On the way to Neuschwanstein Castle, we decided to indulge in a few beers from the bus driver. It was late enough in the morning to be considered a good pre-lunch drink! The drive was beautiful!! Luckily the fog cleared and we were actually able to have a great view of the castle and the bridge and the town below. Our tour guide got word earlier that it was totally fogged in and you couldn't see anything - UGH! I was having anxiety - I didn't want to come all this way and never see IT!
So we got into town and the driver dropped us off. We had tickets for the tour itself, but the castle was on top of a hill. So if you wanted to take the little trolley up the hill you had to buy a ticket for that....so we bought a one-way and decided we would walk down!
Before we headed up, we found a cute little restaurant to have some lunch at. We shared a table with a family from Russia - or maybe Poland. Hard to distinguish the dialects.
When our time was called, we headed up the hill!! We first went to walk on the famous St. Mary's Bridge. Well, I did. Vince put a big toe on it, and we took a pic together then he headed back to solid ground. I made my way to the middle and took some pics. It was actually pretty scary. Half broken wood plank walkway holding it up, it swayed a LOT, and there were a lot of people on it. I didn't stay out there too long.
After the bridge, we walked up the to majestic castle!!! The palace was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner. Ludwig paid for the palace out of his personal fortune and by extensive borrowing, rather than Bavarian government funds.
The castle was intended to be his home until he died in 1886. In the end, Ludwig II only lived in the palace for a total of 172 days!
It is incredible to believe that this massive castle could even have been built during those times, let alone on a cliff like it is. We couldn't take pictures inside the castle, but many of the rooms were furnished and we got a great sense of what it must have been like to live there. It truly is beautiful and I can see why it brings so much inspiration to so many people - such as Walt Disney! Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland was created in its image.
After our tour and after we headed back down the hill, we hopped on our bus and headed back to Munich. What a truly incredible day!!!
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| The beers from the bus driver! |
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| Still hanging out on the bridge - Vince got off! |
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| We saw some Monks climbing up the hill. It was crazy and steep and I have no idea how they can climb up there, but they were. |
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| View of Hohenschwangau Castle from Neuschwanstein |
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| St Mary's Bridge |
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| View from St Mary's Bridge |
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| Got Vince on the edge of the bridge to take a pic. Couldn't get him out to the middle with me tho |
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