A (Real Life) Fairy Tale Castle

"Mad" King Ludwig's Neuschwantein Castle.  Yes, this is a real picture!

And you thought Walt Disney was original...

No, his inspiration comes from the real-life Neuschwanstein Castle, built in the 19th century by "Mad" King Ludwig II of Bavaria.  We paid the castles (it sits just above his father's home castle - Hohenschwangau) a visit on Tuesday and were blown away!

Bavaria's most surreal attraction lies just outside of Fussen (only 5 minutes from the Austrian border), sitting high above the valley below.  It was not finished at the time of Ludwig's death, as he died suddenly under "mysterious" conditions just before his 41st birthday.

Looking down from Neuschwantein, Ludwig's childhood home almost looks like a cottage.

In the courtyard of Hohenschwangau - Ludwig's childhood home and hunting lodge.

The castles themselves are practically 'whimsical' in nature - as they were not built during the Middle Ages, but rather at the same time as the Eiffel Tower in the late 1800s.  Ludwig - who was declared 'insane' just days before he died - had a fantastic imagination and poured it in to the castle design.  Unfortunately for the Mad King, he was probably born 200 years to late or just 100 years to early.

The back of the thrown room.  It is tough to see but there is actually a picture of a night slaying a dragon in this room!  Are you sure we're not at Disneyland?

The castle became a tourist attraction almost instantly - in fact just 6 weeks after his death people were already stopping by to tour it!  We paid a visit to both Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau and left ready to slay the dragon and rescue the princess!

Every ceiling in the castle was painted whimsically, often with a starry sky.  Here's my favorite - a little palm tree action.

Not a bad patio view either!  (Don't get jealous, Malibu...)

To visit the castle, be sure to make RESERVATIONS via the website, as only guided tours are allowed to enter and those who arrive on the day of without tickets (during the busy summer months) may not get in!  Plan on spending about 4 hours to tour both castles.

~ J. Twice