Neuschwanstein Castle Tour
4:00 PM
We checked in at the office in
Munich, standing outside in the cold, drizzly rain with a crowd of other
Americans which was strangely comforting. After a week of rarely hearing native
English speakers, it was nice to not only be able to speak naturally (without
having to use simpler language to non-native speakers to understand) but also
to hear where they are from and actually be able to recognize the name
(Pittsburg. New Jersey. Washington.).
We then boarded a nice bus.
And when I say nice, I mean very
nice. We started the one hour drive on the autobahn (famous for the general
lack of a speed limit - posted speed limit is generally 130 km/h or 81 mph but
nonexistent in less populated areas, but it didn’t seem to be that fast on that
particular morning because of the rain) with a video presentation from our tour
guide, Brad. Brad went to magic school and showed us some amazing card tricks
during our meal. He was very personable, energetic, informed, and entertaining.
Overall, I think Brad made the experience of the tour a fun one.
Once we arrived at the site of
the castles, we were made very clearly aware of our options: tour one castle
with the group, tour one castle on your own, or tour both castles on your own,
meeting at up at a certain time. We chose to do the single castle tour with the
group.
After purchasing rain ponchos,
something I, at first, refused to do but quickly realized was necessary, we
chose our bikes and then we were off. The rain was cold and made the gravel
paths slick, but it certainly did not ruin any fun. It made the castle look
gorgeous in an eerie, mysterious sort of way, peeking out from the fog-wrapped
mountains. We went to a nearby lake of glacier runoff and were given options. I
chose to stick my feet in but a few swam and even drank the water.
Later the rain slowed to a
stop and we began our uphill hike to the castle. It was steep and I, already
exhausted from my first bike ride in far too long, was struggling. The family
we were with and my uncle were far ahead of me and I was hanging back, catching
my breath, shins and calves burning. I pretended to be pausing to take in the
scenery and then actually did look around a bit and was amazed by the endless
beauty of it all. So I guess my unhealthy, out-of-shape struggles paid off in
the end. Or at least that’s what I’ll tell myself.
Once we I finally reached the top, we stopped at
the gift shop and began our tour of Neuschwanstein Castle. The rules of the
castle were strict. Backpacks must be worn on your front so as to not block or
disrupt others (or as the security personnel responded without missing a beat
when we asked why they can’t be worn on our backs “because it looks funny”). No
cameras whatsoever (trust me, we tried). Strict set timings and movements from
room to room. The castle was incredible, especially considering it was the home
of the son, his parents living in a separate castle across the forested
mountains.
The entire day was absolutely
wonderful. The highlights? All of it. Biking through the rain around the lake.
Meeting and talking with people who are from the States. Getting restaurant
suggestions for the city I was moving to from a family who visits often.
Watching the magic tricks at lunch. The tour guides. The castle. The people.
The biking. The hiking. The country. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
Highly recommended experience.
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