Germany and Beyond

Neuschwanstein Castle

A Brief History of Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the most famous castles in the world and one of Germany's most visited attractions. Construction began in 1869 under the direction of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who dreamed of creating a romantic castle inspired by medieval legends, knights, and the operas of composer Richard Wagner.

Unlike the defensive castles of the Middle Ages, Neuschwanstein was built as a private retreat and artistic expression. Perched on a rugged hill overlooking the Bavarian countryside near Füssen, Germany, the castle's towers, turrets, and dramatic mountain setting make it look as though it came straight from a fairy tale.

King Ludwig II died in 1886 before the castle was completed, but his dream lives on. Today, more than a million visitors travel to Bavaria each year to see this remarkable landmark.

Neuschwanstein's fairy-tale appearance became famous around the world and is widely believed to have inspired Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland in California. Elements of its design have also influenced Disney castle imagery used in theme parks, films, and the iconic Disney logo. Standing before Neuschwanstein, it's easy to see why generations of visitors have described it as a real-life fairy-tale castle.

This past month my husband and daughter have returned from their trip to Germany.

Since we've tried to integrate travels as part of our home school, I wanted to turn this next trip into an opportunity for my daughter to practice some math and life skills. With a very tight budget, my daughter was to pick ANYWHERE she wanted to go in the world, and PLAN, RESEARCH, BUDGET, as well as select her itinerary. She could go ANYWHERE (well, within reason.) She had to read travel reviews and select hostels or cheap hotels, look up the currencies pertaining to whichever country she selected, compare flight tickets, research the history, languages, transportation, visa requirements, etc.

We have to count pennies, so I was holding my breath. This was a trip that would make me wait for another year to replace my carpet, skimp on certain repairs, and shop second hand.

She wanted to see castles!

I asked my husband if he'd like to take her backpacking (so he could share in the home school travel experience) and to my surprise, he agreed! He already travels plenty for his job, so I knew he was being a trooper to take this trip.

Munich

Berlin Wall

Each day I looked forward to them calling me via the computer on Skype. I enjoyed hearing about the meals they ate, their train ride from Munich to Berlin, (how my daughter's backpack came open when they were walking down the street and a gentleman handed her back her underclothes) as well as them getting lost in Berlin during a snowstorm. What an adventure!

 After they arrived home I congratulated my daughter on a job well done. They had spent less than she'd budgeted. I looked at my worn carpet and knew we'd made the right decision.

Fifty years from now, I wouldn't have remembered the carpet I had replaced, but the memories that my husband and daughter shared together in Germany will last them a lifetime and beyond.