For October break we decided to go to Bavaria. We got a great recommendation from some friends for a lovely pension.
It was quiet, comfortable and very picturesque.
We stayed in the small town of Lake Hopfen.
It was just a 15 minute drive from Neuschwanstein Castle...the inspiration for Cinderella's Castle in Disneyland.
Being October, we were actually hoping to enjoy the Fall scenery, colorful leaves, etc. But instead we arrived just in time for the first snow.
It was stunning! We got to enjoy beautiful snow, beautiful sun, and the fall colors as well.
During the day we toured the castles. Our first castle tour was of the smaller castle right next to Neuschwanstein called Hohenschwangau. This castle was home to Mad Kind Ludwig II for many years before his death. 
If you click to enlarge this photo, you can just see Neuschwanstein in the hills in the background.
We signed up for the castle tour, but weren't sure if our 1 and 1/2 year old would would be able to get through it.
Thankfully, he managed. And it was well worth it. The castle was very ornately decorated...you could tell Ludwig was a bit of an eccentric. And the views were stunning. Can you imagine that as the view from your bedroom window? Seriously...click to enlarge this one.
From Hohenschwangau we walked up the hill toward Neuschwanstein.
Jackson made it through another castle tour...what a good boy. Then Cisco headed higher up the mountain to get a few pictures of the surrounding area.
And an incredible view of the castle.
Then it was back to Lake Hopfen for the evening.
We enjoyed a walk through the town. And Jackson got to meet his first horses up close. He was fascinated!
The lake was just gorgeous after sunset. What a beautiful place to stay!
The next day we started our journey home. We made a few stops along the way. The first was at the Castle Linderhof.
This was a summer cottage for King Ludwig II. Wouldn't it be nice to have such a "cottage"?
The grounds were just gorgeous.
Swans and all.
Jackson definitely enjoyed some play time out of the car before we headed off to our next destination.
Oberammergau is famous for putting on "The Passion" play every ten years. We decided to stop and check out the small town. We went into a lovely church.
Jackson was much more interested in the small box of children's books than the ornate decorations.
Then we took a little time wandering through the town.
Jackson and Daddy explored a small garden.
It was a lovely little town...but not much happening at this time of year. We almost had the place to ourselves.
We did make a stop at the theater dedicated to the Passion play. Unfortunately, we missed the play season by just a couple of months. 
Back on our way it was getting late, so we decided to cut our drive time and spend a night in Regensburg. We got a good night's sleep then got out to see the town the next morning.
Like all good German cities, they had a beautiful cathedral.
We just enjoyed a morning of wandering.
And Jackson is always happy to stretch his legs.
Great stopover....And Jackson slept the rest of the way back home to Prague!
It was quiet, comfortable and very picturesque.
We stayed in the small town of Lake Hopfen.
It was just a 15 minute drive from Neuschwanstein Castle...the inspiration for Cinderella's Castle in Disneyland.
Being October, we were actually hoping to enjoy the Fall scenery, colorful leaves, etc. But instead we arrived just in time for the first snow.
It was stunning! We got to enjoy beautiful snow, beautiful sun, and the fall colors as well.
During the day we toured the castles. Our first castle tour was of the smaller castle right next to Neuschwanstein called Hohenschwangau. This castle was home to Mad Kind Ludwig II for many years before his death. 
If you click to enlarge this photo, you can just see Neuschwanstein in the hills in the background.
We signed up for the castle tour, but weren't sure if our 1 and 1/2 year old would would be able to get through it.
Thankfully, he managed. And it was well worth it. The castle was very ornately decorated...you could tell Ludwig was a bit of an eccentric. And the views were stunning. Can you imagine that as the view from your bedroom window? Seriously...click to enlarge this one.
From Hohenschwangau we walked up the hill toward Neuschwanstein.
Jackson made it through another castle tour...what a good boy. Then Cisco headed higher up the mountain to get a few pictures of the surrounding area.
And an incredible view of the castle.
Then it was back to Lake Hopfen for the evening.
We enjoyed a walk through the town. And Jackson got to meet his first horses up close. He was fascinated!
The lake was just gorgeous after sunset. What a beautiful place to stay!
The next day we started our journey home. We made a few stops along the way. The first was at the Castle Linderhof.
This was a summer cottage for King Ludwig II. Wouldn't it be nice to have such a "cottage"?
The grounds were just gorgeous.
Swans and all.
Jackson definitely enjoyed some play time out of the car before we headed off to our next destination.
Oberammergau is famous for putting on "The Passion" play every ten years. We decided to stop and check out the small town. We went into a lovely church.
Jackson was much more interested in the small box of children's books than the ornate decorations.
Then we took a little time wandering through the town.
Jackson and Daddy explored a small garden.
It was a lovely little town...but not much happening at this time of year. We almost had the place to ourselves.
We did make a stop at the theater dedicated to the Passion play. Unfortunately, we missed the play season by just a couple of months. 
Back on our way it was getting late, so we decided to cut our drive time and spend a night in Regensburg. We got a good night's sleep then got out to see the town the next morning.
Like all good German cities, they had a beautiful cathedral.
We just enjoyed a morning of wandering.
And Jackson is always happy to stretch his legs.
Great stopover....And Jackson slept the rest of the way back home to Prague!
