Well, I just attempted updating the Munich post, but for whatever reason the internet deleted the post. So, out of frustration I decided not to edit that post with updates, rather to post something new for everyone to read. Perhaps later this evening I'll give it a whirl again.
In any event, after Munich we woke up early and traveled south to King Ludwig II's summer residence, Scholss Linderhof. More of a palace than a castle, this home was located in the hills of the German Alps. Upon our arrival we knew little of King Ludwig other than the fact he ruled Bavaria for a period of time and built a lot of castles. We would soon learn how peculiar he really was.
Initial impressions of Linderhof Castle was that the gardens were gorgeous with a backdrop of the snow capped German Alps accentuating them, they were filled with fountains, flowers, shrubs, and green grass. Gold fountains were everywhere you looked. The lawn was enormous with the palace on one end. We snapped some pictures and headed into the palace for our English tour. Soon after entering we learned that King Ludwig was obsessed with Louis XIII and XVI of France. Only later did we begin to speculate that his obsession with French kings wasn't just an admiration of their ruling style, but perhaps a romantic fantasy he possessed in his mind. Bronze busts, paintings, and tapestries of the French Monarchs adorned every room of the castle. Combined with the fact our tour guide stated that Ludwig "never married" and "was never in love with a woman" caused our suspicion to grow.
I don't know if it was documented that Ludwig was a homosexual, but the tour guide certainly never came out to see it. Perhaps because tourism at his castles are some of Germany's largest revenue generators.
Anyway, enough of Ludwig's fantasies...for now. Every room in his house was gawdy beyond belief. The walls were covered with 20-22K gold paint with ornate carvings and paintings to accentuate his ego. He even had a dining room where he could dine alone in isolation. So much so that servants could lower a table through the floor, set it and serve the King food and raise the table in front of his chair. He wanted it designed this way so he would never have to see another human while eating.
After completing the house tour, we followed a path to a "grotte" or grotto. It was a manmade cave complete with man made stalagtites and stalagmites that had the practical effect of being a personal opera house where Ludwig could watch operas in private with his lov...err...friend the famous composer, Wagner. Ludwig was a weird, weird guy. My explanation of him does him no justice.
Linderhof was the only completed castle built by Ludwig. This is because he bankrupted the German state of Bavaria building all his lush palaces.
After Linderhof we began our way toward Nueschwanstein stopping at the German Alp town of Garmish which Jennifer loved. This little town with the traditional German architecture at the foot of the Alps lured us in for lunch. After beef patties, brats, and beer we continued toward Ludwig's Neuschwanstein castle.
Up the road a truck flipped on it side and wrecked so we had to wait for it to be towed and removed from a ditch....Impatient German motorcyclists weaved their way through oncoming traffic to pass those of us stuck in the Schtau (traffic jam). Finally we were free....
Once at Neuchwanstein we were amazed. Perched high atop a mountain this castle was nothing short of jaw dropping. It was Walt Disney's inspiration for the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. After a long hike we made it to the top, weaved our way through whoardes of tourists only to discover tours were sold out for the day. So we hiked above the castle and took some photographs. It was amazing. A long hike, but well worth it.
After we saw this castle, we made our way to Lake Constance to stay for the night. A huge lake on the border of Switzerland and Germany with the Swiss Alps rising in the horizon. We needed the rest...more to come tomorrow on our journey to Switzerland. Hope all is well.
Russ & Jenn
rachel's room
9 years ago
No comments:
Post a Comment