice to only visit once! 

We were actually already on our way home again when another highlight spontaneously awaited us: the TK Elevator Test Tower in Rottweil. The 246-metre-high elevator test tower was built to test high-speed elevators. We bought a ticket, got into the elevator and shot upwards at what felt like the speed of light. An impressive experience! And from the top, we enjoyed a wonderful view of the town of Rottweil and the surrounding area. 

Our last stop was Rottweil, a city that we only had known from its famous dog - the Rottweiler. As dangerous and evil (and probably not entirely fair!) as the image of the Rottweiler is, the town he comes from is idyllic and peaceful. A small town with colorful, old houses - pretty much straight out of a picture book! It's the oldest one in Baden-Württemberg and what should I say more - we liked it very much! 

As always, we came back from this weekend not necessarily fit, but very happy and with many new experiences in our backpack of life. How close there are always new things to discover! Oh, how I'm already looking forward to the next ones! 

My recomendations for the region: 

• Open-air museum in Neuhausen ob Eck: a beautiful museum that uses 25 historical buildings to show visitors how life used to be in this rural region. It's a wonderful place to walk around, step inside the buildings and feel like you've stepped back a few decades. Oh, and if you want, you can even dress up to feel even more like you've stepped back in time! 
• The Hohenzollern Castle in Bisingen is a must for every fan of castles - it is beautiful and fascinating! I recommend you to book your ticket in advance. You can park your car on the big parking lot and then hike up the castle hill - or take a shuttle bus. Make sure to take an audio guide to not miss all the facts! 
• The Lichtenstein castle is much smaller than the Hohenzollern castle, but also very beautiful - and maybe even a bit more fairy tale-ish than its big brother. 
• The city of Tübingen has gained a special little spot in our hearts - this beautiful city is worth a visit! It offers a picturesque old town with lots of shops and restaurants, but the main highlight is the river Neckar on which life seems to happen. A lot of boats are sailing up and down the river with people enjoying themselves on it. We loved it! 
• The TK Elevator Test Tower in Rottweil not only fascinates engineering and architecture fans! The 246-metre-high elevator test tower was built to test high-speed elevators. It is a beautiful building, but the highlight is a ride with the elevator in a speed that feels like the speed of light. From top of Germanys highest visitor plattform, you can enjoy a wonderful view of the town of Rottweil and the surrounding area. 
• The town of Rottweil is worth a visit - it's the oldest town of Baden-Württemberg and offers a beautiful old town with colorful houses and a nice atmosphere.