Bavarian Alps

Sorry for the long delay once again but we are having significant difficulty with getting on the internet and we've been very busy.  Firstly we hit our usual Sunday snag in Germany of everything being closed, leaving us little to do but wander the town of Garmish-Partenkirchen. Then we spent the afternoon relaxing and this is when the hailstorm I mentioned last time hit.

Hail looking like snow in Garmish

Monday seems to be our fix the van day, so for the 3rd Monday in a row we were seeking help. This time it was to do the front brake pads, as their time was up. So after a bit of trooping in the rain and several rejections, we're too busy, can't do high-top vans, only do lorries we were pointed in the direction of a garage that could do vans and perhaps concerningly could fit us in that day. Anyway after initial high hopes these were quickly dashed as our van seemed to be handed over to the lowly boy of the garage for inspection. Whom immediately managed to snap the drivers door handle off. I can only assume he figured it worked like many modern ones that you pull. There also seemed to be much derision about the age/condition/general state of the van between the mechanics which annoyed us. However we were not in much of a position to be choosy. Unfortunately we had to kill about 5 hours in a town we were already finished with really. We really felt a connection with our friends Emad and Erin that travelled last year as they had mechanical problems which laid them up several times. We felt very sorry for them and ourselves, Although substantially lighter on Euros after a little while driving with lovely new brakes we felt more positive and reassured again. However Nicky is getting somewhat fed up with our little maintenance diversions.

Oh it was cold and showery again so no surprises there then. Another problem has been that some of the rain has been so heavy and persistent that a couple of known and some new leaks have reared their heads, causing much annoyance and angst. So the next morning we made a slow start waiting for the weather to improve before heading into Schloss (Palace) Linderhof. We waited because it has a large area of parkland and we were rewarded by improving weather and a fairly dry visit. At Linderhof (one of Mad King Ludwig II castles, like the Neuschwanstein which is the 'Disney Castle') you have to go on a 20-25 minute guided tour on timed tickets. Even on a Tuesday the tours we fairly busy. The guide was rather robotic and dispassionate in her delivery, sort of like she was saying the say thing for the 1,000th time which was a shame. The interior was small but luxurious and a fine example of the Roccoco style, despite Ludwig II financial problems there is a large amount of original furnishings which was good. This seemed to be rare in England where so frequently the majority of original items had been sold historically and sites and usually furnished with suitable pieces from the period. However the grounds of Linderhof are free and in many ways are equally interesting, so when spent a few hours looking around. Of note, for me, we saw a wild deer and there was a small braided river bordering the park which was fun to see and photograph.

Schloss Linderhof

After Linderhof we started toward the main attraction Neuschwanstein. We took a route that took us back into Austria where we found the most beautiful lake called the Plansee. At Neuschwanstein you pay to go on a 30 minute tour inside, but to go up to and into the inner courtyard is free, so as the interior would largely be in the roccoco style as we saw in Linderhof and the cost is substantial we walked up, looked around, got the good view from Marienbrucke and came back down. Then we decided to check out a nearby lake, which turned out to be a masterstroke as it was beautiful and a great place to have lunch then walk and sit on the shore in the sun, yes the sun returned and with it the heat YAY. There were lots of horses in the field and some had foals. You get the picture it was all very nice and we never wanted to leave. Unfortunately, there is a little story that goes with this trip to the lake, we were using a little backroad just outside of Hohenschwangau. Essentially there is a road which as the houses end turns to gravel and then it is gravel for about maybe 1km before it gets back closer to civilisation and it is sealed again. There is a walking/cycling track adjacent but many people clearly were walking on this ROAD!!. A lady late 50's/early 60's was walking 3 dogs all loose, I was driving quite slowly and edged to side giving ample room but she showed no inclination to take the several feet of space provided rather she started much gesturing the I should be turning around and going back. Which we returned which much gesturing that we were going on and pointing at the satnav, we had already been down the ROAD once so knew full well where it went. It was one of those you had to be there moments. Unfortunately with the language barrier you don't really known what is in people's heads but at the time we were left a little dumbstruck by the audacity, gumption (if these words describe it correctly) she had to act in the manner she did. You'll all think well you must have been in the wrong place but I'm 100% that was a dead set road.

Neuschwanstein 

Okay so this is just part one of what's happened recently, I've split it up to make it manageable so more to come soon.