Bergpark Wilhemshöhe

On March 24, 2017 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn Germany7 Comments

The very first trip that we took while staying in Germany was to the city of Kassel where we spent most of our time at the incredible Bergpark Wilhemshöhe. There are so many wonderful sights to see on the grounds of the largest European hillside park. Due to it’s size of 590 acres as well as the fact that it sprawls across a steep hill makes it a strenuous day of walking, but the views and historic sites are well worth the effort. The park is made up of four major points of interest, Schloss Wilhemshöhe, Lowenburg Castle, Hercules Statue, and the fountain and water feature that cascades down the hillside.

As you enter the sprawling estate, Schloss Wilhemshöhe looms large across the landscape as the prominent feature for anyone who enters the park. As the one-time summer home of Kaiser Wilhem II in the early 1900’s, this magnificent palace was originally built in the 12th century as a monastery and used as a castle for centuries before becoming the summer home of the aristocratic elite. There is no doubt as to the reason that this site with it’s beautiful gardens is still the site of many fairytale weddings, which was also the case on the day that we visited.

For us, the Lowenburg Castle was one of the highlights of our visit. First of all, it was the first true castle that we visited while staying in Germany. It has all of the typical features that one would expect of a castle such as the turrets and fortress walls. In order to reach the castle, you have to walk through a relatively dense forest, which certainly fosters the images of the stories of the Brother’s Grimm who came from the area and whose museum can also be found in Kassel. Walking the grounds of the castle certainly provided all of the images that we had imagined when we envisioned ourselves travelling to Germany.

IMGP9826 — View of the Castle from the Trail

Hercules Statue is certainly a site that cannot be missed. Mostly due to it’s prominent location at the top of the hill and presiding above the cascading fountain, it can be seen from throughout the park. To reach the statue itself, you must scale a long series of stairs the climb steeply up the hill. We chose not to go all of the way to the top, mostly due to the fact that we had a single day in Kassel and we were quite exhausted at this point with all of the walking that we had done through the park. It was certainly an impressive sight to see.

Unfortunately

for us, the cascading fountain was not running at the time that we visited, but it was still wonderful to see and we could imagine how impressive it must be when it is running. The thought that the statue and the cascading fountain were created in the early 1700’s is something truly hard to imagine. We can only imagine what it must have been like for the elite of Germany society to visit to walk along the grounds and see such an amazing sight.

IMGP9856 — Water Cascades Down from the Statue

Kassel was definitely a worthwhile location for our first exploration of Germany outside of Frankfurt. Specifically Bergpark Wilhemshöhe was truly incredible to see with everything that is located inside of this incredible UNESCO Heritage site.

Make a Wish and It May Come True

On March 9, 2017March 9, 2017 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn India, Italy, Photo Challenge7 Comments

We are firm believers that success and happiness are the result of hard work and treating people with kindness and respect, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t use a little help sometimes. With that said, there is nothing wrong with believing in some superstitions and hoping that a little luck comes your way. It is a proven fact that thinking about winning the lottery and what you might do with the money actually releases endorphins, the chemical that provides a good feeling and a sense of contentment. So, even though you may never win the lottery, it doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with hoping that it could happen someday. When we were in Rome, Italy, we visited the Trevi Fountain, where coins are thrown with the right hand over the left shoulder into the fountain hoping that your wishes will come true. Even if your wish doesn’t come true, the money tossed into the fountain is used to provide food for those less fortunate, so maybe you are making someone else’s wish come true.

This week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Wish, so enjoy some images of the Trevi Fountain, which is absolutely stunning. In addition to photos of the fountain, we also have included some pictures of a wishing tree in a temple in Chennai, India. Women tie brightly colored ribbons onto the tree wishing for marriage, children, or other life-fulfilling events.

Enjoying Your Surroundings

On January 19, 2017January 19, 2017 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn Photo Challenge, Spain6 Comments

There is no doubt that everyone is influenced by their environment. It would be wonderful if we were able to completely control our surroundings, not just the artwork and furniture, but the weather, the light, the totality of the world around you. If we were as rich as the kings and queens of the past, perhaps we could achieve such results, so when we saw that this week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge was Ambiance, we thought of some of the beautiful palaces that we have seen during our travels. The one that has stuck out the most is Alhambra and the combination of natural elements as well as architectural and cultural influences. We can only imagine what it would have been like to have lived in such a magical location.