Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Castle

Today I went on my first non-required tour. It was fun and funny and odd. People are weird. Being with alot of people you know nothing about is weird. People do strange things, where strange things, and get oddly attached to their group. We went to see the Neuschwanstein Castle of Ludwig II. He was one of the last Kings of Bavaria, was declared insane, and drowned in the lake the day after, with his doctor. strange. The castle was incredible. He was obsessed with Wagner and swans. There were swans all over the walls, on the chandeliers, and even the door handles were gold swans. Every room was dedicated to a different Wagnerian opera. His bedroom had incredible wood carving all over it, that took 5 years to finish. Anyways, here we are in front of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Castle...
And here's a picture that shows the beautiful lake in the background.
oh yes, we had a grand time.

We were on this bridge, then we climbed down to the water...which was obviously freezing since it came from the alps. We put our feet in it anyway.
This is how Ludwig II got fresh, cold running water throughout the entire castle. Crazy or ingenious? the age old question...
We loved the tour and had a great time on the train and wandering around before and after. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. We are getting up at 6 to check out of the hostel and take our bags to luggage check at the train station. Then we will get on the metro and bus to Dachau, the concentration camp. I'm not really excited to see it, because I know it will be overwhelming. But I think it's a part of history that shouldn't be forgotten or glossed over. After Dachau we head to Straussburg on the train. We have a few days there so we are visiting an English speaking church and renting bikes and taking a little European vacation before we head home.