Of quiet splendour

From outside the castle is a symbol of silent beauty. Perched atop a hill, the walk up there is tiresome, but once you reach, it still does not change. It seems quiet, almost like the castle creeps up on you. The grandeur is unavoidable, but it is quiet splendour.

Though not very old, Neuschwanstein was built in the late 19th century, it has aged gracefully. I was told in the warmer months the castle is surrounded by a riot of colours. Very believable considering the thousands of trees around it. But we made our journey there after a day of snow and the scene was very different. We were taken to the castle in a horse carriage and you can go ahead and call me a romantic, but there is definitely something about going up a snow covered hill, to a castle on the hill in a horse carriage!

Every little girl who grows up on a staple diet of Disney, dreams of being a princess in the Sleeping Beauty castle. And if you are anything like me, growing up with Disney for breakfast, lunch and dinner, you would have a lot of your dreams set in that castle. It is no secret that Disney was inspired by Neuschwanstein. To see the real thing surrounded by snow, lofty spires peeking from between the snow tipped trees, is a treat enough to make you feel like a princess.

For all its subtle magnificence from the outside, the inside is a very different story. Neuschwanstein was built or commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria (also knows as Mad King Ludwig) as an ode to Richard Wagner, the great Composer. The decor in every room is bright, colourful and complete. Every inch that can be decorated, painted on or carved has been done. Not an inch has been spared. Scenes from Wagner's operas are painted from the ceiling to approximately 4 feet off the ground. Chandeliers with coloured glass hang in every room. Ludwig was so enamoured by the swan that his bedroom has a tap shaped like a swan, with water flowing out of its beak! Doors have handles shaped like the swan's neck, ceilings have swan motifs all over them. He even had a ceramic swan which was really an air humidifier! Make sure you see Ludwig's telephone, his bedroom, his dining room and his kitchen. Ludwig was a recluse and every room has to be viewed from that perspective. He hated being photographed and you can't see any trace of him throughout his palace. No painting, nothing.

All in all, Neuschwanstein is a must see. Whether you are a romantic at heart or just interested in architecture, a Wagner aficionado or a tourist eager to explore ever inch of Germany, Neuschwanstein is worth it. Take a day trip, you won't regret it.
                            

Smell the Perfume and the Brilliance

The beginning, made me flinch, cover my eyes and judge the movie immediately. In the first five minutes, a woman gives birth to her fifth child under her fish stall, by herself. She forcibly pushes out the baby, severs the umbilical cord with the same knife she used on her fish minutes ago and leaves the baby to die on a pile of scales, vomit, rats and other unmentionables.

That was it, I thought. I could see the rest of the evening. You could smell the filth and sense the smell getting under your skin. Little did I know, that was exactly what the Director wanted. After all the movie is all about smell. 

Das Parfum (Perfume: The story of a murderer) is a popular book in German, written by Patrick Süskind. Though I must admit,(a little red in the face),  I have not read the book the movie has me in a stupor. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Winshaw) is an olfactory genius with a life in the dumps. He can smell and distinguish a million scents before he can speak. But he himself does not have a smell. He can walk into a room and no one can smell him, he can hold his lover but she can't smell him long after he has gone. This hits him so hard, he sets out to make the world's finest perfume. At the cost of a dozen women.

The movie, though starkly made is one of the finest movies I have ever seen. It isn't just the eyes that are doing the work, in this case watching the movie is a sensory experience. The movie scores for brilliant acting by Ben Winshaw and Alan Rickman (most of us know him as Severus Snape from Harry Potter), superb music that enhances the film and a story that is bizarre but has the power to make you believe it. (Trivia Alert) This movie hardly made it outside Europe, owing to its story and extreme nudity. Watch the movie for its sheer brilliance.