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Published: June 22nd 2005
Grüße Gott! Today I took the EurAide tour to Schloß (Castle) Neuschwanstein, Schloß Linderhof, Wieskirche (Wies Church) and an unscheduled but abbreviated drive-by of another church and monastery at Ettal.
Wieskirche was disappointing. We arrived at exactly the time a Mass was starting, so we were unable to look around inside or take photographs. I got the impression that Herr Wissenberg (our tour guide and owner?/manager of EurAide) knew in advance that this would be the case, and the interior is really the reason for visiting, so I'm not sure what the point was. However, we did get to
see the inside (from the back), and even hear part of the Mass, and I picked up a guidebook with detailed photos and information about the church, so I guess it is not much different from the castles where interior photos are
never allowed. At least Wieskirche had a good reason; usually the castles do it just so they can force you to buy a guidebook.
It was darned hot today, and humid. At Schloß Neuschwanstein, we had our choice of a "25-minute walk" up the hill to the castle, or a few extra € for a minibus ride. Thank
"A little 25-minute walk"
From where I'm standing, to the top of that castle, in 35°C weather. Riiight!goodness I was forewarned by my companions on yesterday's tour that they had opted for the walk and it nearly killed them. Consider any
postcard photo of Schloß Neuschwanstein. Note how it is dramatically placed on top of a craggy bit of the Bavarian Alps. Now, consider that the parking lot is
on the valley floor. In other words, you will be hoofin' it the entire height of the crag, and even further if you want to take photos from the Marienbrücke (Mary's Bridge) above and behind the castle. Now, I'm tragically and embarrassingly out of shape. We'll leave out my cold for the moment, because even without it, (see above). So I, of course, squeezed onto the minibus and good Lord, that thing just drove and drove and drove straight up forever. We had to walk a bit further on a steep path to the Marienbrücke, which had great views, and then down an even steeper short path back to the castle. Inside the castle, we had six flights of stairs to contend with at various times. I did decide that I was not too pathetic to walk
down the hill, and it was fine, but wow, it was long
Up and down and back again
Schloß Linderhof has nestled itself in between two steep, ornately decorated hillsides: the waterfall and Venus Grotto, where I'm standing, and the fountains, gazebo and staircases across the way. and steep. Yes, I saw numerous elderly people on their way up, and yes, I suck, but at least I know my limitations and didn't ruin myself for the rest of the day.
At Schloß Linderhof, we got delayed when the staff had to deal with a medical emergency in some other tour group. Other than that, it was a standard, very gorgeous, rather small (for a palace) palace. I like Ludwig II's décor, but it's hilarious that he, a king of Bavaria, instead of putting up portraits of his family like most royals, put up portraits, statues and coats of arms of
Louis XIV and Louis XV of France, and not only of them or their wives, but also of their
mistresses! It is said that Ludwig II, a powerless king in name only, was nostalgic for the days of absolute monarchical rule. But really, mistresses?! I decided to make the short-but-even-steeper climb up to the Venus Grotto, because taking a minibus is one thing, but missing one of the highlights of the tour due to personal lameness is just not OK. The climb was hard, but I managed not to become a second medical emergency, and I recovered very quickly and enjoyed the heck out of the grotto. Hooray.
We did not have enough time to stop at Ettal without missing our train, but we drove by. Apparently our tour guide routinely rewards groups for their timeliness by squeezing in an extra sight or two beyond the already-ambitious schedule promised in the brochure. I'm not sure our group was particularly speedy, but he assured us that it wasn't our fault, just the unavoidable complication of the delay at Linderhof. Such is life.
Tomorrow I'm going to stop by the EurAide office and consult with them on my post-Salzburg plans. Herr W. seemed to think that Köln and the Rhine cruise would be a good idea, which is in line with what I was thinking. Y'all will just have to wait and see.
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courtesans
I read a book about courtesans and a king's mistress was more powerful than his wife--literate, trusted advisor. I'm jealous you got to see Neuschwanstein!