Mad Kings

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Hello everyone,

Fussen is a pretty little Bavarian town nestled in the mountains. It was a five hour train ride from Frankfurt. But worth it to visit two amazing castles.

The first was Hohenschwangau Castle. It was built in 1833 and used as a summer home and hunting lodge by the Bavarian royal family. It was influenced by The Knight of the Swan(whoever that is) and the literal translation of the name of the castle is 'Land of Swan.' There were swans everywhere--pictures, light fixtures, even the door handles were shaped like swan's heads. Narrow passageways were built into the walls so that the servants could be invisible. They could even feed the stoves from these passageways. The castle had hot and cold running water. It was nice, as castles go, but next I visited Neuschwanstein Castle. It was built by the son, Ludwig II AKA Mad King Ludwig. They say he wasn't completely crazy--just different. Now his younger brother Otto was certified and lived well into his seventies hidden away in a castle. He was the brother nobody talks about. The castle was only one third completed when Ludwig drowned under suspicious circumstances at age 41. He only lived in it for seven months. If the picture of it looks familiar, it is because Walt Disney copied it for the castle at Disneyland. They say Ludwig wasn't so much nuts as lazy and a lousy businessman. By the time he died he had spent his vast fortune on the castle and was personally bankrupt. He was a great admirer of the composer Wagner. In fact, this guy was a serious groupie. He bailed Wagner out (he was heavily in debt) and dedicated the castle to Wagner. There were rumours about their relationship, but Wagner really really liked women. Ludwig on the other hand, well let's just say that he had other tastes. He was such a big fan of Wagner' compositions that he decorated various rooms to reflect his various pieces. Rather than look after his money, he preferred to sit around and listen to music. One of his chairs--again with the swan carvings--had a matching footstool. Maybe we could call it a lazyking chair? The floor of the throne room had a floor made of tiny marble tiles--1.5 million of them. His bedroom was done in carved wood. It took 60 craftsmen one and a half years to complete it. It also had a flush toilet and a telephone that dated back to 1885. I'm not sure who else would have a telephone, so who did he call?

Weather has been great. Like mid to end of May at home.

Start my bicycling-barge trip today.

Bye for now,
Donna

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Photos

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View from Neuschwanstein Castle. Maybe Ludwig wasn't mad afterall.

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Hohenschwangau Castle

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Neuschwanstein Castle. Was model for Disneyland Castle.

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Other scenes from Fussen (Bavaria)

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Another view of Neuschwanstein Castle

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Another view of Neuschwanstein Castle

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Home for the next two weeks.

Comments

[Marg Hambly]

Castles and Kings...
The castles look amazing as does the scenery. Sounds like the weather is co-operating with your itinerary and will be great for cycling. Cheers... Marg

[Amy Watkins]

Memories
Wow brings back memories...Trevor and I visited both castles on our honeymoon and I loved it. What a beautiful part of the country. I am so glad you are enjoying yourself...have fun cycling. We love getting updates from you. Keep'em coming....Amy :)