Today we visited a castle high in the Bavarian Alps. Neuschwanstein castle was built by King Ludwig II as a place to escape to, far away from the stress of the city. Construction began in 1869 but it never really was finished. King Ludwig died in 1886 and his family decided to not sink any more money into the project. Since that time, it has been a popular tourist spot because of its historical significance, impressive architecture, and amazing scenery.

It was a very foggy and rainy day which made walking up and around the mountain to see the castle unpleasant. The castle became sort of hidden which I feel like added to the mystique, but the camera doesn’t capture it well. The castle is mostly unfinished on the inside, so it’s interesting to think about what it could’ve been. It overlooks a smaller castle, and a massive lake that is in the valley of the mountains. The location tells you a lot about Ludwig’s personality, that he was shy. The castle is very isolated and tranquil, so the idea is to not be bothered. Ludwig also wanted the castle to be a monument to medieval architecture and folklore, so there are many murals and stylistic choices that reflect that sentiment.

After the castle we visited a church on the way back to Augsburg. It was a slightly unassuming building but was quite impressive on the inside. Germany has lots of old history and it’s not really something we have in America because of how relatively young our country is.