Day 9 - Frescos, castles, and the German Alps

Today we stayed in Oberammergau for the day.  Known for its Christmas shops, Oberammergau also presents the Passion Play every 10 years.  This sleepy town of about 5,000 people draws tens of thousands every year (even more when the passion play is happening) to their shops in the foothills of the German Alps.

This morning we drove to Schwangau, which is almost in Austria, to see Kind Lodwig II's castle Neuschwanstein.  This castle was Disney's inspiration for the castle in Cinderella and at his theme parks.  It's white castle walls are in deep contrast to the dark forested mountains that surround it on three sides.  The fourth side overlooks a valley that seems and endless sea of green with a few small towns, barns, and red-roofed houses.  In addition to all of that, there are two lakes to finish the landscape leaving no one to wonder why he chose this particular spot for his enormous castle.

Started in 1869, the castle was not completed before the king's death in 1886 and sits today just as it was left.  Over that period, the kitchen and the third floor were completed - more or less.  The king slept a total of 11 days in the castle before his death in 1886 - under still suspicious circumstances.

We had dinner in a town about the size of Batavia, but our restaurant was in an area of town that would appear at first glance to be much older.  Nearly all of the buildings had frescos painted on them - including homes.  It is amazing that many of these frescos last decades.  This is because they are created and painted at the same

time that the houses have plaster put on them.  The paint is not put on the plaster, but put into the plaster.  So instead of painting on the plaster like a canvas, they are plastered as paintings.  It's an amazing sight to be honest and this comes from someone who by her own admission has no real desire to see artwork.  Tomorrow off to see King Lodwig I's Linderhoff Castle and start travelling toward the infamous Black Forest.