Neuschwanstein

Image by Adam Derewecki from Pixabay



When, I was eighteen years old,

I joined a college trip to study in Salzburg Austria. We took frequent trips to nearby locations for European History, Art Appreciation, and Music Appreciation classes.

One day, we crossed the border into Bavaria to visit
Neuschwanstein Castle. I knew of it only because Walt Disney used it as the
model for his castle in Disneyland. Looking at the attached photo, you can see it’s
no replica by any stretch, but there’s clear inspiration in the many spires
with buttressed balconies.

We gathered in a courtyard, blocked by trees in the picture. It was bounded by a crenellated parapet, angled downward to give bowmen a clear shot at advancing enemies. I stood, looking over the edge, while my classmates milled around, waiting for the tour. Now, you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking this hyperbole, or memory stretched out by the intervening years, but I’d swear the drop was three hundred feet.

I have never had a fear of heights, and I’ve been climbing
vertical surfaces since I was two, so when the idea struck, it never occurred
to me how people would react.

“Take my picture,” I said to my classmates, holding out my
camera. As soon as someone took it, I climbed over the edge.

“Get back up here!” several classmates said. Others grabbed my
sleeves.

“Take my picture, and I’ll climb back up.”

The girl holding my camera just stood, staring.

“Hey, grab my camera, would you?” But no one did. Unnecessary
panic was clear in their eyes as they tried to return me to solid ground.

Thirty years later, I wouldn’t climb over that parapet again.
But thinking back to the incident, I’m still disappointed I never got my
picture.

I would have climbed back much faster if someone had just
pointed and clicked.

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