königstein im taunus has one main attraction: its huge castle ruin. it is situated on a mountain overviewing the whole city. i think i can safely say that the view is breathtaking. on clear days you can even see frankfurt. but the view onto the town and the surrounding taunus mountains is equally beautiful. we made a small walk through the old inner city until we made our way up the hill to enter the castle. königstein im taunus is also known for its mansions and villas - turns out people who live here belong to the most rich in whole germany. the spending power is 191 % ( average capacity nationwide is 100 % ).
the old town hall.
photographing cats out in 'the wild' is still one of my most favourite things to do.
the whole inner city is the typical medieval core of many german cities. but to me, it is always so beautiful to look at.
evangelical church st. immanuel.
these lollipops were a free gift you received at the entry of the castle.
the outer rondel of the castle.
a first impression of königstein.
i love seeing the original structures of castles and old buildings being integrated into the architecture. look at this massive rock!
i felt the need to shoot a selfie. i rarely photograph myself these days. self portraits never turn out the way i want to. back then i still had my natural hair colour. recently i dyed them red.
the main castle ( the building where 'living' actually took place ).
you can see a tiny bit of a cross. this room was the castle chapel. you could not enter it unfortunately.
isn't it amazing how people back then built architectural structures onto pure cliffy underground? i'm amazed constantly.
caroline schlegel-schelling was a german writer and muse who got arrested and imprisoned on königstein castle because of maintaining connections with french revolutionists. her story is fascinating and also kind of dramatic.
main building. i think i stood in the middle of the inner courtyard.
dad taking a small time out, marvelling at the castle and eating something, haha.
the great hall.
after our visit to the castle we decided to visit the opelzoo - a zoo not far away from königstein in kronberg. i feel that it's one of the most beautiful zoos i've seen yet. it is widespread and they constantly work on species-appropriate keeping. recently they built a new elephant house & compound as the old structures were really outdated.
camouflage elephant.
the feet of a chinese crocodile lizard.
kissing horses!
people threw carrots over the fences and the elephants were really happy to devour them. they waved with their trunks towards us - i guess a sign of that they wanted more.
i love owls. i really do. they kind of have an 'i don't care about the worldy problems' attitude :)
sleeping arctic fox!
a northern bald ibis. ugly birds, but it's an interesting ugly ;)
curious-looking bat-eared fox.
the eyes of a southern ostrich.
i even snapped a photo of a red panda! they are so difficult to photograph as they love to hang in trees and sleep all day. they are such cuties.
beautiful female nyala.
and my all-time favourite zoo animals ( and maybe even my most favourite animal ever ): meerkats! they're the epitome of agility and acuteness!
how can you not love their curious faces?
in the evening we stopped by the rhine again, enjoying the sun and just ending our vacation in the best way possible.
sunsets by the river or by any stretch of water are truly the most spectacular.
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