Afton---Castles for Our Princess

When our friends, Kent and Sharon Aland, came to visit from the States, we went to the Black Forest with them and then on to some serious castle hopping. One of the stories my Dad told me when I was a little girl was about the Mad King and his crazy castle that he had seen as a soldier in Germany.

I remember how reclusive he had said King Ludwig II(think we nicknamed him Louie, actually)was; so much so, that he didn't want his servants in the same room when he ate or bathed. At tiny Schloss Linderhof ("schloss" being German for castle) he indulged himself. Small and intimate, its size is inversely proportional to its elaborate, over the top elegance. Necessity being the mother of invention and all, he had a dining room table that sunk through the floor to the kitchen below, where the staff would pile on the feast and send it back up to the lonely King. A state of the art dumb waiter.

He had a grotto room where he would row himself around in a shell shaped boat while watching live opera(he adored Wagner), and on and on with his eccentricities. Spending his life and fortune building 3 castles, he died suddenly and mysteriously before 2 of them were completed. Linderhof alone was completed and the only one he lived in. His favorite.

Here's a link to find out more about this curious man and his strange and beautiful masterpieces:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_II_of_Bavaria

Linderhof castle was our first stop that summer day. The grounds were exquisite. We joined an English speaking tour to see the interior, and were ushered into the the first room. As usual, the eager crowds materialized, and as more and more people packed the room, we were pushed to the far doorway into the next room. The last thing I remember was our guide, close to the entrance, beginning to talk. Even though she was in the far corner at the front of the room, opposite and as far from us as could be, I could hear her voice as everyone began to pay attention. So it was strange to hear her all of a sudden sounding really, really annoyed. She kept directing people to move on into the next room. Over and over. Evidently no one moved.


As her voice escalated and the exasperation scale climaxed, I opened my eyes. Opened my eyes? Why were they shut? I blinked and saw the ceiling, and looked up into the faces of Kent and Sharon. Dad was behind me, and there I was, sprawled out on the floor directly in front of the doorway. Dad had grabbed me as I passed out, but you were on his back in a carrier pack, so he couldn't bend over and lay me out, or you would have fallen out on your head on top of me. So he just held me and gently let me glide to the polished floor. My very swollen, pregnant belly took center stage, and no one dared break a leg trying to step over that considerable obstacle.

I was beyond embarrassed. Tried closing my eyes again, thinking somehow that would keep all those people from seeing me. No such luck. But the people turned out to be really nice, and once I was out of the way and ensconced in a little kind of courtyard room with some fresh air, I was so moved by all the compassionate, solicitous people from so many different countries who went out of their way to come up to me and ask about my well being and share ideas and experiences. So you all wandered around while I basically held court, so to speak.

Did you see the Hall of Mirrors with those parallel mirrors creating a never ending tunnel? The King was known to stay up all night and sleep during the day, so when he would read by candlelight, the mirrors would take the light from each candle and multiply it a thousand times. I wonder if this may have been the inspiration for the eternity mirrors in the Mormon Temple sealing rooms. I missed the carpet of ostrich plumes in there as well. I didn't get to see any of that room or the rest of the castle with you guys, but meeting these kindly folk touched me so deeply, I think I likely got the best part of the deal.


It swung back in your favor soon after though. From there it was onto Neuschwanstein castle, the model for Sleeping Beauty's castle in Disneyland and featured in the movie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Dad decided he couldn't carry both of us through that castle, so I got the dubious honor of babysitting the car. I'd so wanted to see that castle too, but there's always tomorrow, I guess. I'm ready to go back whenever you are. Rain check, anyone?