July 3 we had reservations to tour Neuschwanstein Castle. This castle was built in the 1860's and is the inspiration for Cinderella's castle at Disney. It took about an hour for the drive through winding mountain roads. It is absolutely stunning here. When you arrive at the castle area, you park at the bottom of the hill it sits on. You then can walk 45 minutes up, take a bus, or take a horse-drawn carriage. We opted for the horses and thankfully had no problem with emissions. These were some smart horses, they stop right before the steppest last 5 minutes of the road. We slowly made our way up to the gates, snapped a few pictures, then headed inside for our guided tour. Worst tour guide ever. The tour lasted only 30 minutes. We could not hear or understand the guide. All I remember is that they said it was built by King Ludwig (maybe the second??) and that he only lived there for 172 days before dying mysteriously. Supposedly he went crazy. To hide the truth, they killed him and the Psychiatrist that diagnosed him as crazy. I think he died because of all the steps in the castle and the walk home everyday. That combined with a lack of showers around would kill anyone.
After the castle the plan was for some German pizza. I have heard for 30 years about Eddie's Pizza. This was a little pizza place my parents would walk to from their home and supposedly the best pizza in the world. Although Eddie's is no longer in business, we found an awesome place, had great pizza, many beers, and some banana splits. We headed back to the hotel to relax and get some rest.
Hey guys! I just got a sec to sit down and get caught up on your journey. I LOVE your pictures- Michael I guess it is from that fancy camera of yours but you have gotten some incredible pictures so far! I especially love the ones of your dad with the kids. I hope you had a fun 4th of July in Germany and I can't wait to hear what happens next!
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