Neuschwanstein Castle (Bavaria Part I)
Down to our last few weeks living abroad, Warren and I have been trying to make our final weekend trips really count. So with T minus 19 days, we hopped on a train to Bavaria. The first stop was to the town of Fussen, from which it was just a quick bus ride to “Mad” King Ludwig II’s Neuschwanstein Castle, which some of you may recognize as the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty castle in Disneyland.
It’s about a 30 minute walk from where the bus drops you off to the castle. Honestly, it was such a beautiful area that I think it would have been worth the trip just to walk around in the Alpine foothills.
On our way up to the castle, Warren saw this cute little mouse and, when he stopped to check him out, discovered he had no fear of people. This is Warren feeding him a leaf.
Approaching the castle.
The only way to get inside the castle itself is through one of their organized tours. That was a bit of a shame as it would have been nice to spend more time lingering in certain areas. Most specifically, this awesome cave attached to Ludwig’s bedroom. The tour guide basically said, “ok, we will now pass through an unusual room – the King’s artificial cave. Now onto the King’s personal chambers!” Um, can we go back to the part where he installed an awesome cave in the middle of the castle? No? Ok then. Anyway, all photography was prohibited inside the castle, so here is a picture of the cave from the Neuschwanstein
website.Ludwig I’s castle (below) is also in the area, but we didn’t stop for a visit.
In case anyone questioned whether this was really Germany, here are two of the food stands we passed while walking to the castle.
After the castle tour, we returned to Fussen where we caught a train to Munich. We were happy to discover that the Paulaner Brauhaus was not showing the Germany football game, which meant we could get right in and grab a bite after a long day.
The Paulaner Brauhaus.
This will likely come as a surprise to no one, but Germans – and Bavarians in particular – take their beer seriously. Paulaner Beer is still brewed in strict accordance with the beer purity laws passed in 1516. In the photo below, Warren learns how their beer is made.
Me and Warren at the Brauhaus.
Stay tuned for Bavaria Part II…
wabecca 
Was paying for the tour worth it?? We will be visiting in a few months and I’m not sure if we will just visit the outside of the castle, or pay for the tour…Thanks for sharing!
It’s not so much that it’s worth it for the tour, but for admission inside the castle. I thought it was worth it as the interior is pretty amazing. We wish we knew more about the backstory before we went because the tour doesn’t go much beyond the surface and it really is an interesting one.
What an awesome adventure! Your pictures are great bock!
Thanks, Bophe!