These trips where a few days sepperated by us going to Austria but we thought that we would post them together. On September 30 we went to Dachau and then on October 2 we went to Neuschwanstein.
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On our way to Austria we stopped at the Dachau Concentration camp. Going to Dachau is a sobering experiance. Its amazing how you can feel all of the hate, pain, suffering...and tons of other feelings so strongly at one time. It is an experiance that we believe everyone should have at least one time in their lives. Even today the name Dachau evokes horror. It is one of the first concentration camps and it remains unchanged as a symbol of inhumanity.
On our way home from Austria we stopped at Neuschwanstein (Cinderellas Castle). Although we have shared this information one other time in an e-mail we thought that we would share it again because we like it...after the facts are some pictures.
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Little known facts about Neuschwanstein
- Neuschwanstein is perhaps the most famous 19th century neo-romantic castle in the world.
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-It took 18 years to build Neuschwanstein.
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-Neuschwanstein stands on a rugged rock at an altitude of almost 6000 feet.
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Little known facts about Disneys Cinderellas Castle
-Neuschwanstein Castle was the original inspiration for Walt Disney in his concept for the castle in the classic animated feature Cinderella.
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-Cinderella Castle was completed in July 1971, after about 18 months of construction.
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-Cinderella Castle reaches to a height of 189 feet (57.6 m) tall.
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Little know facts about Cinderella
-The tale’s origins appear to date back to a Chinese story, called Yeh-Shen. However scholars also believe that the tales original origin could have been from Greece and called Rhodopis.
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-Over 500 versions of the tale have been found in Europe alone. Thousands are known throughout the world.
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-Cinderella's variations are so abundant that the tale received its own category-folktale type 510.
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-The despised third child who sits among the ashes is not a role limited to daughters (It can also be a son)
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-Most renderings of the story include an evil stepmother and stepsister(s), a dead mother, a dead or ineffective father, some sort of gathering such as a ball or festival, mutual attraction with a person of high status, a lost article, and a search that ends with success.
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-Now days Cinderella is perceived as a simpering, whimpering girl who is helpless until the right magic comes along. However in the earlier versions he/she was self-reliant, devoted to family and ancestors, and willing to make his/her own future.
