Of Carriages and Real Life Fairy Tales: Neuschwanstein Castle

Hey Loves!

As some of you might already know – a friend from the states visited me in Germany last year. Two weeks were definitely not enough time to show her everything I wanted her to see. So we had a pretty tight schedule but, nevertheless, tons of fun! We especially enjoyed a little trip to Southern Germany: Early in the a.m. we headed out towards Füssen to see Neuschwanstein Castle because it IS true after all: Americans love sappy stuff. And this castle is the embodiment of real life fairy tales. Boys, listen carefully: Do not let your girls see this if you don’t intend on taking them there!

Tickets (€13 – free entry for children under 18) are available at the ticket booth at the bottom of the mountain. The tickets are issued for a guided tour at a certain time. Make sure to be at the gates to the castle on time to not miss out!
If you feel lazy, you may as well take one of the carriages – and no, my beloved animal lovers, you do not have to be worried, the horses are fine! I talked to the coachman who is also the owner of some of the horses (75 horses belonging to several ranches close by work shifts). They aren’t any good for horseback riding nor for jumping obstacles. These horses are born and raised to pull carriages. One look at their muscled legs tells you enough to know they can handle the climb. Plus, they never work more than just a few hours. The younger ones get used to their task slowely, the older ones may even “work” a few days in a row.
Little shoutout to all of y’all who prefer going by foot: Walk in the middle of the road instead of walking on the righthand side as most of you are used to. Otherwise, the horses will run you right over.

Ludwig II., born on August 25th in 1845 at Nymphenburg Castle and drowned on June 13th, 1886 in Starnberger Lake, was the King of Bavaria from 1864 to 1886 and builder of Neuschwanstein Castle. Sadly, the castle has never been finished.
It depicts the King’s love for classical music, especially Wagner.
Besides the throne room with its breathtaking chandelier you get to visit the bed-chamber which is home to a gothic crenelated bed. This bed took 40 years to be carved!
And then there’s swans – everywhere! Take a closer look at the walls, at the curtains, at the faucets and you’ll find them.
I especially enjoyed the great view over the Forggensee (lake) and Hohenschwangau Castle in which the family lived while Neuschwanstein Castle, their future home, was built.

Whether one really needs a constructed stalactite cave or not is debatable. I guess each castle builder has to decide for their own. I didn’t like it much – it seemed “cheap” and out of place.
Sadly, taking pictures of the interior is strictly prohibited why I can’t show you what I mean. But who knows, maybe you will visit and just see for yourselves…

All of those who feel like taking a stroll to enjoy the outdoors after the tour may take one of the paths leading into the woods and to a bridge that provides the BEST view of Neuschwanstein Castle and the Forggensee (lake) behind it.

Since we got to the castle pretty early in the morning, we soon felt like a little snack or early lunch. A parking lot attendant recommended the somewhat hidden Bistro Mar Y Sol to us – sort of a beer garden that serves some food with a nice atmosphere at the foot of the mountains right by a lake.

 

More information regarding the castle, its history, opening hours, and prices can be accessed on the castle’s website.

Contakt information Bistro Mar Y Sol:
Weidachstraße 84
87629 Füssen
Phone: (0049) 08323-802 59 31

 

Our time at Neuschwanstein Castle was up but our little road trip had just begun. Stay tuned to find out where we took our American friend next.🙂

xoxo Lisa