April 27: Schloss Linderhof

We woke up early this morning and went downstairs for a great breakfast (and unlimited coffee!) in the Dedlerhaus breakfast room.  Browsed in the proprietors' woodcarving shop, and while there talked to the owners about planning to take a local bus to Schloss Linderhof, the castle that "Mad" Ludwig II actually completed.  A few minutes later, one of them (Birgitta Haertle) came out with a day pass giving us unlimited use of local buses.  I love these guys.

So we caught a local bus up to Linderhof.  I had visited here in 1973 and was more impressed with it than the more famous Neuschwanstein, and it is an easy 30 minute bus ride from where we are staying.  We had a vague idea that we would get there and figure out how to move on to Neuschwanstein, maybe.

Schloss Linderhof is Ludwig's homage to French King Louis 14th, the "Sun King."  I think Ludwig had a serious inferiority complex as a king (albeit a very rich king... at least for awhile) in a constitutional monarchy in which he had no real authority.  In any case, Linderhof is based on Versaille, is filled with pictures of his French idols and imitations of their stuff (most magnificently, in the mirror room), and has no images of himself, at his insistence.  And pretty much everything is covered with gold leaf -- so much so that 5 kilos were used even though the layers are very thin.

After getting there and looking around, we tried to figure out how to get to Neuschwanstein.  As they say in Maine, "you can't get theah from heah."  The bus schedules were too infrequent, and ended too early.

So we stopped at a cafe and had a beer and wienerschnitzel. 

We weren't allowed to take any pictures inside, so you'll have to Google it to see the opulence therein.  But we got lots of shots from outside.  Here's a selection:

Schloss Linderhof, from the front

Shooting from the front of Linderhof toward the pools and fountains

Garden to the right of Linderhof, heading to the "grotte" and "Maurische" (Moorish) kiosk

Inside the "grotte," a fake cavern built by Ludwig... if I understood the German (probably not), to impress friend Richard Wagner.

Gardens to the left of Linderhof

The Maurisches (Moorish) kiosk

Inside the Maurisches (Moorish) kiosk

The view from above Linderhof

Above pools/fountains facing Linderhof

The pool and fountain in front of Linderhof

Inside the "Marokkanische" (Moroccan) haus, Linderhof

Translation:  "My people went to  Bavaria and all I got was this sh**ty bag."
They must've gotten this idea from the U.S.  Sorry, Germany!

Afterwards, we caught the bus back to Oberammergau, walked around, and had a light (salad) dinner.  Too much good Bavarian meat and potatos!

Off to Augsburg tomorrow.