Today (Tuesday) everyone had to work, so we took Sam’s car and drove to Neuschwanstein and Hohschwangau, two castles close to each other, and about 3 hours away from Munich. Before we left, we had breakfast with Antonia’s father and stepmother Marianne, and said goodbye to Marianne, who was going back to her mother’s house. Marianne had been a fantastic tour guide for us and very generous with her time. We were sorry to see her go.
Once we said goodbye, we hopped into the Audi started on our two and a half hour drive through scenic countryside. It was a little harrowing getting out of Munich (there are a lot more bicyclists in Munich than there are in L.A., so you have to watch out for them), but once on the Autobahn, Eric did a great job keeping up with the speeding traffic.
Neuschwanstein is probably the most photographed castle in Germany, and is the one that Walt Disney modeled the Cinderella castle on. It was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria
, who grow up in the nearby, but much older, Hochschwangau Castle. We were able to tour both buildings, which are quite different. Neuschwanstein was not completed before King Ludwig II was mysteriously “drowned” at the age of 44, and is one of four castles that Ludwig built or was in the process of building when he died. (We have been feeding Eric with a steady diet of progressively more impressive castles, leading up to the Big One, Versailles, at the end of the month.)
, who grow up in the nearby, but much older, Hochschwangau Castle. We were able to tour both buildings, which are quite different. Neuschwanstein was not completed before King Ludwig II was mysteriously “drowned” at the age of 44, and is one of four castles that Ludwig built or was in the process of building when he died. (We have been feeding Eric with a steady diet of progressively more impressive castles, leading up to the Big One, Versailles, at the end of the month.)Hochschwangau is a smaller castle, much simpler in design, and much “homier”, if a castle can be homey. Neuschwanstein, on the other hand, is decorated to the hilt, very romantic in feel and design, and very extravagant. It was great to see, but hard to imagine living in.
The two tours, though excellent, took longer than we had expected, and we got back to Munich shortly after 7 pm. Dinner was a quick bite at Sam’s local Thai place next door to his apartment, followed by excellent gelato. Then early to bed, as we had an early flight to Rome the next morning.
