You must have heard about castle Neuschwanstein. The "original Disney castle" - built by that weirdo bavarian king Ludwig II (the one that never got married, was into Wagner-operas and drowned after he got declared insane). You've probably seen
hundreds of Neuschwanstein photos.
When we had a day off (thanks to the Regensburger Pope Benedict and his Catholic church) we decided to visit this place. It's about a 2,5 hr drive from Regensburg, so we got ourselfes some accommodation nearby (no reservation - just stopped at a small "Gasthof").
The next day we headed there - and found ourselfes waiting a full hour for tickets.
(Reminder: next time reserve tickets in advance). They have tours in pretty much every language, but we tagged along with an italian tour (they had the day off too).
First we visited the older castle Hohenschwangau - where Ludwig II actually grew up. All the interior is painted with old german fairy tales, knights in shining armour, the whole works. As a 6 years old boy I would have loved to live in a place like this. Nowadays I would probably paint all the walls white, rip out the golden decoration and replace it with IKEA furniture... :-)
Then we hiked up to Neuschwanstein...
Looking back this place kind of reminds me of Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch. Old Ludwig II was a weirdo too and created his own fantasy world for himself. In those days they were a bit more respectful to kings...
I'm not sure what I should think of this place and Ludwig II - but it's well worth a visit.
Cheers, Matthias
