Germany- Fussen

8-06-2011

Left early to make our way to Germany. The first train was late so missed the connecting train. Arrived later than the initial plan but made it to both the castles.

Really loved both the castles. The first view of the Neuschwanstein castle is magical, it is so fairytale like it is amazing. It is very Walt Disney - ish, I expected blue birds to start singing at any moment and a dainty princess to hop along. Had our first bratwurst in Germany along the way.

First stop the Hohenschwangau castle ( highland of the swans ). Not as pretty as Neuschwanstein , but had it's own charm especially inside ( took only 4 years to build). The guided tour inside was better than the other one with a lot of history about the castles and the kings ( Maxmilian, Ludwig, Otto and Luitpold ) . This castle even had an elevator, no longer in use. Some wonderful gifts from the people Bavaria for Leopold are on display. The paintings in the castle have been done on the walls itself and so far have not required any restoration. The King's bedroom has painted walls of naked women frolicking in the gardens and a night sky on it's ceiling which was lit by candles through the roof , giving the illusion of sleeping outdoors. There is a private staircase connecting the King and Queen's bedrooms, located on different floors ( secret nightly visits). The original telescope in it's correct position is still there, through it Ludwig monitored the ongoing work of the Neuschwanstein castle (17 long years).

The 30 minute walk to Neushwanstein castle was through light drizzle, mist and the surrounding woods making us feel we were in medieval times. It was even enhanced by the odd horse carriage passing us by and to top it all off by seeing the Neuschwanatein castle perched high up on top of the mountain.

Neuschwanstein castle ( built by King Ludwig for Richard Wagner and dedicated to his operas). The castle was never completed and opened as a museum 6 weeks after Ludwig's death ( he stayed in it for a total of 172 days, this is calculated by adding all the time he visited the castle while it was being constructed).

The inside is lovely too. The throne room has paintings on the walls, a beautiful chandelier with the night sky above it, intricate mosaic on the floor, the marbled steps but no throne ( the royal family cancelled the order after Ludwig's death due to the expense). There is a concert hall which is used in summer and plays Wagner's songs. His bedroom was marvelous , not a huge bed but the work on it was amazing . The washstand had running water through a swan's beak and even the toilet was pretty cool ( throne like). Next was the artificial cave( lit by battery operated lights), then living room with a telephone ( Ludwig loved technology).

Walked to a bridge outside, best views of the castle. Would have been nice if we had been told about the bridge , we saw it from the castle and asked about it on our way out.

Drenched on the way to the bus but so loved today.






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