Alpine Roads, Fairytale Castle & Uncompleted Dreams

Life sometimes throws you a curveball, sometimes amazes you with the good fortune. While I was looking at the sharp and jagged alpine mountain ranges in Munich, I could not even imagine to get there -- so soon. I was on my three-weeks business trip to Europe. My week days were filled with intense meetings and technical discussions that occasionally got lost in the weeds. I had no plan for a stopover. But Sabi, one of my oldest friend, had one.

The castle was located about 60 miles away from where we were. So were the Alpine foothills. They had always been within my reach. How nescient I had been! In spite of their geographical closeness, it was still not that easy to access either of them. You need to get a guided tour to visit the Neuschwanstein castle. Otherwise, you cannot go inside. We first had to wait in line for tickets. "It takes an hour in winter," Sabi informed. "And three hours in summer." She murmured under her breath while waiting at the ticket center. Once we obtained the tickets, we started walking uphill. The roads and walking paths to the hilltop castle were paved but slightly inclined. As we hiked up the hill, we came to sweat and then felt chilly. It was freezing cold and blowy up there.