Because you can't go to Barvaria as a tourist and not go to Neuschwanstein...

The top two photos are of the castle (which you're not allowed to take photos inside of, so everyone snaps off about 300 photos of the outside, the mountains around it, trees, other tourists being tourists, etc) and the bottom one is the view straight down from Marienbrücke, the bridge that runs across the Pollät Gorge behind the castle.

We walked up the back Summer-route only way to the castle, through forests, up steep steps, along a little metal bridge on the gorge wall, following a rushing stream and featuring very few tourists indeed. The walk that way is meant to take around an hour to do, but we managed it in about 40 minutes. And by the time I got to the top, I was thinking, "Lord have mercy, not a good idea only three weeks after major surgery!"

But it was all good! You know how it is when you see beautiful things. It takes away any whinging you might have thought of doing about how hiking is unpleasantly hot-and-sweaty making.

Thankfully there was some time to rest when we arrived at the castle, as our tour didn't start for another half hour or so. We were in the 463rd tour group for the day. No, not kidding there. And I'd say there would have been another 463 tours after us, too.

Our tour group featured some tourists who could only be described as stereotypical American tourists, which did provide some amusement for the rest of the people in the tour group (including a large number of non-stereotypical American tourists, I might add). Of course we were all on an English-speaking guided tour. After the guide, who did have a German accent to her English but was perfectly easy to understand, had led us through the first room, an American lady behind us said in all seriousness to her companion, "But I thought we were on the English-speaking tour!"

Heh.

The castle inside - what's been completed of it - is gorgeous. Decadant, Wagnerian, intricate, painted and carved and gilded from a to z and the silver swan tap in Ludwig's bedroom that was fed by a spring 150 meters above the castle is worth the hike just to see.

Aaaaaaaaaand then the seriously steep hike up to Marienbrücke. So much hiking. No wonder none of the Germans are fat! But the view from the bridge is fantastic and probably the position the castle's most photographed from. And then down the steep, steep mountain to the touristy shops at the bottom to buy a reviving ice-cream and many touristy things like postcards and a Neuschwanstein keyring, made in France.

Which seems somewhat odd...