The fairy tale Neuschwanstein Castle is near the neighboring town of Fussen.Bavarian King Ludwig II put his heart and soul as well as much money into this gorgeous unfinished castle on this amazing site.We are seeing it from Mary’s bridge, mid morning just as the sun is rising over the mountain.We will enjoy viewing it from many angles as we walk to the front door.It looks a bit different from the front with the red brick wall.We met some tourists from Singapore doing the Alpine tour – it was fun to chat with them.The view from Neuschwanstein Castle looks down on his childhood home, nestled nicely on another hill overlooking the lake with the Austrian Alps as a backdrop.It is also a stately looking castle. Fussen area had many happy memories for Ludwig II. A related fact is that his cousin was Elizabeth, who grew up nearby, married Franz Joseph – a Hapsburg King – to become Empress ‘Sisi’ of Austria. Schloss Linderhof is where King Ludwig II actually lived. The family hunting lodge was on this location but he had another vision.His idol was the French Sun-King Louis XIV and he sought to recreate his favorite parts of Versailles here.A bit over the top in a wonderful Baroque way. We enjoyed an English tour of the inside to see the wonderful elaborate Rococo rooms. We couldn’t take photos but you can see some here.We could appreciate some of the gardens – can you imagine strolling in 1876?Very regal.
