I Wish I Were a Disney Princess

Alpine Cow

Saturday November 5^th, 2011

The day started with a 200+km drive South through Bavaria and into the Alps.

About halfway through the trip our GPS routed Joe and I off the highway and we drove through some very small towns and through farmland complete with nonchalant cows.

We also drove over a very large extension bridge, under which, an expansive, teal blue, placid lake. Luckily, the Germans seem to know they have gorgeous scenery along their roadways, and have built numerous little stop offs for those who want to photograph their surroundings.We parked the car and walked out across the bridge to take pictures of the mountain lake. After taking our fill of pictures, we continued our drive.

BOOM! Around a corner, rising out of the crags is the joy of (possibly) Mad King Ludwig II, Schloss Neuchwanstein. This castle served as Walt Disney’s inspiration for Cinderella’s castle in Disneyworld, and it is easy to see the resemblance. 

Neuschwanstein Castle

During his reign, Ludwig was declared mentally ill and removed from the throne and from Neuchwanstein. Shortly thereafter, one day, he mysteriously died in the lake of Castle Berg where he was held under house arrest. No one knows if he was murdered or committed suicide, or died as a result as an accident. He was 41 years old.

Neuschwanstein Castle

A mere 6 short weeks after his death, Neuchwanstein castle opened as a museum for tourists.

You can hike up the mountainside for 40 minutes, or you can take a bus (paying of course) to near the top, and then hike only 15 minutes. There was no escaping a hike. We opted for the bus ride, and I'm mostly glad we did. I say mostly glad because the driver, who makes this drive probably 20+ times daily, took the turns very quickly, and the road edged up to some perilous drops, which were visible from the bus windows. It was quite nerve-wracking.

The castle is literally situated above the town, and then rises up even further.

Neuschwanstein Castle

It is wonderfully imposing as you approach. Then you walk through the gate house, and it rises even further above you. It was at this point, I knew I wanted one for my very own. Not necessarily this one, any castle of similar size and awesomeness will suit me fine.

We bought tickets to tour the inside, and I think it was well worth it, even though we were not able to take pictures inside. Despite the exterior grandeur, the inside is unfinished in areas, and much less romantic in the furnished chambers.

We toured the throne room, which was designed to look like a Byzantine church, and the throne was to be on the altar, but it was never built. The guide book even speculates that Ludwig never intended to use it as a seat of power, but that it fueled his imagination of what a leader should be. The book also says that he struggle between his duty and his desire. It is assumed that Ludwig was homosexual, and suffered as he tried to reconcile the views of Christian duty at the time with his desires for romance and love.

He covered the walls of his castle with paintings, reminding him that true happiness will be achieved by the pious in Heaven, the guides assume this was to remind him that his pain would be eternally rewarded.

These murals were very interesting to look at, though they are not considered technically proficient. They depict scenes from Wagner's operas, including Tristan and Isolde and Lohengrin, the story of the Swan-Knight. Ludwig particularly identified with the Swan-Knight, and incorporated the Swan into much of the decor, one room has 350 images of swans carved into the woodwork, on tapestries, in the paintings, and as part of the decor.

We toured Ludwig's bedroom, and when I saw the views from his windows, and his reading nook, I was ready to move in here-immediately. Now this was a European King bed. It is a custom made bed of dark, intricately carved wood, and much is larger than normal due to Ludwig's height. He has a washstand next to the bed, the faucet in the shape of a swan, and water comes out the bird's beak. http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/palace/schlaf.htm

Neuschwanstein Castle

After we finished the tour, we hiked out to an expansion bridge to take some distance photos before we headed down the mountain. We rode the bus again, even more perilous going downhill because the driver seemed reluctant to hit the brakes. Next was a quick bite to eat at a local hotel restaurant, our fist German food!, and then the drive home.