Erin: Day 10: Neuschwanstein Castle in Munich, Germany

Today was one of my favorite days thus far over here in Europe (besides my love for Vienna of course).  This morning, we awoke to two wake-up calls (I always request two because I generally sleep through one of them!), quickly showered and ran out the door.  We were heading to Neuschwanstein Castle and I have been looking forward to this since one of my friend’s mentioned it and suggested I go.

We had got great directions the night before from our hotel desk so we were reviewing those when we realized that we had very little time to actually catch the train to Fussen from Munich’s Haupbahnhof (that means main station for those of you who don’t speak German…)  So, in true Amazing Race style, Trina flew to the curb, hailed a cab (it just so happened one was coming down the street) and we told the driver to STEP ON IT and get us to the train station as quickly as he could.  (Side note: he didn’t speak English very well so I’m not really sure he understood but he seemed stressed because he played with the radio, adjusted his hat, put his window up and down a hundred times and didn’t say one word…)

We got to the train station with six minutes to spare (literally) and, still keeping with the Amazing Race style, we RAN to the ticket counter and I threw my pre-printed information at the guy who whipped through the purchase of the tickets like nobody’s business.  He gave me my tickets and we RAN to platform 32.  It was far.  We were winded by the time we got there but we literally just made it…  A few seconds later and we would’ve missed the train and not had another opportunity to take one for an hour.

On our way to Schwangau, Germany.

On our way to Schwangau, Germany.

So, train ride is going fine until we have to switch at Bucherole (I think) and when we stop and get on the next train, the driver comes in and says, “Sorry, this isn’t going anywhere, it’s broken…”  So, we get off and have to take a street bus to Fussen to catch the bus to Schwangau - where the castles are.  All in all, it worked out fine but when we got dropped off at the castle, we had 2 minutes to spare before missing our deadline to pick up our reserved tickets.  (Side note #2: if you plan a trip out here, go online and book your tickets in advance.  You get to skip out on a HUGE line-up!)  Luckily, we made it and were feeling pretty good about our rushed yet super successful morning…

First sight of the castle.

The castle, autumn leaves and mountains… Glorious!

Then… we stepped out into the glorious day and realized we had one of two choices.  Both involved climbing the mountain but it was our choice as to whether it was a 30 minute hike or a 45 minute hike.  We had an hour plus to spare so we opted for the 45 minute one.  WOW.  That’s really how I will sum up the walk up the mountain (I’m not kidding - it’s a mountain… See photos!)  It’s steep and hard work!

Erin Blaskie sitting at the top of the mountain near Neuschwanstein Castle.

Erin Blaskie & Trina Lamarche.

But… when you get to the top, it’s worth every moment.  The castle sits high on this mountain and the views are incredible.  Like nothing I’ve seen thus far.  And, we kicked the 45 minute trails ass and did it in 30 minutes!  (I apologize for the use of the word ass but it’s needed to explain our exuberance!)  So, we stand around and wait and end up having a conversation with some guys who are living in Germany doing some missionary work but are from the US.  They were mini celebrities as people were asking to take photos with them… Didn’t understand it but it was cool nonetheless!

The view of the other castle from Neuschwanstein.

Our tour number finally came up and we stepped inside the castle.  In the tour, you can’t take any photos or videos but I snuck in a couple anyway :)  I couldn’t resist with my handy (and easily hidden) Flip camera!

The castle that inspired Walt Disney.

Neuschwanstein Castle.

The tour takes you through 1/3 of the rooms that were finished.  The King who requested this castle be built actually died during construction and on the day he died, all construction ceased entirely.  So, it’s not all done and they were actually doing work on it while we were there.

Views from the castle.

The throne room and the singer’s court were really neat.  We also got to see the King’s bedroom, living room, secretary’s office and his dressing room.  It is a colorful castle with rich details and magnificent views everywhere.  The coolest part was that it also featured an indoor grotto (kind of reminded me of the Playboy Mansion - maybe this King was wayyy ahead of his time!) and a little outdoor / indoor garden off of his bedroom.  Very cutting edge for a King me thinks.

The castle from afar.

The tour didn’t last long but it was still worth going through.  Outside, we snapped some additional photos of the castle itself and then headed toward Mary’s Bridge.  Mary’s Bridge is suspended between two mountains and offers amazing views of the Castle.  It too is not an easy walk but it’s worth it if you can manage it!

St. Mary’s Bridge.

From Mary’s Bridge, we did a few other photos before starting the long trek down.  The leaves on the trees looked beautiful in all of their colorful splendor so we stopped along a trail to do an impromptu photo shoot.

Trina, looking gorgeous with leaves falling on her head…

The beautiful foliage.

After making our way all the way to the bottom, we grabbed the bus, headed back to Fussen and took the train from Fussen to Munich, sleeping nearly the entire two hour train ride.

When we got back into Munich, we decided to see some sights before heading back to the hotel so that we could leave really early for Venice the next morning.  We went to St. Mary’s column and took a few photos in the Mariensplatz square.

Neo-Gothic Neues Rathaus in Munich, Germany

St. Mary’s Column in Munich, Germany.

After doing the touristy thing in Munich, we retired back to our hotel, grabbed a comfy couch in the lobby near the bar, had some dinner and have been chugging Red Bulls ever since.  Yes, I know, not healthy but we’re not sleeping tonight!  Instead, we’re going to save our sleep for the seven hour train ride tomorrow and keep tonight productive… Get ahead on all of the work in our inboxes!

So… the next time you’ll hear from me, I’ll be at the newly opened Hilton on the canal in Venice.  The hotel is only accessible by shuttle boat or gondola and offers amazing views of the city and accessibility to all major sites.  We can hardly wait.

Ciao!

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