Fairytale Fussen

 

This day was one of our most highly anticipated of the trip! We were visiting Neuschwanstein on the way to Salzburg! While Neuschwanstein is really a 19th century palace of Mad King Ludwig's and not actually a castle, it looks just like a castle from a fairytale! This day had some of the most beautiful scenery of all while driving. We stopped in a meadow at the base of the mountains where Neuschwanstein is perched for a distant view. We loved looking at the snow capped mountains and a beautiful church in this meadow before heading up to the castles. The bus was parked in the lot next to Hohenschwangau, Ludwig's childhood home and an impressive palace in its own right. From there we walked up a long, winding path through a wooded area surrounding the palace, stopping a time or two at overlooks to check out the views.

 

When we arrived at our destination, we still had some time before our scheduled tour, so those who were interested proceeded up the mountain to St. Mary's Bridge to get a great view of the castle. On our way we got a view of the mountains and the valley Hohenschwangau is situated in, and it was one of our favorite of the trip! The view of Neuschwanstein was worth the extra hike! The bridge was crowded, so we snapped a few quick photos and headed back for our tour.  The palace is so highly visited that there is a tour departing every 5 minutes, so it was important to be on time. While the tour was a bit rushed, the inside of the palace is definitely worth seeing! We had never seen anything like it! It has the most ornate and imaginative interior.