After days of factory tours and industry exploration, we headed off to Neuschwanstein to see the castle built by the “Crazy King” Ludwig II. When we first stepped off the bus, it felt like we had teleported to another world. The mountains were steep and tall, dwarfing our group entirely, and there was a beauty in the raw landscape.
After getting a quick group photo in front of one of the most beautiful lakes I’ve ever seen, we began to work our way towards climbing the mountain to see Neuschwanstein. First, however, we had to stop and grab a coffee, which seemed to be a common theme on these day trips, but not one that I’m complaining about.
One cappuccino later, we began our trek up the mountain, and even though it was on a paved road, it certainly was not easy. By the time the day was over, I had amassed around 27,000 steps, more than I think I have ever taken in a day in my life. But as we worked our way up the mountain, we were able to see more and more of the beautiful landscape surrounding the area. The wide open fields and long rivers grew more and more breathtaking as we scaled more of the mountain. The sheer scale of the area was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life.
Once we made our way to the castle, we were able to tour the inside, which was also extremely interesting. The fine details, mostly in gold, of every room made it feel like I was in a movie. Our tour guide told us many facts about Ludwig II’s life, and just how crazy he really was. All of this made sense, as Neuschwanstein had no business being built 400 years after castles went out of fashion, but nonetheless, it was.
After our tour concluded, we made one final push to the viewing bridge, where we could see the castle in all of its glory. While the view was amazing, the bridge itself didn’t exactly feel like the sturdiest structure in the world. With each step, the floorboard bent and creaked, and I learned that I am not very fond of heights. But after we all took our pictures of the castle and got off the shaky bridge, we made our way down and ended our day at Neuschwanstein with powdered donuts.
After leaving Neuschwanstein, we took a quick detour to a small town called Füssen, where we all split up and got our own lunch. Here I got a Schweinesteak, or a pork steak, which was probably the best thing I had eaten up to that point. After we had all eaten, we made one last stop to see the Wieskirche, a beautiful church where we got to listen to live music and take in the architecture before we headed back to the hotel to end the day.