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All of our travels: austria germany brataslava to copenhagen oslo budapest rome florence pisa and the italian riviera venice switzerland amsterdam paris london

King of the castle--I get ready to climb my first mountain, a Bavarian Alp. Fussen, Germany-- Although it's sort of hard to get to in the Bavarian Alps, the Neuschwanstein Castle is Germany's most visited landmark and stands as the symbol of King Ludwig's extravagance. It would eventually prove to be the downfall of his kingdom. Shortly after Ludwig was declared mentally crazy, he was found floating dead in a neighboring pond. When the authorities realized the kingdom was bankrupt because of Ludwig's several castles, the kingdom was taken over by neighboring Germany. I toured the unfinished castle and had this picture taken by a guy in leiderhosen on a bridge over a creek. I then began my trek up an Alp mountain behind the castle. I almost made it to the top over fallen trees and a couple muddy parts, when I hit the snow. There was no going forward after that. My leg even fell through the snow up to my thigh when I finally decided to turn back. I met a Canadian girl on the way down, and it turned out that we had been in Vienna at the ballet Romeo and Juliette the night before. Recommendations: The tour of the castle is worth the money and take in the view from the top of the mountain. Awesome! April 21-22, 2000