A Short Trip to Pottenstein

Four day weekends are coveted and cherished among American service members living in Germany. It's the perfect opportunity to escape for a few days, whether it be near or far. Our plan for Labor Day weekend was to go visit Neuschwanstein Castle here in Germany in the Bavarian Alps. Nick and I were so excited to see such an amazing and historic castle. Unfortunately, Nick got some gnarly road rash on his right leg while playing kickball on Thursday. It's so bad that it's very painful for him to walk, let alone walk up stairs. I'd show you a picture but it's real nasty looking so I'll spare you the squeamish reactions. Anyway, after Nick's injury occurred, Neuschwanstein was pretty much out of the question. That castle has a massive amount of stairs and poor Nick would be in so much agony if we went. I'm not going to lie, I was bummed. But I know it's something Nick couldn't control so I sort of just shrugged it off.

Since we still wanted to explore but didn't want to go very far because of Nick's bum leg, we decided to drive 35 minutes to a nearby town called Pottenstein. I had seen pictures of Pottenstein through some of the Facebook groups online and it looked really neat. There are large stone mountain sides that surround the little town below, with random buildings hovering above. There are lots of trails nearby, caves and even a castle. Again, because of Nicks leg we couldn't do much of the trails, caves or castle. But we found a fun attraction in town called the Sommerrodelbahn, which literally translates to "Summer toboggan run".

It's sort of like a bobsled with levers on the side that you ride down the mountain. Even though Nick was in pain, he was a trooper and went on the ride with me. Let me tell you, it was pretty darn fast. Nick was laughing the whole time because he was having so much fun and also because I was screaming "slow down!" half of the ride. Nevertheless, it was a fun and thrilling experience. They also have a toboggan that rides on rails so we will need to check that one out next time we go. We really want to explore the caves and castle in town but we will have to wait till Nick's leg is healed. Even though Pottenstein is a small town, it is unique and has a lot to offer those who are seeking a low-key day trip.