Castle Trekking

It has been a busy summer! Between traveling through Norway, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary and a long return visit to Montana, I am posed with a tremendous amount of pictures and a bad case of writer's block!

   To get things rolling, I'll begin with Germany. More so, the region of Bavaria in which my visits revolve around three things; butter breze (a halved pretzel sandwiched with a thick slather of butter), bier (by the liter mugful) and leberkase (a thick slice of liver meatloaf sandwiched in a crusty roll with mustard).

Neuschwanstein Castle

   One of the main attractions in Germany is the castles. Along a road through Germany known as the Romantic Road, lies the town of Fussen which is known for the fairy-tale castle, Neuschwantein. As far as castles go, this one is pretty darn new - built high in the mountains between the years of 1869 to 1886. This is the castle that Walt Disney used as inspiration for the Disney castle and to see it is magnificent.

View of Neuschwanstein from Marienbrucke.

   Neuschwanstein was built for the young King Ludwig and due to his perhaps "unexpected" death, the interior of the castle was never finished. If you like conspiracy theories, and are unfamiliar with the crazed life of Ludwig, I highly recommend performing a little research as his life and ending are quite interesting. Perhaps I'll even get to writing a post about it this winter...

Neuschwanstein

    The castles are very popular and a visit in July or August will greet you with long lines and large crowds. However, for first time visitors, tours of the castle interiors are well worth the line. As this was about our third visit, we ditched the crowds and spent the day exploring the hiking trails instead. Being an outdoor enthusiast, Ludwig built his castle on the steep hills overlooking the castle in which he grew up in the midst of rocky cliffs, waterfalls and overlooking several area lakes.

View of Hohenschwangau - Ludwig's childhood castle.

   A two hour uphill hike over various mountains will lead you to a quiet mecca where the beer flows like water and the mountain top solemness makes the brew all the more crisp. The climb to Bleckenau is my new favorite part of visiting the castles, not to mention a great way to escape the bustle swarming the castles. Back in the day, Bleckenau was King Ludwig's hunting lodge and still looks the part.

Bleckenau

   For a fairly easy hike above Neuschwanstein, the Marienbrucke is a must. The shabby bridge spans high over a rocky river gorge and lends a pleasing view of Neuschwanstein.

View of the Marienbrucke.

   The Marienbrucke which translates to Marie's Bridge was named by Ludwig in honor of his mother. Originally made of wood, the bridge was reconstructed of steel in 1886. The bridge is also a great place to snap a self-portrait of yourself standing in front of the castle...

Hohenschwangau

   When visiting the castles, I highly recommend a nights stay in Fussen. This provides a day to walk up to the castles (a couple kilometers of a journey) and join in on the tours and a second day to walk back up again, only this time to explore the trails around the castles and take in the views and if you hike far enough, a bier!