Munich continued

Oh boy, I have had a great last couple of days!

Yesterday I travelled two hours to Fussen, a small village in the barbarian alps. I then walked about an hour, through beautiful fields and meadows, to the famous neuschwanstein castle. You have probably seen it - it is the basis for the Disneyland castle and was also featured in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." The castle itself was awesome. I don't think I have ever seen a real castle before and this was a great introduction to be sure. I tok a guided tour of the inside, and learned a lot about it's builder in the process.

Neuschwanstein was commissioned by king Ludwig II of barvaria, and is actually less than two centuries old. Ludwig was considered by many to be insane; regardless, I thought the castle he built was amazing. It was largely just as you would imagine as castle to be, complete with spiral staircases and narrow windows. He decorated each of the castle's rooms after scenes from Richard wagner's operas, and alternated the interior design between classical Rome and a fantastical swan theme. One of my favorite rooms was the king's bedroom, which was filled with incredibly ornate woodcarvings. Apparently it took 14 carpenters four years just to complete that one room.

It might sound hard to believe, but the view of from the outside was far superior, however. I walked a short distance to a bridge called the marienbrucke, which straddled a waterfall and a steep gorge. From there I saw one of the most spectacular scenes I have ever seen. Neuschwanstein was perched on a rocky outcropping, and beyond it were four aqua blue lakes and slightly rolling farmland. Immediately behind me, one thousand feet at most, were the alps. They jutted up from the flat pasture and towered over me. I tried to brand it in my memory, but I don't think it is the same as seeing it in person.