So our day today was quite excellent! I was finally able to visit the Schloß Neuschwanstein in southern Germany, something
I've dreamed of doing since the last time I was in Germany 9 years ago when I was not able to get out to see it. Originally we had wanted to visit the Castle on a day trip from our week in Austria because it is relatively close (almost on the Austrian border), but because there were no direct train routes there from Innsbruck we were not able to. So on our way up through Germany we took special care to include this stop in our plans because I didn't want to miss this 'Fairy Tale' Castle that I have seen hundreds of pictures of but never seen with my own eyes. It was quite worth it and definately lived up to the hype. It was built fairly recently, between 1868-1886, so it was in much better shape than a lot of the other tourist sites we've been visiting lately which was a nice change. It was built by the last King of Bavaria, King Ludwig II, and unfortunately was never finished due to his untimely death in 1886. Because of his unexpected death at a relatively young age they
never completed his vision of the entire castle, which is too bad, because what they did finish was quite magnificent. You would never guess by looking at the plain exterior of the castle, the amazing murals, colours, carvings and such that lie within it. It was quite beautiful, it's a shame the King never really got to enjoy it. He was a huge fan of Richard Wagner, an opera writer, and therefore dedicated this castle to his works. Most of the murals painted on the many interior walls of the castle depicted scenes from his many operas. The King even had an artificial cave incorporated into a castle hallway to resemble a scene from an opera, it was quit
e realistic! The location of the castle is quite magnificent as well. It sits on a large hill overlooking the bavarian plains to the north and is closed in on the south side by the even larger Tyrolean Alps. There are two alpine lakes within view of the castle, as is the Hohenschwangau castle where the King's parents originally had lived. I could not get over the view from the castle windows as we toured through the place, so amazingly beautiful! What an ideal spot! My favoursite feature of the Castle was the washbasin in the King's bedroom. It of course was shaped like a swan (one of the King's favourite animals stemming from an opera) but the water coming out of it came straight off a nearby mountain stream, so it was constantly running (but not
anymore unfortunately). Very cool though, I'd love to wake up to mountain fresh water every morning! Christine and I also took a steep hike up to the Marienbrücke to get the 'Fairy Godmother' of all views of the Castle. Very picturesque and I can see why the Castle at Disneyland was based upon this one. Very imaginative and inspired building!
I've dreamed of doing since the last time I was in Germany 9 years ago when I was not able to get out to see it. Originally we had wanted to visit the Castle on a day trip from our week in Austria because it is relatively close (almost on the Austrian border), but because there were no direct train routes there from Innsbruck we were not able to. So on our way up through Germany we took special care to include this stop in our plans because I didn't want to miss this 'Fairy Tale' Castle that I have seen hundreds of pictures of but never seen with my own eyes. It was quite worth it and definately lived up to the hype. It was built fairly recently, between 1868-1886, so it was in much better shape than a lot of the other tourist sites we've been visiting lately which was a nice change. It was built by the last King of Bavaria, King Ludwig II, and unfortunately was never finished due to his untimely death in 1886. Because of his unexpected death at a relatively young age they 
never completed his vision of the entire castle, which is too bad, because what they did finish was quite magnificent. You would never guess by looking at the plain exterior of the castle, the amazing murals, colours, carvings and such that lie within it. It was quite beautiful, it's a shame the King never really got to enjoy it. He was a huge fan of Richard Wagner, an opera writer, and therefore dedicated this castle to his works. Most of the murals painted on the many interior walls of the castle depicted scenes from his many operas. The King even had an artificial cave incorporated into a castle hallway to resemble a scene from an opera, it was quit
e realistic! The location of the castle is quite magnificent as well. It sits on a large hill overlooking the bavarian plains to the north and is closed in on the south side by the even larger Tyrolean Alps. There are two alpine lakes within view of the castle, as is the Hohenschwangau castle where the King's parents originally had lived. I could not get over the view from the castle windows as we toured through the place, so amazingly beautiful! What an ideal spot! My favoursite feature of the Castle was the washbasin in the King's bedroom. It of course was shaped like a swan (one of the King's favourite animals stemming from an opera) but the water coming out of it came straight off a nearby mountain stream, so it was constantly running (but not
anymore unfortunately). Very cool though, I'd love to wake up to mountain fresh water every morning! Christine and I also took a steep hike up to the Marienbrücke to get the 'Fairy Godmother' of all views of the Castle. Very picturesque and I can see why the Castle at Disneyland was based upon this one. Very imaginative and inspired building!
1 comment:
See that is one place in Germany I've always wanted to go!
Why is it that when ever I travel, I'm always jealous of where other people are? Why can't I just be happy seeing what I'm seeing?
The jealousy is going to be rampant when you get to Norway... I'm warning you over a month a head of time.
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