When I was a child we did not have castles in the United States, something that is still true today. For most of us, castles were something that was read to us in fairy tales, fables, and, later, in a few books. A castle might be this beautiful building in the clouds or high on a mountain top. Or they might be strong fortresses built for protection or battles. Castles often had evil queens and beautiful princesses. They had a strong king and a handsome prince. There were gorgeous and glamorous ballrooms and dark and dirty dungeons. And every castle had two common features – a large moat surrounding the castle and a huge bridge and door to protect each entrance. We could only use our imaginations to see these castles. A lucky few might have been able to see the “castle” at Disneyland while most of us only saw it on television with Tinkerbelle in the foreground.

When I reached my mid-twenties I was lucky enough to live in West Germany for a few years. There I was able to see several actual castles there along with an opportunity to actually stay in an Austrian castle for a few days. I saw my first castle when a fellow soldier invited me for a day of photography of a castle near Stuttgart. I don’t remember much about the castle other than it was a bit of a disappointment – nothing like the fairy tale castles of the past. In fact, it was only the ruins of an ancient castle. It was perched on a small hill overlooking a German village. I’m not sure why it was in ruins – age, a victim of war, or some other cause. But there were enough ruins that you could tell what it was and get some reasonably good photos.

My next opportunity was far better. I was able to see two of King Ludwig’s castles – Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss Linderhof. Neuschwanstein is said to be the model for the Disneyland castle and there are many similarities. It is posed on a wooded mountain in the Bavarian Alps. A beautiful white castle with golden roofs on its towers. It is within sight of Ludwig’s boyhood home, Schloss Hohenschwangau. Linderhof on the other hand, has a more subtle beauty. There are no huge towers and it is not posed on top of a mountain. It has wonderful gardens and fountains but is built lower to the ground. One of the best parts is in Ludwig’s bedroom where the windows open to a fantastic view of a cascading, man-made, waterfall that looks like it could flow directly into the room. There is also a grotto where swan shaped boats rest. Both Neuschwanstein and Linderhof have tours for the public on most days.

In the winter of 1977-1978 I was able to take a ski trip to Austria with the base recreation services department and other soldiers. One of the best parts of this trip was the opportunity to spend a night in Schloss Itter pictured above, near the village of Itter in the Austrian Alps. At that time, the Schloss had been converted into a hotel. It was decorated with artifacts of the past including suits of armor, weapons, and other things which we seldom see today. Given that it was winter, the snow highlighted both the Schloss and the village.

While I was near several other castles during my time in Germany, duty other demands did not allow visits to them all. I was also unable to visit castles in other countries like France and the United Kingdom which I now wish I had done

There were two things missing from all of the castles I visited or even viewed from a distance – there were no moats nor any huge gates and doors. I wonder where they went.