Wicklow Mountain National Park

July 3 & 4, 2025

Plan A for Ireland was to climb Slieve Donard, the tallest peak in the North;  cloud cover too low. Plan B was to kayak at Ballyvaughan in Galway Bay; too windy. We opted for Plan C: hiking in Wicklow Mountain National Park, south of Dublin. Public transit was not an option, so we took a car to the White Hill/Djouce (1) trail head. 

The trail rises steeply to a lookout over Lough Tay, then follows a ridge north. Repurposed railway ties (sleepers) from Irish rail make an interesting boardwalk protecting the peat. Looped metal brackets provide traction when it rains. On the ridge, white bags had both trail repair materials and wool shorn from the sheep grazing on the hills 

The trail steepens again as the Djouce summit approached. The rocky, windy summit offers views deep into the Wicklow Mountains and far out to the Irish Sea. We were glad to have lugged middle layers and wind breakers (hitherto unused in the European heatwave) around Europe. We shared the summit with a group of four Irish soldiers. There were more hikers heading up as we descended on the same trail. About 4.5 miles and 1,000 foot vertical gain.

We had booked a sunset paddle to see the seals at Dalkey, south of Dublin. The guide and kayaks were a no-show, so we walked, then drove, along the sea through the toney suburbs south of Dublin before heading back to County Wicklow.

The next morning (July 4) we poked about Malahide Castle and Garden north of Dublin before catching our afternoon flight home.

(1) Pronounced something like house, with a hard J at the beginning 

Lough Tay

Repurposed rail sleepers protecting the peat on the trail.

Views on the trail

A raven of some sort in the summit wind at Djouce.

We must be in Ireland. Rubbish at the summit provides evidence of someone having a cuppa

Descending

Windswept flowers

Bullock Harbour, kayak tour guide was a no show 

Entrance to Dublin Harbor

Dalkey Island, where we would have paddled 

At Malahide Castle

Shades of yellow in the Castle Gardens

Ready for the Fingal Music Festival at the weekend

The Glockenspiel in Munich

July 2, 2025

A hot morning in Füssen. I tried to order breakfast in German, to the amusement of the counter person. After a gentle stroll through the small city centre, we returned to the station, where the same counter woman said "Welcome back," and pointed at various signs so she could test my German pronunciation. I'm sure I failed, but she smiled.

Most trains leaving Füssen require a connection to Munich. Given the transfer follies of two days ago, we opted for one of the few direct trains to Munich. After a sausage and sauerkraut lunch, we poked into a few churches until 5:00 when the Glockenspiel in the Rathaus tower goes. The upper display features fairgoers walking past the king and queen, followed by two jousting knights as the bells play. The lower display follows, with jesters dancing. Off to the airport for a late flight to Dublin.

Metal diorama of Füssen was hot in the sun

Back to Munich on the direct train

Old city gate

St. Michael's Church 

Picture of the church in late 1944

Toy museum

The Glockenspiel

Late flight to Dublin

Neuschwanstein Castle

July 1, 2025

More excessive heat warnings, so we caught an early bus 3 miles to Hohenschwangau, the jumping off point to visit the summer castles of the Bavarian kings (1). Construction of the Neuscwansteim Castle (atop an older castle) began in 1869, consciously trying to capture medieval chivalry and the romantic style of the composer Richard Wagner. In a letter to the composer. King Luwig II wrote to Wagner: "It is my intention to rebuild the old castle ruin of Hohenschwangau near the Pöllat Gorge in the authentic style of the old German knights' castles." Construction was completed in 1880.

The hike up to Neuschwanstein was quiet, most people opting for a shuttle bus up the hill. We enjoyed the exterior views, and proceeded further up to Marienbrucke (Mary's Bridge), the iconic (and crowded) Castle viewing point. The wood slats on the bridge bounced as the crowd positioned themselves for selfies, while a woman in an elaborate wedding dress spread out her trussle blocking the whole bridge for pictures. 

Exiting the far side if the bridge, a nearly-empty trail appeared. A hiking app revealed another viewpoint a few switchbacks up. Much quieter here, with superb views to the Castle and Bavarian countryside beyond. A woman from Atlanta had a friend who flew his girlfriend here to propose. A man from Texas who was taking pictures of newlyweds turned out to be living in Munich working as a tour guide (2) (3).

Descending to Alpsee (a clear mountain lake), we walked along the southeast shore to a swimming spot. A swim to the platform in the crystal clear mountain water with views of the Castle was just the thing this afternoon. Five mile hike today with 1,000 foot vertical gain.

The local theatre (Festspielhaus) being dark on the Tuesday night (4), we opted for a sunset paddle on the Forgensee. Everyone (except us) on the tour was German. The German guide, a former ski instructor in California gave the briefing and demonstration in German after we told him we were experienced paddlers. Loading boats on a trailer, the lively crowd (about 12 of us) pushed the trailer by hand across the street to a small beach. Two "young strong guys" carried two boats by hand (5).

The guide had a smaller version of the same boat I have at home, even the same color. Putting the boat on edge (6), he said "The English really know how to build kayaks." We poked around the south end of the man-made (for hydropower) lake near reed beds and past the dark Festspielhaus. The guide was quite relaxed as we enjoyed the last rays of sun before paddling back and reversing the trailer/kayak carrying routine. A nice walk of about a mile along King Ludwig's Promenade brought us back to town. We found the only bar in town open after 10:00 and enjoyed a local cocktail featuring frozen currants and blueberries 

(1) In addition to the town's name, the destination sign on the front of the bus featured the English word "Castles," but not the German "Schloss."

(2) There seemed to be a lot of American tourists here.

(3) Jay asked if we had visited the interior of the Castle. "No, I knew you had to book long in advance, but I forgot." I suggested. "Oh, yes it is worth a visit." Taking the hint about my carelessness leading to our not having tickets, he later said "You didn't miss much."

(4) Arriving yesterday, there were posters for musicals (in German) about Cinderella and Ludwig. High season, with more frequent performances, starts next week.

(5) Saying I was a young guy, he said I also had to be strong. 

(6) Edging helps to turn longer boats. As the name suggests, you lean the boat (opposite to the direction you want to go). A well designed boat can lean without  risk of tipping, yielding a nice solid feel.

View from the trail

At Nueschwanstein Castle

View of the Alpsee

Wedding pictures on the bridge

The viewpoint beyond the bridge

The crowd on Marienbrucke

Alpsee, very refreshing swim

Konig Ludwig Bahn to Füssen

June 30, 2025

Two buses and four trains today from Malbun to Füssen, Germany in the Bavarian Alps. The bus descended to the Rhine Valley via a series of tight switchbacks, with a connection at Vaduz to the railway station at Schaan (1). Plenty of time to catch the connecting train at Feldkirche, Austria to Lindau-Reutin on the shores of the Bondensee in Germany.

A 15 minute connection at Lindau dwindled to 2 minutes due to the late arrival of the Austrian train. Dashing off, then up the stairs to the overpass (2) through the slow-moving, meandering crowd. The German train crew yelled "schnell, schnell" to hurry us along. A personal record for me for the 100 meter dash, even with the stairs. The final connection to the branch line to Füssen was scheduled for 5 minutes. Arriving at the connecting station 8 minutes late, the Füssen train was also late, waiting (almost 30 seconds) for us to dash trough the underpass (3). I'm glad I only travel with a small bookbag; we never would have made either connection with a wheely bag. The branch line to Füssen is known as Konig Ludwig Bahn (King Ludwig's Railway), as the Bavarian King's summer palace is above Füssen.

At Füssen, a modest hike south of town beckoned (550 foot vertical rise). Along the trail, there were small chapels representing the stations of the cross. The trail steepens near the summit, representing Golgotha and offering sweeping views to the town below and the Alps behind, surmounted by towering cumulo numbus clouds. Occasional puffs of wind provided minor relief on this hot, humid day. 

Walking back to the hotel, lightning appeared to the west. We were safely back at the hotel before the storm front  moved through, freshening the air coming through the windows of our (un-air-conditioned) hotel (4).

(1) The short railway line in Liechtenstein is part of the Austrian State Railways (OBB). 

(2) Underpasses are better. Overpasses are high above the catenary overhead electrical wires, requiring more stairs both up and down. 

(3) My daughter knows a lot of random things. She told us we were "Deutsche Bahned," a common occurrence on German Railways.

(4) The area is experiencing a heat wave.

Steinbok (Stone Bok), symbol of Liechtenstein at Malbun. Not the same as the South African Steinbok

Descending on the bus to the Rhine Valley

Liechtenstein Railway Station

Glimpses from the train in Bavaria

Hohe Schloss, Füssen

Strolling through Füssen to the trailhead south of town

The trail starts at the chapel

Entering a wildlife sanctuary

Ascending via the stations of the cross

The summit

View to Füssen

View to the Alps and the castles

Back in town

Thunderheads to the west