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Bavaria, Germany
Today was cool. Max speed on the autobahn, a drive though the curvy alps, a few castles , and celebrating Easter with a few monks to end the day.
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This was our day to see king Ludwig’s castles. Neuschwanstein was first. Here is the story. King Ludwig II (also known as The Swan King and Mad King Ludwig), a Bavarian monarch, decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and commission a castle that would restore glory to the location of a former castle. The resulting castle became more a fairy tale idea of a castle than a historical recreation, with an isolated, mountainous backdrop, soaring towers and elements that borrowed heavily from the Romanesque style of the 13th Century. The castle was completed in 1892, making it far more modern than its design appears. Ludwig himself did not live to see the castle completed. Just weeks after his death in 1886, the castle was opened to the public.
This is the one that inspired Walt Disney. We were impressed as well. Money can be useful when spent in the right way.
After the tour and some bratwurst and pretzels, we headed into Austria to drive the alps and take the back way back to Munich. That turned out to be a good move. Lots of mountains, lakes, rivers, narrow roads, and much cooler temperatures. We saw some beautiful waterfalls and the water so blue it was hard to believe.
We drove through reutte and stopped by the only castle Ludwig completed in his lifetime, Linderof
Next stop was Andechs monastery to grab dinner and sample some of their famous beer. Beer and food were great. They served pork with the skin still on. Kind of like getting pork rinds as a bonus with your meal. It sure kept the meet juicy and it reminded me of going to the salt lick. The amount of people in the beer hall must have far exceeded the population of this small town. Most of them probably drove a way to enjoy the good food and drink. I think we were the only tourists there (thanks for the recommendation Phil).
After wards we headed to Munich to check into the hotel and drop off the car. It will be nice to have a few days in the same place.
Russellstout.org 