More excessive heat warnings, so we caught an early bus 3 miles to Hohenschwangau, the jumping off point to visit the summer castles of the Bavarian kings (1). Construction of the Neuscwansteim Castle (atop an older castle) began in 1869, consciously trying to capture medieval chivalry and the romantic style of the composer Richard Wagner. In a letter to the composer. King Luwig II wrote to Wagner: "It is my intention to rebuild the old castle ruin of Hohenschwangau near the Pöllat Gorge in the authentic style of the old German knights' castles." Construction was completed in 1880.
The hike up to Neuschwanstein was quiet, most people opting for a shuttle bus up the hill. We enjoyed the exterior views, and proceeded further up to Marienbrucke (Mary's Bridge), the iconic (and crowded) Castle viewing point. The wood slats on the bridge bounced as the crowd positioned themselves for selfies, while a woman in an elaborate wedding dress spread out her trussle blocking the whole bridge for pictures.
Exiting the far side if the bridge, a nearly-empty trail appeared. A hiking app revealed another viewpoint a few switchbacks up. Much quieter here, with superb views to the Castle and Bavarian countryside beyond. A woman from Atlanta had a friend who flew his girlfriend here to propose. A man from Texas who was taking pictures of newlyweds turned out to be living in Munich working as a tour guide (2) (3).
Descending to Alpsee (a clear mountain lake), we walked along the southeast shore to a swimming spot. A swim to the platform in the crystal clear mountain water with views of the Castle was just the thing this afternoon. Five mile hike today with 1,000 foot vertical gain.
The local theatre (Festspielhaus) being dark on the Tuesday night (4), we opted for a sunset paddle on the Forgensee. Everyone (except us) on the tour was German. The German guide, a former ski instructor in California gave the briefing and demonstration in German after we told him we were experienced paddlers. Loading boats on a trailer, the lively crowd (about 12 of us) pushed the trailer by hand across the street to a small beach. Two "young strong guys" carried two boats by hand (5).
The guide had a smaller version of the same boat I have at home, even the same color. Putting the boat on edge (6), he said "The English really know how to build kayaks." We poked around the south end of the man-made (for hydropower) lake near reed beds and past the dark Festspielhaus. The guide was quite relaxed as we enjoyed the last rays of sun before paddling back and reversing the trailer/kayak carrying routine. A nice walk of about a mile along King Ludwig's Promenade brought us back to town. We found the only bar in town open after 10:00 and enjoyed a local cocktail featuring frozen currants and blueberries
(1) In addition to the town's name, the destination sign on the front of the bus featured the English word "Castles," but not the German "Schloss."
(2) There seemed to be a lot of American tourists here.
(3) Jay asked if we had visited the interior of the Castle. "No, I knew you had to book long in advance, but I forgot." I suggested. "Oh, yes it is worth a visit." Taking the hint about my carelessness leading to our not having tickets, he later said "You didn't miss much."
(4) Arriving yesterday, there were posters for musicals (in German) about Cinderella and Ludwig. High season, with more frequent performances, starts next week.
(5) Saying I was a young guy, he said I also had to be strong.
(6) Edging helps to turn longer boats. As the name suggests, you lean the boat (opposite to the direction you want to go). A well designed boat can lean without risk of tipping, yielding a nice solid feel.
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