More Great Things to See in Bavaria, Germany

In March of 2008, I wrote an AC article called "Great Things to See in Bavaria, Germany". In that article, I wrote about seeing Munich for the first time and touring Neuschwanstein Castle and Wies Church (Wieskirche). Just last week, I went back to Garmisch-Partenkirchen for a four night stay. While I was there, I took in a few more of Bavaria's remarkable sites. Here are the top five places I visited this time.

Munich

Yes, I went back to Munich because Bavaria's amazing capital is definitely worthy of more than one visit. Unfortunately, I only had a few hours to spend in this remarkable city and it was a very cold and blustery day. After walking around the downtown shopping area where I noted the presence of such high fashion outlets as Louis Vuitton, Armani, Prada, and Jimmy Choo, I decided to do a little non-fashion related shopping. Naturally, I stopped by the Dallmayr gourmet store on Dienerstrasse, where I stocked up on lots of chocolate. The Dallmayr store has everything a gourmand could want from specialty meats, gorgeous produce, and fresh bread to wines, teas, coffees, and liquors. This store has been crowded every time I've visited and for good reason. It's a great place to buy gifts and have a bite to eat, but bring plenty of money! The restaurant is decidedly upper class.

After taking in yet another showing of the The Rathaus Glockenspiel, I decided it was time for lunch. This time, I was determined to hit the Hofbrauhaus, Munich's famous brewery restaurant. The Hofbrauhaus has been in business since 1592 and is currently being run by the Sperger family. I was told that live music would start at high noon, so I showed up fifteen minutes earlier and found a seat at one of the long tables near the stage in the historic beer hall on the first floor. The Hofbrauhaus offers traditional German food and a variety of wonderful, fresh beers. I ordered a mas krug (a one liter glass) of the dunkelweiss beer, figuring that would hold me for awhile! I also had a delicious hearty lunch of schweinbraten with a bread and potato dumpling and a side of red cabbage salad. I don't normally eat much cabbage, but I will admit to enjoying the pickled cabbage salad at the Hofbrauhaus. The German music started at 12:00pm with a quartet of musicians who played traditional German tunes. I had a great time at the Hofbrauhaus, where everyone seemed to be a in a good mood. Afterwards, I stopped by the gift shop to buy my own mas krug! The Hofbrauhaus is well worth a visit for good food, lively music, and a bathroom stop.

Linderhof Palace

During my March 2008 visit to Bavaria, I stopped by Mad King Ludwig's famous Neuschwanstein Castle. This time, I took in the Linderhof Palace. The Linderhof is the smallest of the three castles built by King Ludwig II. It's located in southwest Bavaria near the town of Oberammergau. For all of the hype surrounding Neuschwanstein, I think the Linderhof is actually a prettier castle. The palace was originally a hunting lodge that belonged to King Ludwig's father, King Maximilian II. Upon his father's death, Ludwig inherited the palace and remade it in his own vision patterned after Versailles.

Our tour arrived at the palace after a fresh snowfall, which coated the mountains overlooking the palace in a cloak of pristine white. We had an excellent tourguide who provided an entertaining history of the palace in English, complete with droll humor. Unfortunately, because it was winter, most of the other buildings on the grounds were closed to us. We were told that the palace gets many more visitors in the summer, when the entire park is open to the public. Still, after the huge crowds I witnessed at Neuschwanstein, the Linderhof was a refreshing change of pace. Frankly, I found the inside of the palace more interesting and beautiful than that of Neuschwanstein. It's definitely well worth a visit, though I would suggest coming in the spring or summer so you can see everything. The palace is open daily for tours from 9am to 6pm from April to October and from 10am to 4pm from October to March. The palace is closed on January 1st, Shrove Tuesday, and December 24th, 25th, and 31st. Regular admission for adults is 7 euros. In the winter, admission is 6 euros because only the palace is open.

Oberammergau

If you're in the mood to shop for wood carvings, Oberammergau is a great place to visit. But there's much more to Oberammergau than the famed wood carving shops. Oberammergau has the distinction of having many buildings with Lüftlmalerei (frescoes) on them which depict traditional Bavarian themes, religious pictures, and fairy tales. For instance, there's an orphanage in Oberammergau with a fresco on it that depicts "Hansel and Gretel". Just across the street from the orphanage, there's a nursery with a painted depiction of "Little Red Riding Hood".

Oberammergau is also the site of the famous "Oberammergau Passion Play", which has been performed there since 1634. Nowadays, the play, which depicts the trial, suffering, and death of Jesus Christ, is performed every ten years from April to September. The last performance was in 2000, so the next performance will be in 2010. I was told that all of the 2000 people who perform in the play are from Oberammergau. They were either born and raised there or had lived there for at least 20 years.

Ettal Abbey

Finally, we stopped by Ettal Abbey, a beautiful Benedictine monastery very close to the Linderhof Palace. First, we went to the Schaukaserei, a cheese factory right next to the abbey, where we sampled several fresh made cheeses and listened to a presentation done in English about the cheese. Our guide told us that the cheese factory is one of several businesses run by the monks. The inside of the factory has several large windows which allow patrons to view how the products are made. A word to the wise. The inside of the factory smells like sour milk, which some people might find offensive. However, I found that after drinking an Ettal light beer (made by the monks, of course), I didn't notice the smell as much. You can purchase cheese plates and housemade cheesecake if you wish, and if you're not able to finish the very generous portions in the kaserei's dining area, the staff is very willing to wrap it up for you.

After our cheese tour, we visited Ettal Abbey's basilica. The inside of the basilica is incredibly beautiful, with marvelous paintings and artwork. Our guide talked about the history of the abbey, which is also a prestigious boarding school for boys. We were told that a small number of high achieving girls are also day students there. The abbey has a gift shop, but we went across the street to partake of samples of the four different liqueurs made by the monks. I ended up buying a six pack of beer along with a couple of small bottles of liqueurs, one of which I'm told is an excellent cure for stomach ailments. Not far from the monastery is yet another wood carving shop with very reasonable prices. I almost wished I hadn't spent so much money on the carved monk I bought in Oberammergau!

Overall

Once again, I had a great time visiting Bavaria. Since we still have at least a year to go in Germany, I'm sure I'll be back with more trip reports on places to see in Bavaria!