Once Upon A Time in a Far Away Land.....

      I stepped into a fairy tale Saturday morning. I was lured back to childhood, without intending to go there. Every little girl dreams of being a princess-- of being in a far away land, riding in a horse-drawn carriage and making her way to an enchanted castle. Last Saturday, I was that princess from my childhood. 

Ready for our carriage ride to the castle!

      Three friends and I woke up early that morning in Munich in order to make our way to King Ludwig II's dream castle in Schwangau, Germany. Although I had seen pictures and dreamt of coming to this magical place, I stood in awe as I stepped off the train and gazed into the mountain side. The weather was brisk and the town was seemingly empty upon our early morning arrival. When we got there, we bought our tickets and had about an hour and a half to kill before our scheduled tour of the castle, so we wondered around the quiant, little town in search of the breakfast we failed to remember that morning. To our dismay, no cafes or restaurants were opened at that hour, so we happily had an excuse to grab muffins and hot chocolate to-go before we ascended in to the mountain. 
       With our warm drinks and pastries in hand, we were ready to make our way to the castle. Just when we were about to take off, we saw a horse-drawn carriage sitting on the side of the road, offering rides to the castle for six euros. Naturally, we decided that there was no other way to travel to castle than by carriage, therefore we quickly took up that offer, and rode up the snowy mountainside with blankets and hot chocolate.  

      The sun slowly crept out from behind the morning clouds as we approached the castle gate. The castle was more and more unfathomable as we got closer and closer, and when we reached the entrance, I could do nothing but stare in amazement. 

Sitting on a balcony in the castle,
 looking out in to the Alps

      The rest of the day followed in the same, awestuck fashion. The castle tour was unbelievable- the only way to really understand the experience is to go and see it for yourself. The castle was opened for visitors in 1886 after the King Ludwig's untimely and somewhat mysterious death. What makes the castle even more brilliant is the attention to detail in every room. Although the castle was never completed, the lavish rooms and magnificent furnishings make the castle a perfect dream world. Every chandelier is designed to look like crowns, every wall and ceiling is covered in mural paintings of Ludwig's favorite plays, and every table cloth, and comforter- was designed with pictures of swans, Ludwig's favorite animal. 
     I have sincerely never been to a more magical place in my life. I don't know when I will be able to go back, but until I do, I will always look back at the day I was able to step in to a dream, and revisit child-like wonder. 

      
      
For more information on the Neuschwanstein Castle, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castle