Alizabeth Quass

I look at the clock, it’s 7 a.m. Finally, the day we’ve been waiting for. We’re going to see the Disney Castle. Okay, not exactly, but it’s the castle that originally inspired the Disney Castle! Grace Miller and I left the hostel and headed to the train station. We had to travel from Munich, Germany, to the beautiful Neuschwanstein Castle. The train ride was about a two-hour journey, and on the way, we got the privilege to see the breathtaking mountains the castle sat upon.

Once we reached the station, we had to find a bus to take us to the nearest town in relation to the castle. I’ve had my fair share of solo travel, and when I don’t know what to do, I follow the crowd. Thankfully, Grace and I were led to the right bus that took us to the town. Once we reached the small town of Schwangau, Germany, there were many signs that led us in the direction of the castle.

From the moment we got off the bus, we could see it sitting perfectly in the mountains, and I couldn’t wait to see the views from there. Grace and I had a half an hour walk up to the castle, and on the way, we got to see horse-drawn carriages bringing people up and down the mountain. This allowed us to get a peek into what it was like in the past, when the king was living there. Cars, of course, weren’t an option.

After those 30 brutal minutes of walking uphill, there standing in front of us was the castle. It was quite large, made of gray bricks, and filled with windows. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and we watched the waterfall stream down the mountains. It was such a surreal moment. Grace and I then made our way up to the courtyard, where we had to wait until our scheduled time to enter the castle. In the courtyard, we got to explore and take many more pictures. Soon enough, it was our time for the tour to start.

We journeyed up the spiral staircase to the front desk, where our audio tour phone awaited. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to take pictures inside the castle, but I will never forget all the gorgeous rooms with gold detail and hand painted artwork. The castle was built in 1869, but it had heat and running water—something that wasn’t common in that period. Our tour didn’t last that long—our walk up to the castle took longer—but I thought it was worth it.

“My favorite part was the royal throne room. They had murals all over the walls and the six disciples were painted. There was a beautiful golden chandelier that was probably twice my height and it hung from the ceiling. Unfortunately, there was no throne because King Ludwig II died before his vision could come to life,” Grace said.

How many people can say they have seen the Disney Castle? Quite a few, but Grace and I get to say we’ve seen the castle that inspired Disney’s, and that’s something I will never forget.