Germany 1 - Mad King Ludwigs Castle

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Ever onwards we travelled through Germany from Rothenburg towards Neuschwanstein where we planned to visit Mad King Ludvig and his fairy tale castle. Neuschwanstein castle is a 19^th century Romanesque Revival palace built on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau which is near to Fussen in the south west of Bavaria. It was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavavia as a personal retreat and as homage to Richard Wagner.

The roads were busy compared to yesterday and there were lines and lines of lorries like plagues of locusts making their way across Germany. What a difference a day makes. How I wish all lorries were banned from using the roads at weekends at home – what a difference that would make to travelling in our small country.

The weather had improved slightly although it was still cooler and damper than we would have liked. We are getting used to the slower pace of driving in the motorhome, sometimes you want to put your foot down but then you remember you have all the time in the world to tootle. Places take at least an hour longer to get to and we no longer feel the need to put our foot down to get there. We arrived at the castle and found a number of designated car parks. One in particular catered for motorhomes. The cost of 7 euro and .50 cents did seem a touch excessive particularly combined with the fairly hefty entrance fee to the castle. However at least it meant we were able to get to the castle easily. Sometimes you need to bite the bullet and pay just to see whatever it is you wish to see. Life is much to too short to quibble about a euro here or there. And of course in the motorhome you cannot afford to be too choosy.

It seems a bit daft but you have to find the ticket office which is in the town and join the lines of other eager visitors to buy tickets for either of the two castles in the town or for both. The castles can only be visited by guided tours and those of you who have read our blogs in the past will realise we hate these and much prefer to walk through at our own pace rather than be herded in a crowd. It took a while to get our tickets 11 euros for the over 65 and 12 euros for the under 65. Only another four and a half years and I can get one euro deduction for being a pensioner. Like Tesco adverts I hear myself saying Every Penny Counts.

There are three ways to get to the castle . One by horse and cart favoured by the Americans and Japanese of which there were many. The second method was in a bus which dropped you off near to the top of the hill and the third way by Shanks Pony. We had a hour to waste before our tour started so chose option 3 and walked up the steep hill. It was a lovely walk despite being steep. It was somewhat interesting to people watch as some raced up the hill at a brisk pace and others really struggled. We came somewhere in the middle , not much running but we were not slow either. The sides of the hill were covered in large mauve dog violets and pretty primroses. These seemed different to those back home. The leaves of the Primrose are similar but the flower stems longer and the flowers less intense yellow. I just wish sometimes I had a book on flowers with me as sometimes I have little idea what they are.

We stopped at the top for a bite to eat whilst waiting for our number to be called. It felt like the meat counter in a supermarket. . Glenn had an uninspiring cheese and ham baguette and I chose a Bavarian Hamburger which tasted much like any Hamburger in any part of the world. However with a coke it did taste quite tasty. Funny what hunger does to you. 7euros and .50 cents including a bottle of coke.

We took a few photos of the exterior of the building. The main tower was covered in scaffolding and was being renovated. The rest had already gone through the renovation. Some parts looked fanciful neo-gothic, others like Walt Disney had gone mad and some just plain boring – a real miss mash of styles. We didn’t feel very inspired by the outside and even less inspired as the crowds built up waiting for the tour to start. Once the gates opened the mad rush began, people pushing, shoving and jostling for the best spot. Our tour was full of English speaking Indians all of whom seemed related. and although polite pushed their way to the front ahead of us.

We congregated along a long thin corridor and waited for our tour guide. She led us past the servants sleeping rooms all of which were furnished in 1880’s style. She was keen to point out that everything we would see was original to the castle and dated from its construction. As usual it was difficult to hear what she was saying and we gave up after a little while . We felt just looking would have to do. Up the stairs which were decorated with red and green stencilled decorations – a hint of what was to come in the Throne Room. It wasnot difficult to imagine just what kind of madman on speed had a hand in designing the whole things. . Much of the castle used dark oak for its fittings and fitments and was very theatrical – much like a William Burgess designed house or castle back home in Britain but perhaps without the restrain. The Richard Wagner theme was evident in most rooms.

The Throne Room was magnificent . The throne sat upon a dias behind which was a wall of gold. The ceiling was covered in a painting of Christ in Glory and the whole scene looked as if it was part of an altar piece in the church and that Mad King Ludwig saw himself as godlike. The chandeliers were pure Gothic bejewelled fantasies full of stones of many colours. The only shame was that you could not take photographs and had to rely on memory of the scenes and of the rooms or buy the guidebook. Paintings from mythology lined the walls.

Next room was the Kings Neo-Gothic bedroom. His bed was a confection of dark oak pinnacles that looked like a cathedral roof. His cupboards pure Gothic confectionary. Despite all this harking back to the past he still installed running water to his bedroom and a telephone despite it being in its infancy. There were only two telephones in the area - the two castles.

The final room on the top floor was another Gothic fantasy room set out as a stage set. Huge chandeliers again bejewelled , wall paintings and a fortune in gold on the walls. The rest of the tour took in small sitting rooms and a grotto. Going out was like going through a maze. It took us through one shop and then down to another. It they didn’t get you to spend your money in the first they wanted another bite of the cherry. Down long corridors that switched back on themselves until finally we arrived in the kitchen with its immaculate black leaded ranges and copper kettles and pots and pans.

What could they do better ? Stop the guided tours as they seem to back up and at one stage three tours were in the same room. Guided tours mean a lot of hanging about before you even get in and we found one tour going out, one coming in and one in the middle of the room. Allow you to take photos- what harm could it do? Not a lot. Is it worth visiting? Yes definitely.

Our next stop would be Austria – 5^th country in as many days. We were heading for Reutter to an ACSI campsite in the mountains which would be our overnight stop before getting to Italy. A change in weather hopefully and certainly a change in scenery.

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