Linderhof Palace

We always said we'd go back to Linderhof Palace when it wasn't boxed up for winter so I'm glad we finally got a chance to see it in all its glory!

The palace complex, the only one of Ludwig's palaces/castles finished while he was alive, sits isolated in natural splendor.

Ludwig lived the last 8 years of his life here as he retreated into his fantasy world with fantastic palaces, fairytale castles, and exotic grottos.

The small round temple across from the main palace.

The fountains turned on for a bit. It was amazing how high the water went!

So pretty. Our family at Linderhof Palace (in the summer!) on Wednesday June 29th 2016. We walked under this awesome leafy tunnel on our way up to Ludwig's famous grotto.

You enter with a guided tour and we timed it perfectly so we only had about a two minute wait.

So cool! Inspired by Wagner's "Tannhaeuser" opera, this grotto is a performance space 300 feet long and 70 feet tall. Its rocky walls are actually made of cement poured over an iron frame. The grotto provided a private theater for the reclusive king to enjoy his beloved Wagnerian operas - he was usually the sole member of the audience. The grotto also features a waterfall, fake stalactites, and a swan boat floating on an artificial lake which could even be heated for swimming. The first electricity in Bavaria was generated here to change the colors of the stage lights and to power Ludwig's fountain and wave machine. Epic. The tour guide informed us that the grotto is closing for extensive renovations at the end of this summer for the next few years so we were super happy to have seen it!

After our tour we got some great views from behind the palace.

Beautiful.

Cascading fountain behind Linderhof.

There are lots of little buildings around the grounds that we missed last time we went so we were sure to see them this time. The Moroccan house was built for the World Exhibition in 1873 in Vienna.

The house has several rooms in which the king often lived for short periods - why not?! In the central room, which resembles an inner courtyard, the light enters from above through panes of colored glass.

Morockin'

The café down by the ticket office with gorgeous flowers in the foreground.

"Stop looking at me schwaaaaan." This swan was actually super scary and I saw him take a peck at an on-looker's feet!

My favorite capture from this adventure:

That concludes this trip! Onto the next: another jaunt over to The Netherlands to teach at Scrobby and then visit Rotterdam, Delft, and the Hague!