After a 2 hour road trip through the Alps I reached Neuschwanstein castle in Germany. Neuschwanstein is definitely one of the most beautiful castles I have ever been to. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner. Contrary to common belief, Ludwig paid for the palace out of his personal fortune and extensive borrowing, not with Bavarian public funds.

The palace was intended as a personal refuge for the reclusive king, but it was opened to the paying public immediately after his death in 1886. Since then over 60 million people have visited Neuschwanstein Castle. More than 1.3 million people visit annually, with up to 6,000 per day in the summer. The palace has appeared prominently in several movies and was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle and later, similar structures.
 

Innsbruck became the capital of all Tyrol in 1429 and in the fifteenth century the city became a centre of European politics and culture as emperor Maximilian I also resided in Innsbruck in the 1490s. The city benefited from the emperor's presence as can be seen for example in the so called Hofkirche. Here a funeral monument for Maximilian was planned and erected partly by his successors. The ensemble with a cenotaph and the bronze statues of real and mythical ancestors of the Habsburgian emperor are one of the main artistic monuments of Innsbruck.

In 1938 Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in the Anschluss. Between 1943 and April 1945, Innsbruck experienced twenty-two bomb attacks and suffered heavy damage. The KZ Innsbruck-Reichenau concentration camp was located here.

The word bruck comes from the German word Brücke meaning "bridge" which leads to "the bridge over the Inn".

I met up with my good friend Ronnie who I initially met in Tokyo, Japan. He showed me all the great places in Stockholm, even the old city. The food in Stockholm was also amazing. Very clean and nutritious.

Gamla Stan is a beautiful district and is the old town downtown Stockholm. It houses the royal palace and many old buildings. 

McDonalds Stockholm also served some interesting sauces. I especially liked the bearnaise sauce. Delicious on fries. The sushi was also off the hook. Fresh Norwegian or Swedish salmon is unbeatable.