Zugspitze & Linderhof Palace 10.5.11

We have an awesome view from room 10! 

We weren't totally sure of the plan today but figured we would go down to breakfast and get any information from the hosts that we needed since no one was around when we got in.  There was a table to one side of us and Eddie and Theresa to the other and we were all Americans!  The other family used to live in a town right by us (they were Military) but now live in England. We shared information on the area and made a plan for the day.  Since it was a beautiful morning we thought it was a good time to get to the highest mountain in Germany, the Zugspitze, at 2,962m or 9,725'.  After that we took our trusty tour guide, Rick's advice, and headed to one of Mad King Ludwig’s castles - Linderhof and see some of the small towns in the same area.  We invited Eddie and Theresa to ride with us since they didn't have a car and were looking to do the same sights. 
 
There are 3 options to get up the mountain, cable car, cog and cable car combo or hike it!  We did the cable car since we knew what to expect from the Untersberg experience.  What a ride, it's almost like hugging a rock wall as we climbed up parallel to the mountainside!  At the top it was pretty cold and a little bit of fresh snow had fallen earlier in the week.  Thank goodness the sun was shining strong because the wind in some spots was pretty darn chilly.  It was so worth it though, the views were just majestic. 

I don't think words or pictures can really do the panoramic views any justice.  The Eibsee Lake which we parked near was a beautiful turquoise color and reminded us so much of the glacial lakes that we loved in Glacier National Park.  There are large terraces, the Bavarian and the Tirolean.  It's crazy to be able to go back and forth from the German to the Austrian side through the walkway which was the former border control before the countries opened their borders.  We spent a good amount of time up there, mostly just taking in the scenery.  It's pretty amazing to see all of the construction that has gone on at the summit; buildings & restaurants that take up a lot of the peak' s space.  The gold cross that marks the summit on the German side was quite tempting to climb out to but with the winds whipping at 9,000' I'd say we made it close enough! 
 
After Zugspitze we headed towards Linderhof Palace. We had heard from more than one person that this was the best of King Ludwig's castles.  Plus, this was the only one of his places that was fully finished (1878).  I have to say, it was quite the gem, just a quaint little place - suitable for one lonely and crazy king.  The Baroque façade was influenced by French architecture and the inside was very Rococo from the time of Louis XV - he was very fond of the French kings.   The rooms were decorated with the illusion that he had in his head, a private fantasy world that he alone lived in.  Can you say Michael Jackson?!  That is what we all thought of as we toured through the grounds, that we were in a European Never-Neverland.  He lived most of his last 8 years of his short 40 year life in this castle, alone.  The more I learned about this young king the sorrier I felt for him!  After the castle tour we went through his grotto which was inspired by Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser opera.  It was a private theatre for Ludwig to enjoy his operas where he was the only audience member.  The first electricity in Bavaria was generated here to be able to change the lights different colors.  The gardens and fountains were beautiful and still so beautifully maintained.  It was tough to leave such a beautiful place out in the middle of the woods so we stuck around a little longer and Eddie and Theresa treated us to lunch!
 
We drove back to Ettal and walked through the very old and (even more!) Rococo style Ettal Monastery.   

In 1938 the Holy Roman Emperor returned from Rome with this "miraculous" statue of Mary and Jesus that now sits on the high altar as the centerpiece.  He was in political and financial trouble so to please God he founded the monastery.  Today the abbey is still active with 50 monks where they make their famous liquor and beer, run a hotel and teach in their private high school.
 
On the way back to Garmish we stopped in the small town that is famous for the Passion Play, Oberammergau, to check out the town’s main industry - wood carving.  

We stopped in a few shops to see some of the town’s craftsmanship and boy was it expensive!  Some of the statues and nativity scenes were beautiful and had great detail but just a little out of our price range.  I did manage to splurge for a nice wooden cutting board, made from beech wood.  The houses are all painted with characters or biblical scenes, as well as many of the buildings in town.  It was a neat stop, on the way back to the B&B.
 
We were all beat, it had been a great day with our new friends Eddie and Theresa.  Dave and I walked into town for some dinner, and found a nice little German pub-like place where the man running it commented (in Deutsch) that I was talking good in Deutsch...now I don't know if he was pulling my leg but I ate it up!  He gave us Ouzo - oy vey - we didn't need that but the gesture is nice and I just didn't want to be rude :). We stopped at a McD's and got a cappuccino and headed back to the B&B only to walk by an Italian place where our new friends were outside finishing up their dinner.  We stopped and waited for them to walk back and we are all turned in - busy day ahead tomorrow.  Learning a bit more about Mad King Ludwig at his boyhood castle, Hohenschwangau and his dream castle, Neuschwanstein.

Pictures of the day:

Zugspitze & Linderhof 10.5.11