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For our last day in Germany, Keith and I decided to head down to Füssen, where the beloved King Ludwig II (Mad King Ludwig) built his fairy tale castle, Schloß Neuschwanstein.

Ludwig may or may not have been the nutcase everyone made him out to be, but he definitely had a vision when he started out to build Neuschwanstein. It was a pretty fancy place. I can't imagine being the kind of person that has the power, and audacity, to build such a huge castle... right next to the nice castle he grew up in. One castle on the same block wasn't enough??!

We didn't make it into the actual castle to take a look inside. We're on our way to Rome via night train tonight so we have to be back in Munich in time to catch that train. So, instead, we hiked up to Marienbrücke for the great view of the castle from afar. And that hike took the WHOLE afternoon. Whew! I started off the ascent in the mountains with my fur hat, down parka, scarf and gloves on. Twenty minutes in... I was so hot I probably could have walked around in a t-shirt and shorts. It's not a steep trail, it's just constantly uphill. For forty-five minutes. Add in the fact that there's snow and ice on the ground, and my shoes barely had traction... and it was quite the workout! Too bad the horse-drawn carriages don't take people up to the bridge... that would have been lovely.

The trip was sooo worth it though. Not only did we get to see the castle from some great angles, we got to see the most stunning scenery all the way up. Especially half-way up, when a bunch of vistas through the trees suddenly opened up to show up Hohenschwangau (Ludwig's yellow, childhood castle) and the Alps. It was incredible! And really, as much as the view of Neuschwanstein was over the bridge was great, the view of Hohenschwangau and the Alps was probably my favorite part. That was the true fairytale... just being able to stand, in the snow, amid the scenery. It also provided a few minutes of rest from the steep hike! If I'm not able to say that I skied in the Alps, I can at least say that I spent an afternoon hiking in them! What now, VonTrapp family!

But it wasn't over yet... we still had another fifteen minutes to the actual bridge. There are several vantage points that you can see Neuschwanstein from. The best is from Marienbrücke, where you can see the whole castle in one view. At least, you can see it as long as you're okay standing on a tiny bridge over a huge ravine. It didn't help that the bridge was sooo icy! I was slightly nervous when I was on it, just thinking about what would happen if I somehow slipped over the edge and fell to the bottom! I wasn't nervous enough to freak out, or avoid it completely, but the irrational thought did cross my mind a few times on an ice patch or two. No wonder there was a sign (and a physical barrier!) that tried to prevent everyone from going on the bridge!

The trip down to Füssen was pretty awesome overall. The train ride was very nice and scenic, and it was so much fun when we finally approached the Alps. It's truly amazing how suddenly they pop up. It's just like how the Rockies meet the plains... only it's the Alps. On the way back, our train ride was entertaining as well. A few English story-tellers / Bavarian tourism experts / history buffs (?) spent the majority of the train ride recounting the life of Ludwig, the mystery and many conspiracies surrounding his death, and offering us tourists a lot of information about Munich and Bavaria. It was entertaining to watch the two men occasionally venture into our train compartment and approach everyone, asking: Do you have any questions for me? I didn't have any, since I was more interested in watching, but a few people did have questions about where to eat, what to do, where the name Bavaria comes from, facts about Ludwig. I'm not sure if these guys ride the route regularly, but if you happen to take the 17:00 regional train back to Munich maybe you'll encounter them too!

I'm really glad we were able to come down to Füssen for the day. With the BayernTakt, it really makes getting around Bavaria cheap and easy. It took two hours to get to Füssen, and a little more to the castle, but I enjoyed our last day in the Alps. Plus, it was finally great to see the German Alps with a blue-sky background. We haven't seen blue skies since we got to Germany. Actually, except for our first day and a half in Austria, it's been all grey and cloudy. I was okay with not going into the castle, since Keith and I plan on hitting Neuschwanstein in the summertime as part of a Romantic Road trip. I'm very excited.

So, so long for now, Germany. We'll be back for one night in Frankfurt before heading home. But for now, it's off to Rome for the third time. I'm very very excited for that. :)

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