The postcard view. I somehow think it would look more harmonious  without the intrusive lighthouse tower (seagulls are conspicuous by absence). Wrong proportions, wrong kind of surface clash (natural limestone and plastered), mixed landscape associations. Violation of some kind of Aristotelian rule of unity. Not that I was consulted.

You may have to queue up for this shot. The viewing platform is rather small. Additional problem: somebody may cut in. A shopping cart might help. At least it would clearly signal you status.

Technical problem: the clearly visible skillet hook, those knight did fight it out with frying pans during the tournament season, had to be riveted to something. You obviously could wear a chemise with ornamental borders over your plate armor but the shown midriff ridging - any better crucifixion - makes no sense in this case.

The guided tour of the inner sanctum starts here. The highlights by 7th grade memory:

Beware of the crossbow man (a life size 'retrato'). The unerring quarrels will find you anywhere.  The trompe-l'œil aspect is in part unavoidable. It is hard to escape from any kind of drawing if you look at it edgewise. The eye will simply ignore the subtended angle and try to make sense out of what it sees. Meaning in this particular case that the hunter becomes slimmer if you step away but that he will still have 'the drop on you'. It would be different with a true hologram where you can actually peek around the edges. (Without any loss of generality: a recruitment poster could always be substituted, anything with a pointed finger, a Kitchener mustache and an 'I want you' caption will do.) A Greek copywriting agency, in charge of tapering temple columns: only broad shouldered models need apply.

I would not fire this one from the top of a tower. Conjectural: no recoil springs but the barrel (smoothbore) can swing back (I would describe it as an perambulatur mounting, baby buggy suspensions). - Truly massive hubs. - The historic arms are authentic but the mini casemate and the gun tower were added as folie elements. The toy trains of the better heeled.  Misunderstandings are still possible.

Hauff bust. Did not capture the verdigrised wreath. Pinnacle location. A fairy bridge will materialize at certain full moon nights.

parking lot poster

As good an opportunity as any for some criticism of the Hauff novel. Hauff by and large emulates Hollywood. Meaning: there are considerable verisimilitude problems. Example: the Lichtenstein 2 is described as impregnable fortress. Personal assessment: Lichtenstein 2 (selfsame location as the present Lichtenstein 3) could have been easily bombarded (just deploy a mortar company at the close-by parking lot). Rephrased: the actual Ulrich would have given Lichtenstein type toy castles and tourist traps a wide berth. It can be taken for granted that the duke valued strongholds (presidential palaces in today's parlance), particularly after his reinstatement by force of arms. Benchmark Hohen Twiel. The Lichtenstein is in no way in same league.

Curtailed caption: "s'Bärbele von Lichtenstein". After a fictitious character in Hauff's novel.

Tentative description of the showcased coat of arms of Lichtenstein (the tricky part are the grammatical templates):  azure-with-displayed-war-bonnet-argent (it actually is an angel wing, fanned). The theme is repeated with variations. Educated guess: the antler-'passant'-on-chief-or stands for allegiance to Württemberg.

Bärbel, Bundshuh and Bauernjörgel

Eyrie view of the topped up open air pool of Lichtenstein. Probably not too different from something you can see from the bridge of Carnival cruiser. (No castle in Württemberg without a lay line to a close by swimming pool.) Verdict of a freewheeling knight: It could be worse. In Prague they put dung heaps under the windows of fraternity houses. In the same vein: Duke Ulrich repeatedly braves the waters of the Neckar in Hauff's novel. Makes you wonder about historic pollution levels. Botticelli: what is wrong with foam born. Doubtful prefatory boast, more salubrious than the waters of any Tweed. (I could not determine if the subsequent Susquehanna reference is Fenimore Cooper related.)  One of the duke's free style crossing took allegedly place near to the present day oil harbor. Hong Kong mile, anyone. It is also unclear how Ulrich got his charger on the diving board. Most pool supervisors will frown on this kind of showboating.

The vestigial ruins of Lichtenstein 1. Selfsame bluff but the next cliff down the road, a 5 minutes walk. Brief life span. Dating back to the early 13th century it was a thorn in the flesh of the free township of Reutlingen (Ulrich, unimpressed: the poacher capital of the Oberland). Razed two times in the 14th century by enraged town militias. The eternal problem of any samurai caste (service sector): there are simply not enough orcs and dragons and Nazgùl riffraff to justify the upkeep. Peasant voice: your concern for our well being is appreciated (blood cholesterol can be a silent killer) but we are quite willing to cope ourselves with the occasional wild boar and life with the health related write off.

Lathyrus vernus (the limestone loving spring vetch). Some latitude for error. Could also be mountain vetch. Related to the garden pea. A good head for heights is indispensable if you want to apply for the job. The herb belt is actually part of the forward defense system. The castle magician will make all the seed pods open simultaneously (the spell falls technically in the dehiscent class - the bane of ball bearing machinery). The effect on scaling fairies is reportedly devastating. Just imagine being pelted by bowling balls. From the lacewing chronicles: sheer buckshot terror. Only problem, most fairies are not into bluff scaling.  You either have a custom tailored defensive weapon or an enemy but never both.

It looks somewhat like linden tree but it is probably hedge maple. Tentative filing. Selfsame high perched location as the previous three views.