bikes, a lake, alpine slide and a castle

We left the hostel on the eve of this active and hectic day at about 8:30 a.m. with a train ride to Marienplatz and then a short walk to Mike's Bike Tours, the company with which we had booked a morning bike ride around Swan Lake and two castles, a hike/bus ride up to the Neuschwanstein caslte, and a guided tour of that castle. On the way to Neuschwanstein, we were briefed on the day's activities and then watched an informative video in which our tour guide, Brad, explained the history behind the castle, the construction of which began in 1869 following orders by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, but was ended in 1886 on account of his death.

About 15 minutes after arriving at the Mike's Bike Tours facility in Hohenschwangau, Brad and his girlfriend Meike fitted us to bikes for the bike tour. There were dark blue bikes for the boys and lime-green bikes for the girls, both sharing the wide, curved handlebars, long bike frame, and wheel covers characteristic of European transit bikes. There were also 'tall men's bikes' for Mr. Meyer and a few students, which resembled hybrid bikes.
We then took a scenic bike tour around the mountain, stopping to enjoy such nature as Swan Lake (which Brad joked was the lake that inspired the classical music piece bearing the same name). At the end of the bike tour, Brad let us ride as fast as we wished back to the bike storage facility at the foot of the mountain, which resulted in various experiences, ranging from an exhilarating race to an attempt to find the correct path back to the facility. This ride was followed by a fulfilling lunch (the highlight of which was the Apple Strudel dessert--which came with custard, whipped cream, and vanilla ice cream) and a very exciting optional toboggan ride. The view from the track of the mountain was gorgeous, and the ride itself was faster and more thrilling than the one we rode while in Leipzig. While some students rode a second time, Brad put on an exciting magic show in the nearby restaurant.

After lunch and the ride we took our bus about 5 minutes up the mountain, at which point we were offered two options: Get off the bus now and take a bus to the Neuschwanstein castle, or get off in a few minutes and hike to the castle. Everyone on our bus selected the hiking option.
The hiking was not difficult in the beginning, but rain began to fall soon after we set out, and increased in heaviness by the second. In spite of this hindrance, we enjoyed the scenery we passed during the hike, including a waterfall that in old times was part of a hydraulic system that ground materials into cement.
Two-thirds of the way into the hike we were shown the site of the most beautiful photo opportunity, a high bridge. Some hiked the whole way there, only to find the overlook hidden beneath a blanket of fog. As the rain was penetrating through raincoats and backpacks, we eagerly made our way to the castle.
Our guided tour of the Neuschwanstein castle was relatively short but nonetheless interesting. We visited roughly 6 of the castle's finished rooms, all of which were beautifully made. We learned that the King had built the castle with the desire to accommodate his longtime friend Richard Wagner there as a prized guest, but had only lived there for about 175 days before his death. The castle was opened to the public just 6 months later. While walking through the castle, where photographing was unfortunately prohibited, I was overwhelmed with the exquisiteness of its design, including the King's toilet, the seat and backrest of which were leather cushions. The castle also had a fully-functioning plumbing system that captured naturally-flowing cool water from the top of the mountain as tap water.

After our tour of the castle, we travelled back to Munich to have dinner. We ate at a 500-year-old restaurant where the waitresses--all older women--were fitted in Dirndl, a traditional Bavarian women's dress. The food received mixed responses, but we were all happy to have eaten.