Neuschwanstein Castle

A relaxing two hour train ride south of Munich, we were treated to a view of the north side of the Alps. At the base of these mountains is where we would see a few of the famous castles Germany is known for. We arrived in the little town of Fussen, and then took the bus to the base of the mountain where the road leads to the castle. In order to get to the castle itself, you can take a bus up a back road, or a horse drawn carriage up the main road for the romantic types, or you can walk 45 minutes, uphill, if you have been eating way too much for the last two months. We walked.

Neuschwanstein Castle has an incredible story, seeing that it was never lived in. It was built by Ludwig II, and is relatively new with construction stopped in 1886 at the time of the King's death. In fact, the castle is not complete, the King's bathroom was never finished. The inside of the castle is a tribute to Wagner, the famous German opera composer. The rooms are huge and colorful, and the views to the mountains and lakes are almost unbelievable.

The death of King Ludwig II is very mysterious. In 1886, he was very much in debt (probably from building this castle!). He was removed from the ruling power of Germany. Ludwig and his doctor went for a walk around a lake in Munich called Starnberger, and both were later found floating dead in the lake. There were no clues, and plenty of conspiracy theories.

On a more happy note, if this castle looks familiar, it should - we have one in the U.S. Where? Orlando! It was the inspiration for Walt Disney's castle at Magic Kingdom in Florida.

The above photo was taken from this bridge, below photo (the one with us in it, not the Disney one).

The view of the neighbor's house. Not a bad neighborhood.

The layers of mountains in the distance, the lush green countryside and surrounding lakes just make for the perfect setting for a castle. Can you imagine the mortgage payment on this place!