We took our trip to the Alps on a day when the kids simply could not stand to be cooped up in a city any longer and needed to be able to run and play and climb trees and be "free goats." Luckily, Neuschwanstein Castle requires a good hike up the mountain, and because it was a beautiful day, we took the longer off-road path. It did not take long for the kids to shed their jackets and scarves, which their parents steadfastly refused to carry for them, so they had to get creative.
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| So happy to be out in nature. |
Our hiking route took us to the Marienbruecke, a narrow iron and wood-slat bridge that spans a terrifying gorge. I am not a fan of heights and do not love this bridge. But the views of the castle are amazing and -- dare I admit it -- worth the anxiety. Just look straight out, not down.
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| Crossing and re-crossing the bridge of terror. |
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| Castle views. |
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| Family photo. |
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| Austin kept me from falling off. |
The historian in me has to acknowledge that Neuschwanstein is not a really historic castle. It is barely over a century old, never finished, hardly lived in, and built by someone who wasn't even really a king (Bavaria was incorporated into the nation of Germany in 1871). But really, it is SO romantic! A perfectly bizarre fantasy castle built by a crazy pseudo-king enamoured of the Richard Wagner operas that constituted the popular culture of his day. King Ludwig was a narcissistic version of Walt Disney. And that makes it worth a visit -- historicity notwithstanding.
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| Lucy gets into the Wagnerian spirit. |
