Hofbrauhaus & Neuschwanstein Castle

Allie here, just got back to our hotel room a little while ago and we are exhausted! We had fun last night and today was busy, exciting and exhausting. I will let Ryan talk about last night and I will talk about today :)

The Hofbrauhaus, founded in 1589, was what I had envisioned I would see all over Germany. It reminded me of the Gasthaus in Stillwater but about five times the size. It was a typical German beer joint with ubiquitous picnic like tables filled with people and steins of beer. I must emphasize that the steins were very large, one liter to be exact. A mug of beer that size was pretty heavy which makes the waitstaff seem like a bunch of strong bodybuilders because they were often seen carrying more than four in each hand and stacking mugs on top of the four in their hands. (I hope that makes sense). The atmosphere at the Hofbrauhaus was superb. A table full of Canadians were singing aloud and holding up their half empty steins of beers. In addition to the singing Canadians, there was a band playing German style music in the center of the Hofbrauhaus. Allie and I even witnessed men wearing lederhosen. This was an exceptional place to eat and drink. The food was sublime, the beer was dark and delicious, and the atmosphere created a warming feeling of being surrounded by family and friends. I may have to use my persuasion skills to try and get Allison to eat another non-American meal in a wonderful restaurant like the Hofbrahhaus (wish me luck).

Now for Allison to describe our trip to Fussen and the Neuschwanstein schloss (castle):

Ok first of all i loved the Hofbrauhaus too so I would love to go back...in your face Ryan.

Anyways, I have been looking forward to visiting Neuschwanstein Castle for a long time and it did not disappoint. We took a day tour to the castle because we had no idea how to get there otherwise! We left at 8:45 this morning and took a coach bus to Fussen, Germany which is about 1.5 hours away from Munich. Then we headed out on a bike tour around the area and to Swan Lake. It was drizzling rain a little but we were actually happy it was raining rather than really hot. Then we grabbed lunch and our tour guide did a little magic show. He was AMAZING. We were all silent because we had no idea how he did all these tricks with a deck of cards - he is known internationally. Then we set out for a hike up to the castle! You can take a bus up the mountain also, but we hiked up next to a waterfall and it was one of the best experiences I have had. Everything was so beautiful. It took about 1 hour to get up to the castle and the steeps were pretty steep. Ryan was just in awe of how tall the trees were on the mountain. Higher up from the castle is a bridge called Marienbrucke, which provides a great view of the castle. Then we got to head into Neuschwanstein Castle! Ok so I better give you a quick history lesson of the castle...

Neuschwanstein Castle started being built for King Ludwig II in 1868. He planned to build it in Fussen, Germany, next to his childhood castle Hohenschwangau, where him and his brother grew up, isolated from everyone else. Ludwig II's father died in 1864 and he became King at the age of 19 (or 20?). His brother, Otto, was declared insane soon after Ludwig II became King. King Ludwig II was a very isolated man so many people thought he was insane also. He was also struggled with his sexual orientation, as he wrote in his diary, and supposedly had a relationship with Richard Wagner, a famous composer in Munich. Many of the rooms in Neuschwanstein Castle contain images from Wagner's operas. King Ludwig II lived in Neuschwanstein Castle for about 6 months before his "mysterious death." You can read all his death and the conspiracy stories online or in books. The castle was never finished, and only 16 of the 60 rooms have been completed. The government took over the castle after his death because he owed money, and 6 weeks after his death they began charging the public to view the inside.

So back to our experience. The tour was only 25 minutes long and the tour guides are completely scripted by the government. They will not talk about his death, which many believe the government killed him, and they will not admit that he was gay, although it is a well-known fact. The inside of the building was absolutely breathtaking, although there are only a couple completed rooms. We weren't allowed to take photos inside, so I pulled a Louis and turned off my flash while Ryan stood lookout :) We were both surprised because it was more beautiful than we could have imagined.

So here are pictures! The inside of the castle ones are blurry because the no flash :( Hope you enjoy, and read up on King Ludwig II if you like history because his life is a really interesting story!

Swan Lake

Hiking up to the castle!!

Marienbrucke (bridge)

Hohenschwangau Castle, where King Ludwig II and his brother grew up.

Neuschwanstein Castle, view from Marienbrucke (bridge)