For years I have wanted to go to the Neuschwanstein Castle in Fussen, Germany (about two hours by train from Munich).

Today was the day!

It is the castle that inspired Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle, and the most visited Castle in all of Europe!

We headed to Fussen with a tour on the train and had a scenic ride through the Bavarian Alps.

Upon arrival, we had a quick German lunch before heading up to the Castle. Unfortunately it started pouring rain, so we purchased a few plastic ponchos and were good to go! (But man, did it get cold!)

The tour guide was very informative and it was amazing hearing the story of King Ludwig II. What a fascinating man, with a tragic ending to his life. Such imagination this man had. Maybe a little crazy too??

The castle is nothing short of spectacular. King Ludwig only lived there a short period of time, and then died of “mysterious circumstances” only two days after he was de-throned and labelled “insane.” The castle was never finished, sadly. So many rooms were never even completed. They didn’t allow photos inside, which was too bad because what was completed was just stunning! Much of it was inspired by Ludwig’s close friend composer Richard Wagner.

We enjoyed touring the grounds, getting lost in a complete downpour and then soaking in the alps!

We headed back by train, completely zonked but still enjoyed the beautiful scenary !

For dinner, we went traditional German and had weiner schnitzel, sausages and sauerkraut. We topped it all off with some apple struesel. You can’t be in Germany without experiencing at least one authentic German meal!

Today was the kind of travel day that made me appreciate travel even more! I love being able to learn about history and be able to walk through castles that make the history come alive.

Loving every minute of this trip! Tonight I guess both Gabe and I were over tired as we spent the evening laughing and rolling around cracking ourselves up. Rob seriously thought we were crazy! We have come to talking in German accents with each other and speaking a little German too, asking “Was is das” all the time! I love the German people! Being here makes me appreciate my heritage so much…it also makes me see how so many things must be genetic – like my precision, my attention to details, my directness…Every time they make fun of me for things like that (which they tend to often do — all in god nature, of course), I’m using my genes as my  excuse!

Here’s our video for the day… (isn’t this the best app?? Magisto)

Castle Day!