HOHENZOLLERN Castle 
by Tamaryn Taylor Fourie 

My report is based on the excursion to the Hohenzollern Castle, which took place on Wednesday the 23rd of January 2019. The weather on that day was beautiful as it was not snowing or raining. The sun had come out a little bit and the temperature was above zero degrees during the afternoon when we departed to the castle. 

My expectations were that I would get very cold in the castle, but still have an amazing time. As a result, my expectations were correct. The castle was extremely cold inside and the castle rooms were quite chilly. However, I ended up enjoying the whole tour and I managed to take beautiful pictures outside of the castle. It was such a magical experience for myself to be in such a breathtakingly amazing place. I have never dreamt of ever being in a castle and to experience such a wondrous view. 

The view from the top of the castle is so spectacular. There are no words to describe how beautiful the scenery is. The castle is most commonly known as a hilltop castle, which is located on the Berg Hohenzollern. For this reason, the castle has a magnificent view which stems over the whole of Mount Hohenzollern’s summit. I was able to see houses and little towns miles and miles away. It was so beautiful and it felt as if everything was a dream. 

The nature and the architecture complemented each other in every aspect and the gentle radiance of the sunlight on that day just made everything so astounding. As we walked up to the castle I admired the beauty of the nature, such as the snow which was on the pathway and the sunlight. Even though the walk was quite steep and a bit challenging, I managed to reach the castle doors and I felt good about myself. I took pictures in the central courtyard of the castle and I was amazed by the architecture of the place. 

Furthermore, when we proceeded with the tour we had to wear big slippers so that we do not dirty the castle room’s floors. It was really fun walking through the castle rooms with those big slippers and exploring the inside of the castle. We saw many paintings, history books and garments which were worn by members of the royal family. It felt as if I was in a fairy tale palace and hearing about the history of the castle was so amazing. The tour guide was so informative and she allowed us to ask so many questions. 

The best part of the castle tour was when we got to see the crown made of real gold. That indeed was an extraordinary experience for myself. The crown is so phenomenal and it was such an incredible experience to see the swords and weapons used in the battles. 

I am so thankful for the amazing opportunity which I had received to actually go to the Hohenzollern Castle. It is indeed an experience which I will forever cherish and remember. 

Thank you very much.