THE LUGE

June 29, 2008

The Luge

After the Neuschwanstein Castle visit, we headed for the "luge." I did not have any idea what a luge was until we got there and Ragen told us what we were going to do.

A luge is a winter sport. In fact, it is one of the Olympic sliding sports. It is one of the most dangerous sports in the Olympic Games. Athletes who participate in this sport are supposed to be of a special breed. The participant sleds down an icy tract at up to 90 mph.

Now, you probably are envisioning me doing this and you'd exclaim: how and why in the world would Marianas (at 62) do this? Well, this is the safer and doable version of it: We drove to the next bus stop after the castle and here was the Tegerberg Summer luge. This luge is a mini version of the real one. Only one person can ride the sled. You ride downhill on a twisty stainless steel track. You control your speed with a brake stick between your legs. You push it to increase your speed; you pull it to slow down or stop. Ragen bought us tickets. I took one sled and Ron took one behind me. We sled down the slope of about a mile and a half. The ride was exhilarating and I nervously controlled the speed. Ron kept telling me to go faster. We made it down without a scratch and with a nervous smile but then we said: Let's do it again!

We did it again. The kids loved it. The adults even had a contest to see who could ride it the fastest.

NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE

June 29, 2008

Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

We drove south to Austria towards the Alps and Reutte. Reutte is in Tyrol, Austria and was our home base while we went back to Germany to visit Neuschwanstein Castle, the castle of "Mad King" Ludwig. On our way to the castle, we passed by beautiful meadows, hills, and tall mountains enveloped by clouds. We checked into our hotel, Ernberg, a family- owned hotel. Herman was the owner, who also helped cook. Our room had a balcony where we could view the granite mountain that looked pinkish-orange against the sunlight.

The walk up to the castle would take thirty minutes from downtown and from the castle of the king's childhood castle, for those who had enough oxygen in their lungs to carry on the hike. Ron and I took the easy way. We decided to take the bus to reserve our oxygen for the stairs of the castle. Remember, there was not such a thing as an elevator in the olden times. We reached the castle in no time. From a bridge, we viewed the castle. It sat on a rugged hill. The view was breathtaking. Then, we hiked down to it. 

King Ludwig built this castle at the age of eighteen. He wanted another castle aside from the one he grew up in, to serve as his retreat. According to the tour guide, the castle's foundation stone was laid on September 5, 1869. He did not allow any visitors. Only after his death in 1886, were visitors allowed to see the inside. Since his death, the castle has received millions of visitors and has appeared in several movies.

King Ludwig, the king of Bavaria was born on August 25, 1845. He ruled Bavaria from March 10, 1864, until shortly before his death. He died in June 13, 1868, a day after a state commission declared him as insane, arrested and confined him.

After our tour of the castle, we returned to downtown and had picnic lunch by the lake, near the cliff where the childhood castle stood. After lunch, we headed for the "luge."