Germany 2017
Taking advantage of some free days at the beginning of May I took a trip to Bavaria region in Germany. It was a lovely few days, nice change of pace and some marvellous sites to see. We stayed in lovely Gästehaus Simon, in Krün. Owners did not speak english but price was fair and location good for going around Bavaria. But car is a must.
Day 1
On our first day we took rack railway to get to Zugspitze, highest mountain in Germany - 2962 m a.s.l. The view from above was stunning. It was probably the highest I've ever been. Also the most expensive trip up a mountain in my life (around 60 EUR). I really did enjoy going there in spring, there was still so much snow, it made for a lovely view. After going down we took a walk around lake Eibsee, which is situated just below the mountain (and is also visible from above).
Day 2
Second day of our trip was primarily used for visit to Partnachklamm gorge. You can park in Ga-Pa near ski-jumping hill and take a short walk towards the gorge. It's a lovely place, definitely worth visiting if you're in the area. Path leading through gorge is very picturesque any time of year, also very wet. :) From photographic POV it's useful to have a camera with high ISO capabilities or a tripod, but given tourists it may be hard to use it.
Day 3
On the third day, in a lovely weather, we visited two castles in close proximity - Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. Both are beautifully decorated on the inside, unfortunately photos were not allowed. Neuschwanstein towers over Hohenschwangau village, built in 19th century, intended as a home for the King Ludwig II of Bavaria, until he died in 1886. The castle was then opened to the public shortly after king's death. The rooms, that were finished are fascinating and very different from one another. No wonder Disney's Castle was inspired by Neuschwanstein. :)
Day 4
On the 4th day we spent a few hours in the capital of Bavaria, Munich. According to Wikipedia it is the third largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg and 12th largest city in EU (population of 1.5 million). We didn't have superb weather conditions, but other than that it's a beautiful city.
Day 5
On the 5th day we visited Linderhof Palace. It is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II and the only one which he lived to see completed. There is a wonderful park around the castle which must be even better on a sunny day. ;) The location of the castle is very picturesque.
Day 6
On our last day we had 3 distinct stops. The first one was a lovely little city Mittenwald with wonderfully painted buildings. Sort of essence and a postcard of Bavaria. It’s also famous for the manufacture of violins, violas and cellos.
Next we went to Leutascher Gorge which is right next to Mittenwald but already in Austria. Very picturesque walk, slightly above 1,5km long. Maight not be suitable for people with fear of heights.
I enjoyed the walk very much but processing those photos was a nightmare. Whatever I did I wasn’t happy with the result (and I am still unhappy). I would have posted this a long time ago if it wasn’t for those gorge photos. Well, maybe one day I’ll re-do them. :) All the distortions are due to fisheye lenses.
Our last stop was in Ga-Pa (Garmisch-Partenkirchen) and a second portion of amazing paintings on the buildings. Ga-Pa is a very popular skiing resourt, situated very close to Zugspitze and Austrian border. The city was the site of the 1936 Winter Olympics, first to feature alpine skiing. Also, traditionally, a ski jumping contest is held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on New Year's Day, as a part of the Four Hills Tournament (Vierschanzen-Tournee).
