GERMANY TRIP BLOG - DAY 12 – 6-3-10 - MUNICH – Residenz Treasury & Museum – Hofbrauhaus – Churches: Damenstift – St. Michael’s – Frauen – St Peter’s

We took the underground to The Residenz. Just before it, we saw….

THEATRE CHURCH – An immense gold colored building. To the left of it was the….

NATIONAL THEATRE – Immense light gray building with two triangles on top. The top-most one was golden, with statues inside. The other was of the same stone color as the theatre, also with statues. I suspect they were to imitate the Parthenon. In front of it there's an amazing, huge statue of….

MAX-JOSEPH – Maximilian I – Bavaria's first king.
In 1806, Napoleon let him be king if Max's daughter married Napoleon's stepson (making his son royalty). Max emancipated Jews and Protestants.
Munich became the capital of Bavaria when Max's son (Ludwig I) ruled. When Ludwig I got married, his wedding festival became an annual event, now called Oktoberfest.

MUNICH RESIDENZ
From the 1300's, it was a political and cultural center for dukes, then starting from 1623 the electors, and finally (1806-1918) Bavarian kings, mostly made up of the Wittelshach family (King Ludwig's line). The various rulers added on to, decorated and furnished the palace as they pleased.
The palace was mostly rebuilt after WWII destroyed parts of it. Part of the front (covered with a huge tarp with the picture of what it's supposed to look like) was modeled after Medici's Pitti Palace in Florence.
There was something made of brass outside – shiny from where people obviously touched it for good luck.
We walked through doors into an immense entry that went into a garden area with statues, and from then into the entry hall of the palace, where we saw a model of the outside of the palace. The first floor has 93 rooms, and the top floor about 120. Many were lavishly decorated with fancy furniture or items.
We checked our coats and decided to go through the Residenz Treasury first.

RESIDENZ TREASURY
Founded in1565, there are 1250 items, not all of which were talked about on the audio guide. If listened to from start to finish, the audio guide would have taken us 5 hours. We selected numbers for what we wanted to learn about. Most objects, I just photographed. Mom and I tried to take pictures of different things.


ST. GEORGE SLAYS THE DRAGON – 1556 –
One of the two main items. This is about a foot long, covered with jewels. A rope across the front made me wonder if I should walk through the open ends – it didn't completely block the way, and I didn't want to set off alarms, so took pictures from behind. A while later, Matt told me he read in Rick Steves that it was fine to get up close, so I went back and took photos of the exquisite detailed work.

HUGE JEWELED NECKLACE – 1565

Emeralds are fake. Real ones auctioned off for money.


ALTER BOX – 1573
Inside middle, the back was facing out on the other side. The original, super fancy inside was lost or destroyed, so they flipped the back around.

IVORY CHRIST ON CROSS – Matt pointed out how the nails force the flesh to sag and hang around them.

TINY CERAMIC FIGURES (1600's) IN FANCY GRAY STEEL ENCLOSURE (1700's)

HUGE BOX WITH PICTURES ETCHED ON CRYSTAL – carved scenes from the Old Testament

HUGE CRYSTAL BROACH - 1604
Made for a woman. There's a painting of a woman with it sewn on her sleeve. Military themed. Has a knight's uniform in the middle of it.

2 IVORY GLOBES – 1570 – One of the constellations, one of the world.

SMALL ST. GEORGE & DRAGON – 1570 – ceramic

COLLECTION OF WATCHES – 1600'S
Most of them look more like a compass (with a lid) and were primarily for decoration, rather than function.
Pocket watch with 4 small circular faces in it.
Ring watch – 1585
Watch pen – includes calendar and multiplication tables

TURK WITH CLEAR BLUE HEAD – 1520 – Bust of a female with a light blue sapphire head.

PARROT HANGS BELOW TINY SCENE – Parrot added later. Circle with tiny scene above it was created in the 1500's.



BOX TRAVEL SET – 1810
Made for Napoleon's second wife as a wedding gift. Includes dental tools, sewing kit, dinner service for 2, writing utensils, seals, opera glasses, a ruler, a drill…….

CROWNS – 1800's
Never worn by Bavaria. Made by the same shop in Paris that made Napoleon's crowns. Bavaria joined the anti-French alliance, and the crowns were now "too French" to be used.

Didn't quite finish looking at everything. I was hauled out of the last two rooms quickly because everyone else was waiting for me. I tend to get really focused when bedazzled like this. (Great for performing, not always so good for “real life”.)
We took a break and then got our bags back so I could eat and drink before we continued. Stuffed a bunch of dried fruit in my mouth, drank water, and called it good. Good thing I ate, because we spent the next three hours in the "museum" which was actually the rest of the palace.

I mostly ignored the audio guide and focused on taking pictures of the opulent rooms.


RESIDENTIAL MUSEUM



SHELL GROTTO – Ground Floor, Room 6 – Original 1550 – Rebuilt after WWII.
Didn't know I could take pictures. DAMN IT. Red wine used to spurt from the mermaid's breasts and drip from Medusa's head. Decorated with Bavarian shells. After it was bombed, the Bavarians from small towns collected and donated shells for the reconstruction (Nazi photos showed what it looked like).



ANTIQUARIUM – Ground Floor, Room 7
Real Greek and Roman statues mixed with replicas. 1/3 of the statues in the room are real. Most are fakes created by Romans during the Renaissance to sell to wealthy European families.
I think I found one of the real statues. Can see where it was colored, and didn't have any red (fake purple marble) on it. Plus many of the tassels on the shawl were broken off. I pointed it out to Mom.
1550's paintings of small surrounding villages on ceiling are the originals (survived bombs). 120 Bavarian villages.

GALLERY OF THE WITTELSBACH FAMILY – Ground Floor, Room 4 – 1740's
All official guests had to pass through to meet the Duke. Family tree in the center.
Basically a scrapbook that takes up a room. Ceilings are white – bombs destroyed paintings on them.
The portraits are originals (quickly cut out of their frames before the bombs hit)

NEMPHENBURG PORCELAIN – Ground Floor, Room 5 (at end of family gallery) – 1700's
Whittelsbach's had their own Nemphenburg porcelain made for the palace (something only the richest and most powerful could do)

RED ROOM – Second Floor, Room 62
Coral red – the most royal color in Germany. Contains miniature copies of famous paintings, done with a single brush hair.

PRECIOUS ROOMS – Upper Floor, Rooms 55-62
Long string of rooms just for show.

BEDROOM – Upper Floor, Room 60
The Duke publically went to bed and got up, (first and last audience of the day held here, like Louis XIV did).

CHAPEL – Upper Floor, Room 89
Site of Mad King Ludwig II's funeral.

RELIQUARY – Upper Floor, Room 95
Skulls of John the Baptist & his mother Elizabeth on jeweled pillows.

PRIVATE CHAPEL OF MAXIMILIAN I – Upper Floor, Room 98
Miniature pipe organ from 1600 still works. Stucco marble – stucco applied and polished. Was cheaper than the real thing.
Post-Renaissance perspective tricks on walls.
Case on right as you enter supposedly contains 3 babies form Herod's slaughter after Jesus birth in Bethlehem.


ORNATE CHAPEL


HOFBRAUHAUS
We had lunch at the nearby Hofbrauhaus restaurant. Hofbauhaus is one of the six major Munich breweries. There's a room where regular customers have their personal steins locked up. Some are centuries old, and people were stealing them (thus the lock and key system). Huge rack on the wall and the mugs are mostly surrounded by a band of steal, plus there's a little door in front, each with an individual lock. A few guys run the room and clean the steins after they are used. There's a bouncer at the door who nabs 20-50 people a day trying to steal beer mugs (the thieves are mostly Italians).
(When we first arrived in Munich I thought everyone was talking about going to the "opera house". Yesterday, Matt told me there wasn't an opera house here, and thought it was hilarious when he realized my misunderstanding. It’s an easy mistake to make!)
Crowded! Very loud – plus a polka band that played every 15-30 minutes. They serve huge steins of beer, and Matt said the serving women can carry 6 in each hand. Dad wanted me to take pictures of them, and then took a few of Matt and I.
Mom ordered choc. mousse. Still hungry after lunch, even after eating some dried fruit from my pack and some of Mom's choc. mousse. Matt promised me a French pastry, but we never got to it.

Dad's ankle was really sore (a condition he's had for decades – particularly when hunting), so he wanted to go back to the hotel. Matt gave him a lesson on the subways, which was followed by additional mini-lessons and clarification from Mom and Matt.
Matt told him several times he'd pay the extra 5 Euros to put Dad in a taxi, but Dad really wanted to do the subway himself. Bought his own ticket and everything. Mom said he'd surface eventually. (He only got confused twice on the way back – not bad!)
Mom, Matt, and I wanted to see 4 fancy churches Matt knew about from the Rick Steves book. Matt's an excellent tour guide, and patiently waited while we clickety-clicked away with our cameras.

MUNICH #1 – SHIRT RAINBOW - Matt pointed out an "S" shaped curve of shirts in a shop. Each a slightly different color, to form a rainbow. Must have been 20 of them.


DAMENSTIFTSKIRCHE – Woman learning? Church
Aside from looking amazing inside, contained life-sized statues that are painted from The Last Supper scene. There's a gate between the entryway and the main part of the church. We didn't go past it, and just took pictures as best we could from were we were.
Later, asked Marlies what Damenstift translates into. She said it’s a school for older women. They are kept apart, so it’s sort of like a nunnery, but different.

MUNICH #2 – TALL COLUMN FOUNTAIN -
Walking to and from the church, we passed by a fountain that spilled over unevenly. Tall pillar with 3-D carving all around it. The top was a bowl, but the water spilled out unevenly, as if there was a ball rolling around inside it.



ST. MICHAELSKIRCH - ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH – late 1500's
Destroyed in WWII. I took photos of the photos of the destroyed church, as well as loads of photos inside it.
Front façade - shows St. Michael fighting Protestant demon
Has a crypt of 40 Whittelsbachs (including King Ludwig II) but we didn't see the crypt.

MUNICH #3 - MUSHROOM FOUNTAIN – Large alcove made out of small cement blocks, with a pool that had big mushroom water fountains.

FRAUENKIRCHE – METROPOLITAN CHURCH OF OUR LADY – late 1400's – dome late 1800's
Bombed in WWII – only the 2 tall towers survived. Pretty much demolished, but they decided to rebuild it. Amazing things used to be hanging on the columns. Black, big, ornate tomb in the back is for Ludwig IV, who died in 1347. His grave used to be in front of the alter.
Used to be as fancy as the others, but they rebuilt columns comprising of the body by the pews so they are plain. Someone repainted the ceiling using Nazi photos taken before the war.
There were a gob of alcoves on the sides. Not sure what was old and what wasn't. I took pictures of some stuff I guessed was old, or that looked cool. Mom took a lot more photos than I did. People were praying, in the front pew. Some people just took pictures, completely ignoring the people praying in the pews.
There was a man in the front pew who was really praying hard. I refused to walk in front of him, just to get better pictures. People first. I hope things turned out ok for him. He was deeply troubled.

MUNICH #4 – MAN ON BEAM –
Larger than life-sized man standing on a steel beam coming out of a shop.

Because it wasn’t pouring, or even raining, we decided to once again go see….

MARY'S PLACE
Took better pictures of the statue of Mary and the 4 smaller statues beneath it.
NEW TOWN HALL GLOCKENSPIEL – Got better video of the knight falling back during the joust and dancers. Much clearer without the rain.


ST. PETERS – original – 1158, rebuilt after bombed in WWII
Built, added to, and revised since before 1200, it was then completely destroyed by bombs in WWII. It's been reconstructed, though the naves are in a different order. The frescoes were repainted.
THE ALTAR
Wooden pillars on hight pediment of marble – 1730-1734.
St. Peter on his throne – 1493-95
4 statues of people around St. Peter – 1732-33
Tabernacle below Peter created by 2 artists between 1749-86.
2 angels on either side – 1804.

CEILING – Peter crucified upside down

PILLAR STATUES
ANDREW – 1710
To the left of the altar is a statue of Andrew, with one hand on a large wooden X and the other holding a book.

PAUL – 1710
To the right of the altar

REST OF THE APOSTLES – 1753-55
One on each pillar, because they are "the pillars of the church"

MARY - 1710

CHRIST – 1710


PULPIT – 1753-55 – Wrapped around a pillar on the right and sticking out over the pews.

GOTHIC CHAPEL ALTER (located front-left) – survived the bombing, by being buried in sand bags.

CORPUS CHRISTY ALTAR – 1757-58
Behind marble railing is a small altar with a huge gold something in the middle. Behind that there’s a large painting of the last supper (1644) in a frame that has 2 pillars on each side. The top of the frame goes up for a while, with golden angels on it. Above the frame is a fresco painted on the ceiling.

TOMB OF MUNDITIA (2nd chapel on left side after you enter the building)
Martyr from 200's. Roman casket with red lettering. Given to Munich by Rome.

GRAY IRON FENCES – made by local railroad blacksmiths after WWII

ORGAN – 2003 – reconstructed from one made in the 1700's.


Walking back to our hotel, the streets and subway were remarkably empty. We figured it had to be some sort of holiday, because the restaurant we ate at last night is closed tonight, as are most restaurants and a lot of the shops. When we got to the front desk, we asked and learned it's a Catholic and Batavian holiday. (Learned later from Marlies the people usually parade through the city, stopping at flowered spots to pray before continuing. The parade in Zeeben passes right in front of her daughter Nani's house, so she can't drive out. Pisses her off. This year, due to rain, the processions were inside the church.) There are finally more than a handful of people in the hotel.
We ate the food we already had.
I started sorting photos from June 1, hoping to finish before Mom was ready for me, but it was only about 10 minutes later when she came up.
She brought her old Mac. So old, it has real problems copying files form outside devices (like her camera), because another program keeps interrupting the file moving after 30 seconds or so. If she saves them directly to her desktop, then the files are scattered all over the place – on the desktop. Takes her a long time to download her photos this trip.
We tried various things, but I have too many images. Some were transferred, but it was too hard to figure out which ones, so I gave up after 20 minutes.
Matt's new laptop will probably keep working just fine, but I've worked too long with computers and won't feel secure without a backup. I should have listened to Matt and brought my Wolverine external hard drive. I didn't realize how much space I'd need.


ST. PAUL'S
While deleting bad or extra photos from my memory chip, Matt had the window open and saw that, outside our hotel room window, St. Paul's was lit up really pretty. He got my folks. I took a few photos.
I finished deleting bad and extra photos taken today form my memory chip, then downloaded them while I finished getting ready for bed.
Finally sorted the rest of my June 1 photos. For a while, I wrote today's Diary, while also sorting today's photos. Doing it all chronologically, but Matt was getting snippy and wanted me to turn off the light. I quickly outlined the rest of today's events.
It was around 11:30. Read for nearly 2 hours. Just not sleepy. But typing makes noise, which makes it harder for Matt to sleep, so I'll just hope tomorrow I'll have enough time to catch up.

GERMANY TRIP BLOG - DAY 11 – 6-2-10 – MUNICH – Deutcshes Museum (Germany’s Smithsonian) – Assam Church - New Town Hall Glockenspiel

Got 8 hours of sleep last night. Helped. Matt got up before me and took the computer downstairs. Said he found a motorcycle he asked Roger to buy for him, if it hasn't been bought already. Walked back up the stairs to get my folks. I haven't taken the elevator yet. I just walk up and down the 4 stories. Breathing a little harder at the top, but I'd rather move than wait for the elevator.
We walked downstairs. Slim pickins in the meat department, but then our server came and asked if we wanted eggs. She didn't think I understood her when I asked for 3 eggs, and had to cook extra, but I appreciated them. Ate a croissant with cheery jam. Still needed more food, so ate about a cup of cereal (which is pretty dense). Real milk and sweetened with the rest of my cherry jam. Everyone is eating more than usual, but we're walking it off. European Vacation is definitely my favorite diet plan.
Before we left our table, the gal working the dining room told us she was from Romania. She didn’t understand "United States" in English or German, but she got "America". She gave us 4 apples to take upstairs, so when I went back down, I let her select an American candy.
More rain today. The locals absolutely can't believe it. Matt said he was told it's flooding in Poland and parts of Germany. At the end of the day, the raindrops grew bigger, and fell faster. Matt was tired of being wet. Cold too. Not as cold as Eagle's Nest (thank God), but certainly not summer weather. Wore Mom's raincoat over my head and backpack, like a cape, to keep the rain off. Really glad I had it when it started pouring in the evening.
Matt and Mom figured out the subway system. Matt thought it was funny that they include tickets for dogs. Later, Mom asked if I wanted to learn. I have no interest. Mom said she doesn't feel secure unless she can get places, on her own. I trust Matt. I’m not going anywhere on my own, so no need to figure out the subway.
I tried to sit when I could, during our trip, to preserve my feet. My backpack weighed a ton. Pressed on my shoulders and back because I was carrying a full 2L bottle of water. Fortunately, we checked our bags and jackets at the museum.


MUNICH

DEUTCSCHES MUSEUM (like the Smithsonian)

Filled with real (and really big) boats, ships, planes, helicopters (including the first functioning helicopter, from 1936), a real sub cut in half (a U1, the first German sub, from 1901 – been in the museum since 1921), rocket propelled car and sled from the 1920's (inspired U.S. and Soviets for space travel), steam engines, other engines….My grandpa would have spent many happy days the various rooms demonstrating mechanical stuff.
A miniature train set takes up half a room. The person running the switchboard made the streamlined, newer trains go faster than the older trains and kept track of 4-5 trains running simultaneously.
There's a robotics area, with various robots built in the last decades.
The toy section contains toys from the 1800's to more modern creations. Most of them are blocks, erector sets, Legos, and similar things. There's an incredible church built from a combination of sets. It's three feet long and nearly as high in places. Even the inside is fancy – little blocks to create fancy floors, and a cross you can see on the altar.

The glass section included a glass blower, doing his thing. He worked behind a counter filled with his little animals, snowmen, and jewelry - for sale, of course. Matt suggested I look at the earrings, and I selected two blue pair. Deeper blue leaves, and a pair of lighter blue balls with clear tiny balls around it.
We ate lunch around noon, then toured the rest of the museum.




ASSAM CHURCH - Officially called - Church of St. Johann Nepomuk ("Matt's Church")
About 10 years ago, Matt was working in Germany, and the German he was working with asked Matt if he wanted to see something most tourists would miss. Matt followed him through the maze of streets to this church, and Matt took a picture of the address, but couldn't ever find it again. I put the photo in my photo album, pulled it out before our trip, which allowed Matt to find the church again. He’s wanted to see it again for the last decade.

Crammed between two other buildings, it’s not very wide so it blends in. But when we walked inside, our jaws sagged. It’s fancy beyond belief. A lot of beauty crammed into a small space.



From Wikipedia:
Built 1733-1746 by the Asam Brothers ("Asamkirche" in German).
Munich's Catholic Church of St. Johann Nepomuk, better known as the Asam Church, was built from 1733 to 1746 by the brothers Egid Quirin Asam and Cosmas Damian Asam as their private church. Due to resistance of the citizens, the brothers were forced to make the church accessible to the public, though they had taken on all the costs of building. The Asamkirche is one of the most splendid achievements of Bavarian late Baroque architecture or rococo. It is framed by the Asamhaus (Asam House), built in 1733, on the left and the Priest's House (built in 1771) on the right. The church is in the Sendlinger Straße only a few minutes walk from the Town Hall in the centre of the City.
The ornate facade tells about the deeds of St. John of Nepomuk. The ceiling of the church is decorated by magnificent paintings and gold trim, and the high altar shows the Chair of Mercy Group, with God the Father and the crucified Christ. Ignaz Günther created the two angels of the fraternity altar in 1767; they were acquired and added later.


ASAM-HOUSE (Asam House)
Built in 1734. Immediately to the left of the church. Where the brothers lived, next door to the church. It’s likely the church building was once part of their own house, before they turned it into a masterpiece.

I thanked a nun standing outside the church. She talked to us in German even though she knew we were Americans. She lives above the church and locks it up every night. She couldn't believe the weather either. Hoping for sun soon. She asked how long we were in town, and if we were staying in Frankfurt. We told here we’d only be there one day. Such a nice woman. Looked directly into my eyes. Matt and Mom understood more of what she said, but I got some of it. What a treasure!


We had 70 minutes until the glockenspiel went off, so we wandered and hung out. Seeking shelter from the pouring rain and cold where we could.

FARMER'S MARKET – "Viktualienmarkt"
We walked to the Farmer's Market. On the way, I took a picture of a cool fountain. Mom and I took pictures of animals made from plants. Very cute. Hedgehogs, owls, chickens, etc.

We ate pretzels. Mom and I sampled, then bought some dried fruit. I learned that kumquats are just very small oranges. Took a picture of a big mouthed fish in a fish shop. I asked a local manning a stall, in German, if some water coming out o a faucet in the middle of the market was good to drink. (Earlier I watched someone slurp some) and was assured it came from a well. I was out of water, so filled my small bottle. Delicious!


MARY'S PLACE (Marianplatz)
Took pictures of a fountain with a big fish.
There’s a tall statue with a golden Virgin Mary at the top, which was moved here in 1638 from Frauenkirche, to thank the Swedes for not sacking the place. The bottom has cherubs fighting against the four great Biblical enemies of civilization: the dragon of war, lion of hunger, snake of plague and disease, and rooster-headed monster of heresy (Protestantism). The serpent being stepped on represents "wrong faith" (Martin Luther).
Matt took me through the New Town Hall, where there was some cool architecture, as well as a neat tower hiding in the back.


NEW TOWN HALL (1867-1908) GLOCKENSPIEL – 1909
Huge stone building that looks like a church. 40 statues of town nobility and royalty that were carved in 1900.
The glockenspiel only runs a few times a day. Rain poured down on the watching crowd (amazing how many tourist idiots like us will stand in such crummy weather to watch the glockenspiel do its thing). Survived WWII bombs. Restored in 2008 (100 year anniversary).

There are 32 live-sized figures in the glockenspiel. The upper section recreates a royal wedding from the 1500's. The Duke & his bride watch Bavarians (in white & blue clothes) beat their enemies. Two knights run at each other. The second time around, one knocks the other back. When the stop figures stop moving, the lower ones start dancing.
When the figures at the top stop moving, the lower section starts up. Barrel makers dance and twirl while the music continues to play. (Historically, they really were the first to come out and dance after The Black Plague was over.)


As soon as it was over, we split for the subway, rode it back to the hotel, got rid of most of our stuff, then ate dinner at the same place as last night. Ordered the same cheese spread, and were served a basket of pretzels that we weren't charged for.
Mom said Tony, Grandpa's brother, worked on trains before WWII, which made him valuable. Because he understood German, he'd hang out around Germans and listen as an American, then report what he heard to his commanding officer. He helped make sure the trains ran during WWII. After the war, he'd come over or call Grandpa and talk into the early morning, and Grandpa would listen, even though he had to get up at 6 a.m. It was Tony's way of processing.

GERMANY TRIP BLOG - DAY 10 – 6-1-10 – Castle Hellbrunn – Trick Fountains – Herrenchimemsee Castle - Munich

Got up at 7:30. Wanted so badly to keep sleeping, but it's not an option unless I want to screw everything up for everyone else. After an an amazing breakfast, we loaded up the car. Still raining and cold. Even the natives are complaining.

CASTLE HELLBRUNN (in Austria, near Salzburg)
Built by the Prince-Archbishop Markus Sittikus in 1612-1619. We took pictures of the Sound of Music gazebo where "16 Going On 17" was performed and filmed for the movie. The gazebo was built for the film, and left up for tourists. On a building outside, there's a sundial high on the wall. Never seen a vertical sundial before.
Inside the palace there's a lot of paintings of things that came from far away and/or looked weird (which the Archbishop used to show the extent of his money and power). Even more impressive to visitors than his large painting of a parrot, was the live bird he kept in the palace.


There's a painting of a horse with 8 hoofs. Each leg ends with a normal hoof, plus one behind it that is smaller. The painting looks like a portrait, so I suspect the horse was real.
Inside the house is an animated fountain shaped like a metal head. It's mechanized so as a section fills with water, the weight forces the trough to drop and swing forward, which makes the tongue stick out and eyes roll up. It's in a glass case so you can see the mechanism that runs it behind it.
THE FISH ROOM – Filled with various paintings of fish. There's a mural of a life-size fish that's over 6 feet long hanging on the wall. The archbishop, as ruler, had the biggest fish. The longer the fish you owned the more power you had. The room includes a table with a white painting using the "cagliola technique" on top. The picture is of Diana goddess o the Hunt with Hound.
BANQUETING HALL – all the walls and ceiling were painted (by Arsenio Mascagn who lived from 1570-1637) so the room looks much larger than it is. The room was amazing.


FESTIVAL HALL – next to it and also painted on all sides.


ROYAL GARDEN OF HELLBRUNN (with trick fountains)
The Archbishop wanted something that wasn't morose and formal, like everyone else, so he created an amusement park of water fountains in his back yard. Husbands loved to see their wives get soaked.
ROMAN THEATRE – Took a few photos from inside the palace, but most were outside.
THE ROYAL TABLE has slits on the seats. The Archbishop sat at the head of the table. Once everyone else was seated, he would nod to a servant, who slyly opened a hidden in the wall and turned levers. Water erupted from the ground as well as the slits in the middle of the seats. Only the Archbishop’s seat remained dry.


To the left of the Roman Theatre is a stone building…..
GROTTO OF ORPHEUS – Looks like a cave inside and represents the Entrance to the Underworld from which Orpheus used music to free his wife Eurydice. In the foreground, an Ibex spews water. (The Archbishop was fond of Ibex’s and scattered his collection throughout his property - statues, paintings, and even a few live ones.)

GROUP OF FOOLS – Outside 3 foolish statues are shot at by a ballista marksman statue. (A ballista is a weapon that uses small stones to shoot birds.) The original statue was shattered by 1792. The replica was carved in 1950.

STAG HEAD – One of the two bronze stag heads shoots streams of water out of it (and onto victims admiring it). The heads are on doorway walls of….
THE GROTTOS ENTRANCE – Beside each stag heads there’s a 10 foot tall pillar, with feet at the bottom. One side is topped by a male head, the other with a female head. The Grotto Doorway faces the…

ATTEMPTS FOUNTAIN (also called ZODIAC FOUNTAIN) – Shows Peruses and the personifications of the Four Seasons. Behind the 4 seasons there used to be orange trees, which were grown as decoration, because the orange fruit looked so pretty.
One of the fountains in it had a green ball that bobbles on the water that is shooting up.
Across from the Attempts Fountain, walking through the Grottos Entrance is the….

NEPTUNE GROTTO – Super fancy design. The lower part of the fountain is another mechanical face – using water to move the tongue and eyes. It contains 2 trick waterfalls. Water squirts out the lower walls and up through holes below the entryway to the next room…..


MIRROR GROTTO – Fancy decorations cover the walls and ceiling, along with a lot of small round mirrors all over the walls. Two entrances lead into the…
BIRDSOUND GROTTO – It sounds like real birds are singing, but the sound is purely mechanical - created by water. 4 figures "float" on a ring in the water and go around and around. They set up a video showing how all the mechanical devices work.

THE ROYAL WAY contains:
5 SMALL GROTTOS – with moving figures 4-6 inches high.
VENUS GROTTO – Matt pointed out the two turtles that shoot water into each other's mouths. A statue of Venus stands in a grotto. Water falls at her feet, and over (but not on) a flower. MECHANICAL THEATRE – Newer than most of the other fountains, it was created in 1748-1752. Nearly 200 figures move to organ music – and everything is mechanized by rater.
IBEX GROTTO
CROWN GROTTO – Originally called "Grotto of the Idol" and used to be one room. The hillside moved, so now it's got a wall in it, with a window in the middle.


Water symbolizes power. Power changes everything. Just inside the grotto room there’s a large boulder with animals carved all over it. On top sits a pointed hat (the "crown"). A mechanism allows water to squirt under the hat so it shoots up in the air. The further the lever is turned, the higher the crown is pushed up. It'll go all the way to the ceiling, which is circle of glass that lifts a little when the hat strikes it. Other handles will turn on water so it forms an arch over the path leading just outside the door.
GROTTO OF MERCURY – A small statue of a stag surrounded by 4-6 inch high dogs – all of which squirt water a surprising distance.
GROTTO OF EURGDICE
NEPTUNE FOUNTAIN

We toured with a group of young teens who loved getting wet. The guide kept us dry by quietly warning us where to stand. I chatted with him at the end of the tour. Gave him candy and my card. He was a tour guide here over the summer, but came back because he hadn’t had his fill of the atmosphere. It’s a unique amusement park.
I took lots of photos of the vast grounds and pools and statues that make up the immediate "back yard" of the castle.
After lunch, we drove a little ways, which put us back in Germany.

HERRENCHIMEMSEE CASTLE
We took a passenger ferry over the lake to the island where the castle sits. The castle is in the middle of the island. Took us a while to figure out where to go. Long walk – 20 minutes, in the rain and wind. Must have been 40 degrees F. I used the umbrella we bought in Italy. Everyone else had hoods or hats.
Took lots of pictures of the fountains, and then more once the water turned on.- CLICK! We wandered the gift shop while we waited for our tour of the castle.
Luwig II started building it in 1878 to be a replica of Versailles. Work stopped when he died in 1886. 70 rooms. 20 are finished. No pictures of Ludwig. Many are of Louis XIV & XIV (his idols). 50 chandeliers in the palace.
No photos inside, so Mom and I each bought different books after the tour. SO FRUSTRATING.


Notes I Took During the Tour
PUBLIC ROOMS OF HERRENCHIEMSEE CASTLE
Louis XIV loved peacocks, so there are a lot of them throughout the building.
ENTRANCE – Floor, stairs, and fancy statue on the landing are made from real marble. Fake marble, created from paint and plaster, then sanded until smooth, covers the walls (and is currently worth more than real marble).
ROYAL BODYGUEARD ROOM – dedicated to war, so all the paintings are of battles.
FIRST ANTICHAMBER – The state cabinet inside opens.
SECOND ATNICHAMBER – Contains the 2 largest mirrors in the palace at either end, so they endlessly reflect the chandeliers in the room.
GREAT HALL OF MIRRORS – 17 door panels, 33 crystal chandeliers, 44 gilded candelabras, 25 paintings of Louis XIV on the ceiling.

GOLDEN STATE BEDROOM – Every inch is gilded. Purple drapes around the bed weigh 300 pounds – the most expensive thing in the room. Ludwig fashioned his bed after Louis XIV’s, who had an impressive bed primarily because he held his first and last audience in his bedroom. Ludwig’s bed hasn't ever been slept in.
The highest windows are covered in red material, so when the sun shines through them just right, it bathes the room in red. (No photos of this exist. Such a shame.) The wooden floor is super fancy.



COUNSEL CHAMBER – Contains Ludwig's Clock – mechanized so that every hour, King Louis appeared and got crowned. Tour guide said the clock has never been wound.
HALL OF MIRRORS – 90 meters long. HALL OF WAR is on one side; HALL OF PEACE is on the other side.


PRIVATE ROOMS OF HERRENCHIEMSEE CASTLE
All dedicated to King Louis XV. King Ludwig only spent 10 days in them.
KING'S PRIVATE BEDROOM – HUGE blue glass globe - 8-10 inches in diameter. Hollow inside and contains 3 candles. When lit, they'd bathe the room in blue light. No photo exists of this. Contains the door to the only bathroom in the castle, which only the king could use. On the other end of the room is a door leading to a spiral staircase that goes into the King's dressing room.

PRIVATE OFFICE – The desk is a copy of the one owned by Louis XV. Contains 16 different types of wood (for different colors that make up the pictures in the front of it). There's an astronomical clock. The heaviest chandelier in the palace weighs 500 kg. and is held by an angel hanging from the ceiling.
DINING ROOM – "Set Yourself" table (based on a fairy tale) that went into the floor where the servants set the meals. Contains the largest Meissen porcelain chandelier in the world (Ludwig had the drawings for the design destroyed after it was made, so he'd have the only one in the world). Vase on table and the flowers in it are also made of porcelain, even though they look 100% real. You can't tell the difference.
PORCELAIN CABINET ROOM – Everything in it is made out of porcelain.
LITTLE HALL OF MIRRORS
UNIFINISHED STAIRCASE – Exact duplicate of front hall staircase and was to be the king's private entrance. The glass and steel roof is the original – very modern for it's time.
MECHANISM FOR THE MAGIC TABLE – took 20 minutes and 2 men to raise and lower it. The kitchen was supposed to be next door, but wasn't ever built, so the king had his meals prepared in another building, far from the castle, and trotted over to his staff so he could be fed.
KING'S BATHROOM – The bathtub held 1600 liters of water. Took 4 hours to fill and 4 hours to heat.


KING'S DRESSING ROOM – We could see the spiral staircase through a door that led up to his bedroom. Loads of mirrors. Easy to see himself from every angle.


HERRENCHIEMSEE CASTLE MUSEUM
No photos. Saw a photo, painting, and death mask of King Ludwig II. Lots of furniture from his private rooms. Matt showed me a painting of the golden cutlery bowl. Can see inside it, and how the knife and fork would be laid inside. By Franz Brochier – Munchen 1884.


We took more pictures outside and I got a few from the boat. Spent most of the boat ride sitting (Matt walked around since there weren't enough seats and he didn't want to use the empty chair where 2 elderly women sat.) He did point out when the castle would be visible from the boat so I could get in a picture.
We were all starving when we got to the car. Munched on snacks (thank you Marlies!) as we drove. I looked through Mom's book on the Hellbrunn Fountains – so I could figure out which grottos or fountains I'd taken pictures of. The photos in the book mostly matched the order of my pictures, but sometimes I had to really look around. Didn't quite finish by the time we got to our hotel.


MUNICH
Finally, a hotel where we'll stay more than one night! Tiny elevator, and we're on the fourth floor, so it took several trips to get our stuff up. I swapped candy with the lady at the front desk.
Matt and I got settled. I finished adding notes. Hungry, we ate at a nearby restaurant.
Matt's co-worker lived in Munich for a short time, and suggested something we had to try eating. It's a soft cheese, made up of a variety of cheeses – totally delicious (and not on the menu).
Took a picture of Mom next to a 3 foot high, wooden, fancy carved beer stein.
At the table next to us, there was a sign that said, “Stammtisch fur Fischer Jaga und sonstige Lugner.” I later asked Marlies what it meant. She said it was a joke. “Stammtisch” is a “members only club” but “fur Fischer Jaga” means anyone is welcome to come. “Und sonstige Lugner” means something like tall tales. Like when guys talk about the fish they caught that was SO BIG (and complete baloney). Interesting. I saw what looked like a 14 year old boy, drinking beer, telling a story to an older man, so this makes sense.
Back in our rooms, I finished putting a few things away. Got ready for bed first this time. Also stretched. Watched some news and a movie, dubbed in German, about giant, colorful spiders that were attacking and eating people. Matt, Mom, and Dad tasted another of the monk samples. (It was minty smelling, so I declined.)
Finally got to work on my Diary and typing in notes from our tours.
It's already past 11:00, so time to get to sleep. Wish the hotel didn't smell smoky.

GERMANY TRIP BLOG - DAY 9 – 5-31-10 – Eagle’s Nest – Documentation Building - Bunkers

When we arrived in the dining room, the wife rattled stuff about the food to us in German, using gestures and pointing to clarify. I told her, in German, that her house was fantastic, and that I really liked the food. She beamed. She also let us know her homemade jelly was (of course) for sale. Hungrier than usual, I ate a large breakfast.
It snowed on the mountains last night and was colder today. The temperature dropped as we drove farther up the mountain. We stopped at the information area to figure out how to get to The Eagle’s Nest.
We walked to the bus depot. Cold. Matt couldn't believe I didn't put on a sweater this morning. I figured we'd be mostly indoors – the Eagle’s Nest is a chalet. Thought I’d look out through the windows. Matt and Dad get tickets, and then we had a 25 minute wait for our bus (in the warm gift shop).

THE EAGLE'S NEST
We got on a bus that drove up switchbacks and around the mountain. The bus drove us 2,300 feet up a 4 mile long road. Hilter's "retreat" is 6017 feet above sea level. It was given to him as a B. Day present, though he only actually stayed there 14 times.
Water condensed right above me. Matt protected me with his arm until I snagged a napkin from Mom and swiped at the drip once a minute. It started cloudy-foggy and raining. The View was hard to see. The higher up we went, the harder it was to see anything. About half way to the top, the rain turned to snow, which was accumulating at the top.
We got off the bus and walked through a brick access tunnel 406 feet straight into the mountain. We waited for the elevator in a brick domed room. The inside of the elevator was all shiny brass - even the ceiling. It's amazing! The elevator shot up 406 feet in 41 seconds.

It was FREEZING – literally. I clenched my teeth to keep them from chattering. The wind blew as snow fell in thick fog. We couldn't see more than maybe 20-40 feet. I took a few photos as quick as possible.
Inside the entry to the building B&W pictures show stages of the building, as it was built (by Jews performing slave labor). The inside is beautiful wood paneling. No furniture. After the war, the locals came and snagged it for themselves. It's scattered all around the surrounding villages today. One guide’s grandparents had one of the mantles.
Matt and Dad wanted to walk the 100 yards up the hill outside where there's a cross memorial. I took a few pictures of them before they disappeared into the clouds and snow. I took pictures of the few rooms we had access to. There's a big dining area for the restaurant. The original purple marble fireplace is still in the room (with chips people snagged as souvenirs after the war).
We took a bus 10 minutes earlier than we'd signed up for. Mom's video camera malfunctioned, so I took a bunch of pictures through the window (whenever there was a "tree free" area). Got some good shots.
Back at the gift shop, Dad bought a book on the history of The Eagle's Nest. We ate lunch in the restaurant by the information area. Matt volunteered to snag my sweater from the car (since he was getting a sweatshirt for himself, buried in the luggage). We ordered and off he went. My hero! He even stuck my sweater inside his coat so it'd be dry and warmer.
Mom had hot choc. Not very sweet (like the American version), but warm! Dad wanted an American burger with fries. After lunch we had dessert. The apple strudel tastes like apple pie, which I've had plenty of, thanks to the apple trees in my parent's yard. I ate a cherry cake, which was ok. The small scoop of vanilla ice cream was better (plus I snagged most of Matt's).

DOCUMENTATION BUILDING
Another walk (that seemed longer because of the cold), to a building that had pictures taken before and during the war. All the descriptions were in German, but we rented one English audio guide, and passed it around.
Saw propaganda for joining the Nazi's, about Hitler, ways to be a good German, photos from after and during the war showing Jews (alive, dead, bodies of skin and bones). Pictures of Hitler with kids (“kid-friendly” Hitler – scary!) Toys from the era, including a horse race gate, with little wooden horse heads in each, bobbing around. Memorabilia created and sold during the war. Women were given medals for birthing German kids:
Bronze – 4-5 kids
Silver – 6-7 kids
Gold – 8+ kids

BUNKERS
Underground cement and brick tunnels and rooms where Nazi military stayed during bombing. They were supposed to retreat to it if they lost the war, but Hitler refused and decided to commit suicide instead. (Also, Allies bombed the area above the bunkers, which probably made it hard to get into.)
Matt showed me a small room with three holes half way up that they put machine guns in. If you look up through one of the holes, you can see stairs leading down to the tunnel.
Another "room" that used to be an elevator shaft, had water dripping from the top of the roof, which formed stalactites.

Back in the car, as soon as I warmed up enough, I got sleepy and had to nap.

AUSTRIA
We're barely in the border, but Dad really wanted to say he'd been to Austria, since we were so close, and I agree with him. Mostly, it's very cold (we're technically "in The Alps") and raining a lot. Yay.
Briefly woke for 30 seconds when Mom and Matt announced to Dad that we'd finally reached the Austrian border and had left Germany. There's a post by the road to indicate this. Went back to sleep.
Our hotel had no elevator, and we were on the third floor. Everyone helped haul stuff up, but and Matt turned into a Super Hero and somehow lifted the heaviest bags up by himself.
Laid down for a nap as soon as we checked into the hotel, around 3:30. Matt and Dad went off to wash clothes, but couldn't find any place. Mom (still cold) tried to get warm under the covers.
Matt woke me about around 6:00. Could have kept sleeping all night, I suspect. We drove 5 minutes or less (avoiding as much of the cold downpour as possible) to a parking lot near some restaurants. The first restaurant was buffet, but they weighed the meat to figure out how much to charge. There was another method for the price of the salads and veggies. Too hard for Matt to decipher, so we went around the corner to the bar.
Smoky (Matt said Austria hasn't declared "smoke free" zones, like in Germany). The place we ate was clearly a local bar. Matt wondered how often they get tourists. Our waitress spoke a bit of English, so between our smattering of German, we got along fine.
For dessert, Matt ordered the Austrian special chocolate cake (a bit dryer than American), Mom had the white cake with whipped cream and alcohol, Dad had a white Napoleon. I politely tasted a bite of each. Blah. I enjoyed my choice – a scoop of chocolate and scoop of vanilla ice cream (with 2 cookies). The chocolate ice cream also had some chocolate bits in it. Mmmmmmm…..

Back at the hotel, prepped for tomorrow. Matt drank another beer while reading as I worked on the PC. I asked which of the “monk beers” he likes best. He likes any of the darker beers more than the lighter colored "light" beers.
I looked at Hotmail – nothing. Praying it means Passengers isn't casting yet. Rather glad The Easy still doesn't have a start date. Last night I prayed I auditioned for an indie (which I got immediately) and a new TV series Bob Frasier was producing (hadn't auditioned yet, but was in high hopes after nailing the prior audition).
Read IMDB News – Dennis Hopper died. Typed Diary. Dumped photos into the computer and organized them, then got ready for bed while everything backed up. Read a while. Got to bed around 11:00.

If you can not stand behind our troops,
feel free to stand in front of them!
Happy 4th!

GERMANY TRIP BLOG (http://DianeMatsonActress.blogspot.com) – DAY 8 - 5-30-10 – Salt Mine

Up at 7:00. Cloudy day, so no reason to do the gondola ride.
Gave Mom her B. Day card. She said the best gift we can give her is to spend the day with her in Germany (which is good because I haven’t found anything worth buying for her over here). FINALLY got my suitcase organized so I can find my clothes and stuff without emptying everything out every time. Matt and Mom figured out what to do over the next few days. I did Diary and downloaded photos to the PC and backed up.
I brought a small bag of candy to pass out to people helping us on our trip (waiters, hotel workers, etc.), so figured out how to say, "Would you like a candy from the United States?" in German and worked all day on memorizing it. The word for "United" in German has 4 syllables - it's a doozy. Wrote the key words phonetically and kept looking at the paper all day.
We drove a lot today, particularly in the morning. Mom went nuts over the mountain view (we were so high our ears popped). She loved the trees, meadows, snowy peaks, houses, etc. I get more excited about water falls, so she’d point them out when she saw one. (Easier for her to do, since she sat in the front.)
We grabbed a snack at a gas station. I ate a sandwich, with pretzel bread. A little salty, but tasty. Dad's coffee cost way more than the pastries. Coffee costs a LOT here.
We drove into Berchtesgaden and purchased tickets to the salt mine. We had two hours until our tour, so we ate lunch at an Italian restaurant. We were the only customers. Most places close on Sunday. I ordered a pizza with ham and pineapple. Mom's pizza was like mine, but her "Tropical Hawaiian" pizza also had cantaloupe cooked on it. A little odd, but interesting. I tried out my “Would you like candy from the United States?” German on the waiter. He chose two chocolate candies (the fool – American chocolate sucks compared to Europe’s).
We drove back to the salt mine parking lot to get in line for our tour. As we walked to the mine, Mom talked about how well European kids behave. They get along with adults, joke around with them, and tend to sit on adult laps more. She also noticed that Germans eat ice cream, even when it's cold and raining. (With such great tasting ice cream, no wonder.)

SALT MINE
Waiting in line, I was pleased to see a group of deaf people (always gets me excited, since I taught myself sign language). They weren't on our tour though. Looked like they were using European sign lang.
We wore salt miner's jumpsuits, then waited for the train to take us into the mine We were given an audio player that was automatically activated at specific areas of the tour. So when the tour guide spoke German, we listened to the pre-recorded English version. Matt noticed our batteries were low, so we got fresh ones. In the middle of the second audio track, mine device suddenly started hissing loud static. Broken! I gave it to our guide and Matt shared his with me.
We entered a huge cavern where we watched projected lights and lasers put on a “show”. Then we got to slide down 2 long wooden railings to the next level. Each person sits in front of the other, holds onto the shoulders of the person in front, with our legs straddling the railings. Then we leaned back, and let gravity take over. Our butts started warming up about halfway down, but we slowed down as the slide leveled off at the bottom. It was awesome!
In the middle ages, salt was so precious, it was called "white gold." Mad King Ludwig's architect designed a cool tunnel of arches in an upper section of the mine. It’s made of alternating white and red salt rock. Red means the salt has magnesium in it. White "rock" is 100% salt.
Originally, the mine area was covered by seawater. There are 5 levels in the salt mine. The bottom level is where the real work happens. We didn’t go down that far, but did watch miners on a monitor.
Only 50% of the rock contains salt. They drill the area to see if it's worth mining. If there’s enough salt, they pump in water. Over the next few years the salt dissolves. Every two years, the brine (saltiest water is on top) gets sucked up. More water is flushed into the area and over time, the process creates a pit. The process is called "wet extraction". There are 28 brine pools in the mine right now.
We walked into a room filled with enormous white plastic "salt" crystals that had interactive information screens and displays. One display had various containers filled with varying amounts of salt to show how much salt people eat in a year, how much is deadly if consumed at once, how much is in an average meal, etc.
We saw a huge bronze pump that was built to pump brine 350 meters uphill. It worked without breaking down for 110 years. Then (yippee!!) we took a second wooden slide to a lower level.

MIRROR LAKE – Huge salt water lake that reflects light so well, Matt thought he was looking at the bottom of the lake rather than a reflection of the ceiling. We got on a raft, which took us to the middle of the lake. Then they turned off the lights so we could watch a light show. Electric lights created geometric patterns on the cave walls, which reflected into the lake.
The last section of the tunnel had fancy memorial plaques in walls. Commemorated people who died. We took an elevator up a few levels, and then got on the train. Before the train took us to the surface, everyone got a free tiny salt shaker of mine salt. Just before we reached daylight, speakers release a muted explosion.

Dad, Mom, and I had ice cream and waited for the pouring rain to die down. When the lighter cloud patch was nearly overhead, we split for the car. Our jackets were still soaked.
We drove back the way we came and picked a hotel. Since we skipped Venice, we didn’t have a hotel booked. We really lucked out. It cost $30 more than our average hotel fee, but was worth it. It was run by a family. The wife wore dresses that made her look like Snow White, and her husband wore traditional German clothes. She spoke no English. He spoke good English. Their daughter (who also spoke English) and her 3 young kids lived with them. The place is like a Bed &Bath.
On top of one of the surrounding mountains, we could see The Eagles Nest (a lodge gifted to Hitler, though he only spent 11 nights there).
We sat outside Mom and Dad’s room. Mom filmed clouds moving over the mountains while Matt and Dad drank beer. I updated my notes from the tour, then, using my limited German, handed out American candy to the kids (and adults) who made us feel so welcome.
We walked about 1/8 of a mile to a restaurant that was, fortunately, open. The female cook spoke English and translated the menu. Her husband (our waiter) spoke a little English. I asked them the German word for Birthday and then told them, in German, “Today is Mom's Birthday.” The couple smiled and got excited. Then the husband brought out glasses of Italian champagne (on the house) and the 6 of us toasted Mom.
We talked and I learned more about Matt’s job working at Corey’s Slug and Snail Bait, how his uncle and aunt started the company in their garage, as well as the various jobs my dad had growing up.
Mom and I ordered ice cream for dessert. I had vanilla with blackberries (and 2 cookies, which I gave to Dad and Matt). I got another spoon so Dad could sample mine, and told the waiter, in German "My Dad would like my ice cream," and he laughed.
Dad got apricot and Matt blackberry liquor. Nearly 100% alcohol. Mom and I had a tiny taste of each. (We preferred the ice cream.) Matt LOVED this evening – spending time relaxing, eating, and swapping stories with loved ones.
On the walk back to our hotel, Matt again commented how much the weather, trees, humidity, temperature, clouds, even the smell, reminded him of working in Sitka, Alaska for a few weeks each Sept. Nice to more fully understand a piece of his job experience.

GERMANY TRIP BLOG – DAY 7 - 5-29-10 – Oberammergau Museum, Luge Ride, Jesus in the Grotto, Etal Monastery & Pilgrimage Church, Linderhof Castle

Got up, stiff and sore at 7:00. After breakfast we packed up the car, and left it in the hotel lot.

OBERAMMERGAU
OBERAMMERGAU MUSEUM
3 floors. Bottom floor contained wood and paper dioramas from the Bible – generally the Nativity Scene or Jesus’ death. They were created by the townspeople as a devotion to God. Some were centuries old.
Second floor had fancy wood carvings & toys that were centuries old. There was a wooden "backpack" the seller could wear that displayed toys all over it. There were some hilarious toy snails on wheels. “Mommy! I wanna go play with my snail!” Saw a large diorama (on a 8x4 foot long table) of a king's marriage parade, a wooden clock with wooden gears, and tiny carvings that fit inside walnut and hazelnut shells.
The top floor contained Passion Play history and memorabilia. Photos of actors, the oldest surviving copy of the play (from the 1600's I think, old costumes, and props.
Matt bought me a hardcover book with pictures from this year’s Passion Play.

LUGE RIDE
5 minute drive from Oberammergau. 1-2 people per orange plastic “car”. Two hand brakes – one on each side, are pulled or pushed to slow or speed up the car. Pulling back slows it. Pushing forward speeds it more than leaving them alone.
Matt went first. He said next time, he wouldn't brake around the curves so much.
I went next, and used the brake a little, unsure of how bumpy or fast it would go.
My parents followed and, with silly grins and bright eyes, we universally decided to go again. My second trip, I really went for it. I highly recommend it to everyone. Mom’s not really into roller coasters, but she loved the luge.
There were goats standing on big rocks by the bottom of the ride. 3 cows near the top completely ignored us. Watched one cow resting on it’s side while another gave it a bath – just like cats.


JESUS IN THE GROTTO
After one minute of driving, we whizzed by some hikers looking at something high up on the side of the mountain, so Matt turned the car around. It was a very crocked path, medium steep, with logs at the end of each ground "step". At the top was a cave with a 6 foot tall statue of Christ.
Matt raced up, but didn't make it all the way before he had to stop, panting. I walked it. Matt said later it bugged him that I got the top the same time he did - by walking. The statue stood just inside a cave, surrounded by little red candles. In front of the cave, somehow, someone put in a large wooden bench, which Matt and I sat on.
Took some pictures, went back down, then drove another 5 minutes to…

ETTAL
Ate lunch at a café where you selected meat, cheese, and bread you wanted. There were people from a British tour group there. The tour guide bought a blueberry something or other, which he told a passing tour guest was "vegetarian". He declared it "a treasure". I decided to get me a slice when we ate our dessert.
We stopped at a street vendor that had a booze booth set up. Matt examined the bottles with interest. The local monks make it. Matt perused, but wanted to see if they sold it cheaper at the monastery.

ETTAL MONASTERY AND PILGRIMAGE CHURCH
In 1832, the Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Bavarian, returned from Rome with a statue of Madonna and Child that was supposed to be miraculous (although no one knows why). It was made in Pisa around 1300. Because he was in political and financial trouble, he decided to have a monastery. He left the statue as a centerpiece to draw crowds. It worked. The church became famous, the property was seized during the French Revolution, but then returned to a house of worship.
We walked through the church, which retained the original entry door from 1350. The picture at the top is of Emperor Louis and his wife, Margaret, directing visitor’s attention to Christ.
The inside was AMAZING. Fancy gold decorations against white paint. Prayer stations. The domed ceiling (230 feet high) has a fancy painting that shows Benedictine monks worshipping the Trinity. Huge chandelier in the middle. Statues of saints either having holy conversations with each other or singing praise to God.
Fancy altar area that actually recedes back so it's a separate room. It was roped off. On the altar is the small original “miraculous” statue of the Madonna, holding a baby Jesus.

ETTAL BAKERY
We each selected a different dessert, then shared, except Matt, who ate all of his biggish, fancy cookie, by himself. Dad had a fancy apple pie (and coffee). Matt also had coffee. Mom had a layered white and choc. cake. I ordered the blueberry tart thing.
I've been really looking forward to the desserts here, but honestly, they don't do much for me. The chocolate is pretty good. The pastries aren't as sweet. The bread is probably a little better than in the U.S., but nothing that makes me want to just scarf it down. This is probably a very good thing.


LINDERHOF CASTLE
Where "Mad" (probably manic) King Ludwig spent most of his time, because it was the only castle he designed that was finished. Certainly the most opulent of them all. He loved 1700's rococo and super fancy décor – like at Versailles.
Ludwig collected vases, and there are 120 in Linderhof. He also loved (and collected) swans and peacocks. There are two 4 foot high, porcelain peacocks. When they were placed outside, Bovarians knew King Ludwig was residing there.
The fancy "gold" adorning the walls and ceiling is really carved wood, covered with a thin layer of gold. This still amounted to a lot of gold. Estimated worth today – about $50,000. (So if any of you millionaires would like to save a little money, this is a great trick.)

THE MUSIC ROOM - Contains a piano-organ that wasn't ever played because Wagner never got to come over. The "tapestries" on the walls are actually large painted murals on cloth. Hard to tell the difference by looking at them though. One of the large peacocks stands next to the piano-organ.

SILVERED SERVANTS' ROOM - The next room is "silvered" rather than covered with gold. It's for the servants, so smaller than the other rooms.

THRONE ROOM – The cloth around the throne is "needle painted" - 100 stitches, using gold thread, to make up 1 centimeter. Took 2 years to complete all the needle painting.

BEDROOM – Ludwig was tall for his time – 6' 1", so the bed is larger than normal. It's also bigger because in Versailles, the king would actually hold court from his bedroom. Ludwig wanted to be a Louis XIV mini-me, but he was reclusive, so used the room only for private purposes. He never married, though he came close once. The window across from the bed looks out over the various statues and long waterfall built into the hillside. Best view from the house.
The enormous candelabra in the bedroom holds 508 candles, but wasn’t ever lit, to preserve the fancy painting on the ceiling.
Love the fancy, painted porcelain mirrors on either side of the window facing the bed.

MIRROR ROOM – Ludwig wanted a replication of the Versailles Hall of Mirrors, but didn't have the space, so his clever architect created a room where the mirrors faced each other, creating reflections of never-ending hallways of light. When the candles were lit, it was spectacular. Once a year, on Ludwig's B. Day, there's a special night tour of the palace, and artificial candles are "lit" to create the effect. Ludwig usually slept during the day, so greatly enjoyed the effect of the room.
The most expensive object in the palace is the chandelier – made of one piece of carved ivory.

LINDERHOF – OUTSIDE
Fountains, well groomed lawn, paths, plants, and statues cover the vast “backyard”.


LINDERHOF GROTTO (the artificial cave)
After a 15 minute walk uphill, we got to the grotto, where we waited for a guided tour.

ENTRY ROOM – 5 ovens heated the "caves" to 75 degrees F. I took a picture through a crack, where you could see the oven bricks. Another sight seer, pointed out some artificial crystals.

MAIN CAVE – Largest artificial cave in the world – 270 feet long and 14 feet high. Has a man-made lake that could be heated to 85 degrees F and included an artificial wave machine. Servants held colored glass in front the artificial lights, so the pool area would be bathed in red or blue light. Flip a switch, and the artificial waterfall gushes. Ludwig’s orchestra would play songs from Wagner's operas while servants rowed him around in his fancy boat.
Matt said Ludwig was just 70 years ahead of his time. He'd have loved Walt Disney.

Back in our rooms, we snacked on foods. Matt drank2 bottles of monk beer with Dad and played 3 handed Pinochle with my folks (he got a hand with Aces Round and a run). I tried to sleep, and finally gave up and did Diary until dinner.
We shared an apple strudel with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Strudel tastes basically like apple pie. The ice cream here is better than in the U.S. Mom and Matt said it tasted of butter and cream. Matt bought a 5 pack of small bottles of hard liquor the monks made. Sample sized. We sampled one that tasted of lemon and chamomile. Bottle #2 other tasted like a port (it was red). Mom and I liked #2 best. Matt and Dad liked #1 better. We all agreed both were tasty.
I got ready for bed and stretched - felt wonderful. Read some short sci-fi stories before I fell asleep.