Munich, Germany
Headed out to the fantastical Neuschwanstein Castle, built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria (often known as Mad King Ludwig) between 1868 to 1882. A two hour train journey from Munich to the town of Füssen and then a 10 minute bus ride to the village of Hohenschwangau. A long queue to purchase entrance tickets to the castle. Another local bus up the hill to a coach stop and then another 15 minutes steep walk to the castle gates. On the way, a slight detour takes you to Queen Mary’s Bridge (Marienbrucke Bridge) above Pollat Gorge, where grand views of the castle, with its distinctive turrets and towers can be had. Even after arrival at the gates, there is a rather longish wait with pre-purchased ticket in hand until your guided tour group is called out. The tour lasts about 35 minutes with no loitering or internal photographs allowed. Such a shame to be so hampered after such an ‘ordeal’ to get here. But, to be fair, the tour guides have to cater for up to 6000 visitors/day at the height of the tourist season. Blame it on Walt Disney who used the castle architecture as the foundation for his iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle. However, the castle has also served as a backdrop for a number of other films, including ‘The Great Escape’ and ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’.
Despite the rush of the internal tour, the lavishly decorated halls and rooms and furnishings were fascinating. Ludwig had an obsessive fascination for Richard Wagner’s Opera’s and particularly for the legends of Lohengrin, the Swan Knight, the legends of the Holy Grail and the writings of the medieval epic poet, Wolfram von Eschenbach. Many of the large wall paintings and tapestries depict these themes.
After our tour we headed back down the hill with the thought of catching a horse carriage ride down to the village. After waiting for a while to mount what we thought were the last seats on one carriage, the horse driver attempted to crowd another extra two passengers on-board, at which stage we decided the cramped conditions would be too uncomfortable for Joy’s hip, and walked down the hill instead. It turned out to be a pleasant walk down the road and through the woods.
Our castle ticket also gave us a pass to Hohenschwangau Castle on a smaller hill on the other side of the village. This castle, originally called Schwanstein Castle, was where Ludwig grew up under the shadow of what was then the ruins of Vorderhohenschwangau Castle and Hinterhohenschwangau Castle, which were to became Neuschwanstein Castle. A similar sets of rules relate to touring Hohenschwangau Castle and the interior is similarly decorated as Neuschwanstein but depicting a range of medieval knights and their quests. The gardens and surrounds are varied and interesting.
After our castle tours, we bought some take-away lunch and strolled down to the Alpsee Lake on the edge of the village. While watching the dabbling ducks we revelled in the warm sunshine and the snow-capped peaks of the Alps in the background.
The Museum of the Bavarian Kings is near the edge of the lake but we felt we had indulged in enough history today. Arriving back in Füssen, we had time for a short stroll down the main street, looking unsuccessfully for a pair of sandals for Joy, before hurrying back to the station to catch our very crowded train home.
