The Castles of Mad King Ludwig

The high point of a traveler's journey along the Romantic Road is seeing the majestic castles of King Ludwig II: the Linderhof and Neuschwanstein. No wonder a lot of our beloved childhood fairy tales come from this part of the world as there is an ample supply of folklore, scenery, and structures to encourage these!

Unfortunately, no photos are allowed inside any of the castles, credit is given to images not taken personally.

Photo Taken from Google Images

* The Linderhof Palace! While we were expecting a palace of such beauty..

* The reality was, this was a cold and chilly day in October; not conducive for admiring the manicured lawns and fantastic fountain of the castle outdoors.

* What's more, it started snowing; which we weren't prepared for at all with our light autumn coats and minimal layers of clothing.

* All the guests huddled by this gift shop near the palace grounds. They made a killing on socks, gloves, hats, and scarves that day!

* Still, the honeymooners were all smiles, as they never get to experience snow in their own country!

* The Linderhof was built in 1863 by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, and was modeled after the Versailles in France. Louis XIV, the Sun King, was the idol of Ludwig.

Linderhof Vestibule of Louis XIV of France

* King Ludwig II ruled Bavaria from 1864 to 1886. Thought to be rather eccentric, even mad, he is also remembered as the Swan King by the English and the Fairy Tale King by the Germans due to his spearheading of a number of extravagantly artistic projects such as the castles in this blog post!

Photo taken from www.schlosslinderhof.de

* Despite being much smaller than its inspiration, the Versailles, the Linderhof extremely overcompensates by filling every corner of each room with gold, jewels, marble and other exquisite decors! Our jaws dropped as we went through the different rooms and saw how they all seemed to outdo each other in opulence.

Photo taken from www.schlosslinderhof.de

* The Audience Room contains the emblems of Ludwig II as well as references to the court in Versailles.

Photo taken from www.schlosslinderhof.de

* The West Tapestry Room contains the famous ceiling painting of Apollo receiving Venus; the marriage of art and beauty. Plus, it also looks like a cool room to hang-out in!

Photo taken from www.schlosslinderhof.de

* The Venus Grotto, located in the gardens, was built to accommodate one of Ludwig's favorite activities, rowing on a lake with illuminated waters while surrounded by beautiful artwork everywhere. Yep, he was a rather strange chap.

* Pretty cool how the snow just adds to the natural beauty of the Bavarian countryside.

* On the way to Neuschwanstein, we passed by this other castle belonging to King Ludwig named the Hohenschwangau (try saying it three times fast!).

* A charming villa between Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein, called the Jagerhaus! Full of Jager bombs perhaps? (See what I did there?)

* The best view of Neuschwanstein is from this extremely uncomfortable viewing bridge. Man, I hate heights. This might as well have been a swinging bamboo bridge to me!

* But the view is FANTASTIC. Presenting Neuschwanstein, King Ludwig II's most impressive creation and the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle.

* Here we are trembling as we take a series of selfies, trying not to look down.

* The wife bravely smiling for the camera. The presence of a mild wind certainly didn't help us in our predicament.

* While the Linderhof was built to honor Ludwig's idol, Louis XIV, the Neuschwanstein was commissioned as an homage to the German composer, Richard Wagner, whose works Ludwig adored.

* Wagner was the composer of such epic anthems as the Ride of the Valkyries (Daniel Bryan's theme song for you WWE Fans), Twilight of the Gods, and In The Hall of the Mountain King.

* At a less precarious observation deck. However, the view isn't as glorious!

* Imposing! If only I knew parkour....

* The main gate to Neuschwanstein...

* And the courtyard within; looking more like 11th Century Jerusalem than anything else. While Linderhof resembles a mini-Versailles on steroids, the inspiration for Neuschwanstein can be found in the numerous stories of chivalry, honor, and bravery during the Medieval period.

* Taking advantage of the opportunity to capture as many photos as I could outside, as photos inside are prohibited.

* The entrance to the castle this way. The day's weather had been a confusing mix of snow and rain, hence all the umbrellas.

Photo taken from www.neuschwanstein.de

* The Throne Room, resembling an Orthodox Church, portrays Ludwig's philosophy on kingship; that a king was supposed to be the mediator between God and His people.

Photo taken from www.neuschwanstein.de

* The second most important room in the Castle is the Singer's Hall, Ludwig's tribute to the knights and legends of the medieval period. Murals on the wall depict such tales as Percival and the quest for the Holy Grail.