Our hotel was very close to the old castle Schwanstein Schloss/castle reconstructed by Bavarian King Ludwig I and the Neuschwanstein castle (the new castle) built by Ludwig II, his son and next heir to the throne.
Crown Prince Maximilian II of Bavaria, Ludwig II's father, had the ruined castle of Schwanstein rebuilt from 1832 in the "Gothic style". The young Ludwig was influenced by the romantic mountain scenery and the summer castle became one of his favourite places to stay.
The castle Ludwig II had built may look familiar because it is the same one Walt Disney copied for his "signature castle". This one, newer but built on the site of an older castle, has a much sharper rise into the sky with its towers, and the stone is whiter so it stands out more especially in the evening.
The history of both castles is very interesting (and if we had more time, we would have toured both). From our hotel, we could see both. It was JUST GORGEOUS!
This is a view from one archway as we entered (Neuschwanstein)
view from the road up to the castle
a close up of one part
This is the view from an iron bridge he had built over a fantastic waterfalls nearby.
A scene from the early days (after 1880?)
It is becoming popular for lovers to put their name on a lock and fasten it to a historical view and throw the key into the river or lake, etc.
And what are the odds of running into a colleague from Montgomery County Schools? Here is Casey, a friend from Argyle Middle School...
http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/idea/
Also, when I read about him, it seemed clear some of his issues were around his sexuality.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/study-finds-king-ludwig-ii-may-not-have-been-crazy-a-946240.html Well it is fun to read about this guy...
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