by Katley Demetria Brown

Created on: November 19, 2008   Last Updated: November 24, 2008

In the footsteps of the Mad King

Once upon a time, in Bavaria, lived a king who built the most wondrous castle in the world. His name was King Ludwig II.

People thought he was crazy. Instead of busying himself with affairs of state, he retreated into a fantasy world. Some of his subjects said he spent too much of the taxpayer's money on flights of fancy. He supported Richard Wagner, who composed a series of operas, collectively known as the Ring Cycle, based on German mythology. Wagner was also the inspiration for Neuschwanstein, King Ludwig's most famous castle, and his masterpiece.

Even without Neuschwanstein, the landscape of Bavaria in the southern part of Germany is truly amazing with its spectacular scenery. The mountains reach for the heavens and green fields, dotted with cows, surround the villages. The houses are works of art, with window boxes containing bright red and white flowers and decorated with frescoes commemorating either a historical or religious event. In the lowlands fields of hops are grown on structures which resemble telephone poles. Every day is a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

My husband and I traced the footsteps of King Ludwig the Second of Bavaria one summer. It was like a pilgrimage for him. He has always had an obsessive interest in the Mad King and his greatest desire was to visit Neuschwanstein, which in English means "New Swan Stone."

It sits on top a cliff, in a magnificent setting, surrounded by mountains, overlooking a crystal Alpine lake. It's a hike and a half to get there, all uphill, but well worth the effort.

The creator of Neuschwanstein was born in another magnificent palace, Nymphenburg, in Munich. We visited it one crisp, brilliant fall morning after having had one too many at the Oktoberfest. Despite the hangovers, we appreciated the opulence of the palace and beauty of the surrounding grounds, laden with autumn blooms.

Ludwig spent his childhood in another palace named for swans, Hohenschwangau, within spitting distance of Neuschwanstein, in the village of Fussen. This fantasy castle, built by his father, was decorated with frescoes related to German mythology. We could see why Ludwig had a fascination with these stories, and how they influenced him as he got older.

From the very beginning Ludwig was groomed to be King of Bavaria and the most important duty for him was to produce a son. He didn't have a good relationship with his parents. They thought he was weird, and as Ludwig got older and became of

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