Linderhof, etc.

Finally, a bright sunny day in Bavaria! The Alps really are out there.  The temp is around 40 degrees but the sun makes it very pleasant.  We went on a tour to Linderhof Palace today which was another of “Mad” King Ludwig II’s little hovels.  Holy crap, what a place!   It is so opulent and almost everything is gilded although the guide told us that there is only about 10 pounds of gold throughout.  We found it hysterical that one of the statues on the outside was this guy flipping the bird – no kidding.  Figured it was one of the carvers or gild workers that wanted to make a statement about all of the work he did.  The place is modeled after Versailles in France and is a mini version.    Quite a place; google Linderhof Palace for further details.
We stopped in the village of Oberammergau which is famous for the Passion Play that is held every 10 years and in which the entire village participates.  Our guide says the play is 5 hours long with a 3 hour lunch break in the middle of it.  I told you that the Germans make eating an “event,” didn’t I?  I wasn’t kidding.  The village is also famous for the woodcarvings that are produced there.  We  went to a woodcarving shop and I found a few really nice things there.  We also stopped at another  couple of shops and found another great hat with a scarf to go with my purple down vest.  Life is good! 
Have met some nice people on these tours.  Had lunch with a gal from Sicily who is married to a GI and they are stationed in Italy.  Real fun to talk to during lunch.
I don’t believe it – The Big Bang Theory is on TV right now!  Of course, it’s in German and even though it’s an episode that I’ve already seen I’m having a hard time following it.  The guy that is dubbing for Raj is even speaking with an Indian accent – crazy!   And Sheldon really sounds strange in German.
We’re going to try to go up the Zugspitze tomorrow.  It is the highest mountain in Germany and you can either take a cog train or a cable car to the top.  Although I HATE high places I would rather take the cable car and get it over with since it takes less time to get to the top.  There is a channel on TV here at the hotel that does live pix from the top of the Zugspitze and also gives the temp at the glacier on the way to the top and at the top.    Right now it is a whopping 6 degrees on the glacier and 3 degrees on top.  I figure if I wear a sweater, my down jacket and my polartec  jacket plus a hat and scarf and gloves I will survive.  Have to since I don’t have any more clothes with me.  We actually won’t be out there that long – or at least I won’t be so it will be okay.
It’s now 4:00 or 16:00 here so the big decision will be where to go for dinner again.  All of the food has been great.  We are checking out tomorrow so we can continue to eat and shop our way across Germany.
Later.