Day 1: Friday (part 2)
Refreshed, Stefan prepared to drive us southeast into the Alps to see Neuschwanstein, the famous castle of King Ludwig II which is on every travel poster to Germany you'll see. It also got us down into the Alps, and I love mountains. Here's a village we passed on the way in, you can see the Alps beginning to appear in the background.
You could see the castle itself from a long way off, nestled into the Alps. We drove up to the small town at its base, and got the tickets. It was an hour before our tour began, so we hiked up the forest path to the castle, which was a beautiful and steep hike in itself. Once we reached the castle we went off on another trail, to look at Hohenschwangau, where he was born. Here's me and mom standing at an overlook.
Further along this path was a bridge over a chasm. The bridge had a metal frame but the actual things you walked on were wooden planks, only held in place at the two ends. This made them very bouncy and jiggly, and many tourists gathered at the end of the bridge, afraid to step on it. We, of course, boldly marched to the middle. You could see the main castle well from here.
Looking down
Then we hiked back to the castle itself. Here's looking at that bridge from the castle.
Then it was time to go on the tour. They ran them every 5 minutes, in various languages, and signs indicated which tours were lining up and which were coming up next. It was very organized. When our number came up, we got into line and headed into the castle. No pictures could be taken in it, because it slowed everyone down. We were told how Ludwig II had planned a series of castles, and that this one cost so much that his ministers declared him insane, and he later died under mysterious circumstances.
The castle only has a few finished rooms but they are of course spectacular. His bedroom has incredible wood carvings and secret doors for his bathroom and such. The dining room has a table which is raised up fully set and full of food from the kitchen. The throne room has gorgeous paintings and mosaic floors. The castle has many themes from Wagner operas since Ludwig was a huge fan of Wagner's.
Then we walked back down to the car and Stefan drove us through Fusen. This town's name means 'feet' and their symbol is three feet! The town was lovely with painted walls and such, in essence a tourist town for the castle.
Then we drove back home to their house:
We pretty much went to bed!
The first part of Day 1: The flight
Day 1: Picture Set A
Day 1: Picture Set A2
Day 1: Picture Set B
Lisa's Germany Trip: Master Page
