Just to split my time in Bavaria in half...
The 15th and the 16th I spent taking day trips around the alps just west and south of Munich. The 15th saw me enter a small town called Prien an Chimsee (preen an kimsee). It seemed like a very nice place, very cosy. I walked straight from the train station to the ferry docks on Chimsee Lake. I grabbed the first ferry to the island Fraueninzel. On it is the first of three palaces/castles created by King Ludwig II from the 1860s-70s. He was a young king, and a little crazy, and he wound up spending his entire family fortune on these castles. At age 40 his family had a doctor label him unfit to rule, and a few days after ousting him he was mysteriously found dead in a 3ft deep pool of water, another doctor dead nearby. Was he murdered, or was it an accident? Hmm, tough call..
This palace is a miniature version of Versailles. Ludwig was incredibly enamored with Sun King Louis XIV. Every painting and statue in his castles are of Louis. Himself, he was shy, and there are no pictures of him. This castle only lacks the two wings and impressive gardens, but its Hall of Mirrors is actually longer than that in Versailles. Also, it is not finished. Ludwig only managed to complete the smallest of his castles before running out of money. But that doesn't stop its finished rooms from being amazing. Every white statue and wood panel carving is unique. Every chandelier, whether bronze, silver, wood, or porcelain (the most impressive) are carefully detailed. From wall paintings to floor inlays, I was impressed. And outside, the fountains with their statues of roman gods, cherubs, horses, dogs and lions slaying beasts, caught my eyes and camera for a long time. I also visited the other island and an abbey with nuns who make their own liquor. Of course, I bought a small sample pack. They were quite herbal.
The 16th took me on a bus tour to Ludwig's small castle, a mansion really of only 20 some rooms, the Linderhof, and the Disney Castle, the Neuschwanstein. Ludwig had an eye for the fairy tale setting. The mini-versailles is in the middle of a lake, Linderhof has the alps and forests as its backdrop, and Neuschwanstein is on top of a mountain, often draped in mist. I must say, I am quite satisfied with castles now (except Edinborough's I missed it!). What more can I say about these two castles? They are huge, beautiful, full of fine objects, places to be seen and not described. Again, "Disney" is unfinished, but it is easy to appreciate anyway.
These are the two nights I wrangled free dinners from other tourists, to who I am deeply grateful. I enjoyed a small town restaurant and the official Hacker-Pschorr brew pub. I even tried pig knuckle, which I don't find that appetizing. Too tough and too much fat. I have to say, the germans eat WAY TOO MUCH! My god, throw in what I had in Austria with Prague and Munich and I must have put on at least 3 kg! Meat and fat, potatoes, gravy, salads or coleslaw with lots of dressing, and all the beer you can drink. It's worse than America!