Neuschwanstein a Mad Man's Fairytale

Neuschwanstein was built by mad King Ludwig II on a mountaintop beside his parents home, Hohenschwagau. Hohenschwangau was built upon the ruins of the original swan castle, so Ludwig decided to name his new swan castle.

The castle, built in the mid 1800's, is probably the most famous building in the entire country. It is located near the southern border of Germany, in beautiful Bavaria.

We arrive in the little town at the base of the two castles late in the afternoon. Though the castle was already closed for the day, we made the hike up the hillside to see it anyway. The main front doors were closed, and we had the place to ourselves, in that golden light before sunset. What impressed me most about the castle was sheer size. The main tower is about 260 feet tall, and the rest of the building is not too much shorter than that. The exterior is smooth white limestone, with red brick around the gate. Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland was inspired by this massive structure. We returned to the town for dinner, and went to bed anticipating a visit to both castles in the morning.

Unfortunately, it was on this night that I became seriously ill. It would seem my husband hadn't been nervous on our wedding day, but legitimately sick, and contagious. I could barely walk 30 feet, much less make the climb to the castle, and keep up during the tour. So we left for our next destination, there was nothing else we could do. Fortunately, over the next day, we were able to compress some of our activities, and we made the hard decision to forgo a half day trip to Austria. 24 hours found a much recovered me, and Jake returning to Neuschwanstein

This time we would not be denied, and soon found ourselves standing within the now crowded area of the gate house. Our tour guide here, and at Hohenschwangau, had the most horrific accents. I do not even believe they were German, but Slavik. They were next to impossible to understand, but we managed. Unfortunately, due to Ludwig's being declared insane, and his mysterious death, much of the rooms were never finished. What is completed is incredible. There are 3 rooms of highlight. First is the music hall with a stage, surrounded by carved benches, with the background of the stage being an elaborate forest scene. Second is Ludwig's bedroom, with an ornately hand carved canopy bed, which if memory serves took a team of carpenter's years to complete. Finally is the throne room. It has a huge vaulted ceiling, a wonderful mosaic floor, and a chandalier shaped like a crown. The one thing this room is missing is a throne, which was never completed.

I loved this place. Don't miss Hohenschwangau either, it has less spectacular rooms, but a little more history than this castle, which was barely occupied. A+