After a long nights sleep following an evening of board games (before watching the Secret Life of Walter Mitty – what an amazing film by the way, it makes me want to hop on the next plane back to Iceland) the twin and I left a grey cloudy Munich only to arrive in Fussen two hours later under clear blue skies (with some paragliders sailing around overhead). From there a quick five minute bus brings you to Neuschwanstein where you’ll find the castle that (apparently) Walt Disney based his Cinderella castle on. And what a castle it is.
Despite having to wait about 30 minutes to buy tickets for the tour in the village at the foot of the mountains (the only way to see the inside of the castle), the small trek uphill more than made up for the standing around. Its a pretty steep road, especially if you take the shortcut located behind one of the carparks (and especially if you are eating your lunch on the way up). Breathless already, we strolled around a corner and then I was left speechless also. Okay there were masses of tourists mingling around but its a pretty spectacular view right in the foothills of the Alps. If I dare say so, autumn is probably the best time to visit because we were left with a stunning backdrop which is best described through images. Of which I took a rather lot of…..
Everyone also treks up past the castle, following a road to a small bridge crossing a gorge where everyone crams together to get the perfect photo. Despite my sisters rather (unintended) inappropriate walking gear we continued on along a small trail crunching through leaves, loose stones and over tree roots to enjoy the view from a little higher up. At some point I left my sister behind (sadly heels really aren’t the best footwear for those kind of outdoor activities) and scrambled up along the ridge. I have to say, the view was pretty much the same from the top just from another angle, so if you don’t manage to climb up the whole way you’re not missing anything! But its worth it just to be surrounded by trees dripping in gold and ruby leaves which blanket the mountainside.
On the way down we stopped by the castle for a tour of the inside, of which only about ten rooms were finished before the King died under suspicious circumstances (after having been dethroned after being declared medically unfit). Sadly you can’t take photos of the interior, but many of the rooms were covered in elaborate frescoes and wooden artistry. It’s worth it just to see the room which is literally like an indoor grotto, the music room with its woodland scenes, the ancient telephone, the small winter garden and the throne room decorated in a style similar to byzantine mosaics. Or even just the view from the balcony in the cafe with the sun setting over the hills. I mean if that doesn’t look like a fairytale castle, I don’t know what would!
