During my time in Germany, where I attended University, I was one of the founding members of the Hiking Club (later called the Outdoors Club). One of our initial hikes was to the Neuschwanstein castle in the region of Bavaria. Germany has long been an essential stop for hiking enthusiasts. With a pretty vibrant and varied topography, hiking has long been a favorite pastime of the locals. As a result, there are a number of trails that can be found throughout the country most of which are usually well marked.
Sadly, one of two photographs I could find from the trip
Neuschwanstein besides having a history that links it to Germany is known more for the fact that the now universally famous Disney Castle is inspired from it. One look at a photograph of both, and the similarities are evident.
After an early morning two hour drive from our college, upon reaching the base of the hill that hosts the castle, we had a choice of either going up via the "recommended" hiking path or take the one less traveled which was meant more for seasoned visitors. We being amateurs made the amateurish mistake of choosing the latter, which was obviously the difficult of the two paths.It's pertinent to mention here that there were only four of us on the hike. Three staff members with me being the only student (remember the "early morning" part I mentioned above.) Since this was the beginning of our time in Germany, neither one of us knew any German besides the very basic "Sprechen sie Englisch?" (Do you speak English?).
Germany - Hiker's Paradise
The average time it takes to hike to the castle is a little less than an hour and a half. Since we were first timers and using more of a "doggy" path than a proper hiking trail, we estimated the time to be close to two hours for us. The initial hike, where the incline was steep, was challenging for about the first half hour. Eventually, things got better and although the air was thinning the sights kept us going towards the summit. But, events took a different turn when after having hiked for close to two hours, we eventually came to the conclusion that we were lost. With no real path or fellow hikers in sight, the thought of going back down the way we came became more and more of a reality. That is until......until we came across a shepherd. Sitting quietly, in an open patch, in the middle of nowhere. Our joy didn't last long once we all suddenly realized that none of us knew enough German to explain to the gentleman that we were lost and on our way up to the castle. Moreover, we were deep enough into the thick jungle that pointing would not have helped, as the castle was at present out of sight. Thus began our lame attempts at trying to explain our situation using hand gestures and extremely poor and broken German. After about five minutes of us trying to explain, which to him I'm sure must have looked like all of us were having a fit at the same time, he simply asked, in perfect, non-accented English, "are you lost?"
Not from the hike, but from the same time period and nearby location
In the little panic we were going through, it seems none of us bothered to ask the shepherd the only German we knew, "Sprechen sie Englisch?" The initial shock of hearing English slowly turned into surprise which ultimately led to much needed relief. So much for generalizing people. We were guided onto a path which was even tinier than the one we had been on. Hence keeping that in mind, I referred to it as the "poodle" path. Although we had our doubts about the new route, the shepherd informed us that it was perfectly safe. Another 45 odd minutes later we finally made it to our destination. The poodle path was safe enough, but thin enough at times to get the heart pumping when we had to cross boulders in the way, considering that a couple of feet to the side would mean a fall of cinematic proportions.Even though it has been more than a decade, I still sometimes wonder about this day. Choosing the difficult route, getting lost, and eventually find a man, in the middle of nowhere, waiting to guide us. Memory fails me, and although I remember him being a shepherd, I don't remember seeing any livestock around. I don’t even remember if we went inside the Castle. We must have. I hope. This meeting has probably been one of the most surreal ones I have had while traveling.
On the way back... Sunset
So, I recommend that if you are ever in Germany you make it a point to hike. If you visit the Neushwanstein Castle for the very first time, stick to the designated path, the one that everyone is using. If you do wander off and get lost, hope and pray for small miracles, and for the shepherd, who speaks perfect English, to find you and guide you when you get lost.The above travelogue is also my entry into the Indiblogger Around the World with Expedia contest.
