Bavarian Romantic Road
In the midsummer of 2022, we have taken a trip down the Romantic Road, which is a route that connects central Germany with its southern neighbour, Austria. This stretch was chock-full of beautiful natural gems, Alpine lakes, refreshing forests, majestic castles, and charming little villages that looked so quintessentially German. It was a travel experience that gave us many pleasant surprises and a new awareness of the hidden parts of the world that are practically in our own backyard. We unanimously agreed to visit Bavaria again in the future.
I have expected many things from our visit to Bavaria, but not that it would be a sophisticated place. I had all these predictable tropes on my mind, how every meal there would surely feature schnitzels and sauerkraut, how people were going to be bulky and beer-loving, and how the waitresses of all ages would be wearing a rather too sexy dirndl folk costumes. We got all that for sure, but I wasn't quite prepared for the discreet charm of the idyllic, drowsy, silent spa villages that give you the feeling of the Old World bourgeoisie, with their exquisite shops and a slow pace and high quality of living. I was not ready for the close-up of the magical castles of Bavaria, that could have only been constructed in some long-gone eras of royal omnipotence when funds were seemingly never-ending. The castles of Bavaria are straight out of a fairy tale, and their style, splendor, proportions, architectural daring, their attention to detail, put Versailles to shame.
Legend has it that King Ludwig II, a dreamer if there ever was one, almost bankrupted the country to fulfill his grandiose architectural ideas of Bavaria spangled with castles of unimaginable luxury and affluence. Sounds like a proper despot, I know, but many of his palaces were never finished or enjoyed by him personally, due to his early and mysterious death. He must have been a proper failure during his lifetime and regarded as the worst spendthrift ever seen in a nation as pragmatical as German. In his mind's eye, everything had to be dripping in gold, finest brocades, and rococo. Only the most priceless porcelain and lavish furniture would suffice, thank you very much. The only music allowed would be Wagner's operas. A fascinating fellow. Needless to say, deemed insane at the time.
However, his castles have become so famous, beloved, and besieged by millions of tourists every year, that his bizarre visions and ideas have actually generated enormous wealth for his country. This Man in the High Castle may have paid the highest price for his vision, but his legacy is still there, as enchanting and special as his artistic, unapologetically extravagant imagination. Spending is oftentimes investing.
If forced to choose a favorite among his achievements, for me that would be the unparalleled Linderhof Palace, where a rare balance of both the palace and the appropriate gardens to embrace it and enhance its beauty, was perfected.
The touristic villages such as Füssen, Oberammergau, Bad Tölz, and Schwangau have to be seen to be believed. They are all straight out of the Brothers Grimm tales. Not the scary ones, of course. Traditional houses brimming under the weight of the flowers, the picturesque facades, the magnificent landscape views all around. The enormous cake slices in the local bakeries could feed a hungry family. I remember fondly all our breakfasts there.
This was a hedonistic trip during which one pleasant experience came after another, but the most genius suggestion, as per usual, came from the husband. To soften the blow of our impending departure from Bayern (German for Bavaria), on the last day we treated ourselves to a spa entrance to the thermal baths Kristall Therme in Schwangau. Now, I have been to spas before, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime event. A spa complex based its interior on the original "Sleeping Beauty" castle, which can be clearly seen on the hills while you are basking in the warm saline waters. You float weightlessly under the mosaic ceilings and among the baroque sculptures of cherubs. The light is reflected through the pendants of the crystal chandeliers. You soak in the bubbly bath surrounding the bar inside the swimming pool. Pina Coladas while you get your aqua massages. You can have it both, indeed. Extravagant living at its best. And let me tell you...there is something in going over the top and demanding, occasionally at least, only the most luxurious out of life. King Ludwig II knew what he was doing. Danke, Eure königliche Hoheit.
