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Halblech

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    • JGM TRAVELS 2023European road trip
      Day 34

      34. Neuschwanstein

      March 9 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

      Instead of driving to the car park closest to the castle and paying a hefty parking fee , we decided to park a couple of miles away and cycle to the start of the footpath up to the famous castle . James towed Maddy in her little dog trailer , which is always comical and good fun - James did very well towing Maddy up the hills , considering she is 23 kg !
      The walk up to the castle was very steep , but didn't take nearly as long as what we thought it would . Once at the entrance of the beautiful castle , we discovered that it was only 18 euros each to complete an audio guide of the castle . We were under the impression that it was going to be 50 euros each when researching the night before ! We were absolutely gutted we didn't know this sooner as we couldn't enter the castle with Maddy.
      None the less , we enjoyed walking around the grounds of the majestic castle and stopped off for a picnic before walking back down .
      After all that walking and cycling , we made the decision to drive back to the campsite we had stayed at the previous night so we could shower and chill .
      We spent the evening planning our next moves and decided that we were going to visit the romantic old town of Füssen before going back to Neuschwanstein castle to complete the tour . We had a chicken and veg sir fry in preparation for another active day tomorrow !      Read more

    • TravelerTake Me Out to the Ballgame!
      11111
      Day 14

      Cows and Swans and a Cat

      May 29 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

      Departed Garching this morning (no sleeping in) after meeting Scott at the Garching Bahnhof. Made our way to Munich Hbf then jumped a regional train and then a bus to eventually arrive on the northern foothills of the Alps in Füssen. Enjoyed seeing the pastoral scenery and many healthy looking dairy cows along the way, not to mention other livestock and a couple free-range swans visible out the train window (they were huge!).

      Dumped bags at the hotel, I did some work and Scott explored, then we headed to Schloss Neuschwanstein via more buses. Did our tour then walked back down from the schloss in the rain to await our final bus of the day back to town. Four separate trains and four (six for me) buses today.

      The castle tour was interesting and though not the very aged medieval type of castle that Scott and I prefer, it was still interesting to see first hand and the surrounding landscape was stunning despite the cloudy and rainy weather. Apparently King Ludwig II had a thing for swans (and knights in search of the holy grail among other things…), so we saw them in the artwork everywhere inside the schloss and in many locations around town.

      Got back to our hotel and swapped out wet socks and shoes for slippers (Scott anyway) and roamed about the town for a place for dinner. Ended up at this medieval-themed restaurant serving up tourist fair, but we got the Bavarian food we wanted. Not much was open at 8:30p on a Wednesday. Scott had this amazing encounter with the restaurant house cat that came over to him for licks and scritches. After a few minutes of that it curled up on a seat pillow and fell asleep next to Scott.

      Just about pau for the night. Grabbing a drink at a hopping place next to our hotel and then on to bed. It’s still game day tomorrow as far as we know though the weather is looking very dodgy still.      Read more

    • Darren and JanetMorocco and Portugal 2023
      3121
      Day 3

      Royal Castles

      February 23, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

      Today was a full day tour of two of the royal castles of Bavaria, located close to the Austrian border, about 90 minutes from Munich.

      Linderhof Palace is the smaller castle, the only one of King Ludwig II’s castles which he lived to see completed. He liked to be alone and built the castle with no provision for guests. He also liked to dine alone and out of sight of his servants, so had installed a table that was lowered through the floor with a crank mechanism so it could be set in the room below, and raised when ready, ensuring no interaction with his servants. The table is still in working order, the only one of its kind in the world.

      After Linderhof we visited Oberammergau, home of the famous Passion Play, held every 10 years since 1634.

      We had a stand-up wurst lunch, before we visited Neuschwanstein Castle. It's often referred as a "fairy-tale castle" and was the model for the castle on the Walt Disney logo. Every room is elaborately decorated and filled with ornate furniture. Built on a rocky outcrop overlooking a valley, the best view of the castle is from Marienbruke, a bridge spanning the gorge behind the castle.

      Tours of the castle start every 5 minutes, with a maximum of 65 people per tour. Tickets must be purchased in advance, as it's a 45 minute walk from the ticket office to the castle entrance... and if you miss your allotted timeslot, you can't join another tour, and no refunds are given.

      After a long day and much walking, we arrived back in Munich at 7pm and grabbed some takeaway on the way back to our hotel.      Read more

    • Travel with CarlEurope Self Recalibration
      Day 13

      Eternal view for my Disney Prince 💔

      July 30 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      A bit of an emotional hike today up a mountain to get the perfect view to last a lifetime (or in this case, an eternity). Neuschwanstein Castle standing beautifully in front of me it was worth the 40min uphill climb and walk across a bridge with bouncy boards above a waterfall. Emotions gave way to a f**k I’m unfit pant for breath as my heart rate levelled off around 170 for the hike up. But I made it!

      Neuschwanstein Castle outside Füssen in southern Germany was the castle that Disney’s park castles took their inspiration from. Thom being a massive Disney fan, this place would hold a special sentiment from him (although the bridge to get this view would have been a challenge). So what better a fitting place to let Thom rest and take in the view. I almost joined Thom as I attempted to climb the less trodden track further up the mountain to get a better view and some privacy for a special moment. As I was leaving there was a massive queue to cross the bridge so I’m glad I came early.

      Of course doing what you’re thinking I’ve done I would never do as rules are rules, and that’s not allowed in Germany. But say I did (which of course I’m not admitting I did), what a bloody beautiful view to take in for an eternity. I’m sure Thom would also have appreciated the cheekiness involved in getting him here. Enjoy the view Thom ❤️      Read more

    • TravelerFall 2023 Europe Adventure
      11
      Day 8

      Munich to Lucerne

      October 12, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

      Departed Munich in th early morning and drove a few hours before stopping at Neuschwanstein. I took the shuttle bus up to the first scenic viewpoint then had a wonderful walk back down to the tiny village below.

      Our bus made a quick stop in Lichtenstein, which has the same population as the number of students at Penn State...crazy!

      We arrived in Lucerne later that night for a quick dinner and shopping. My friends and I opted for grocery store dinners that we ate as a picnic at our hotel later...it is very expensive here. We arrived in the quaint village of Engelburg where we enjoyed our picnic. The hotel reminds us of The Shining and the Stanley Hotel in Colorado...for sure haunted!

      We went out dancing after dinner. The village only has one bar that opened specifically for us. A few locals joined us for drinks and dancing.      Read more

    • 1 Planet 1 BagEurope 2019-2020
      Day 9

      Schloss Neuschwanstein

      December 16, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 41 °F

      Bucket list ticked off. It was an adventure in itself to get to the castle(s). Bus and a very long walk. My suggestion is to pay the money and have the horses take you up. The tours were short and no photos from inside are allowed which was a shame. But it is really the exterior of the castles that are visually stunning. My photos don’t do any if it justice.Read more

    • Travel with CarlEurope Self Recalibration
      2
      Day 13

      Ludwig’s eccentric fantasy castle 🏰🧚‍♂️

      July 30 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

      Having hiked for the view for Thom earlier today, my time slot for a ‘guided tour’ of the palace itself came time this afternoon. Like a human conveyor belt every 5minutes, groups of about 30 scanned through the turnstile to start their tour of the palace. Each issued with an audio guide on entry our guide merely ushered us from room to room activating the guide for each room and ensuring no one lingers too long or take any photographs.

      Ludwig’s dream castle is part former solo royal residence and part fantasy project of the king that was later deemed mentally unfit and stripped of the title (and died the next day - ironic - don’t you think?). He took parts of palaces and castles he liked and replicated them together here, with the copies often being larger than the original. It seemed he was trying to relive the medieval era in a time when that way of life was become more light.

      Like Ludwig before him, Walt Disney also saw things he liked in the world and adapted them to his desires. Neuschwanstein Castle is one of those Walt used for inspiration for one of the most recognisable castles in the world in Disneyland. Unlike Disney, Ludwig was a shy isolated man who didn’t want people in his palace. Now on a summer day 6,000 people pass through. I doubt he would be pleased.

      While I liked seeing the eccentric mixes of styles, including a fake grotto leading off his dressing room, I felt a little like cattle being herded through as quickly as possible. Maybe I’m like Ludwig and just want a castle to myself (only child bon sharing syndrome coming through there). It is however spectacular from the outside - which is all the photos you’ll see as photography was banned inside (and unlike the Germans in Spain who fragrantly broke that rule, here they all strictly abide!).      Read more

    • Wellnesshotel ENGEL Grän
      111
      Day 4

      Schloss Neuschwanstein

      February 9 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

      Das bayrische Märchenschloss Neuschwanstein liegt sehr nahe bei Füssen auf einem waldigen Felssporn mit herrlichem Blick über das ganze Schwangau mit dem Förggensee. Es ist ein Touristspot par excellence. Hier trifft sich die ganze Welt! 10 Euro kostet die Parkkarte - wir laufen 30 min zum Schloss hinauf und nachher auch noch zur toll gelegenen Marienbrücke.

      Schon als Kind hat Kronprinz Ludwig die Naturschönheiten der Gegend um Schwangau kennen und lieben gelernt, so auch das Schauspiel des Wasserfalls in der Pöllatschlucht oberhalb von Neuschwanstein. Die von schroffen Felswänden gesäumte Schlucht wurde schon in der Generation Maximilians II. als besonders attraktives Stück Natur
      "entdeckt". Der zunächst hölzerne Steg der Marienbrücke wurde durch Ludwig II. während des Baus von Neuschwanstein durch die jetzige elegante freitragende Eisenkonstruktion ersetzt. "Die Aussicht von dort oben ist bezaubernd schön, besonders auch der Blick von der Marienbrücke aus auf die Burg, welche die Wartburg, die mit Recht so viel gepriesene, was Lage, sowie architektonische Pracht und Glanz der Gemälde betrifft weit überstrahlen soll, schreibt König Ludwig II. 1881 in einem Brief.      Read more

      See translation
    • TravelerEurope 2023
      1
      Day 6

      Neuschwanstein Castle

      April 10, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

      Next stop in the Alps was Neuschwanstein castle. It looks spectacular seen from the Marien bridge, built on the edge of the cliff face! It's a long and steep walk up the mountain and begs to consider the difficulty they may have had building the castle. King Ludwig II's castle actually never completed construction before his sudden death. He lived in it for a total of only 172 days. This visit we also did a tour of the inside of the castle (no photos allowed, and recommend to book tickets online well in advance), which shows his vivid imagination and why he is known as the fairy tale king / swan king / mad king. We were so lucky with the weather today as the rest of our time in Germany it rained every day.Read more

    • TravelerEurope
      1
      Day 14

      Neuschwanstein Castle

      July 23, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

      The main event for our visit to Munich and for our day trip was seeing Schloss Neuschwanstein - Neuschwanstein Castle - in the Bavarian Alps. Like Linderhof, it was constructed by (or perhaps for and on the orders of) King Ludwig II of Bavaria. It was built between 1869 and 1886 and today is perhaps the best-known castle in Germany. Unlike Linderhof (but like his third castle, which we did not visit) at the time of Ludwig's death in 1886 the castle was still incomplete, both structurally and inside.

      Ludwig described himself as a fairytale king, and spent much of his time fantasising about times gone by when monarchs held absolute power (as Bavaria was a constitutional monarchy). This manifested both in his obsession with Louis XIV seen at Linderhof and in a fascination with medieval Europe, when kings wielded greater power than his political context granted him.

      At the same time, Ludwig held a deep love for the operas of Richard Wagner, a German composer (and famed anti-Semite) about 35 years his senior. In addition to providing Wagner with significant funding over his life and particularly in his early years as king, Ludwig was greatly inspired by the romanticism of Wagner's works. Many references to and depictions of Wagner's works can be found in Neuschwanstein's architecture and interior decorating.

      Even with his fairytale fantasies, Ludwig championed new technologies. Most notably, his bedchamber contained running water from a nearby mountain stream immediately accessible by tap, and the castle possessed the first working telephone in Bavaria.

      At the time of Ludwig's death at age 40, the castle was unfinished. Only a handful of rooms inside were completed - the beautiful throne room lacks a throne, for example - and the planned construction of a chapel and a further courtyard below the large balcony never eventuated. Even despite this, Neuschwanstein is one of the largest castles in Europe and continues to stand today as a monument to Ludwig II's fantasies of both power and escape.      Read more

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