today is the 161st birthday of king ludwig II, the crazy and wonderful king of bavaria. born in munich (my hometown), he was the “fairy tale king”, the man who funded the building of castles like neuschwanstein – the prototypical palaces many north americans think of when they hear the word “castle”. king ludwig was a romantic, an unhappy dreamer, most likely gay, beloved by the people, a man with a huge vision who was way ahead of his time.
long live king ludwig II – if only in the hearts of nostaligic people like me.