Neuschwanstein castle

On Monday we drove back into Germany to visit Neuschwanstein Castle nestled in the Alps.  It was another beautiful sunny day, perfect for taking in the mountain views during our drive.

I was amazed at the beauty of Neuschwanstein and also saddened by the story behind this castle, which even today is an unfinished work of art. This castle is known by many as "the Fairytale Castle", built by Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, and is rumored to have been the inspiration for Walt Disney's Castles.

It was about a half hour hike up the mountain from the village of Hohenschwangau to the entrance of the castle. As our tour began, we learned that only 16 of the rooms out of 80 were completed in this castle, due to the fact that Ludwig the II died young at the age of 41, probably 7-8 years before the castle would have been finished.

Ludwig built this castle as his escape from reality. The walls of the rooms are painted with scenes from his friend Richard Wagner's opera's. The design of the castle itself is inspired by Ludwig's romantic vision of the medieval knights, the byzantine motif, and Wagner's musical dramas.

Building of the castle began in 1869. Disappointing military failures in Ludwig's reign a few years prior caused Ludwig to withdraw from society. He began to focus his life on the building and design of multiple castles and palaces. As the years go by, he became increasingly in debt, as he did not use State funds to purchase his architectural projects.

On June 10th, 1886, in his bedroom at Neuschwanstein, Ludwig was declared insane, arrested, and moved to Berg Palace on Lake Starnberg. Ludwig's uncle immediately took over the regency. Two days later, Ludwig and the psychiatrist who declared him insane were found dead in the lake in 1 meter of water....both were said to be good swimmers. Ludwig's death is still considered to be mysterious. Five weeks after his death, the royal family began selling tickets and opened Neuschwanstein Castle to the public.

Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photographs inside the castle rooms, so I can't show you how beautiful it was.  We all enjoyed to tour and then walked back down the hill to do some shopping in the village.

 On our way home we stopped at a restaurant that had a nice view and experienced our first dining experience where the waitress didn't speak any english.  We managed to order a nice meal and relaxed a bit before driving back to Innsbruck.

Alexa was a little surprised to see her hot dogs, not on buns and connected together!

Mia, being the Macaroni and Cheese Conoseur, got some of the best cheesy penne she's ever had.