The One with Walhalla Memorial and Kelheim Hall of Liberation

Every Saturday we try to venture out and go somewhere and we take turns choosing our destination. Last Saturday I chose Seehof Palace (or did I? Now that I think about it, I think Chris chose that... but anyhow, it was awesome, so no harm no foul). Today Chris picked Walhalla, a pitstop in Regensburg for lunch, and then the Kelheim Hall of Liberation. 

Let me just set the record straight - I have a hard time narrowing down photos. Take it, or leave it :)
My favorite part of driving to these places is looking out the window and seeing all the picture-perfect towns. Like this:

An hour and a half later we spied our first destination up on the hill!

We turned off the road and up into a forest. So pretty.

We drove up to the top of the steep hill and got a pretty view through the cornfields below.

All the rain recently has done the trees good - it's so fresh and green!

Still had quite the hike ahead of us to get to the top. We made it! This is Walhalla. Looks like the Parthenon in Greece, no?

The Walhalla memorial is a hall of fame that honors laudable and distinguished personalities in German history – politicians, sovereigns, scientists, and artists of the German tongue. Walhalla is named for Valhalla of Norse mythology.  The hall is housed in a neo-classical building above the Danube River, east of Regensburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It was conceived in 1807 by Crown Prince Ludwig I, who built it upon ascending the throne of Bavaria as King Ludwig I. Construction took place between 1830 and 1842, under the supervision of architect Leo von Klenze.  The views out over the Danube.

I really wanted a shot of the entire building, so I ran down a bazillion stairs to get these (well, not the column one, but the other two below). Worth it!

Climbing back up and stopping to smell the flowers. Textured and mossy cobblestone path back up to the memorial.

More flowers | Jane on Daddy's shoulders. GOATS!

Here we are! Evans family at the Walhalla Memorial.

My favorite photo of the day. Kings and Queen of the mountain.

Our friends the Gazarovs came with us. This was the ramp to get up to the memorial for those in wheelchairs or with strollers (guilty as charged). The incline was like 1%, it was soooo long!

Then we went inside the memorial where there is a display of some 65 plaques and 130 busts of persons, covering 2,000 years of history. The earliest person honored is Arminius, victor at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (9 AD). The creator of Walhalla Memorial - Ludwig I and a bust of Einstein. So gorgeous inside. 

Angelic angels. Chris's pic:

Goodbye Walhalla! You were a blast and pleasing to the eye! Driving to our next destination. I love seeing castles atop hills. There are aplenty.

We made a pitstop in Regensburg to get some lunch.

We saw THREE different brides/grooms getting their wedding photos taken. Everywhere we go :) Cuz everywhere is so gosh dern picturesque.

Jane enjoying currywurst / "Save the clock tower!"

Fresh flowers.

Quick stop and then we were on the road again. This big house set in the trees in the hill is so pretty. I say that word a lot. Pretty pretty pretty.

We rounded a corner and there it was! The Hall of Liberation in Kelheim!

We parked the car and walked up the road, stopping for a quick view of the Daube river. I wonder how many times we've seen and how many more times we will see this river in our adventures over the next few years.

The sun came out for a few minutes, woohoo!, creating pretty (there I go again!) lighting on the building.

The memorial commemorating the victorious battles against Napoleon in the Wars of Liberation in 1813-1815 was ALSO commissioned by King Ludwig I and begun by Friedrich Gärtner, who modeled it on centrally planned buildings from ancient Rome and the Italian Middle Ages. It was completed from modified plans in 1863 by Leo von Klenze.

Looking out to the valley of civilization below. I love all the wonderful views we get from these places up on high!

Inside the Hall of Liberation.

The supporting buttresses of the façade are crowned by 18 monumental statues which are allegories of the German tribes. The number 18 also symbolizes the date of the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig (10.18.1813), when Napoleon's troops suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Coalition.

The Danube River again | Me and Fox and Jane on the front steps.

I live for Saturdays!