Bavaria: Munich and Regensburg Da capo

Bavarian Fairytale: Neuschwanstein Castle

After getting off the train at Füssen, we hopped on a connecting bus leading right to the foot of the hill on which the  Neuschwanstein Castle was built. As with most public transports in Bavaria, the bus trip is also covered by the Bayern Ticket.

Due the mountainous terrain, there was a fair amount of snow that accumulated on the ground and on top of buildings.

Ticket office

We arrived at the ticket office at 2:20PM and were told that the next tour would be at 3:40PM. Since the map indicated that it would take 55 minutes to walk to the entrance of castle, we began the journey uphill. 

As we approached the top of the hill, the tower of the castle emerged from behind the sparse coniferous woods. 

In retrospect the indicative walking time of 55 minutes was a material misstatement and we found ourselves at the entrance in less than 30 minutes, despite walking at a fairly slow pace. Thus, after a quick look at the souvenir shop, we spent the remaining time writing postcards.

The weather has been beautiful, and together with the fluffy clouds drifting by, the Neuschwanstein Castle felt every bit like a part of fairy tale.

Stepping into the entrance, we were greeted by our guide, who led us through a tour of the third and first level of the castle. The second level was never completed.

The castle was build by King Ludwig II of Bavaria as an homage to Richard Wagner, and was the inspiration of Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. Other relevant information are available on Wikipedia.

It is unfortunate that photographes were not allowed inside the castle, presumably because of conservation reasons, because words alone were simply insufficient to describe the elaborate decorations and luxurious furnishing.

Coming out from the castle, we took some final shorts before the sunset and headed down to the train station for the 6:06PM train back to Munich.

Conclusion
Neuschwanstein Castle had indeed lived up to its name being the inspiration of Sleeping Beauty Castle, and probably would bring out childhood memories of fairytales.

DB Prague to Munich

Our original plan was to catch an overnight train to Warsaw, though due to some changes in itinerary we decided to swap Warsaw for Munich. Given the train schedule, and the fairly long travelling time between Prague and Munich, the 5:50PM train became the latest practical option.

As we boarded the train from Prague Main Station, almost every compartment was filled with people and we had to traverse several carriage before we managed to find a seat.