Neuschwanstein

We want to Neuschwanstein today. No one is allowed to photograph inside of the castle, so you will have to take my word for it that the wall paintings were beautiful and bright and the carved wood (four years were spent carving things for one room) was elaborate, ornate, and over the top.

The king who built Neuschwanstein, Mad King Ludwig, built it starting in the 1860s. It is huge and largely unfinished. He was declared insane by a group of doctors who had not met him, except for one who had seen him 12 years earlier, deposed by his ministers, and was found dead in a waist high lake two days later with the corpse of a psychiatrist who was assigned to be his caretaker.  Nobody knows how he died but his death is one of those mysteries that conspiracy theorists love. 

The castle was interesting but had a fake feeling about it because it was built so recently and was turned into a museum right after Ludwig's death. He lived in it for less than 200 days total. He had a fake cave put in, complete with stalactites and stalagmites. It was kind of like an unfinished Disney ride. Pretty but impersonal. Burg Eltz, with 800 years of real history was much more impressive.

This is the view from Neuschwanstein looking down at Ludwig's dad's yellow castle below. 

Andrew and his new best friend.

I love how people decorate their houses up here.

This is just a barn , but check out the hinges!

We did find a friendly baker today, and bought some dense, seedy, dark bread that is fantastic with quark, along with the perennial chocolate croissants for the children.

 

I am getting tired of not taking pictures of the interiors of castles. The outsides are only so good.

I may have to do a food post to keep things interesting.