[design] 20 March 1966

It was my 10th birthday, and it was also a Sunday. I think my cousins came
over the night before. Anyway, as there were no plans for Sunday, I asked if
I could go to the movies by myself. I saw in THE SUNDAY BULLETIN movie
listings that THE MAGIC FOUNTAIN was playing at the CREST theater's
children's matinee that afternoon. To my surprise and delight, I was allowed
to go, which meant I was also allowed to take the 50 trolley up Rising Sun
Avenue for like a mile and a half--the CREST was in the Lawncrest
neighborhood at Rising Sun and Cheltenham Aves. (a 7-ELEVEN is there now).
To save some money for myself (probably to buy some candy at the movies), I
decided to forego taking the trolley and walked instead.

I got to the theater ok, and watched the movie with a whole lot of other
kids. I don't remember anything about the movie except that it ended with a
great aerial shot of this fantastic castle. I was mesmerized. "Where is that
place?!?" I wanted more.

To everyone's surprise and joy, a snow storm had started while the movie
ran. It was now a wonderland outside, and thank God I didn't spend all of my
trolley money.

http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=30787

It wasn't until 1969, when we got ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA, that I again saw
(a picture of) the fantastic castle. I was seeing Neuschwanstein.

[Not that it means anything, but it just so happens that King Ludwig I of
Bavaria (grandfather of Ludwig II who built Neuschwanstein) abdicated to
marry dancer Lola Montez 20 March 1848. I finally saw Neuschwanstein in
person sometime the first week of January 1976. I had no idea then that my
brother Otto was very sick at home. I still don't know what happened, but it
appears Otto ODed New Year's Eve. A half year later Otto went schizophrenic.
Back then I didn't know Ludwig II also had a brother Otto who also went
schizophrenic 18 January 1871 in the Hall of Mirrors of the palace of
Versailles while (cousin) Wilhelm King of Prussia was proclaimed German
Emperor.]

Brothers Grimm indeed.


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