Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Mad King Ludwig's Castles
After spending a day in Munich back in the fall, we headed to Garmisch to spend the night in a rustic cabin before heading off to explore Mad King Ludwig’s (King Ludwig II) castles. It was dark when we checked in, so we didn’t fully appreciate the view from our cabin porch until morning -- a gorgeous view of the Bavarian Alps reaching high into the sky! Unfortunately, I was in such awe that I completely neglected to take a photo (I know, that’s a pretty amazing oversight for me!). But, we did stop to snap a few photos during our drive to Linderhof. Linderhof is a secluded hunting lodge, known as the King's Hut. It was planned as a modest villa, but with additions to the plans it quickly became a splendid Rococo palace in the ornate French style. Linderhof is the smallest of the three royal castles, and the only one that was completely finished (in 1878). I’ve shared photos of Linderhof already, so won’t duplicate what I’ve already posted (See the “Summer Skiing” post at http://quarnocook.blogspot.com/2006/10/summer-skiing.html).
From there, we went to Neuschwanstein. This is one of the most famous castles in the world, and is one of Germany’s most popular tourist destinations. Neuschwanstein gained world fame as the castle used as Walt Disney’s inspiration for his magical Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland. Begun in 1869 as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner, the king's friend and inspiring muse, and left unfinished at Ludwig's death in 1886, the castle is the embodiment of 19th century Romanticism. In a fantastic imitation of a medieval castle, Neuschwanstein is set with towers and spires and is spectacularly perched on a high point over the Pöllat River gorge. The construction of the castle was carried out according to a well thought-out plan. The castle was equipped with all kinds of technical conveniences which were very modern for the time. The castle had running water on all floors, with the spring which supplied it with excellent drinking water located 200 meters above the castle. There were toilets equipped with automatic flushing on every floor. A warm air heating system was available for the entire building along with a hot water system for the kitchen and the bath.
We’d visited Neuschwanstein before, but I still thought it was beautiful. Last time we went, it was surrounded by snow. This time, the fall foliage provided a splendid backdrop. The photo above was one of the first views we had of the palace. I thought the rustic building, the green field and the multi-colored trees were an absolutely breathtaking combination.
The next photo is from Neuschwanstein looking down to Hohenschwangau (the yellow castle toward the right) and Lake Alpsee. Hohenschwangau was the childhood residence of King Ludwig II, having been built by his father, King Maximilian II of Bavaria.
We decided to trek to the Marienbrücke (Mary's Bridge) over Pöllat Gorge for a view of the backside of Neuschwanstein. The bridge wasn’t very wide, and was rickety in places, but it still offered a magnificent view!
Here’s the side view of the castle...from the side that overlooks the plush green Lech valley below.
And another view from the Marienbrücke (below), looking toward the Lech valley with the Forggensee Lake further in the background.
I couldn’t resist taking these night shots. This shot of Neuschwanstein was taken from the same field as the earlier shot, and the photo of Hohenschwangau was taken as we walked down the mountain road leading from Neuschwanstein. Yes, we walked down the mountain since we missed the last bus while we were enjoying the beautiful scenery from the Marienbrücke. Zachary and MacKenzie fared well and kept up with Carie. However, Benjamin quickly tired and wanted me to carry him. Since my arms also got tired from holding him, he ended up riding on my back most of the way down. For the next few weeks, he used the excuse “My legs hurt” trying to convince me to carry him more often than usual.
From there, we went to Neuschwanstein. This is one of the most famous castles in the world, and is one of Germany’s most popular tourist destinations. Neuschwanstein gained world fame as the castle used as Walt Disney’s inspiration for his magical Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland. Begun in 1869 as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner, the king's friend and inspiring muse, and left unfinished at Ludwig's death in 1886, the castle is the embodiment of 19th century Romanticism. In a fantastic imitation of a medieval castle, Neuschwanstein is set with towers and spires and is spectacularly perched on a high point over the Pöllat River gorge. The construction of the castle was carried out according to a well thought-out plan. The castle was equipped with all kinds of technical conveniences which were very modern for the time. The castle had running water on all floors, with the spring which supplied it with excellent drinking water located 200 meters above the castle. There were toilets equipped with automatic flushing on every floor. A warm air heating system was available for the entire building along with a hot water system for the kitchen and the bath.
We’d visited Neuschwanstein before, but I still thought it was beautiful. Last time we went, it was surrounded by snow. This time, the fall foliage provided a splendid backdrop. The photo above was one of the first views we had of the palace. I thought the rustic building, the green field and the multi-colored trees were an absolutely breathtaking combination.The next photo is from Neuschwanstein looking down to Hohenschwangau (the yellow castle toward the right) and Lake Alpsee. Hohenschwangau was the childhood residence of King Ludwig II, having been built by his father, King Maximilian II of Bavaria.
We decided to trek to the Marienbrücke (Mary's Bridge) over Pöllat Gorge for a view of the backside of Neuschwanstein. The bridge wasn’t very wide, and was rickety in places, but it still offered a magnificent view!
Here’s the side view of the castle...from the side that overlooks the plush green Lech valley below.And another view from the Marienbrücke (below), looking toward the Lech valley with the Forggensee Lake further in the background.
I couldn’t resist taking these night shots. This shot of Neuschwanstein was taken from the same field as the earlier shot, and the photo of Hohenschwangau was taken as we walked down the mountain road leading from Neuschwanstein. Yes, we walked down the mountain since we missed the last bus while we were enjoying the beautiful scenery from the Marienbrücke. Zachary and MacKenzie fared well and kept up with Carie. However, Benjamin quickly tired and wanted me to carry him. Since my arms also got tired from holding him, he ended up riding on my back most of the way down. For the next few weeks, he used the excuse “My legs hurt” trying to convince me to carry him more often than usual.
Labels: Benjamin, Germany, MacKenzie, Travel, Zachary
