Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Neuschwanstein

I can't believe I haven't done a post yet on the castle that inspired Cinderella's in Disney (previous post).  Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the most photographed locations on earth, but there are far fewer photos of the absolutely jaw-dropping inside.

Look familiar?
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 The Singer's Hall is just magnificent.

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 The murals are apparently life size, or nearly so.


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The bedroom tells the tale of Tristan and Isolde, not just in the wall art, but the carvings and details.


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 The grotto.  Wow.
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  This sink spigot is amazing, but you might need a castle to get away with something so elaborate.

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The doors are amazing too.

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How would you like to wake up to this view?


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 My friend Maggie took some lovely pictures of some of the murals in the castle.




Monday, June 18, 2012

Suites Fit for a Disney Princess

Hi.  (sheepish grin)  Yes, I am still around, alive and kickin'.  I've had a bit of writer's block with this blog lately...I've had a few ideas, but I would sit down to write the blog posts, and would immediately think of a million other things to do.  But it's time to restart.  So here I am!

Today I wanted to share a few images from Disneyworld.  Yes.  Last night my husband and I were watching a short documentary on Netflix about the hidden gems of the park, and they featured two incredible rooms.

First there's the Disney Dream Suite in the New Orleans area of the park.  Each room of the suite includes a "magic moment" or enchanted feature.




A bedroom with a train that, with the push of a button, leaves its display case and runs around a track in the room, interacting with each item it passes.  The artwork on the wall to the right also changes throughout the day.


The bathroom.  Oh, the bathroom, with its stained glass illuminated image of Aurora bathing, and shimmering blue glass tiles.



The bedroom lights up with the night sky, and the artwork above the bed changes.


There's a mechanical bird that sings along to music on the hour:

And the view isn't bad either.

And then of course there is the Cinderella Suite, right in the famous castle.

Once again, my favorite room is the bathroom.  Specifically the bath.  Apparently I'm not alone, as this is by far the most photographed space of the suite.  Three mosaics adorn the walls, and there are shimmering stars above.

Spy a William Morris tapestry on the wall above the beautiful door?


A private elevator takes you to the suite.

Behind a magic mirror in the living room area is a flat screen television.

Look at the tile floors in the bathroom!

And the "throne" with a tapestry across from it.

Even the towels are elaborately embroidered.

The floor of the elevator has Cinderella's crest:

A detail of one of the mosiac murals:

The bathroom light fixtures:

The beautiful mosaic floor in the entry:

The windows are all stained glass and block what must be an incredible view of the park.  But it's understandable, as Disney has to keep the mystique of its castle.  Even the window stained glass are to-theme:


Another shot of the beautiful door:


 And ceiling:

And bathtub...wow: