Exploring King Ludwig's Neuschwanstein Castle

germany

 

germany

May 28, 2007
by Kathryn Kawa

On our first full day in Munich, our usual group of eight became 10 with the addition of my friends from the States, Anne Marie and Tristan, who are studying abroad in Lausanne, Switzerland. The day truly began when we arrived at the Mike's Bike Tours offices/meeting point at 8:45 a.m. From there, we travelled by "luxury coach" for about an hour and a half until we met up with tour guide Brad Daynes in a small town at the base of the mountain range. Following this rendezvous, we arrived at the place/location where we would all be outfitted with bikes and brand new blue ponchos for the cold and rainy guided bike tour ahead. Despite the rather chilly temperatures and never-ending rain, I would say the bike tour was a relative success. During one stop on the ride, several of the girls took the opportunity to engage in a "Sound of Music" moment, singing and spinning in a nearby open field while friends snapped the appropriate photos. The turn-around spot of the tour fell beside the famed Swan Lake, though there was not a single swan in sight that morning. Given the day's unfortunate weather, it was incredibly surprising to see Kristin take a brief voluntary dip in the lake. Quite the brave soul she was! According to Ms. Jirovsky, the waters were even warmer than the air - it was warmer in the water!

Once back at the main lodge, it was finally time for lunch - and what a delicious lunch it was! While I feasted on spaghetti and tomato sauce, I know others enjoyed goulash, spaghetti Bolognese, potato soup and "handmade noodles with some cheeses." Hot chocolate and warm apple strudel with vanilla ice cream topped off many of our meals. All was delicious! Due to the inclement weather, the alpine slide was closed for the day. Also a Professional Entertainer and expert Close-Up Magician, our tour guide, Brad, performed some thoroughly entertaining magic card tricks for us instead.

After our lunch we set out on a 45-minute uphill, guided hike to the Marienbrücke waterfall, which spans the Pöllat gorge behind Neuschwanstein Castle. Supposedly 400 stairs to the top, the beautiful vista and castle views we witnessed were more than well worth the physical effort. A short walk back down the hill landed us on Neuschwanstein's front door step for our tour of the interior. While the exterior of the castle was fully completed, only one-third of the interior was finished. Both inside and out, Neuschwanstein was breathtakingly impressive. Some of the interior highlights: no throne in the throne room, King Ludwig II's massive wooden/intricately carved bed, and the many walls covered with painted scenes from Wagnerian operas. Two gift shops later, we are on our way back to Munich. An unexpected viewing of the movie "Spaceballs" made the long trek go by faster.

Shortly after our return to Munich, we set off for the infamous Hofbraühaus to try Hofbräu Originals/liter beers for those who were old enough, Bavarian "Brez'n" (pretzels) and white sausages. The Hotel Hauser warmly greeted us following a long and exhausting day. A few of the girls, Anne Marie, Tristan and I then chose to explore the city's nightlife near our hotel a bit before completely hitting the sack.