When You Wish Upon An Ill-fated King

View Of The Castle From Our Hostel

A Picture Of The Back Of That Guys Head, With The Castle In The Background

Water Falling Behind The Castle (Much Bigger Than It Looks Here)

King Ludwig II's Bathing Area

View Of The Castle From Marienbrucke, A Gnarly Suspension Bridge Above The Waterfall

During the planning of this trip, Kaylin made it known that we were going to see at least one cool castle. Up until now we have stumbled on to some pretty cool castles and fortresses, but now it was time for a one-night visit to a city for the sole purpose of seeing a neat-o castle. Castle Neuchwanstein was the fourth and final castle project by King Ludwig II, not final because he was sick of building palaces for\ himself, but rather his mysterious death at the age of 41. His death also occurred before the castle was finished, and no more than 6 months later it was open to the public. Of more significance to us American folk is that Walt Disney handpicked the castle to be the symbol for his own empire. When we arrived at our hostel, we could actually see the castle in the distance perched atop a mountain. Being that it is elevated, there are different options available for the ascent; we as frugal backpackers decided to hike the trail, as it was free. We are certainly glad we chose this route as it afforded us the opportunity to take in the absolutely stunning surroundings. Thick forest, an occasional waterfall and glimpses of the castle as we progressed made the walk far more enjoyable. When we reached the top we were privy to a panoramic view of the entire valley including pristine blue lakes and beautifully rural countryside. Then, we took in the castle in all of its fairytale glory. It was definitely a spitting image of Cinderella’s Castle complete with an effective tourist operation meant to turn and burn through mandatory guided tours (It was the only way to take a look inside). We definitely enjoyed the castle itself, but the tour was very rushed and extremely rehearsed, but worth the money to see the inner workings and learn a bit about the history. After the castle visit we toured through the Old Town, grabbed a bite to eat, and called it an early night as we had a 5:51AM train to catch to make our way to the Swiss Alps.

Mark and Kaylin