And within the gate is one of many courtyards. This one has a swan fountain—symbolic of the area: “Schwangau”

Steve and I walked around the castle and took pictures of the marvelous mountains (from which comes the first picture of this blog). It was a chilly, overcast day. And although the sun came out for an hour and warmed things up dramatically, by the time I was done touring the two castles, it was drizzling outside and I could see my breath.