Neuschwanstein Castle

I woke up in much better spirits.. but then it was still raining.... so I ate my hostel breakfast and packed up my gear and bussed it to Hohenschwangau to get my tour ticket. 

From the ticket center, you exit through the first gift shop.... I got a beer and a pretzel... Löbrau.... Futurama fans? :)  The German beer means Lion's Brew and is decent quality.. but I can't help but make a connection.

View of Hohenschwangau Castle from the path to Neuschwanstein

Of course with the rain there was fog... eerie for the castle scenery. 

No photos in the castle.. but I have to say it was really ornate and beautiful. The bedroom was REALLY amazing... the wood carving blew my mind.

One thought I couldn't shake was kings and aristocracy have such inflated egos... like they were chosen by Jesus... I couldn't stop thinking of Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail.

I liked how the art was like watching a story unfold as I walked the corridors. King Ludwig only lived in the castle 172 days before some jabrony from the state came and said he was too sick to rule... next thing he and his psychologist were found face down in a lake.... not sure if I missed something on the tour but it seemed like the story escalated quickly.. 

Update... Ludwig was a homosexual and was executed...that lake was no more than 4 ft deep.. I thought there was a plot hole on the tour...

King Ludwig was also a big supporter of Wagner... I kept looking for a muse to Ride of the Valkyries... but wasn't sure... more interest to be researched!
then there was another gift shop.. a kitchen... and another gift shop... hahaha yeesh..

While standing in line for the bus back to Füssen the sky cleared up for a much better photo.

Also, for those that do not know, Neuschwanstein is the castle that Cinderella's castle at Disney World is modeled after.  I understand that during WWII this was a place that Hitler stored a lot of the stolen art.  Of course that is not mentioned anywhere and I am curious where it all went from here.. time to read! again!