So a new series I will be introducing on Sundays will be my History section. It could technically fall under tourist attractions as well but since most of Europe’s attractions are historically based….well…..you see why I am organizing it this way.

So for my first topic, I decided to touch on a very famous German tourist attraction: Neuschwanstein.

I will be living about an hour away from this gorgeous edifice so when ya’ll come visit, I will be taking you there.

The last time I was there was back in 2007 with my Tia Meni and her friend Heinz. We had been spending a few days in Bavaria and my Tia kept talking about how she wanted to take me to the ‘Disney Castle.’

When I first beheld it, my first thought was “Wow, they weren’t

kidding.” It is literally one of those castles you would expect a castle to look like. It’s literally the Cinderella castle from Disney World.

It’s also about a kilometer and half uphill. Tia, Heinz, and I took the trek up that ridiculous hill. You can take a horse drawn carriage but I thought I could tackle it. Wrong! This little Hoosier girl has little experience with mountainous terrain mostly because there aren’t any in Indiana. I had to stop several times as we made our way to the top. Oh, but it was worth it!

Unfortunately, I did not take any photos inside because they are strictly forbidden. This is likely due to them wanting you to buy their little book full of lovely photos.  I did.  Totally worth it.

Once we did our little tour inside, we also made our trek out and around the castle.

Neuschwanstein literally translates to ‘new swan stone.’ It was built by King Ludwig II who wanted to create a kingdom of dreams.  He was a man who had an obesession with Wagner and most of the designs inside this castle were based off of Wagner’s opera “The Swan Knight.”  He funded a lot of Wagner’s work as well as created a singer’s hall inside Neuschwanstein so that Wagner could premiere some of his work there.  It really is a work of art.

If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend a visit!