Hiking, Reflections & Humor, Slow travel, Travel Diary, United States

What I Learned on a Family Trip

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We kidnapped my parents for Thanksgiving. We packed ’em up in our car, took my youngest sister & her husband along with us, & headed up to Hot Springs Arkansas. We rented a house on the Ouachita River, brought food with us, & left all itineraries/plans at home. We were winging this one & adapting day-by-day.

Traveling with family is totally out of character for Eric & I. We’ve perfected how to travel with each other & have become a fine-tuned travel machine. When you throw someone else into the mix, we don’t know what to do with them: What do they like to eat? Do they like waking up early or sleeping in? Do they really want to hike all day or are they just saying that for our benefit? Will they think I’m anti-social if I read a book for a few hours?

But we also know that memories are made during family trips & so we forced ourselves out of our comfort zone for this holiday. I won’t lie, there were moments when I thought “why did we do this?” but they were quickly followed by sweet moments or laugh-so-hard-I-snorted moments. And like all good trips, I learned some new things. For example, I learned (or was reminded) that…

My father is a sugar addict…

Dad's first honeybun of the day

And apparently so am I…

My sister enjoys being still in nature just like I do…

My mother will never lose her adventurous spirit, even if her body begins to slow her down…

My family can easily revert to childhood…

We might have to sacrifice our long hikes, but being on the trail with family has its perks…

We hiked at Hot Springs National Park, combining the Dead Chief, Gulpha Gorge, Upper & Lower Dogwood Trails. See trail map here. We also walked some of the paths at Garvan Woodland Gardens, all of which were beautiful.

There really ARE fairies & they live at Garvan Woodland Gardens…

Having my mom around is good for me — otherwise, I would have bypassed the fascinating Hot Springs National Park Visitor’s Center which is in a restored bath house…

I might also have missed the once elegant Arlington Hotel, with its beautiful murals, haunted looking stairs & mobster past.

If you visit Hot Springs, eat at Rod’s Pizza Cellar. It’s a local hangout that’s been around since 1975 & their thick crust is FABULOUS! There was live music when we were there, and my parents were in heaven listening to tunes from their college days.

Garvan Woodland Gardens is beautiful in daylight but PURE MAGIC in the evening (especially during Christmas)!

Don’t go hiking in Arkansas during prime hunting season. Even if the trail brochures say nothing of hunting, assume that it’s allowed everywhere in “the Natural State.” And if you do, don’t be stupid [name will remain anonymous] & place a branch on your head so you look like a deer…

I had my heart set on hiking the Little Blakely trails, but I failed to check if hunting was allowed in that area. Boy was it! I’ve never seen so much orange & camo in my life! I managed one photo at the beginning of a trail before we had to skedaddle.

No matter how often I tell myself “I don’t travel well with others,” trips like these remind me that travel isn’t just about new places & new people, it’s also about new experiences with the people closest to me.

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Europe, Hiking, Slow travel, Travel Diary

Walking Füssen to Alatsee

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Having had our fill of castles & tourists, Eric & I were ready to escape into the woods. Lucky for us, nature trails & quiet walks abound all around Füssen Germany so despite the imminent threat of rain & a bum knee, we took to the trails.

We opted for the Füssen-Alatsee loop, which was a 10.3 mile walk from our hotel & took about 4.5 hours. The walk immediately began with some steep inclines which quickly brought us above town & into the woods. There were several routes we could have taken, all of which lead to the same lake — we chose the one that took us deeper into the woods. The woods opened up to farm land & then we arrived at the lake, which was smaller than I expected but very pretty.

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Europe, Hiking, Slow travel, Travel Diary, Trip Planning

Füssen: More than just Castles

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Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen Germany

We went to Füssen for castles, but we got so much more than we expected!

Our seven days in Austria had come to an end and we were sad to leave this beautiful country behind. Our next destination was Füssen Germany, the town most famous for its neighboring fairy tale castle, Neuschwanstein. Built by “Mad” King Ludwig II, this was the castle that Walt Disney modeled Cinderella’s castle after for his Orlando theme park.

streets of Fussen Germany

But before I get to castles, let’s talk about how beautiful Füssen was. I expected it to be a tourist trap, and there WERE a lot of tourists, but the town was big enough to hold everyone and it never felt crowded. Füssen’s old buildings and cobblestone streets were beautifully maintained. Some of the murals dated back to the 900s. The Lech River that flows through the town was a vivid green, which contrasted so beautifully with the white buildings and red roofs.

house with wood birdhouses in Fussen Germany

We stayed at a quirky boutique hotel called Hotel Fantasia where the garish purple and bling chandeliers were the direct opposite of the no-nonsense matron who greeted us every morning. Perfect location a block away from the train, very comfortable room with a balcony overlooking the city and a good breakfast.

woman holding beer keg in Fussen restaurant

If you visit Füssen make sure to eat at Kelari — a Greek restaurant that is everything you want in a restaurant (cozy, creative, fresh, friendly, good prices).

So let’s get back to the castles. They were only a short bus ride away in the small hamlet of Schwangau. We reserved tickets in advance for both castles, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. The bus was free (thanks to our hotel’s complimentary Füssen card) but we’d been warned it didn’t always run on time so we gave ourselves 45 min to get there and pick up our tickets before our assigned tour began. That was just enough time for an early morning walk around the village.

swan fountain at Hohenschwangua Castle

If you visit, reserve your tickets online before you leave. It’s MUCH quicker and you’ll know what time your tours will be. Pack a lunch and bring a small backpack with water. I had read somewhere that you couldn’t bring bags into the castles so we didn’t have our packs with us. Imagine my frustration when we saw everyone with backpacks and large purses. It’s true they don’t allow large backpacks or strollers, but everything else is allowed. There are plenty of options for food, but we found them all to be overpriced and mediocre. I’d much rather save the money and splurge on the excellent dining in Füssen.

Hohenschwangua Castle

Hohenschwangua didn’t look like much on the outside but the inside was lavish. We weren’t allowed to take photos of the interior but it was certainly worth the visit.

Neuschwanstein Castle courtyard
Neuschwanstein Castle

The 20min walk to Neuschwanstein was pretty and worth the steep trek uphill. You could feel the excitement building as everyone reached the top, where the ideal fairy tale castle appeared before our eyes. Which is also when we met supreme disappointment.

Neuschwanstein Castle with mountains in background

The castle’s main entrance, the part that is so often seen in pictures, was completely covered by scaffolding. The front of the castle sat on the edge of a deep gorge, so in my mind this was going to be one of those magical places where I could fantasize about being Beauty and Eric could be Beast. But alas, sweaty men on scaffolding was not conducive to such imagery. But the castle WAS beautiful, completely different from Hohenschwangua.

man walking tree lined path to Fussen Germany

Instead of taking the bus, we walked back to Füssen. There was a well-marked trail leading back to town which offered great views of the castle behind. The walk began flat but quickly went uphill into forest paths. We came across an old hut where they used to turn limestone into mortar. The trail ended by walking down to Füssen, so we had an incredible view of the town. The walk took us about 45min and was well worth it.

hiker standing next to lake near Fussen Germany
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