Views

Last Sunday, I climbed more than 760 steps to get to the top of the world's tallest church steeple (Ulm's Münster).  On Tuesday, I hiked for a hour to reach a simple white church that is perched on top of a hill in the middle of the Swabian Jura (Tübingen's Wurmlinger Kapelle). And on Thursday, I hiked to a bridge that crosses a 170 ft. waterfall to see an enormous palace in the distance (King Ludwig of Bavaria's Neuschwanstein).

In my three weeks of traveling around southern Germany, I have realized this: I'll do just about anything for a great view. I happen to believe that a beautiful view, be if of a city or an alpine meadow, is always worth a long hike, a lot of steps, or a big time commitment.

Part of the reason that I love to travel is to see things—literally. At home, we become so accustomed to the things we see that we forget how beautiful or interesting they may be. When we travel, we keep our eyes and ears open to the world around us to get a better sense of how it all works. Museums and art galleries are great and they certainly have their place, but the act of observing is never so unadulterated as it is at the top of a skyscraper or a mountain.

I hope my travels continue to take me to beautiful places, and I would advise all travelers (especially those on a budget!) to seek great views. There's nothing better.

Here are some I've come across lately:

 Schlosses Castle

Marienbruecke