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That's the main reason tourists visit the small Bavarian town of Fussen, at the very end of the rail line and out in the middle of the Bavarian Alps. It was a sleepy little town, but it had beautiful architecture. Best of all, it felt real and genuine, like real people actually lived and worked there. It also had the typical charm of Germany's most stereotypical region. When I told a German friend I was going to Bavaria, he rolled his eyes and told me that Bavaria wasn't the "real" Germany. He, of course, is from the north. I actually like Bavaria. We trekked through quaint farmland and forest (a shame most of the trees were still bare) to get to Neuschwanstein.
First, though, we visited Ludwig's childhood home, Hohenschwangau. It was a hunting lodge/summer palace for the royal family. Ludwig loved coming here because it allowed him to escape into nature, away from his duties in Munich. The castle was built on medieval foundations, but the decorations inside were thoroughly nineteenth century, with "modern" facilities like an elevator. My favorite was Ludwig's bedroom: stars were painted on the ceiling above his bed. He also had a telescope and window where we could look out and watch the progress made building Neuschwanstein. He decided to build his own castle just up the mountain from Hohenschwangau.
When we went into Neuschwanstein, we weren't sure what to expect. It isn't a proper "castle" at all; it's rubbish on defense. But it is a fantasy lover's dream come true. The inside was...interesting. At first it seemed quite normal---a bit gaudy and dark, but no wackier than Versailles or Windsor. The throne room, Singer's Hall, and hand-carved wooden bed that took ten years to complete were opulent. But nothing too strange.
Until the cave. Yes, that's not a typo. Lana and I couldn't believe when we heard the tour guide announce, as if it were nothing, "The next room is a man-made cave with stalagmites and a waterfall, modeled after a scene from one of Wagner's operas." Like every castle has a cave in the middle of it. We couldn't stop laughing, I hope we didn't offend anyone! I think this is when Lana really started to like Ludwig...;) And of course the cave was totally cheesy but I loved it. On the non-cheesy side, there was also a conservatory with plants growing. A running motif throughout the castle were images of swans. Despite looking back to the past, though, Ludwig was a proponent of new-fangled inventions like electricity and running water.
Finally, we got a view of the castle from the bridge over the river:
I can see why he liked this area, it was so peaceful. Ludwig's greatest tragedy, I think, was being born a king instead of a poet or artist. He wasn't suited to rule, and that was his downfall. Even more tragically, he only lived in his masterpiece for 180 days before he died, and even though he didn't want it put on display, the first tourists visited just weeks later. It's worth remembering, in fairness to Ludwig, that he didn't use state funds to build the castle, and was popular amongst the people. And for those advisers who bemoaned his profligate spending, perhaps Ludwig can have the last laugh in the end: from the thousands of tourists who come every year, Neuschwanstein has paid for itself hundreds of times over.
We're all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
---Oscar Wilde
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