This morning, we were excited to get up for a tour that takes us to see the Neuschwanstein castle which was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s castle. We got ready quickly before heading to the tour office where we met our guide, Stevo. We got lucky again because he seemed like he was the best of the guides. When it was time to go, he led us to the train station where we boarded the train to Füssen. The train took about two and a half hours and was easily the hottest one train we’ve been on. By the time we got there, we were already dying from the heat (Germany and Austria are currently suffering a heat wave). After the train, we boarded a bus to the area where the castle is. 

We were given a bit of information about the area and the lunch options before being given an hour to get lunch and explore at our own leisure. Our guide suggested a small restaurant close by and we each enjoyed a bratwurst and fries which we enjoyed with slushies to cool us down. 

We were under the impression that the hour would be enough time to enjoy lunch and explore some of the town, but by the time we had gotten food and finished eating, it was almost time to meet our guide for the next portion of the tour. 

Stevo led us down to the edge of lake Alpsee (literally Alps lake) where he started telling us about the start of the royal family in Bavaria and how the castles came to be. From the lake, we could see Schloss Hohenschwangau, the castle that housed the royal family for many generation. The primary focus of the tour was on Ludwig the second who actually designed Schloss Neuschwanstein along with two other castles in Bavaria. Ludwig II grew up knowing he was in line to be king and he was constantly being educated to help prepare him. Two things he learned were that families are tight units of love and support (which didn’t make sense to him because he only got to see his parents once a week for dinner) and that kings are all powerful (which also didn’t turn out to be true because his kingship was more of a figurehead that worked with the government). He spent a lot of his youth with servants and tutors who raised him and his brother.

After hearing a little more about the family, everyone got on another bus to take us to the top of the mountain. Unfortunately, Marienbrücke (Mary’s bridge) was closed, but we went part way down a trail to get a different view of the castle that included the bridge. After everyone got their pictures, we headed down a path to the entrance of the castle. We had to wait a few minutes until our time slot, but then we were invited inside to be guided through the main part of the castle. 

Ludwig II was also very fond of the arts, so his castle is very ornate with beautiful craftsmanship and artwork. He also designed a gorgeous concert hall which was one of the first few rooms built in the castle and was designed to have perfect acoustics. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed inside the castle, so we were unable to even attempt to capture the beauty. We did, however, get some great pictures of the view from the castle’s balcony which is amazing. 

After the tour was over and we finished enjoying the view on the balcony, we made our way down the mountain back toward the town.  It was a really nice walk to get down, but we were glad we didn’t opt to walk up in the heat. When we made it to the bottom, we walked through the town before settling back in the same restaurant with a beer and an ice cream. 

Before boarding the bus to get back to the train, Stevo told us a little more about Ludwig II and the royal family including some rumors about Ludwig II’s mysterious death. Even today, the public has no idea exactly how he died and the castle’s construction halted with his death, leaving the castle forever unfinished. 

When we made it back to Munich, we stopped at a grocery store for some food before heading back to eat, shower, relax, and pack for Prague.