I want a castle like this one
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325758)
Rockingham, Australia
December 8, 2015 8:14pm CST
On our road trip through Germany, we stayed with friends in the south-western portion of Bavaria. From the Wieskirche (church in the meadow), we were driven on to Neuschwanstein Castle, which is situated on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau, which has its own lovely castle. Ludwig II of Bavaria commissioned the Romanesque palace in the 19th century. Although intended as a personal retreat, it was opened to the paying public after Ludwig's death in 1886. 1.3 million people visit annually. In the height of the tourist season there may be as many as 6,000 per day.
Parking was expensive. We could have taken a ride in a wagon pulled by two strong horses, or a bus, almost up to the castle itself but we chose to walk. It was a steep climb and I found it hard going. We walked shoulder to shoulder with dozens of others to a gully so we could look back to the castle. I did wonder if there was a weight limit on the bridge. Everyone but us was busy taking selfies.
Looking back across the gully to the castle, we were not surprised to learn that the castle was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle.
At several different vantage points, we had stunning views over the surrounding countryside. It was a popular place for hang-gliders too.
Tours of the castle were running every quarter hour or so but as it was nearing the end of a very long day, we didn't tour the castle but contented ourselves with going into the courtyard. After we had finished at the castle, we walked down to a lake and at this point we were only 700 metres from the Austrian border.
Have you ever seen a castle quite as beautiful as this?
I created this video with the YouTube Slideshow Creator (http://www.youtube.com/upload)
20 people like this
19 responses
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
10 Dec 15
Oh Wow! Now, that's a SAND CASTLE. That had to take hours on hours to build. Goodness! So detailed! Who did it? Do you know?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Dec 15
That is amazing! It must have taken hours. All those little trees. What a lovely sandcastle.
Re the videos: If I go to my slideshow on YouTube I can see the number of views. I don't know my way around there very well although I can now load slideshows relatively easily. I've replied to comments. Can't work out how to get more music options so if I don't like the ones on offer I don't bother with music.
2 people like this
@Shellyann36 (11385)
• United States
22 Dec 15
The slide show was beautiful. The view of the waterfall is something I would like to wake up to every day. Of course to own the castle would mean that I would have to have the money to hire the staff and pay for the upkeep of the manor.
1 person likes this
@Shellyann36 (11385)
• United States
29 Dec 15
@JudyEv I enjoyed it very much. Feel free to post as many as you want!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Dec 15
@Shellyann36 Haha. Thanks. I'm up to the end of July. Still have three months to go!
@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
9 Dec 15
I'd love my own castle - I would want a drawbridge, creaky door and a hunchbacked slow talking butler willing to be called Igor when I have visitors
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
9 Dec 15
@JudyEv I would have all the mod cons of hot bath, swimming pool, big TV, Jacuzzi, etc.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104632)
• United States
9 Dec 15
I love castles and would not have minded touring that one no matter how tired I was. My favorite castle is in Scotland, Eilean Donan. Forgive me as I am sure I mispelled Eilean.
1 person likes this
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104632)
• United States
9 Dec 15
@JudyEv I had a friend who went to tour Edinburgh with his church several years ago. Quite lucky to get the chance to go to Scotland. I've not left the US.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Dec 15
We went to Edinburgh Castle but not the one you mention. All castles are intriguing I think.
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Dec 15
@ScribbledAdNauseum We have a son living in Ireland so there is quite a strong pull that way from time to time.
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
9 Dec 15
I used to take kids there. We walked along the suspension bridge, then visited the castle. One year I made the mistake of taking the kids to the castle first. They saw the bridge from the window and realized how high up the bridge was hanging. This group refused to go on the bridge. Chickens, all of them.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
10 Dec 15
@JudyEv No. It was the first and last time I took them to see the castle before the bridge.
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45496)
• United States
9 Dec 15
there is a town a few hours from us in the Blue Ridge Mountains called Alpine Helen. It is a German themed town...German bakery, restaurants, buildings are all Alpine-ish. That's the closest I'll get to Germany - but I don't need to fly to get there!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Dec 15
We have Hahndoft in Western Australia which is like that. All based on German stuff. Many Germans settled there years ago so it has strong links back to Europe.
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
10 Dec 15
I visited this castle many years ago ... and loved it, it was also the one used in the film chitty bang bang, so when I was there ... we kept looking for the car... and when we got to the castle... like you we walked up that hill... there was a big model of it on the grass... we were thrilled ... and had a great day exploring the castle....
one of my alltime favourite memories....
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
10 Dec 15
That is so beautiful thanks for sharing with us.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Dec 15
Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it. And thanks for commenting on the videos. I gather I can just comment back?
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
10 Dec 15
I really enjoyed looking at the youtube video. What a beautiful place. I do think that I've see this castle on Instagram under Earthpix. I see a lot of castles there but I'm pretty sure that I remember this one by name.
Thank you so much for putting it here for us to see. I can't even imagine what it would have been like to have lived in a castle like that. How would you heat it? Germany is not the warmest place to live.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Dec 15
Someone else mentioned heating. Being from Australia we don't often worry about how to heat places. We do a bit but we forget about how cold these places get with snow and extreme temperatures. I'm pleased you enjoyed the slideshow.
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
9 Dec 15
It is gorgeous, it would seem that Mad Ludwig wasn't quite that mad when it came to his castle.
1 person likes this
@RonElFran (1214)
• Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
9 Dec 15
I'm sure the castle looked beautiful, but can you imagine the heating bills?
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325758)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Dec 15
You sound a bit like my husband. Every time I admire a house he starts looking at all the maintenance issues. 
@shellyjaneo (1081)
• United Kingdom
10 Dec 15
There is a castle in Wales called Castell Coch which I want to live in it looks like a fairy tale castles with turrets and all x
