Next, it was on to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which is in the far southern part of Bavaria--the Alps! Germany's highest peak, the Zugspitze (elevation 9718 ft) overlooks the town.
In the good ole days, we used to take the bahn up to the top of the peak to view the valley below and the higher peaks to the south. These days, it would have cost us about $375 to get the 5 of us up there, so we just went part way and had a little picnic.
L'Artiste on her first gondola ride up the mountain. It took her a minute, but she got used to it and loved it in the end! :)
These two shots are from the top of the gondola run. I know they're painfully similar, but what a spectacular view! Don't you just have the uncontrollable urge to burst into a verse of "The Sound of Music?" Corny, but true!When we got to the top of the run, I asked the gondola man when the last ride down was. He said four o'clock..."aber, wenn das Wetter kommt, you come." Well, as luck would have it, das Wetter kommt, (wow, does that happen fast in the mountains) and we didn't get to stay up there very long. We did get a picnic in though. It would have been really nice to walk back down, but we didn't have time before dark anyway. Beautiful path though--maybe another time...
Our Gasthaus--it was very nice, with a view of the mountains from the balcony. Not too expensive either, compared to some of the other prices we saw. In fact, it was in Garmisch that it was soooo obvious that the tourists are staying home in droves! There were rooms free in every zimmerfrei and gasthaus! Very little traffic and no crowds in the restaurants. That's not normal in the summer in this area--it's usually bustling.
4 friends in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.The further south you go in Bavaria, and into Austria & Switzerland, the more hand-carved wood and lovely hand-painted murals you see on the village buildings. I've included 3 pictures below, one more detailed than the others, so that you can see just how beautiful and intricate these murals are. The original ones are primarily religious paintings, although I saw one depicting a soccer game near Munich! Obviously, this top one is just a sign advertising a hotel--but what an ad it is!
While we were "down south," we visited Oberammergau, which is a famous village because of the Passion Play they do every ten years. It's also one of the major woodcarving areas too, so it's very interesting to visit there. In a shop there, I was watching a master carver work on an intricate and beautiful crucifix, and, as I looked over his shoulder and heard the tapping noise of his hammer and chisel, memories of being a little girl watching Daddy work in his shop washed over me. Different medium, same sounds.
In Southern Bavaria, the overriding theme for tourists is crazy old King Ludwig II (1845-1886)--the "Mad King." His touch is found in every corner of the region. He was quite extravagant, quite solitary, and...by most accounts...somewhat insane. He had 3 grandiose castles built for him in Southern Bavaria, the most famous of which is Neuschwanstein.
We didn't make it up there this time, although we drove past it so the girls could see just how magnificent it is--or would have been, had it ever been finished. At the time of King Ludwig's death (mysteriously one day after he was deposed due to mental illness), only 17 rooms of the castle were finished, and they remain that way today. Ludwig's other two grand castles were Herrenchiemsee, his rival to Versailles, built on the island of Herren in Chiemsee Lake and Schloss Linderhof. Linderhof Castle was, by some accounts his favorite castle, as it was isolated and "cozy," by royal standards, anyway. Ludwig detested public functions and the social events required of him by his position as King. Linderhof was a refuge for him, where he could enjoy nature and avoid his more formal duties. The Schloss itself is really quite small, for a castle, anyway--although it is typically opulent. It was Ludwig's, after all! This is the only one of his castles that we visited this trip. I had never been there, so it was very interesting--we had a lovely day to explore too.
Linderhof has several magnificent fountains that are interconnected with the Venus Grotto up the hill. The Grotto is a man-made cavern created to stage operas (mainly his beloved Richard Wagner's) for the king. The water features up in the grotto help to feed the fountains in the formal gardens down below. There were even electric stage lights in the Grotto! Wow!
One of Schloss Linderhof's formal gardens
The "stage" in the Venus Grotto--notice the tapestry at the back. Operas were staged here, and occasionally King Ludwig would have his servants pull him around the pool of water in this gilded boat--there's only about a foot of water or so in the pool.
King Ludwig's balcony perch in the Venus Grotto. While operas were staged here, Ludwig was the sole patron in the audience! He never received guests here at his "summer home."After our southern Bavaria whirlwind, it was time time pack to come home. It was hard to leave Yvonne, because it seemed like we didn't have time to catch up fully! It's been way too long since we got to spend time together.
On our way home, in the Paris airport, all four of us gleefully rushed to the bank of computers in the waiting area to check our email and begin to get back into our "real" lives. Next on the agenda: moving the girl to Denton, TX to attend the University of North Texas! Suddenly, the 3 of us have all sorts of kelly green clothes around here! On to the next chapter.
Although my life doesn't incude lots of real "travel" per se, I hope to keep up with this more personal blog. It's all a journey, right?
Photo credit, 3rd mural above:
PartyO. "Oberammergau_P." Flickr Photostream. 30 July 2007. 22 July 2008.
1 comment:
I have found adventure in flying, in world travel, in business, and even close at hand... Adventure is a state of mind - and spirit. Flights to New York
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