Cobbles and castles in Bavarian Alps

Like so many travellers, my images of Germany – cute villages, dirndls and lederhosen, and fairy-tale castles – are from southern Bavaria, in the foothills of the Alps. You could easily spend a week here, soaking up culture as you bike along fragrant fields and tour the sights.

My favourite home bases for exploring the Bavarian Alps are Fussen and Reutte (just over the border in Austria). They put you an easy drive from the region’s most popular sights: The wood-carving capital of Oberammergau and the popular “King’s Castles” with their fairy-tale turrets and romantic aura.

The romance starts with the older of the two castles near Fussen, Hohenschwangau – the hunting palace of King Ludwig II of Bavaria (a.k.a. “Mad” King Ludwig). Its mostly Neo-Gothic interior looks much like it did in 1835, with paintings inspired by Romantic themes.

Ludwig, who inherited the throne at age 18, did not want to deal with politics. He instead focused on constructing the fanciful Neuschwanstein Castle just up the hill, which he had decorated with Romantic-era imaginings of a misty medieval days of yore. Just a few months after he moved into Neuschwanstein, Ludwig – who was already planning an even more extravagant castle – was deposed … two days before he was found dead. People still debate: Was it murder – as he was nearly bankrupting his kingdom with his costly castle building – or suicide?

But today nobody complains about the cost of his castles. In fact, within six weeks of his funeral, tourists

Article source: https://torontosun.com/travel/europe/cobbles-and-castles-in-bavarian-alps