On the day that my friend and I arrived at the airport, my supervisor told us about a castle we could visit.  It was the Castle Solitude, up on the hills between Gerlingen and Stuttgart.  When I first heard about it, it immediately reminded me of Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, although they’re completely unrelated.  Looking on Google Maps, this place was even further than walking to Bosch, so we expected to walk for a bit uphill again like the day before, except this time the walk took us into the woods.

Not out of the woods yet! (bad pun)

Forty five minutes of walking later, we arrived.  After seeing the Neue Schloss back in Stuttgart, and seeing this castle, I realize that when people talk about castles here, they don’t always mean the ones with the high walls, battlements, and moats that always appear in movies.  The definition castle simply refers to any fortified structure that serves as a residence for a lord or noble.  Although despite its name, Wikipedia says that this place does not qualify as a true castle, but rather a rococo (late Baroque 18th century style) palace.

Solitude Schloss (East Side)

On the eastern side, one could look down the mountain and see the towns beneath.

The View down the Mountain

The Doorway

Apparently the writing on the doorway “loca haec tranquillitati sacra voluit carolus” means “tranquility of the sacred places these things he wanted Charles” according to Google Translate, which by the way, doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Inside (I had to peek through the shutters to get this one hence the reflection)

On the Balcony

Despite the fact that a rope blocked the way up to the balcony, it didn’t stop people from coming up.  One person probably decided to do it, and then people followed thinking, “That person did it!” Using that same logic, I went up there as well.

The most interesting part of the castle was not its exterior, but rather it’s interior.  I was totally surprised at what I saw when I looked inside.  I knew it was going to be fancy, but I never knew what to expect.  I really liked the way that there was a large painting on the ceiling combined with the sculptures on the side.