One we got deep into the mountains it was impossible to take decent pics from the car but it was even more spectacular up close. In early May and all of the mountain tops are still snow capped.
The town of Hohenschwangau is such an incredibly beautiful place. For me, it was one of those experiences that take your breath away. Most people describe this town as a "tourist trap" but in May on a Monday night the place was nearly deserted after the tour buses left around 5pm and it's utterly magical.
We ate dinner at the Alpine Rose and sat outside to enjoy this view.
The food was excellent, if not way overpriced, and we enjoyed every bit of it... despite HB going FULL honey badger for 90% of the time. I mean screaming and throwing shit and crying like we were chopping his arm off. But hands down the best part of dinner was the surprise alpine horn serenade we got after dinner. To the right of the lake in the photo above there is a small ridge. We couldn't see the players but we could hear them, three alpine horns playing a chilling melody. It was so mesmerizing even HB stopped to listen for most of it.
This is Schloss Hohenschwangau (schloss is German for castle). It was built atop ruins of a previous fortress in 1832 by King Maximilian II of Bavaria. The castle was inhabited until 1912 and had electricity and even a lift installed. Today it remains fully furnished and open for tours.
Castle Courtyard:
The view from the courtyard:
The town from above... so cute!
We were not permitted to take photos inside the castle with the exception of this view.
Schloss Neuschwanstein, the reason for our visit, was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, son of Maximilian II. The reclusive king never married and died a mysterious death at the age of 40 following an attempt to depose him. Neuschwanstein was one of three castles Ludwig built and only a few rooms inside were ever completed.
We opted to take the buggy ride up the mountain to Neuschwanstein. While it was beautiful, they had us crammed in so tight it made me wish we had walked.
We did, at least, get to sit up front!
Due to time constraints we opted to skip the inside tour of Neuschwanstein. From the reviews we read the tour is very short with interior is unfinished, only being able to see a few rooms, it didn't seem worth the price.We were more than happy simply hiking around and marveling at this nineteenth century fairytale abode.
The courtyard
The courtyard
Every trip we take we find the Star of David somewhere!
Hohenschwangau from the ridge by Neuschwanstein
You can climb the ridge around the castle for this view from a small rickety bridge over a waterfall. I've also told by my niece that the castle also looks like a Harry Potter castle although I've never seen or read Harry Potter.
Neuschwanstein was occupied by the Nazi's during WWII. They stored stolen art and antiquities here. They did consider blowing it up but due to the remote nature of the castle they left it. Can you imagine living in such a thing? It's so sad that no one really did.
We spent less than 24 hours in this beautiful place. If you do visit I recommend staying longer and taking advantage of all of the hiking, biking and sightseeing the area has to offer. The buggies are expensive and you only pay one way so we took the scenic route to the bottom. It was beautiful but do remember your hiking shoes!
