THE BAVARIAN CASTLES OF KING LUDWIG II, Guest Post by Ann Whitford Paul

Linderhof Castle, Bavaria.

Many thanks to my friend Ann Whitford Paul for sharing her visit to the Bavarian castles built by Ludwig II. Ann is a world traveler and a frequent contributor to The Intrepid Tourist.

A screen saver picture on my computer was my inspiration to visit the Bavarian castles, built by Ludwig II, also known as  Mad King Ludwig. Being shy, he was always uncomfortable ruling but enjoyed the perks and wealth that came with his position. He was passionate about art and architecture.

Although his reign lasted only 23 years, he left behind three castles, each unique and worth a visit. Although photos were not permitted inside you can get an idea of their style, each one radically different, from the outside photos. Tours are worth taking and in the smaller castles each lasts about 30 minutes

Fountain sculpture, Linderhof Castle.

The first castle I saw was Linderhof, a rococo-style castle, small by today’s standards with only one bedroom because Ludwig was so painfully shy, he preferred to be alone. As you can see from my photos, the setting is beautiful and wild. I loved walking up the many steps facing the castle to get the full view.

Courtyard, Neuschwanstein Castle.

However, I did not love walking up to see Neuschwanstein Castle built in the medieval style that was the inspiration for Disney’s Cinderella’s Castle. 

Neuschwanstein Castle

Horse drawn carriages will take one there for 8 euros a person. I, wanting to prove to that I could do it, started along the one mile and nearly straight up path, but on an uneven patch of gravel fell flat on my face. Want proof? 

After the fall.

Fortunately, no broken bones! But my walking wasn’t over. Inside this castle there were many stairs to climb.

Ann at Castle Hohenschwngau

Last, but certainly not least, was the grand Castle Hohenschwangau, the same size as the Palais Versailles in France. Although it was never completed, the rooms that were are opulent each with huge, different-styled chandeliers. I couldn’t help feel for the poor peasants who had to stand on tall ladders to light the hundreds of candles, and then later clean away the melted wax. By far the most breathtaking room was the grand Hall of Mirrors, bright with gold leaf and a full city block long.

I have seen other castles, but these Bavarian ones are so beautifully maintained, with almost totally original furnishings, paintings, and tapestries, they’re well worth the visit. The  surrounding scenic Alps, small quaint towns, and large lakes are an added plus. I was so inspired by the area’s history that I have been reading up on Ludwig II. He may have been mad, but he left three remarkable castles for future generations to admire and cherish.

FINLAND IN WINTER: Searching for the Northern Lights, Guest Post by Ann Whitford Paul

Northern Lights, Finland, November 2024.

Many thanks to my friend and fellow children’s book writer Ann Whitford Paul for sharing with The Intrepid Tourist her trip to Finland last winter with her grandson. She writes:

This past Thanksgiving my teenage grandson, Tade, and I traveled to Finland in search of the Northern Lights.

Cabins at our hotel.

We spent the first five days at the Apukka Resort in Rovaniemi, and our second five days a three-and-a-half hour drive north at Wilderness Hotel Inari. Both overlooked a frozen lake and had individual cabins with huge windows to observe the Northern Lights.

Typical buffet meal.

Both served food cafeteria style, with enough choices to please the pickiest of eaters. They also had menus to order from.

Both furnished the snowsuits, boots, mittens and socks necessary to stay warm outside in below freezing temperatures. Packing was easy--all we had to bring was several layers to go under the snowsuits. Dress code is casual and because sweating is unheard of in the cold, we needed very little change of clothes. My advice is to pack light.

Outdoor night activity with snacks of sausage, cookies and hot drinks.

Apukka Resort was geared more to families with young children and offered such activities as a mini-hill for sledding and individual sleigh rides pulled by slow reindeer.

A walk on the hotel grounds.

Winter days in the Arctic Circle are short, with the sun rising around nine in the morning and setting around two-thirty in the afternoon. We spent our days walking around the hotel or into a nearby town. Other days I relaxed reading and Tade played computer games.

Owl at the Ranura Wildlife Park.

A highlight was a day trip to RanuraWildlife Park, where we wandered with snow falling and observed wolves, bears, and unique, gorgeous owls.

Souvenir earrings.

One day, the shuttlebus carried us to Rovaniemi (8 euros per person). The town was burned to the ground by the Nazis in WWII so there’s not much to see, but I’m into earrings and found these. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Santa Claus Village https://www.santaclausholidayvillage.fi/ which is exactly the tourist trap you’d expect. I fell in love with stuffed Christmas Gnomes, which I bought, but didn’t need; Tade bought gifts to take home to family, and we took our pictures at the line of the Artic Circle. The wait to see Santa was forty minutes, and thankfully of no interest to my grandson.

Tade in the icy water after his sauna.

Nighttime activities included, of course, a sauna in a private cabin by the frozen lake. Tade was the only one brave enough to dip into the freezing water. I was content to take his picture.

Dogsled dogs.

By far, the highlights of the trip were the nighttime activities in search of the Northern Lights and included a snow train (a coach on runners pulled by a snowmobile), a horse pulled sleigh ride, a dogsled ride, and a snowmobile ride.

Ann and Tade bundled up to see the Northern Lights.

Northern Lights are caused by solar windstorms and are rarely seen as in the sharp, clear pictures depicted on travel brochures. They appear more in a blurry green, gold and/or orange—sometimes flashing, sometimes a shooting display. We were warned before we left that we might not see any Northern Lights but were treated to the sight five times. Bundled up, shivering, toes freezing, and our breath puffing clouds, the sight is a memory to be treasured forever—well worth the long plane ride and the frigid weather. 

BOTSWANA BIRDS, Guest Post by Ann Whitford Paul

Lilac breasted roller, Botswana, Africa

My friend and fellow children's book writer Ann Whitford Paul and her husband Ron recently returned from a trip to Africa, which included a trip to Botswana. Here is her report and some fantastic photos of the many birds they saw. You can find out about Ann's books at www.annwhitfordpaul.net. Her newest book, If Animals Said I  Love You, will be published in the fall.

A tree full of vultures hoping for a fresh-kill feast.

One of the joys of traveling is the opening of your eyes to new cultures, new landscapes, new experiences, and this trip to Botswana introduced me to a world, I’d never paid much attention to before—birds, including the colorful lilac-breasted rollers seen above that perch high in trees or other high vantage places so they can spot insects, lizards, and rodents..  A young Englishman named John, who as a child had learned birding from his uncle, was an expert at sighting the tiniest birds. Here are some of my best bird photos:

The grey go-away bird gets its name from its loud and nasal "go-away" calls.

African fish eagles are found near large bodies of open water, which were abundant, thanks to the unusually heavy rains in Botswana this year.

Wattled cranes love to eat the tubers of water lilies, so they forage close to streams and ponds.

Guinea fowl are sometimes called speckled hens, and you can see why.

The hammerkop is a wading bird named for its unique head shape.

The blacksmith lapwing is a commonly seen bird throughout Botswana, but I was thrilled to get this picture with the reflection in the water.

The tiny swallow-tailed bee-eater could easily be missed sitting here in the greenery.

The colorful woodland kingfisher, noted for its loud trilling sound.

This ground hornbill grasps a stolen egg from another bird's nest and is looking forward to a delicious meal.
As with my last posting on this blog about the animals of Botswana (May 1, 2017), I was grateful for my fabulous Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000k camera, which features a Leica lens and a view angle from 25 mm wide-angle to 16X optical zoom.
We stayed at Tubu Tree Camp in the Okavango Delta floodplains and Zarafa Camp located in the Selinda Reserve.  Our trip was arranged by LIVINGSTONE SAFARIS.

DOING LAUNDRY IN INDIA, Guest Post by Ann Whitford Paul

Washing clothes in the Ganges

 In late January my friend and fellow children's book author Ann Paul and her husband Ron took a trip to India visiting cities from the far south to New Delhi and Varanasi in the north.  Here are her observations of how people do laundry in India.  Ann Whitford Paul is a wonderful author and poet and has written eighteen books for children and has had her poems included in many anthologies. Her most recent book is 'Twas the Late Night of Christmas. You can find out more about Ann and her books at www.annwhitfordpaul.net.

Dirty clothes in India?  You don’t need a washing machine.  You need a river.  The men above are slapping clothes against the steps leading down to the Ganges River.  The water is as dirty as it looks.  People generally wash their finer clothes at home, while underwear, work clothes, etc. are sent out to be cleaned here. Both men and women work at washing clothes.  Even cows come to watch.

If a river isn’t nearby, clothes are sent to a kind of Laundromat—without washers, without driers.   
Instead they have small closet-size rooms open to the outside where men stand in the water and slap laundry against the platform.

Notice—no clothespins!

Next, the clothes are hung out to dry.

How would you like to have a washing load this big?

 Some are spread out on the ground.

This young man is carrying a load to be ironed.

Because of the high heat and bright sun, the clothes and household linens dry in as little as ten minutes.

Sprinkling clothes.

A woman sprinkles the linens . . .
then she rolls them up and sends them to be ironed.

Ironing

The iron is black and heavy and not electric.  Instead it’s filled with burning coals.

Doing laundry in India is just as strenuous as it looks.  But not for these two boys on vacation from school.  They get to play a game while their parents work. But not for long.  Most likely when they finish school, they will follow their parents occupations and wash laundry too.