Ludwig was obsessed with the stories told in the operas by composer Richard Wagner, and built rooms in the castle to appear like different settings from the plays, including one incredible room replicating a cave or grotto. This was one of several castles built by Ludwig in similar fashion, at the expense of the depletion of the country’s treasury. Ludwig was found dead, drowned in the shallows of a lake. It remains a mystery whether he was murdered, or committed suicide. Neuschwanstein in itself is a magnificent piece of architecture. Huge towers and spires lift up into the air.

 When you park, it is a short walk into the town. There, a  building for getting tickets, both for Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, is not hard to find. After this, you can either hitch a ride on a horse-drawn carriage, or walk up to your destination. Up at the top, you may have to wait for a short while until it is time for your tour, available in many languages. Tour numbers are shown in red on a sign. Remember, this is a large tourist attraction, so be prepared for huge crowds of people.

Inside the castle, the design and splendor displayed are staggering. The ceilings and most of the walls are painted elaborately, most often relating to Richard Wagner’s plays; and everything, down to the smallest object, is the very picture of expensive craftsmanship. His wooden bed took thirteen carpenters seven years to make! Look out for the symbol of the swan… you’ll see it everywhere you look. This is because the swan was part of the royal crest of Ludwig’s family, and also a key figure in a Wagner play. There are many carvings and designs all around.

 There is an interesting room with the walls covered in mirrors, arranged at peculiar angles. As the guide will tell you, this was the room where the King might play cards with other guests. The king’s place was arranged so that he could look in a specfic mirror to see the cards his opponent had in his hand. In the large room where the tour ends, you may want to spend a couple minutes studying the beautifully painted stage. There are many small forest animals and creatures hiding in the picture. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take pictures inside of the castle. However, at the gift shop they sell a disc of pictures of Neuschwanstein’s interior.

 The royal kitchen is on the way out.

Neuschwanstein is a fantastic place to visit, and it is little wonder that this castle draws so many visitors from around the world. If you are ever in Bavaria, this place is a must-see. Also, the best view of the castle is from the Marienbrucke bridge, which is a small hike away from the castle.

Every year ,Germany becomes home to many Christmas Markets, or Christkindlesmarkts, which attract visitors from all over the world. Last session, we covered most of the fantastic foods you can usually find at these festive markets. This time, you will find out more on the activities at these markets.

In most markets, there is an area with rides for the children. The most famous of these is the carousel. The carousels from two different markets rarely look alike. The Nuremburg Christkindlesmarkt is the largest Christmas market in Germany. The carousel here is huge with two stories. There are the standard wooden horses, along with many other animals like pigs, roosters, and elephants, all carved out of solid wood.  Up above are more creatures, plus rotating bubbles for up to four people each. Other markets still have rides like this, but few are as spectacular.

Other rides vary from market to market. The Nuremburg Christkindlesmarkt also had a train running on a track which kids could ride on and even a Ferris wheel. Some of the stands have games to play for prizes.

Sometimes there are even pony rides! Petting zoos are not as common, but are still open in some markets. Besides all of this, many places have an advent calendar, where on each of the twenty four days proceeding Christmas, a new window is opened up, revealing a hidden picture. The Nuremburg Christmas market also has an impressive opening ceremony to officially begin the festivities.

Well, that’s as much as I can tell you for now! Coming up next: The Treasures of the market.

Ah, yes, the food. The most important part of the market.

There are a variety of specialties found here that are rare at any other time in the year. The traditional Christkindlesmarkt snack is the Mandelen. These delicious treats are almonds, glazed in sugar. They are great! Besides almonds, you can also usually find peanuts and cashews that have been given the same treatment. Be on the lookout for these; it’s a food you don’t want to miss! They come in paper cones of different sizes.

Cotton candy is sometimes for sale, along with popcorn. There is always a selection of gingerbread as well. You will find it, usually wrapped in plastic, hanging in front of the stands. Frosting is used to spell words and make pictures on the surface. This gingerbread is hard, along with the frosting on top of it, so it takes a while to eat.

There is usually Lebkuchen which is a German food that usually comes in a circular or rectangular shape. Colors vary with the topping, but the best is the chocolate covered Lebkuchen. For those who don’t like chocolate, they also come plain or glazed with sugar. They are excellent as well, and a must if it’s your first time at a Christkindlesmarkt.

It is sometimes possible to find fresh waffles at Christkindlesmarkts as well, but by far the most common food to find is the Bratwurst. It is similar to a hot dog, but has a harder consistency. It is great in a biscuit, washed down with some Kinderpunsch. Kinderpunsch is a sharp, sweet drink served to children at the market. You can keep the special cups it is served in, or return them for a refund.

Hot chocolate can often be found as well!

In my experience, these are the main foods you can eat at the Christkindlesmarkts. Next section: the festivities!

The first city I went to was Berlin, Germany, which is also the capital of Germany and famous for the Berlin Wall.  As travelers, could you image not being able to adventure to another part of the USA to enjoy sites and entertainment? Well image that you now have a poor way of life and wanted to move a few states over for a better opportunity and new government structure and when you tried you were shot at! Hard to picture isn’t it? That’s the basic outline for the Berlin Wall.

The Berlin Wall was put up in Berlin to separate East and West Germany. In 1961 the wall was closed and no one could travel between East and West Germany.  Prior to it closing citizens would travel back and forth for various reasons.  Once the wall was closed people wanted to escape into West Germany because it was a better way of life and government structure.  There are many famous stories about people trying to escape over the wall; about 5,000 people attempted and an estimated 171 people were killed in the attempt.  This went on for 28 years.

Checkpoint Charlie is an area that I got to visit on my tour. This was one of the three checkpoints on the wall used to register and inform tourists about the Western Military Forces before entering East Berlin.  The famous story that our tour guide shared with us is that one day the Russian and the American armies were tank to tank threatening each other and could have possibly started a World War Three. Check out the cool old school picture I found online

Fortunately the story gets better; On November 9^th 1989 the wall was torn down.  Germans celebrate their holiday on Oct 3^rd [which is compared to our 4^th of July] because that is when the Germany was declared as being reunited.  Today pieces and parts of the wall are still up and a big memorial that outlines the history of the Wall can be viewed.