We'll Never Be Royals

February 25, 2022

It was another early morning for us because today we were doing a Neuschwanstein Castle tour. We boarded the bus at 8:15 and first stopped at Linderhoff, King Ludwig's most lived at residence. Its extravagance is otherworldly but its size is quite modest compared to his other castles. 

After touring the different rooms we again boarded the bus and this time were headed to Oberammergau, the site of the Passion Play. We perused the tiny shops, took in the beautiful views and were back on the bus, this time headed for Neuschwanstein. 

We opted out of eating lunch with our tour group because our guide referred to the restaurant as "exclusive" and said if we didn't want the exclusive menu we could order a plate of sausages for lunch. Exclusivity nor multiple sausages sounded appealing so we went to a biergarten with one of the other travelers from our tour. I enjoyed spaetzle with cheese and onions (it reminded me a bit of Mac and Cheese) and potato pancakes with applesauce (one of my faves!)

After a hearty lunch we made the climb up, up, up toward Neuschwanstein. The snow capped trees were beautiful and by the end of the walk I even had my coat unzipped. Seeing the inside of the castle is like nothing I've experienced before. The exquisite grandeur, the opulence, the wealth, the narcissism that comes with claiming more and more and more for oneself. When Ludwig's castle was being built he remarked that as soon as he died he wanted it destroyed so that no one else could enjoy the home that had been built for him. Instead, it stands unfinished (due to his untimely death) and is now a museum for all to enjoy. A few things I took away were that: the castle had its own sewage and piping system so that Ludwig could get water in his bedroom through the mouth of a golden swan. WOW. The kitchen was also remarkable for the time. After finishing our tour (no photos allowed), we got hot chocolates before boarding the bus for home. 

Two hours later we were back in Munich and ready for our night to begin. We grabbed dinner at a pizza place and while it was delicious, we waited entirely too long for it. 

We had planned to get drinks with our bunkmates, Omisa, Josie, Ino and Giovanna. They had never even heard of Hofbrauhaus so of course we had to go. The live music, the lederhosen, the long communal tables and liter beers in steins painted the picture of the perfect German bar. We laughed, we chatted, we played games and then, just like that, they were telling us to finish our drinks because it was almost midnight. Our last night in Munich had ended and we were ready for a quick sleep before boarding a Berlin bound plane in the AM.