Plus, walking back to our hotel on the first day, we were standing with some others at a corner, waiting for the lights to change. An older man, maybe in his 60s, cycled up and stopped, speaking loudly in German to Rob and me, very clearly unhappy.
Pavements, we noticed later, were half laid with square pavers close to the building and had a smooth bitumen near the road. The man clearly thought we were not obeying the Munich protocols regarding free passage to cyclists.
So I turned to him and said, "I must apologise. We only arrived in Munich this morning." He didn't speak English which is fine as I only have a few German phrases, thanks to my dear friend Gisela. But his face instantly changed when I began speaking. He reached out his hand for mine, raised it to his lips, and kissed it in a courtly fashion. Crisis averted. Boy, are we careful where we walk now!!!
But this awkward start to our stay in Munich was well behind us when we headed out on our ten hour tour today, to see two of the royal palaces of Bavaria. The countryside was just so wonderful. Rolling green hills, then later mountains. Forests. Streams. And picturesque little villages, with white houses and terracotta rooves. The roads seem to nestle into the landscape. Apart from the main highways, the thin country roads have no gravelled area beside them, with another grassy strip to the farmer's fence. Here the crops grow right to the road side. No fences with pasture, though we saw a few when we spied a few horses or fat contented German cows in paddocks.
Schloss Linderhof was the only castle that King Ludwig II completed. He was a great admirer of the two Louis French Kings. So it is modelled on their Palace of Versailles. Now I have been lucky enough to tour this French Momument to Opulence. It is huge. What Ludwig has built was mainly just for him, as he never married and produced heirs, which I thought was virtually compulsory for royalty.
So it is like a toy version, though still grand, ornate and highly decorated. Ludwig's version of the Hall of Mirrors is quite clever. In one room, around five metres square, one large mirror is placed opposite a second large mirror, creating the impression of a long corridor of mirrors. Next stop was the "typical Bavarian village" of Oberammergau, oh ye of the Passion Plays.
More a Souvenior Opportunity. We were told that in the dead of winter, the farmers have less work to do so sit in front of roaring fires and carve wood. Given the amount of embroidered good also on sale, their womenfolk are right beside the stitching away. We saw many farm buildings on our travels today, with the entire south-facing roof slope covered with solar panels. I suspect these Bavarians are not quite so rustic these days. To be far, I did not find a "Made in China" sticker there.
We refuelled at the village of Fussen, at the Hotel Mueller. Then began the thirty minute trek up the side of the damn mountain to reach our second castle. Neuschwanstein. Richer tourists clip clipped past us in their horse drawn carriages. But we determinely trudged all the way up. Can you see the castle up the mountain?
Mysteriously Ludwig AND THE DOCOTOR were found drowned in s lake soon after. Ludwig was known as a good swimmer, though he was somewhat "plump" at the end of his life, aged only 40. In the first castle we saw his dining room, where the table and the immediate floor around it, could be lowered to the kitchen below, set for each course, then raised again each time, where this solitary figure could eat in peace. Given he enjoyed 11 or 12 courses each meal, no wonder he was fat!!!!
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