Don't Bother Saying Fussen or Neuschwanstein - Go Straight to Cinderella's Castle

Cinderella only had to take a carriage to get to her castle, but for me to even get from Switzerland to Fussen, a nearby town, I had to take a gondola, bus, and five trains.  That was one of the longest travel days I had - an entire day on spent on the road.  Even with wiping out on train platform, ripping a hole in my jeans and cutting my hands and knee, the trip was worth it when I got to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles the next morning.

For those of you who may not know, Walt Disney based Cinderella's castle on King Ludwig II's Neuschwanstein castle, a German king who ruled in the late 19th century.  He was potentially crazy, or at least an eccentric who was less than willing to deal with reality, and therefore had this fantasy castle built.  He died before it was completed and as a result it was never finished.

The castle is now a huge tourist location, and I joined the masses to see what the real Cinderella's castle is like.  However before going up to Neuschwanstein, most everyone (myself included) visited Ludwig's childhood home of Hohenschwangau, where the historical information about Ludwig and his father that was shared on the tour was much more thorough.  Neuschwanstein was impressive even as you walked up the hill to the entrance - and it was fun to see the real version of Walt Disney's creation.

Both castles were beautiful and were filled with all kinds of lavish decorations, as you can imagine.  However the best part of the day for me was the walk up to Mary's Bridge and the views back to the castle.  It was there that Neuschwanstein really looked like Cinderella's castle, in a way more beautiful setting than at Disney World!

The walk back down to the bus stop was a well-worn trail following a giant waterfall and fast-moving river.  So pretty!