Tour Guides

We have had a lot of tour guides on this trip, but three of the most interesting people accompanied us to the castle today. The first and most “colorful” was a man named Tex. This name is apt, as he is a stereotypical Texan man. Tex was tall, brash and wore a vest with cigar pockets and Cubans. He liked to make inappropriate comments, but he was a good herder of people and he got us to the right train.

Amber is a barely 5 foot tall girl from Dallas, TX. It was great to have her lead the bike tour; she had a lot of knowledge about Ludwig, the castle grounds and Fussen in general. I have really been impressed by all of our guides; they know so much about this fascinating country and they are able to repeat it easily to us. Amber had a lot of fun cracking jokes and talking too, making the long day go by fast.

Brad proved my theory that everyone from South Africa is cool. He was a laidback guy that goes para-sailing every free day and had been skydiving and bungee jumping as well. I think a small town like Fussen is perfect for people that like to spend time outdoors. The view of the lake is phenomenal and the beautiful trees that lined the Alps Mountains make the city even better. I now understand why Ludwig would want a huge castle here.

The castle itself was magnificent and sprawling, even though Ludwig died when only 16 of the 60 planned rooms were built. The story of Ludwig was very interesting and only adds to the colorful history of Germany (and especially Bavaria). The ornate decoration inside each of the rooms was likewise fantastic. I was especially intrigued by the intricately hand-carved wooden bed in Ludwig’s room. This visit was the perfect capper to a great trip in Berlin and Munich.