Schloss Neuschwanstein

Our wish came true and we visited the fairytale Bavarian castle, Neuschwanstein. It’s worth the trip.

From Peter’s, we used the autobahn and skirted Stuttgart, always aware that these two lane m-ways can quickly jam with an accident, roadworks or ‘the sheer volume of traffic’.

I was kind to a Dutch driver of a VW Transporter, who had a rear wheel wobble. He was a little surprised to see me lean out of the window as I drove alongside in very slow traffic and called to him. I pulled off in full view at the next parking area. He came off too but not because he’d followed me. Anyway, I went to find him and he knew something was amiss. Now he knew it was a wheel and which one.

We stopped overnight just off the motorway and then continued to the area of lakes near the castle. A warm Saturday obviously brings out the crowds and everywhere was busy  We headed for the chosen Camping Aichelberg, only to find it was full. However there was room in the car park.

This proved to be the best solution, as the site was absolutely rammed with no space between campervans or motorhomes. Positively dangerous I’d say.

We had so much space and a distant view of that castle.

On Sunday we got there as quickly as possible and challenged ourselves to fast walk the 35-40 mins up to the castle and beyond, to the Marienbrüke above it, noted for its view back.

The king of Bavaria, Ludwig II, built this amazing, opulent castle in the 19C, one of three on which he spent his time and considerable sums of money.

Mary’s bridge was constructed to frame the dramatic gorge behind the castle and so rather ironically, the original view was from castle to bridge.

It was a bit of a scrum on the bridge with lots of photographs being taken but we managed too.

Then it was a short walk further up, away from nearly everyone else, to get a better shot. It would have been easy save for this lady who would not move away. She appeared to be saving the spot for a selfie with her bloke who was several minutes away.

Back at the castle, the tours of the inside are booked up days in advance, so when I clicked on the displayed qr code, I did it for fun. I didn’t expect to find a slot in less than 90 minutes.

What a stroke of luck. We had time for coffee and küchen and then joined a tour, comprised mainly of Chinese guys wearing all black 🤷. What a trip for them.

The interior tour was led by a guide who triggered the room by room commentary, provided through a handheld receiver.

Most of the rooms are decorated with frescos. Lighting was provided by huge chandeliers, some carrying dozens of candles. There’s a Gothic styled bed, mosaic floors, even an artificial grotto.

King Ludwig II led a lonely life, particularly after the Reich was created. He spent time listening to music and opera, designing castles and appears to have become a little unhinged. In a rather sad ending, in June 1886 he was arrested, before completing the build, on the grounds of being mentally unfit to rule and was found dead, just a few days after being taken to another castle.