When we last left on off, we were traveling in from France on the way to Baden-Baden, Germany. Our goal was to see the ruins of Schloss Hohenbaden before the sun was gone. This castle was unique from the others we saw because there was no tour, no real restrictions, and was unmanned by any operator.[...]
We spent the night in Cologne, and were planning to get to drive to Baden-Baden in the morning, but when we were describing our plans to our new German friend, he told us to take a detour. He lives in the Rhineland area of Germany, and he encouraged us to get off the highways to see the country[...]
The second day was the free jumping. The dressage horses went first, followed by the jumpers, although the format was the same. First, they were run around the arena in a figure 8 to show those lead changes, then they were sent down the chute. Sadly my battery wasn't charged (dang confusing foreign[...]
The afternoon of the first day was the 2nd Inspection. First, all the jumping stallions were led into the ring and then free lunged. After they got a chance to strut their stuff, they were collected and strutted their stuff out of the ring. The DJ would put on an up-tempo song, the au[...]
We decided that it would be ideal to stay in a castle for at least part of our stay in Germany. For our time in Muenster for the Stallion inspection, we decided it was the right time. We stayed at Hotel Schloss Wilkinghede. Once upon a time (1311), it was an old moated castle. Aft[...]
After a very wet morning, the rest of the inspection was inside. Thank goodness! There was a lunch break which allowed for some time to explore and marvel at the facility. I'm very upset with myself because I failed to get pictures of the door handles, which were the "W" inspection brand. But, maybe[...]
Sick of pictures of castles yet? I know I'm not! I think I've found a new obsession... I love exploring castles. It's fascinating to walk through them and think about the people that used to live there. It's incredible that these structures are still standing today. Who knew that piling a bunch[...]
After visiting the fantastic Bavarian region of Germany, we moved on to the actual reason for our visit. As a member of Westfalen NA, I was invited to make the trip to Germany to attend the Westfalen Stallion Licensing. Likely this was the kind of invite that is only extended out of politeness,[...]
Other than Fussen being beautiful itself, the primary reason to go there is to visit castles. There are two castles there, one rebuilt from ruin in 1832 by Maximilian II, Hohenschwangau, and the other commissioned by his son, Ludwig II, in 1869. The castle was never completed. W[...]
Upon arrival to Germany, we immediately made a 4 hour drive from Frankfurt Airport down to Füssen. It's located on the southern border, on the northern edge of the Alps. It was a bit tiring, especially as I had almost no sleep on the plane, and instead felt super groggy from sleeping pills[...]