Neuschwanstein

After a last walk down memory lane in Oberammergau this morning, I left for Fussen, location of the magical castle of Neuschwanstein, arguably the most famous castle in the world. Neuschwanstein is the model for Disney's fairytale castle and, in my opinion, if you see just one castle in your lifetime, this is the one to see. I have been here 5 or 6 times, but my trip would not be complete without one last visit.

Neuschwanstein, on it's rocky ledge below a steep mountain, can be viewed for miles. I stopped frequently to take pictures on my approach, but as it was a bright, sunny day, the castle did not show up well in the pictures. Eventually I located a parking lot at the foot of the approach to the castle and parked the car to climb partway up the hill to the ticket booth. It now costs about $7 to park the car, and $13.50 to tour the castle, plus the cost of transportation up to the castle. There are a number of ways one can access the castle from the valley; a 40 minute walk up a heart attack inducing steep hill, a ride in a horse drawn wagon, or a bus ride and subsequent 15 minute walk to the castle itself. I really wanted to take the horse and wagon, but as each wagon can accommodate only 12 passengers, and there were 40 people in line in front of me with no wagons in sight, I decided I had better catch the bus so not as to miss my scheduled tour. There was a 20 minute wait for the jam-packed bus as well, which dropped us off directly below the Marienbrucke, to which I climbed, quickly, to get a gorgeous picture of the castle. Unfortunately, the side of the castle was concealed by scaffolding, as always seems to be the case. Historic treasures take constant maintenence and restoration so workmen and scaffolding is the norm on structures of historical significance.

After tiptoeing across the Marienbrucke, a narrow and impossibly high bridge, whose wooden floorboards bent and gave unnervingly under the combined weight of the assembled visitors, I reversed direction and rounded a bend in the path to discover a magnificent and panoramic view of the glowingly golden Schloss Hohenschwangau, childhood home of King Ludwig II, located across from Neuschwanstein in the same valley. After a photo op, I continued down the hill to my destination. The tour began exactly on time, and we had a pleasant young man as a tour guide. He led us up a winding, spiral staircase topped by brightly painted plaster replica of a palm tree to the 5th floor private apartments of the King. The castle is dedicated to the Germanic legends, and rooms are painted with scenes from Lohengrin, the Ring of the Nibelung, and in his bedroom my favorite, the tragic love story of Tristan and Isolde. The apartments are luxuriously decorated with carved wood (his bed alone took wood carvers 4 years to complete and is replete with cathedral -like spires), magnificent paintings, tapestries, and ornate furniture. The castle is also a picture of modernity with double paned windows, running water, plumbing, and electricity.

After the tour, I decided to walk back down the hill, rather than take the bus or horse. It was a good 30 minute steep walk downhill and my left foot has been bothering me a bit, but I made it fine. It took me some time to find a place to stay this particular night, a problem which would plague me again later in the week. I find that many places have a room available, but if it has two beds, they are disinclined to rent to a single person, instead electing to wait and see if a couple shows up. This may make sense from their standpoint as they charge on a per person basis, however it's very discouraging for me. When I am exhausted I hate being turned away simply because I am single. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a significant other or traveling companion.