Schloss Neuschwanstein (Hohenschwangau, Bavaria, Germany)

After paying a surprise visit to the Hungarian capital, the next stop was an enigmatic Bavarian Neuschwanstein castle, which has been tickling my imagination ever since I saw its picture for the first time. The fact that the castle has been built as a homage to the composer Richard Wagner and his music in addition to the mysterious story of the castle owner's (Ludwig II of Bavaria) death automatically make this place mesmerising for anybody who has a detective mind. 

Despite the romantic ideas of the castle I've never understood, why the castle has such a weird name: until recently I've been a firm believer the castle was called NEUN-SCHWEIN-stein instead of Neuschwanstein (i know, i know: this joke has now been told many times, but I still find it hilarious! :-) *

* Footnote for non-German-speakers: Schwann = swan; Schwein = pig; neun = nine; neu = new; stein = stone.
Once parked (no private cars are allowed on the roads leading up to the castle) one can go uphill with a bus or a horse carriage. Although both operate without any schedule, one can be pretty confident that something's going up every 20 minutes. The typical tourist view opens up from Marienbrücke, but for more adventurous travellers there're paths varying in length (from 5 minutes of steep ascent to 3 hours of smooth walking) and opening alternative perspectives on the castle and the nearby Schwansee, i.e. Swan Lake. 
Enjoy!