Tania Gnecchi, 4 July 2009
Germany , Munich

Living amongst the clouds

Neuschwanstein castle is defiantly a must-see if you are spending a few days in Munich. Only 2 hours by train from the main train station, the castle is situated on the mountains above the small town of Fussen. Fussen is a lovely little place whose center mostly consists of narrow pebbled pedestrian streets lively with the buzz of people sitting at cafes, children playing in fountains and visitors from around the globe, mesmerised by the town’s beauty. Situated at the bottom of pine tree inhabited mountains it was impossible to ignore the various shades of greens which paint the town, the bright blue sky and the drifting clouds, the weather was perfect!

We caught a bus half way up the mountain then walked for 30min through a winding path through the pine trees to the castle entrance. The view was incredible! Such height reviled the vast and luscious valley that lay bellow as well as the huge river that divided the land in two. On the other side of the castle, mist partially hid part of the mountains, painting them with a mossy purple or mouse blue as they were further away in the distance. As I stood there leaning on the castle’s cold stone balcony, I couldn’t help but feel that I had been transported away from the busy and sometimes hectic backpacker life that I have been leading for the past month now. I tried to imagine what it would have been like to have actually have been able to wake up in the morning and have such a mesmerizing view staring back at you. If only we could all have some remote mountain to build our own castles on. Haha

Equally as impressive as the beauty of the castle’s natural surroundings, the interior of the castle allows you to enter another mystical world of its own, brought to life by a theatre and set designer. Never have I seen such elaborately decorated rooms. Although the castle was never completed, the handful of rooms that are finished are incredible! Decorated with gold paint, exquisite carvings in wood and ivory, the Kings aim was to bring the magical world of some of his most favourite operas and plays to life. The walls are painted with numerous scenes from such creating the illusion that you are walking through an architectural picture book. You could spend hours standing in each room, exploring the decorated surface and examining the detail that went into each inch of every surface. Nothing was left blank. I can’t imagine how impressive the castle would have been if it had it had been completed. No wonder its one of the best known castles in the world.

To see some pictures just follow the link below:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tania.gnecchi/MunichNeuschwansteinCastle#

other photos of munich: http://picasaweb.google.com/tania.gnecchi/Munich#

festival in Vienna:
http://picasaweb.google.com/tania.gnecchi/ViennaTwoFestival#

xx