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Neuschwanstein: Maddeningly beautiful: "
It’s the perfect castle nestled deep within the bowels of the German Alps and it makes for a picture perfect postcard. Clouds swirling all around, they part like curtains would to reveal a star and what you then see is Neuschwanstein castle; it is (was) the awe spectacular retreat of the ruler they called “fairy-tale king,” Ludwig II of Bavaria. In fact, so gorgeous is Neuschwanstein that Walt Disney chose it as the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland and Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom amongst other magical castles in the Disney catalog.
The milky white limestone facades and spires spearing the skywere all built several hundreds of years after medieval times had passed on by and the large windows dotting the exterior are proof enough that this was meant to be a summer home, not a fortress of any kind. Thank god for that, the world would have lost a priceless beauty had Neuschwanstein castle fallen to marauding attackers. Located near evergreen mountains and still lakes, King Ludwig’s corpse was actually found floating in one of these lakes not soon after he was said to go insane. His lasting legacy is Neuschwanstein, and he had it built in the 1860’s in memory of an era of knights and legendary figures gone by.
Clouds float by over villages and mountains, but the only thing proving that this, in fact, not the 1860’s are the modern roads snaking their way across the landscape below. Colors seem more alive here than anywhere else, as the colors of the lake is more aquamarine than anything, the vegetation passing by me a rich shade of jade. But all of that paled in comparison when the bus rounded the corner and the castle came into sight, flirting with the sky. When the first impression is so awe-inspiring, there is no question as to why Walt Disney chose this as the motif for some of his most memorable locations.
Stepping inside, I instantly felt a sense of déjà vu, and I realized why this was the case; the only other place where this kind of elegance was seen was in Versailles, right from the oak-paneled walls to the elegant furniture dotting the palace, everything was tasteful almost in an extreme, but never gaudily so.
Having had my hearts fill of the castle from inside the palace, I moved over to the Marienbrucke bridge where I got some sensational photos from what was a terrific vantage point. It is, however, a 100 year old bridge and you tend to think twice about stepping on wooden planks that are that old. My eyes went automatically to the planks below, looking for any signs of strain. What transfixed me instead was the waterfall far below and then the castle again. For sure, it is one of the most regal and beautiful sights in all of the known world, and it is a sight of maddening beauty.
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