The Fairy Tale Castle of NeuschwansteinCrazy as it sounds, Germany's "Mad" King Ludwig, who was reclusive and unpopular during his lifetime, provided Germany with one of its most enduring examples of the romantic by-gone age of kings and castles. Neuschwanstein, Ludwig's crowning achievement in over-the-top castle building, is more of an ornate palace than a real defensible castle. Our tour group got to Neuschwanstein early to avoid some of the throngs of visitors that descend on the castle each day and were treated to breathtaking views of Bavaria's lake district and a castle tour marked by glorious attention to detail from vast murals of scenes from Wagner's operas to roughly painted walls that create the illusion of ancient tapestries to ornate woodwork that took 100,000 man hours to carve.
Our favorite thing: The "Mad" King's attention to detail - every room of Neuschwanstein was immaculately decorated with things like "schwandeliers," our term for chandeliers covered in carved wooden swans |
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The Stuff that Dreams Are Made OfNeuschwanstein Castle proved to be everything envisioned in fairy tales. King Ludwig drew his inspiration from his father's castle, fairy tale knights, composer Wagner's opera, and of course, a plethora of swans. His church-inspired throne room soared toward the heavens and was appropriately adorned with paintings of saints, the apostles, and Jesus hovering above the planned location of the throne. The grand hallway leading from the throne room includes three identical swan-deliers. Featuring expert wood carvings and elegant embroidered textiles, each room was more ornate than the last. The ultimate was King Ludwig's bedroom, featuring a carved oak bed with canopy composed of finials replicating church spires. In contrast, the King built the original "man cave", an artificial drip stone cave.
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The Raucous RodelbahnLet's get ready to RODELLLL! Rodelbahn is a summer tradition in Germany. Like luge in the warm weather, rodelers jump into a wheeled sled with a joystick to operate the brakes, then hurtle down an aluminum track at speeds of up to 45 miles per hour. Our whole tour group stopped for a rodelbahn ride or two at a track near Neuschwanstein. We got to enjoy views of the castle as a tow rope brought our sleds to the top of the hill, then let loose to speed down the track. Most of us were tentative at first, which definitely annoyed some teenage boys who had to follow us down the course. But our timidity decreased with each repetition and we got to experience what Germans love about rodelbahn: open fields, the need for autobahn like speed, and enjoying winter sports all year round.
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