26 June “05, Sunday. Neuschwansgtein Castle
Breakfast finished by 9am and we were heading on our way by 10. Today the “Romantic Road” wasn’t as striking as it was yesterday, but that was ok. It was the end of the roadway that we were looking forward to, and we weren’t disappointed. As we approached Schwangau, we were looking up into the Alps, and I do mean looking up. This is just the beginning, and we are looking forward to the rest. After passing a large lake on our right, we saw on the left the most beautiful castle of all…the stunning Neuschwanstein Castle. This is the castle that Disney used at a model for building his castle at Disneyland around the world. After finding a parking lot (for $6 Euros, we purchased our tickets ($8 Euros) for a tour of the castle. We had to wait about 2 hours for our tour to start, and even in the heat of the day (about 90+ degrees) it was worth the wait. After Ludwig II, lived most of his early life here in the hills of Germany”, and being raised in the “other” castle (Hohenschwangau), he chose to build this magnificent Neuschwansgtein Castle where it is today. Right across a small valley, a real easy walk from one to the other. Our tour through the interior showed the “German chivalric legends and the operas of Richard Wagner”. Every room was dramatic and well done, and showed like it should for a king. On the 13th of June 1886, the king drowned in Lake Starnberg, which was near the Berg Palace. This death has been and still remains a mystery. As they tell us now, it just doesn’t make sense, as he was an accomplished swimmer and again, he probably wouldn’t have been swimming at that time anyway. They are offering a $2 million dollar reward for a lead that substantiates who killed him and how he died. (Just kidding…) Because the day was so hot, and the climb to the castle was steep, we bought a ride on a bus for $1.20 Euro each, and then walked back. We are still feeling the steep downhill, 30 minute walk back to the van. Our campground was just about a mile away, and sits on the bank of a medium sized lake. We enjoyed a nice dinner, cooled off by sitting beside the van looking out over the lake, and made it to bed by 11. Tomorrow….Lindau, on the shores of Lake Constantine (Bodensee).
Breakfast finished by 9am and we were heading on our way by 10. Today the “Romantic Road” wasn’t as striking as it was yesterday, but that was ok. It was the end of the roadway that we were looking forward to, and we weren’t disappointed. As we approached Schwangau, we were looking up into the Alps, and I do mean looking up. This is just the beginning, and we are looking forward to the rest. After passing a large lake on our right, we saw on the left the most beautiful castle of all…the stunning Neuschwanstein Castle. This is the castle that Disney used at a model for building his castle at Disneyland around the world. After finding a parking lot (for $6 Euros, we purchased our tickets ($8 Euros) for a tour of the castle. We had to wait about 2 hours for our tour to start, and even in the heat of the day (about 90+ degrees) it was worth the wait. After Ludwig II, lived most of his early life here in the hills of Germany”, and being raised in the “other” castle (Hohenschwangau), he chose to build this magnificent Neuschwansgtein Castle where it is today. Right across a small valley, a real easy walk from one to the other. Our tour through the interior showed the “German chivalric legends and the operas of Richard Wagner”. Every room was dramatic and well done, and showed like it should for a king. On the 13th of June 1886, the king drowned in Lake Starnberg, which was near the Berg Palace. This death has been and still remains a mystery. As they tell us now, it just doesn’t make sense, as he was an accomplished swimmer and again, he probably wouldn’t have been swimming at that time anyway. They are offering a $2 million dollar reward for a lead that substantiates who killed him and how he died. (Just kidding…) Because the day was so hot, and the climb to the castle was steep, we bought a ride on a bus for $1.20 Euro each, and then walked back. We are still feeling the steep downhill, 30 minute walk back to the van. Our campground was just about a mile away, and sits on the bank of a medium sized lake. We enjoyed a nice dinner, cooled off by sitting beside the van looking out over the lake, and made it to bed by 11. Tomorrow….Lindau, on the shores of Lake Constantine (Bodensee).