A Visit to Neuschwanstein
Janos and I were given the opportunity to join an English speaking tour group to visit Neuschwanstein Castle. (Here’s a wiki-link for more on the castle.) It’s a two-hour train ride from Munich and another one of those things you just don’t get around to visiting if you live close by. Actually, I did visit the castle as a student – fifty years ago! (I can only say ohmygod.) Anyway, it sounded like fun and we decided to go. Besides my son was the tour guide.
It was a snowy day which added a romantic note to the castle and its rugged setting. The winter season has the further advantage that it’s not as crowded as in the summer. The climb to the castle, which lies 200 meters higher than the train station, warmed us up and there was no wait to enter. This place rates high on the list of tourist attractions in Bavaria and as was to be expected, you aren’t allowed to visit the castle on your own and picture taking isn’t allowed. But we were tourists after all and knew what to expect.
Tourist? Who me? No, you say you’re a traveller, a visitor, a friend of the country, a cyclist, a hiker, a backpacker, a resident, but not a tourist. People usually hate to call themselves tourists. I go downtown with my camera and people ask me where I’m from. Of course they take me for a tourist.
But is that so bad? A tourist is usually seeing something for the first time, maybe his jaw drops, he is impressed, excited, awed. I am happy if I can look and see something as if for the first time. Call me what you like, you can even call me a tourist.
Neuschwanstein Castle
Click image for picture gallery.
My Days 
Speaking of tourists, you have recently hosted a couple of famous Utahns, Ted Ligety and Lindsey Vonn, both there for a skiing event. The Salt Lake paper made it sound like at least part of the even was held right downtown, kind of exciting.
Park City’s claim on Lindsey Vonn is pretty tenuous, she really lives in Vail. Ted Ligety, on the other hand, is the son of the woman who sold us our home in Park City, We met her at an open house on another occasion and were very impressed and we became pretty good friends. This was all before young Ted was born. We sort of watched him grow up. Last time I saw him and his father was at the city library which had been the objective of a run they did from the university to downtown around the mountain rim that surrounds the city on the north side. Maun and I made this walk to celebrate her new knee and it took us six hours.
Not only did we buy a home from the Ligety’s, we bought a boat. We had a beautiful little 16 foot dinghy that Maun and I had actually built from a kit. And just as we had the boat tweaked and adjusted and eqipped so that it sailed beautifully we were overcome by delusions of grandeur so we sold it to a nice man who was going to use it with his kids (perfect) and we bought Bill’s (Ted’s dad) high-powered International 47o, and Olympic class boat. Maun and I could sail it just fine but we always ended up taking other people who didn’t quite have the concept and we ended up spending a lot of time in the icy Utah water. I didn’t think we would ever be able to get rid of that boat but we did and since then we are a little more modest in our sailing ambitions.
I’m sure you showed Ted and Lindsey a good time in Munic.
Suzanne, Wife, stepdaughter and I were at Neuschwanstein in May, 2005 and my daughter visited at Christmastime 1987.
We enjoyed the train ride from Munich and took a local bus from the train station to the base of the castle.
Funny that you would have been there so long ago and then again recently. Great your son is doing tour guiding for “tourists”.
I rode right past and quickly thru Fussen in 2007 when I made my Bavarian tour and met you folks.
Really enjoyed this entry.
Joe
Thanks for commenting, Joe.
You certainly know our neck of the woods well! You’ve been through often and are obviously not bored by seeing things more than once – not just “looking” but seeing.
What’s up with your plans for skiing?
Suzanne