Amidst the Bavarian Alps

Ever wondered the castle behind the Walt Disney logo might be real. Well, we all have seen this castle hundreds of times in many of the Walt Disney’s motion pictures. Remember the childhood fairy tales- The Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, The Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella. A haunting palace was generally shown on a distant hill as the refuge of a reclusive witch. Ever wondered where on earth that castle could be.

Three miles north of the Austrian Border on the German side there is a beautiful city of Füssen. The city is located at the edge of Alpine foothills having lakes all around and surrounded by the colossal snow covered peaks of the Bavarian Alps. An hour away from Munich and situated at the southern end of a theme route called Romantische Straße, the city serves as one of the most travelled destination, in the whole of Bavaria for a weekend get-away. Three miles to the south-east of the city, situated on the top of a mountain is the famous fairy tale castle, the Neuschwanstein. Regular shuttle busses operate between the Castle and the Füssen Station.

At 5:15 in the morning I was freezing on the platform of München-Pasing station.I was waiting for the train to Fussen with a change at an intermediate station.Last few days had been extremely taxing.With a day long excurtion into the Back Forest a day before and a 4 hr overnight journey from Kalsruhe to Munich, I was dead tired.Half an hour later the train rolled in.I stepped inside, found a seat and was soon deep into sleep. An hour later,I continued sleeping as the train crossed the intermediate station at which I was supposed to alight and catch the train to Fussen. Moments later when I woke I found I was out of my way.Fortunately, I took the next train back, managed to reach the intermdediate station and then to Fusssen.

Misfortune continued and I missed the shuttle bus to the Neuschwanstein Castle. As the next bus was an hour later I decided to walk down the 5 km road to the Castle. It was a refreshing experience. I passed by the beautiful lakes and rivers of the Alpine forest, took pictures and relaxed for sometime in solitude.

Neuschwanstein castle was opened to public in 1886 after the death of a reclusive Bavarian King, Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig. The Castle consists of several individual structures erected on the top of a cliff ridge with magnificent towers, turrets, gables, balconies, pinnacles and sculptures all around. The castle stands amidst the breathtaking views of the Bavarian Alps.

On my way back to Munich I was sitting beside an old lady who was an English teacher at a school in Munich. She was delighted to know that I was a Maths major and was on an internship in Germany supported by the DAAD. More interestingly and to my utter surprise she had heard of the IIT’s and its prominence in the world. She had spent few years in San Francisco, US and knew a few Indians from IIT’s working there. She acknowledged the contribution of Indians in the prosperity of the Bay Area and said that she would be more than happy to see people from India studying in Germany and contributing to the German economy. I felt proud being an Indian. Unfortunately the conversation couldn’t go for long. I had to alight and take the next train to Dresden.