Emily and I followed part of the Westweg last week as we hiked to Titisee. We always see the red diamond markers on trails around Kandern, but we hadn’t realized until recently that it’s actually part of a long trail from Pforzheim to Basel until we started planning the trip! After Titisee we took a train to Füssen and visited the famous fairy tale castle Neuschwanstein.
Day 1: Marzell – Belchen – hut
See map here – We experienced every kind of weather on this first day – sun, clouds, fog, rain, even hail! We walked through a bit of snow, too. At the middle of the day was the top of a small mountain, Belchen. We stayed overnight at a hut, which you can see on the map if you zoom in a ways.
Day 2: hut – Feldberg – Titisee
See map here – We were hiking on ski paths on Feldberg. Our hardest moment might have come this day – after trudging uphill in the snow and rain for what felt like hours, a cross country skier glided by us. He was going uphill. The best moment of the day was either the warm meal at a guesthouse near the Feldbergerhof, or arriving at a campsite on the Titisee before nightfall.
Day 3: Titisee – Train to Füssen
We walked into town, an easy 2 kilometers compared to our 16-18km walks the previous days! We took all the regional trains (i.e. the slower ones) because it was cheaper, but for us it was just nice to have a warm, dry place to sit while the rain poured outside. Oh, and it was also nice to have plumbing available! We stayed at Haus Rösel in Füssen.
Day 4 (Good Friday): Füssen – bus to Schwangau – hike to Füssen
See map here – Emily and I explored Schwangau and the area around the famous castles Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. Then we hiked back to Füssen instead of taking the bus. On our way back we found a walk-through church with stages of the Passion on different parts of the hill. At the top of the hill was Calvary, with 3 crosses, visible for miles. It was meant for reflection and contemplation, and it was an appropriate place to find by ‘chance’ on Good Friday.
Once back in Füssen, we explored a bit more, then picked up Katrina and her friend Amanda from the train station. Before dinner, we had this little treat in town:
Day 5: Füssen – bus to Neuschwanstein – bus to Füssen – train to Basel – Home
We actually toured the castle on this day, and the air was a bit less foggy so we were able to see Neuschwanstein from the Marienbrücke (bridge) without a haze obstructing our view. We had a bit of an adventure taking trains back home (missed a connection due to a delayed train), but we made it back in time to get sleep before Easter Sunday.
To see pictures from the trip, go here.
