Germany Part III: Munich Day 2 (part 1)

Schloss Neuschwanstein was our first destination on our second day in the Munich locale. For this we took a journey by car for a little over an hour into the Bavarian Alps. It was nice to see the rural German countryside. The grass was a spectacular green and the rolling hills leading to the Alps were very picturesque.

Again, the weather did not exactly work out in our favor. When we arrived at the castle parking lot we still had a bit of a hike to get to the main attraction.


Schloss Neuschwanstein is built on top of a large cliff and we had a 15 minute walk up a steep road. It was a beautiful hike, however it began to rain as we trekked upwards. Kate and I both had our umbrellas so we gave one to Jens & Marija and we all attempted to huddle beneath them. It wasn't raining hard enough for it to be uncomfortable, so Jens and I braved the elements and Kate & Marija had sole possession of the umbrellas for much of the journey. It really isn't easy to walk under an umbrella with someone who you have 7 or 8 inches of height on. I feared for my eyes (getting poked) when Kate holds it, and I do a horrible job of keeping Kate dry when I hold it.
It was brisk out, but honestly I found the cool damp air sort of refreshing. It was disappointing we didn't see the snow capped mountains, but it was beautiful regardless.


The building with the mural painted on it was one of many lodges and restaurants located in the town at the base of the cliff.


We got to the castle with plenty of time to kill before a scheduled tour so we decided to walk to a gorge behind the castle. This was another 15























minute hike or so through the woods and along the cliffs. The gorge was impressive to say the least. There is a bridge across it, and it is so high that we could essentially see clouds passing beneath us through the valley. Some people had dogs with them, and the dogs were actually afraid to go on the bridge. I must admit, the somewhat springy planks that made up the deck of the bridge made me a little uneasy.


The photo to the left is the entrance to the courtyard where we did our final waiting for the tour to begin. Unfortunately they did not allow us to take pictures inside the castle. It is a very bizarre place. If you think it looks like Cinderella's castle you aren't far off. Neuschwanstein was actually the inspiration for the Disney attraction.

The castle was never intended to be a fortress, but was one of many retreats for an imaginative child King named Ludwig II. He was very out of touch with reality and rather an ineffective and removed leader. Bavaria fell to Prussia under his leadership, and later in life he would become a recluse.

The castle reminds you of some place Michael Jackson probably would feel right at home at. The inside is very cartoonish with brightly colored murals and frescoes. One room is even decorated to look like a cave. All that was missing was Bubbles the chimp.

After the tour we all sat down for some coffee before making the trek back to the car.

Note my thin wet hair in the picture below.....