Fairytale castles are the agenda for the day. We traveled via train to Füssen, a lovely and picturesque medieval town surrounded by many lakes. A 10 minute bus ride from Fussen brought us to Schwangau, a small village nestled between the two castles, Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss Hohenschwangau.
The only way to get inside of either castle is via guided tour. We purchased the tickets for the tours and, in spite of the magnitude of the hills where these castles sit, we chose to walk rather than take the shuttle close to the top. We didn't want to miss any opportunity for views (and photos) and figured the exercise wouldn't hurt us. It definitely hurt, but it was the right decision as we really enjoyed the walks. To prepare for the work ahead, we stopped for a Bratwurst which Richard proclaimed to be the best he has ever eaten.
Tour tickets are timed and the first one was for Hohenschwangau so that is where we headed.
We chose the longer but more scenic route that briefly touched the edge of the beautiful Alp Lake (Alpsee).
As we made our way up the hill, we enjoyed the views of the lake and castle. And once we reached the top we saw a beautiful panorama of entire surrounding area including Neuschwanstein.
We entered the castle thru the main gate.
Schloss Hohenschwangau literally means Castle of the High Swan County. The Swan is heraldic symbol and swan motive is quite popular at both castles.
The tour was wonderful, but they do not allow photos inside the Castle. The tour guide joked that they are working on copyrighting the outside views as well but for now picture taking out of the windows is allowed. We definitely took the opportunity as the views were magnificent.
The tour guide told us that there was a castle at this location since 12th century. The builders and the lords of the castle were the knights of Schwangau. The castle fell into ruin after the Knights order died out in the 16th century. Prince (and later king) Maximilian acquired it in 1832 because of its excellent location and with the help of renowned artists of that era rebuilt it into the fairy tale castle we could see today. 14 rooms are furnished and very elaborately decorated with murals based on old Germanic sagas covering many walls. Visiting the castle indeed felt like walking thru the fairy tale. It is good to be the King!
After the tour we took the shorter route off of the top and found our way to the beginning of the walk to Neuschwanstein. That is where the real work started. Neuschwanstein is situated on a much higher peak, and of course we had to take the extra walk to Marienbrücke (Mary's Bridge) for the most spectacular view of Neuschwanstein. The path is so steep in some places that it is almost impossible to stop walking without falling backwards, but the view is well worth it.
After viewing the castle from the bridge, we went back down to the split in the path and visited the castle.
Neuschwanstein is even more fanciful than its older neighbor. After all, it was designed by a theater-set designer and an eccentric king. Once again, photos are not allowed inside the spectacular castle.
Throne Room is set in Byzantine style with the huge chandelier in the shape of the Byzantine crown. The balcony offers spectacular view of Alpine lakes and snowy peaks.
The king's bedroom is the most richly carved in the entire castle. It took 14 sculptors 4½ years to finish this room. The ornate bed is topped by an elaborately carved canopy and the walls are decorated with panels carved to look like Gothic windows in addition to the murals based on the saga of Tristan and Isolde. Through the balcony window we could see the 150-foot waterfall in the Pollat Gorge and Marienbrücke.
This is one extravagant and beautiful place with an incredible view. It's definitely good to be the King.
On the way back to the train we made a short stop in Fussen. It has its own palace and many beautiful building. We also saw several pastry shops; one was so convenient we couldn't resist. We bought a small sampling and ate part of it as we awaited the train. The Marzipan pastry was so "OH MY GOD!" good, we had to rush back and buy more before the train arrived. Mmmmmm!
