First let me mention that untouring with Idyll has been a long time consideration for us and finally we gave it a try – very glad we did. Our friends had taken several tours with Idyll and had recommended them highly. The Castle Tour sounded great to us. Living in a castle sounded like a fairy tale and it was all we expected. We departed Orlando in early May and arrived in Münich very early on the following morning. Our luggage went to Frankfurt however, and we had to wait a couple of hours for it to be delivered to Münich. They offered to deliver it to our destination, but we were a bit uneasy about that since we were not exactly sure where we were going ourselves. The Untour directions to Schloss Summersdorf near Ansbach were excellent and we arrived at the Castle and were greeted by the Baron’s daughter-in-law Nikki, the twins, Julie and Emily and the castle dog, Max. Nikki directed us to our apartment, which was up the circular stairs to the Carola. This is a lovely large apartment, well furnished with all the conveniences of home. We had been worried about dampness in a castle, but there was not a hint of dampness. The walls are very thick, wooden floors, nice furnishings – TV which we never used but did enjoy the CD player and Mozart as well as the books on the bookshelf.

The housekeeper, Frau Schmidt, had prepared a wonderful Apple Strudel for us and the refrigerator was stocked with breakfast and lunch items. We took a rest, looked through the literature the Baron had left for us and tried one of the recommended restaurants nearby for dinner. We were the only customers in the pub/restaurant for dinner. The other customers were locals having their evening beer and conversation with the proprietor. The food was excellent and very reasonable. We could hear them pounding the schnitzel in the kitchen.

We were awakened in the morning to the wonderful sounds of birds, frogs and ducks from outside our window in the moat and surrounding fish ponds. Our Castle host Baron Manfred von Crailsheim (also a medical doctor) hosted a breakfast for us on our second morning. Frau Schmidt prepared a wonderful hearty breakfast and we joined the other castle guests in the Baron’s apartment. This was our orientation meeting and proved to be very beneficial regarding where to go, what to do, information we needed to know about our apartment and the castle itself. He invited us to a dinner and castle tour and we all agreed to a specific date that we could be available.

After breakfast, we headed for Rothenburg for a tour of this well known walled city. We had been there several times before on guided tours, but never had time to really wander around at our leisure. This was our chance. We spent several hours there. Don’t park in the first or second parking lots, we kept going until we find a lot next to the wall and parked under an apple tree in full bloom. We enjoyed St. Jakobs Church built in 1311 and especially the hand carved alter piece (carved about 1500) on the second floor behind the organ. There is a lovely park on one side of the city overlooking the Tauber River. It is possible to walk around the top of the wall, but it is a very large city.

Next stop was Dinkelsbühl, another walled village. Not quiet as big, but bustling with cars. Here we were able to park inside the wall. There are some interesting half-timbered houses here. We had a wonderful dinner at the Golden Rose Hotel across from St. Georges Church. When we arrived back at the castle, there was a theatrical group rehearsing (exercising) in front of the castle for a play they are going to do for the Baron’s birthday party. We saw them on a number of occasions including a dress rehearsal one night in the castle hall.

Next day found us heading for Nordlingen. It was a beautiful drive through the farmland as we gazed as the fields growing rapeseed. The fields were yellow with the full blooms. Rapeseed is grown everywhere in Germany and is used for fuel as well as the canola oil that we know. As we passed through the villages, we noticed the Maypoles that are prominently displayed. Each has it own unique features.

On Saturday, we headed for Nürnberg. At the first Church we passed in Nürnberg, a wedding was in the making with a Rolls Royce laden with fresh flowers and a beautiful bride getting ready to walk down the aisle. Each Saturday they have a very large flea market in the old city. We toured several churches, had Nürnberg brats (short ones) and climbed up the hill to the Imperial Castle. The Baron had recommended having bratwurst at the Bratwursthäusle, but we did not find it until after we had eaten and were near the Imperial Castle.

On Sunday, we headed for Meersburg, boarded the ferry to Konstanz. The drive along the autobahn and through the countryside was enjoyable. The apple trees were in full bloom, however many of the apple trees are very small and planted in close rows. Some of the older apple trees as we know them could be seen as well. The farmers are given special compensation for apples from the older trees. The smaller trees are easier to harvest and maintain so a local man told us. We drove around the lake (now in Switzerland) which was a beautiful drive stopping at a local café for morning coffee and wonderful apple "Danish". No English spoken here, but we managed with our few German words. We headed for Stein Am Rhein. This is a beautiful walled village situated on the Rhein River with a castle keeping watch from above. Many of the buildings are decorated with murals and many half-timbered homes are noticeable.

We purchased tickets for the boat trip to Schaffhausen and return. The boat trip was a wonderful experience. We sat with a young couple and their parents. This was Mother’s Day and the couple had given the trip as a Mother’s Day gift to their Mothers. Everyone on the boat was happy and watching the activity along the river. There were lots of bikers on the bike paths that ran beside the river, small river boats being rowed along, campers in tents and campers, swimmers, swans and other river motor boats. As we moved along, the canopy on the top deck began to lower which meant everyone had to remain seated. We soon learned that the boat needed to go under a covered bridge that crossed the river. Once under the bridge the canopy was extended again.

We had not arranged for overnight accommodations since we had no idea where we would be at the end of the day. We headed for Zurich and crossed a mountain on a small scenic road stopping at one point to follow the cows heading for the barn. We made a couple of stops to look for a room, got lost and found ourselves in Rapperswill. We found a room at the Rössl in Hurden. We had a magnificent view of the lake and the mountains and a wonderful dinner in their restaurant.

On Monday morning, we found our way to Lüzern. We took the boat trip around Lake Lüzern, the cog to Mount Pilatus and then the Gondola down the mountain and finally the bus back to Lüzern. This is a beautiful trip with picturesque chalets and boathouses along the lake and a fabulous view from the top. This was a trip we had tried to take on two other occasions only to be interrupted by a broken leg – yes, twice in the same place but not the same leg.

After the weekend trip, we took a day of rest in a light rain. We drove into Ansbach, wandered along the old city streets, toured the Margraves Castle (we received a printed English guide as the tour was in German) and picked up some groceries at the local grocery store. The next day was spent taking a boat ride on the Altmühlsee, a man made lake near Gunzenhausen. There was a group of 6th graders on a field trip and a Polish elder tour on the boat. The skipper spoke some English and read the tour information after giving it to the others in German.

On Thursday, we were invited to a tour of our castle and a candlelight dinner. What a lovely evening! Baron Crailsheim toured us through the hall where he can serve dinner for up to 100 people as he was preparing to do so the following week to celebrate his 60th birthday as well as the 2nd birthday of his twin granddaughters. The castle two main wings (old and new) were constructed in the 14th century (1345 – 1408). The castle has been in the Baron’s family for 600 years. Their family is large and they own several other castles. The tour led us into one of the towers, into the crypt where we could view naturally mummified corpses. We saw tunnels that connected between the church and the castle, the attic where painting from the 16th century are now faded but distinguishable and a glimpse at the construction of the castle walls, ending in the Baron’s apartment for champagne and a succulent dinner of fresh roasted venison and after dinner drinks in the vast living room with a fire in the fireplace, good music and lively conversation.

The next day we had planned to go to Rödelsee and Iphofen to tour the wineries. Manfred asked if we could pick up 8 cases Crailsheim champagne (bottled under an agreement from his family) for his birthday party. We were happy to do so and had a lovely drive, some wine tasting, made some wine purchases for us and had a wonderful lunch of Spargle (white asparagus), which was in season just now.

On Saturday we decided to go to Regensburg. They were having a Spargle festival including bands, food tents, fresh farm products and of course beer. Regensburg is positioned on the Danube River with a stone bridge built by the Romans in 1135 – 1146. There is a nice view of the river from the gate tower by the bridge. It is a museum and a small fee is charged. The dominant church with it tall spires is St. Peters Cathedral. We had a wonderful lunch at Haus Heuport across from the church. The building is very old and must have history with the church.

Bob is an avid model airplane enthusiast and had seen a sign in Ansbach advertising a model airplane meet to be held on Sunday. We inquired about the place and headed out early to get to Flachslauden. On our way we pulled over to watch a hot air balloon pass by – a beautiful sight. The model airplane meet was great. The spectators had started drinking tall glasses of beer by the time we arrived at 10:00. They had a very nice flying field, good pilots including a boy about 12 years old, a modern clubhouse and provided a nice lunch cooked over grills. A couple of the pilots were willing to try their English and discuss their gear.

Leaving the airfield, we toured Burg Colberg and Leutershausen. The castle was built in 1269, was hosting a wedding and would have been a great lunch stop had we not already had lunch. Leutershausen is the home of Gustav Weisskopf who flew a plane in 1901, before the Wright brothers, but never got recognition. The plane is in their museum.

Manfred had invited us to join him for dinner at a local restaurant. He drove and unfortunately we left our cameras at the castle (big mistake). On the way, he took us through several small walled villages near the castle (Ornbau, Merkendorf and Wolframs-Eschenbach). All were very interesting and would have been great photo opportunities. We had dinner at a historic restaurant, Alte Vogtei in Wolframs-Eschenbach. The food was great and the proprietor’s son sang a song for us. He is a young boy who sings in the boys’ choir and had performed earlier. He was dressed in his suit and had a melodic voice.

Monday found us heading for Leipzig, the city of Nancy’s ancestors. It was a long drive along the autobahn but interesting. Manfred had printed out maps of the city and we had purchased a map at the rest stop on the autobahn as well. We followed the signs to altstadt (old town) and toured the city. Leipzig was under communist rule and has now begun to rebuild and renew with lots of construction going on everywhere. The churches were well worth the tour with the most popular one being St. Thomas Kirche built before 1355 and boasts Bach as a Cantor (1723-1750). Our favorite one was St. Nicholas Kirche founded in 1165. The outside is plain but inside is spectacular. The white columns are topped with pale green palm leaves and the ceiling is pale green and ornate. The three entry ceilings are beautifully decorated. The most beautiful church we have seen. Meetings held in this church have been attributed to the downfall of the communist regime.

The next day found us trying to retrace our trip to the small walled villages nearby that Manfred had taken us through on Sunday when we went to dinner. Luckily we found each of them and were able to get our photographs. Each had it own distinction with towers, wet and dry moats, storks nests, monuments to cabbage, cows passing through the village and patron saints on the bridge.

We said our goodbyes to Manfred and wrote some notes in his guest book. We enjoyed reading the other guests notes that talked about return visits to the castle by many guests, New Years Eve with the townsfolk for the millennium and what a gracious and helpful host found in Manfred.

Our last morning was bittersweet to be leaving such a wonderful two weeks in the castle. As we departed, we met Frau Schmidt with her fresh apple strudels for the new guests who would be arriving that day.

We had extended our car for a few extra days that allowed us to head south to Oberammergau, Garmisch, and Mittenwald. Once in the mountains the scenery was awesome. We passed many bicycles and motorcycles on the mountain roads. One view was more spectacular than the next. We were headed for Innsbruck, Austria and finally to Hungerburg that is up a crooked road up the side of the mountain. There were no signs for Hungerburg, so we followed the lift signs, which took us to our destination. We got a room at Pension Klamm where Bob had stayed years ago. Our room had a lovely view of the valley below and the mountains all around. We took the lifts to Hafelekar 7000 ft mountaintop. From the top the view was again awesome. Dinner at the Klamm was reasonable and delicious.

The following day included Füssen where we toured Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. We took the horse drawn carriage up the hill to Neuschwanstein and got caught in the rain. Many people walked up the hill, which was a good hike. We found a room for the night in Schwangau at Hotel Schwansein. From the hotel was a lovely view of the castles.

The next day we headed for Linderhof castle. We chose a route that looked mountainous and so glad we did. This route took us through beautiful mountains and beside Lake Plansee. This was more beautiful than words can describe. The lake was a mirror with the reflection of the mountains and was very serene and peaceful. We found Linderhof and lots of tourists as we did at the other castles. The tour was very good and this castle is the smallest and most ornate of all the castles. We had an unexpected treat as we were leaving when about 40 antique Audi’s came rolling into the parking area.

We then found our way to Münich and lunched at our favorite restaurant Donstl at Marinplatz. As we found in many restaurants, we asked if we could join another couple, who graciously agreed to have us join them. We found a hotel at the airport, repacked our luggage, discarded unnecessary items and prepared for our journey home.

Other notes on the trip: The weather was great with blue skies with only a couple of days with a sprinkle or two and the temperature about 50 to 70 most days. If you encounter a yellow sign "Umleitung" this is their detour sign. It was not on our road signs information that I took off the web. Altstadt means old town. Follow these signs in any city and it will lead you to the center of activity. Parking in garages is best for larger cities. Be sure to pay your parking ticket at one of the machines in the garage before you try to depart the garage. If you park on the street, be sure to put the clock sign in your window or you could get a ticket. The ATMs were great with a debit card. Check with your bank before you go to be sure it will work internationally. There are no receipts at the ATMs so you need to track what you are getting. Your bank may also charge you a fee for each transaction. Credit cards are widely accepted for larger purchases.