Saturday, May 8th, 2010 -- Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles

When the alarm went off on Saturday morning, we awoke with a purpose. We had read stories about the ridiculously long lines for the two castles that we had come to this small Bavarian town to see. Word has gotten around -- we certainly aren't the only two tourists who come to see these castles. At this point, I should give some background.

So "Mad" King Ludwig II of Bavaria became king at the age of 18 sometime in the mid-1800's. More or less, he is known as Mad King Ludwig because everyone thought he was nuts -- and they were probably correct. He grew up with an obsession with Richard Wagner and his operas and their fairy-tale like storylines. His father, who preceeded him on the throne, had a small summer home/hunting castle here in the foothills of the German Alps (about 2 miles from Fussen). Ludwig grew up spending time in this castle, Hohenschwangau, and the walls were covered with paintings of fairy-tale stories. Between the paintings and the operas, he planned from an early age to build his own fairytale castle within view of his father's. When he became King, he started to do so. Neuschwanstein was his dream -- built in a medeivel style to resemble the stuff of fairytale dreams. This makes the result a little contrived -- it looks like something a lot older than it really is, but it isn't. But it does look just like a fairy tale -- mostly because this is purportedly the castle that inspired Walt Disney's own fantasyland Castle in Disneyland/DisneyWorld (the big Cinderella-y-castle in the Magic Kingdom). And it's not hard to imagine that. It is in one of the most picturesque settings imaginable and it looks like the stuff of knights in shining armour slaying dragons.

One thing I definitely learned this weekend is the drawing power of Disney. I mean, I've been to DisneyWorld. I know that it seems that half the world goes to Orlando at some point in their lives. If you've been on the line for the log ride on a hot day, as Sam and I have, you don't need me to tell you about the ability of Disney to draw people and sell tickets. However, allow me to try to add to our joint understanding. The castle inhabited by Ludwig's father is pretty small as castles go. Neither would take up more than a small corner of Prague castle. And Ludwig's fairy tale, Neuschwanstein, wasn't ever finished. Only about a third of the rooms are finished. The tours of each castle only last about 30 minutes. Yet some days they get 10,000 visitors. The old lady at the guest house told us that 1.5 million people visit every year -- making it the most visited castle in Europe. Considering the plethora of FINISHED castles that exist in Europe, the fact that this castle is the top draw is absolutely a testament to the way that Walt Disney has woven fairy tale dreams into the fabric of our being.

All that said, this place was not without merit. After all, it's no accident that this place inspired good ole Walt to give us those dreams. Both castles look like they come from a Walt Disney dream -- the intricate paintings, the ornate furnishings, the grandeur and fanfare all conspiring to force you to feel like a little kid in a dream world. Unfortunately, photographs aren't allowed in the castle (to make you buy theirs) -- but I'm sure if you google it, you'll find some depictions online. It's worth a peek. And as you'll see from our pictures, the countryside that these castles overlooks can only be described as majestic. Despite the fact that we would have liked to have been able to wander and linger a bit longer than the rushed tours allow, we were still thrilled to be there. More than anything else, I know I felt like I was finally seeing something I had seen in pictures and books for a long, long time -- and only imagined I'd someday see. The fact that this piece of my imaginings came true was enough to make me smile and wonder what other dreams might. In that sense, it lived up to Disney's promise -- when you wish upon a star, dreams come true . . . .