I had visited this castle way in my high school days during my first trip to Europe and barely remember the castle. The only thing I remember clearly is the hike up the mountain. So, yes, I'm a wimp and I cringed at the thought of the climb so I abandoned the rest of the group for the bus ride to the top for the whopping price tag of 1,80€. I made it to the castle about the same time as the first group of our students. After a short wait in the light rain, we got inside for an English tour. Ludwig II took 18 years to build this dream castle but only got to finish 1/3 of the rooms and he only got to live the 172 days before his mysterious death. The decorated rooms are absolutely gorgeous with such a unique style from the other French castles or other palaces I have seen. Even comparing it to Schönbrunn that we saw the other day, which was modeled after Versailles, it was so beautifully different. The king loved the operas of Wagner so each room is decorated in a different Wagner opera. Besides the castle, the mountaintop has great views of Alpine valleys, lakes and villages.
So after the trek down the hill and lunch, we bussed two hours back into Austria - the town of Innsbruck, to be exact. We had a few hours to shop, including the Swarovski crystal store with discount prices. Then after, we traveled to our quaint, little hotel for the night which is more like a country inn literally perched on the side of a mountain. No joke, our bus driver certainly earned his dinner (and mine...and everyone else's) getting this big bus up through these hairpin turns that I would be scared of even in my little car. So now we've had a lovely dinner and because this place is so little and remote, there's only one tv in the whole place and no wifi. So the kids are, heaven forbid, talking, playing games and bonding. Most adults are in the tv room watching the EuroCup Austria/Portugal game. Just because I'm so impressed with our view from this place, here's a panoramic shot off our room's balcony. 
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