Neuschwanstein Castle & the Village of Schwangau

What can you say about Neuschwanstein ? Built by an obsessed King Ludwig II of Bavaria who went on a building spree that bankrupted him and had the banks foreclosing on his property. (Must have taken out some sub-prime loans) He also lost his Kingdom of Bavaria and the courts ruled that he lost his mind. After becoming King at age 18, he died mysteriously at age 41 after his troubles mounted. His legacy however, includes perhaps the most famous castle in the world, plus a series of several other fabulous castles contructed during his reign. In the picture Schloss Neuschwanstein is in the background, sorry you can't see it. It is, of course, the model for the princess castle made famous by Disney. Also note our Hertz Ford Focus wagon, part of the Hertz green collection. It is a turbo diesel sipping vehicle. I was feeling so much like an environmentalist doing my part to preserve the earth's resources and reduce the carbon footprint, that I almost put on a bumper sticker that read . . . "Honk if you love peace and quiet" . . . but I didn't know how to say it in German. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_37/b4099060491065.htm?chan=autos_autos+--+lifestyle+subindex+page_top+stories

The wheelchair fit perfectly in the back compartment, our suitcases in the back seat and Melanie and I in the front. About 30% of all cars in Europe are diesel and diesel is available at all fuel stations. It is priced about the same or slightly lower than regular gas. During our eleven days in three countries we figured that I drove Melanie about 900 miles in the car and that she pushed me about 90 miles on cobblestone streets at Christmas Markets. I think I got the better end of that deal.

One of those 'hold the camera at arm's length self photos at a small ski resort near Neuschwanstein. Still no castle appears in the photo, but it really is there.

While most Christkindlemarkt we went to were large displays held outside in the town squares of large cities, while looking for a restaurant near Neuschwantstein, we pulled up to a restaurant in the little Village Schwangau. We went into the building, to find that it consisted of a large meeting hall with the restaurant in the back. People from the area were entering the building, stopping at a table at the entrance into the hall and paying a couple of Euros to get into an indoor Christmas Market ! Wow, I thought, the people in this village are dang smart. We talked to the guy taking the entry fee and he was very friendly and helpful, really nice. He told us since we were dumb tourists from the US and I was in a wheelchair, we could go in free.

(Tourists yes, dumb no)

He was about my age and I asked him if he was originally from Schwangau, which he was, and I also asked him about his family and he replied . . . .

"I married Miss Right. I just didn't know her first name was Always"

When we entered the pay zone, we stumbled onto one of the nicest, most incredible Christmas Markets of the whole trip on our last day before our departure. The Schwangau market was warm, the booths were beautiful, and the people manning the booths were also the local artisans with an incredible array of handmade Christmas articles. They were so nice and patient with our inability to speak Deutch, friendly and happy to have us their sharing this special time with them. This experience topped off a wonderful trip to the Christmas Markets.