Munich

Sunday 12 June

Awoke to a fine day – always the way – as we pack up and leave for Munich. On the way we decided to visit another of King Ludwig II castles in the town of Linderhof which meant a short detour under a mountain and via Austria (that was the easy part). The rest of the journey was following the Lake Plansee (gorgeous crystal clear glacial water) on a narrow road filled with Sunday sightseers, cyclists and us in our huge motor home before crossing back into Germany.

The Linderhof Castle was the smallest and the only one to have been completed. It was inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles and has many references to King Louis XIV (the sun King), but is a fraction of the size. Our guided tour took us into several magnificently yet overly decorated rooms including his enormous bedroom, the hall of mirrors and his dining room complete with state of the art 19^th century engineering – a table that decends through the floor to the kitchens below to be set and served by the servants and then returned so as not to bother the King. 

After the tour we thought we'd seen it all, only to be dazzled by the Grotto set uphill. This was a man made cave and underground lake containing a shell boat in which Ludwig would sit whilst servants rowed him into the wave pool where he could appreciate works of his favourite composure, Richard Wagner. The full lighting affect he required was a thing of the future, taking BASF much research to accomplish. This was also the first installation of electricity in Bavaria -undertaken by Siemens. The castle is set on the former hunting grounds of his father Ludwig I so there were many beautiful paths to explore, gorgeous fountains (including Neptune's), flower beds and a small chapel built for one.

After a quick hotdog lunch (yes, Sylvi is eating meat on this trip) it was a one hour trip along the autobahn to what many reviews depict as a dodgy camping site in Munich. Maybe it is so during Octoberfest, but we have found it to be good, in fact cleaner then the one near Wurzburg. One downer though is you have to pay 1 euro for a hot shower and 50 cents euro for hot water to wash up, but considering the overnight rate is relatively cheap we can live with it. 

Monday 13 June (public holiday)

Took the U-bahn (underground) into the city and spent a huge day exploring all the important parts – the magnificent facade of the Rathaus highlighted by red geraniums (just missed the 11am performance of the glockenspiel but caught the last musical part), St Mary's Cathedral (one of the less impressive), St Michael's where King Ludwig II tomb is located but although we went back twice more we still missed seeing it.

Another gorgeous church we visited was the Theatine Church, with distinct yellow exterior and baroque white stucco work inside, the detail was breathtaking.

After a quick lunch in the Hofgarten (Royal Garden) we tackled the Residenz (Royal Palace) which took us the better part of 3 hours. Apart from the usual spendor there was a very unusual display of religious artifacts supposedly containing bones, skulls or mummified remains of religious figures (the skull of John the Baptist, the mummified bodies of some of the first born ordered murdered by King Herrod). Possibly hard to believe true but a fascinating and very different display to come upon.

Too overwhelmed by the grandeur of the Palace, we couldn't bring ourselves to also view the Treasury room containing jewels etc, and decided to return to St Michael's to see Ludwig II tomb and also catch a local orchestra performing. Little did we know it was a full on production complete with bishop and incense and standing room only by the time we arrived. After a big day's sightseeing, we only lasted 3 numbers and left (much to the delight of the height challenged, senior German ladies standing behind us, tisking that tourists with “rucksacks” were blocking their view).

You would think we'd sleep through anything following such a big day, but angry ducks returning to their nests as 1am make quite a bit of noise. Luckily the bus load of young Contiki adventurers sleeping out in tents did behave themselves.

Tuesday 14 June

A slow start to the day but we met a lovely Aussie couple from Mudgee and were glad to chat in our own language for awhile.

Caught the U-bahn back into the city to visit the English Garden, designed for Bavarian prince Karl Theodor in the 18^th century. It is 5km long and 1.5 km wide and contains a boating lake, 4 beer gardens, a Chinese pagoda, several monuments and an enormous gaggle of geese all deciding it was time to leave the lake and venture onto the lawns for a feed as we walked past.

As we were leaving the gardens we came upon some surfers who were taking turns hanging ten in the rapids of a tributary of the River Isar. It goes to show you can be a surfer in the middle of a major city without the need to find a beach.

Tried St Michael's one more time to see Ludwig II tomb but once again we arrived in time for a service and the crypt was closed. It just wasn't meant to be.

Had dinner at a beautiful beer garden near our camping ground and met some young Aussies (Brisbane and Gold Coast) also travelling in a motor home also experiencing the fun and challenges this type of holiday presents.

Wednesday 15 June

Up and off early today (glorious weather for a change). As we went to pay for our 3 night stay we discovered that the “cheap” 14 euro a night fee didn't include another 10 euro per night for other charges such as rubbish, so this council run place turned out to be a bit dodgy after all. 

On the way to Salzburg we stopped at Prien to catch the ferry to one of Chiemsee's islands to see Ludwig II 3^rd (incomplete) castle – Herrenchiemsee. 

This is by far the most opulent and once again modelled on Versailles and basically a museum in honour of France's King Louis XIV. The Hall of Mirrors is incredible and the “continuous room effect” in the bedrooms by placing mirrors on the walls either side of the chandelier hanging from the ceiling never ceases to amaze. This time we got to see the mechanism underneath for yet another “drop table” in the dining room as well as a magnificent, golden carriage Ludwig enjoyed horse drawn outings in during winter. Though the castle was never finished Ludwig did stay here 10 days during its construction. For the first time we were able to see the unfinished rooms as they were when construction was halted.

As this year marks the 125^th anniversary of his suspicious death, a special exhibition detailing his life was available. It was a very insightful look at this young man and the dreams he wanted to fulfil but also his total disinterest in state affairs.

After the short ride back across the lake it was only 20 minutes or so to the Panoramic Campingplatz overlooking the city of Salzburg. This is a fairly small place, is a bit more expensive (hot water is included in the price), but the facilities are new and you can't beat the view. And they sell Mozart Balls in their shop!!

Hanging our Aussie flag out once we'd set up paid off yet again as we met a couple from Cairns travelling for 4 months in Europe and the UK. It's always good to hear stories from others and get useful tips about places they've already visited.

More Munich photos are here. 

Next: Austria!