Here and There

Without air-conditioning and only west-facing windows in our apartment, it is a welcome relief to get out and about in the warm afternoons. We invested in a fan (does anyone need a smallish circulating fan with a European electrical plug in September?), which serves a dual purpose. It provides both a cool breeze and a sound buffer against the noise of street workers during the day and cafe revelers at night. Nevertheless, I've been seeking out more comfortable venues for writing my blog--train rides to nearby lakes, boat rides on those lakes, and benches along the Isar River in the Englischer Garten in Munich have worked out well. Unfortunately, the power cord to my laptop doesn't stretch to any of these places! No worries--as Sara says, "I figured it out."

I was drawn to the Chiemsee (lake) by another of King Ludwig II's castles--Herrenchiemsee Palace. Whatever the reasons for Ludwig's fixation with castles, he certainly knew how to take them "over the top". One can question his choice to deplete the family fortune on castle building. However, Ludwig at least succeeded in keeping keeping the money in circulation (a refrain my parents would use when viewing conspicuous consumption by rich folks) and in providing full employment for master craftsmen. Ludwig purchased Herreninsel, an island in the Chiemsee, in 1873. After twelve years of construction (Neuschwanstein Castle was under construction at the same time (see blog entry "A Week to Relax") and three others were in the planning stages), the king bankrupted his coffers and had already borrowed millions more. Twenty of the seventy or so planned rooms at Herrenchiemsee Palace were completed, including a bathtub the size of a swimming pool, a series of royal chambers just for show, and another set for personal use. The castle also contained many intricate glass chandeliers as well as a huge, but extremely delicate, chandelier made of Meissen porcelain. The walls, decorated with stucco and real marble (the stucco marble cost more to install than the real marble), elaborate wood carvings, and prominent use of gilded paint were eye-popping. Enamored with Louis XIV, Ludwig had the French king and his reign on display throughout the castle--in paintings and sculptures, and with Fleur de Lys emblems on curtains, furniture, and wood floor inlays. As was the palace, the gardens were also designed in the same manner as Versailles (see photos). One guide points out that however much Ludwig spent on his castles, the money has come back to Bavaria many times over, with millions of tourists visiting every year! At least one more "must see" castle for me is Linderhof, another of Ludwig II's castles and the only one completed in his lifetime.

The boat ride to Herreninsel was pleasant enough, as was the ride to the "sister" island, "Fraueninsel". (German language scholars should get the joke--Herren and Frauen translate as Gentlemen and Women, respectively.) Fraueninsel houses a monastery dating back as far as the 8th century. Most of it has been modernized, and was not that exciting, but I found a perfect spot along the shore of the small island to enjoy my picnic lunch (see photo). This trip to the Chiemsee covered the southern part of the lake (the largest in Bavaria) and was actually my second trip to the lake.

The morning after returning from Nice, I joined Henry at a Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon retreat of the Munich scientific group he is visiting through August. We stayed at Kloster Seeon, a few kilometers north of the Chiemsee. The former monastery (from the 10th century) was taken over by the State of Bavaria about 20 years ago, renovated, and turned into a modern conference center for cultural and education events. While Henry did his "retreat" thing, I spent the first afternoon wandering around the small Klostersee (see photo) and the next morning bike riding to and along the northwestern shore of the Chiemsee. My afternoon walk led me to a guesthouse (Waltenbergstuberl) on a hill overlooking the Klostersee (see photo). As I enjoyed my Johannisbeeren Schorle (a great thirst quencher that can be nursed at least as easily as a beer) at a table conveniently situated under an eave and out of the rain, I took in the lake view and wrote some of my blog.


At the rate of only one euro per hour (I would have happily paid more), I could not pass up renting a bike at the Kloster the following morning and riding on the bike and walking path along the Chiemsee . The shore was dotted with cafes and small boat docks and provided wonderful views of the lake and surrounding hills (see photos). I was also amused by the special parking for bikes sign at one of the cafes (see photo). I would have continued my ride for several more hours (the path was flat along most of the route) had it not started to rain and had I not needed to return to the Kloster for our return ride to Munich. How inconvenient!





























Yesterday, I took the hour-long train ride to the Tegernsee (much smaller than the Chiemsee) and a 90-minute boat ride on the lake (no wonder I'm catching up on my blog!). The views once again were lovely (see photos), despite the overcast skies and the relatively unruly group of fourish to eightish year-old children who were not sharing very well with each other.




Our weekend trip to Garmish and another visit with Marcia and family was rained out--bummer!! I have to start packing up for a trip to San Diego. Originally, neither Henry nor I planned to be in San Diego until September, but now I am returning for a week so I can deal with a family matter. This trip is not intended as a time to visit with friends and neighbors, so I apologize in advance to all of you whom I won't be able to see. I am not looking forward to the end of our sabbatical in December 2009, but I am looking forward to picking up where I left off with friends and neighbors in 2010!