Road Trip: Fussen

In a valley that lies under the hills bestowing two beautiful castles is the small Bavarian town of Fussen. In an atmosphere that is reminiscent of Glacier Park, stands in pure magnificence, Schloss Neuschwanstein. Even if you have never visited Fussen, one quick glance and Neuschwanstein may look quite familiar as it was the inspiration behind the castle made famous by Walt Disney.

Schloss Neuschwanstein

   To visit the castles, there are buses that leave Fussen regularly. They're plenty inexpensive but very crowded. There is a lovely little pathway that winds up about 5 kilometers to the castles from town and I would recommend that over the bus. You can even rent bikes in town.

   Once at the base of the castles, you can take a horse and carriage up to Neuschwanstein or continue hiking. It's a steep climb but not far. I'm not sure if it's the liter beers popular in Bavaria or what, but it seems people get a late start. As with this and other tourist spots, be sure to arrive by opening time as the closer noon gets, the more crowded it will suddenly become and lines for tickets get very long.

Marienbrucke

   We'd previously visited the castles in the summer so I was excited to see them frosted in snow. Well, beings it was an unseasonably warm Christmas, the snow was gone. The upside however is that the Marienbrucke which is typically closed off in the winter was reopened. The Marienbrucke (Marie's Bridge) was named by King Ludwig II after his mother, Marie and in 1886 the wooden bridge that spanned the Pollat Gorge was replaced with a steel version. A hike to that bridge will give you the platform to shoot the above picture of the castle.

Schloss Hohenschwangau

   Laying below Neuschwanstein is Hohenschwangau which was completed in 1837 by King Maximilian (Ludwig's father). Hohenschwangau was the families' summer residence and Ludwig spent most of his summers there and was infatuated with the landscape and did plenty of hiking and exploring around the area.

   In 1868 Ludwig began construction of Neuschwanstein. One of three large palaces that Ludwig was having built, his building demands were continually getting grander and his pocket was now beyond empty. His eccentricism was not well-liked among other political figures and when Ludwig and his doctor were found mysteriously dead in the shallow waters of a lake, his unfinished projects including Neuschwanstein were stopped immediately.

   Well, that got deeper than expected... On the lighter side of things... After all of that hiking around, you're probably a little hungry right now. Upon the return to town, look for this butcher shoppe. The line to the service window should help you to find it. They serve three things: Nurnberger sausages on a roll, bratwurst and leberwurst.

    

   I can tell you that the leberwurst sandwich is the best sandwich I've ever had (with the exception of the Sobleman burger). Leberwurst is a meatloaf made of liver and when you order, she holds the knife across the loaf and you say yes or a little more. She then slices and weighs the cut. For your sandwich, you pay per gram of leberwurst. The bread was heavenly. The leberwurst was heavenly. The senf (mustard) paired heavenly. This sandwich was divine.

   And I will leave you with that. Because every bit of fairy tale in which Ludwig imparted unto the magic of Fussen, cannot top this sandwich. And do not worry - as in all fairy tales, this sandwich and I lived happily ever after.