Visiting Hohenschwangau and Neuschweinstein Castles and Lindenhof Palace

In the morning, we decided to get breakfast at the Dorfladen Bakery (Schulweg 14), which was recommended by our hosts. Inna and I chose apple and cheese strudel, while Alex selected a croissant and a chocolate cookie. We really enjoyed our delicious Austrian breakfast.

After breakfast, we drove to the Hohenschwangau Castle for one hour, arriving at about 9:00 a.m. We parked at one of the parking lots for 6.00 euros and headed for the ticket office. The ticket line was very long, and we waited about an hour to get tickets for both Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein Castles. It would have been much better to pre-order/register tickets in advance!

Since we were assigned an 11:30 a.m. English tour at Hohenschwangau, we walked over there, taking our leisurely time, taking photos, and enjoying the nearby lake; we enjoyed the castle grounds and then headed for our designated tour at 11:30 a.m.

The insides of the castle were not very exciting (relatively sparse). Our English guide spoke with a thick accent and didn't engage us (he feds us on a bunch of factoids), and we finished the tour at 12:15 p.m.

From here, we headed the lengthy, 40-minute uphill climb to Neuschwanstein. On the way there, we stopped by a hot dog stand and purchased 3 bratwursts with drinks for 20 euros. It helped to get us through the next few hours of walking uphill.

When we arrived at the castle, I was surprised by how new it looked. There was still a part of the castle that was either undergoing construction or restoration. The castle was mobbed by tourists. At times, I felt that I had just arrived in Disneyland.'

At 1:35 p.m., we were led into the castle and walked hundreds of stairs to the first floor. The Neuschwanstein was much better decorated than Hohenschwangau, and we admired many wall paintings and other artifacts.

After touring the castle, we walked out and headed for the nearby bridge overflowing with tourists. It provided an excellent view of Neuschwanstein Castle, and we took many photos.

Afterward, we took the shuttle to the parking lot and returned to the next palace.

Lindenhof is considered by many to be the mini Versailles, and I certainly agree with this assessment.

There was a lot of gold leaf on both the outside and inside. The palace is covered with exquisite baroque gold-leafed woodwork and looks like a miniature version of the Versailles.

The Mad King Ludwig II admired the Kings of France, and there were many paintings of Louis XIV. Many rooms were terrific, but the most spectacular is arguably the "Hall of Mirrors," which contains vases, multiple mirrors, and a chandelier made entirely of ivory.

The fountains were also very nice, but at around 5:10 p.m., the weather worsened, and it started drizzling and then pouring. I had to run to the parking lot to get the Nissan Qashqai while Alex and Inna hid under tree cover. We all get a bit wet but not entirely soaked.

We decided to head to Oberammergau for dinner, where Inna wanted to eat at the highly-rated Restaurant Ammergauer Maxbrau. The restaurant was nearly empty, and we sat down at around 5:50 p.m.

We ordered onion soups for Alex and Inna and a small salad for me. I tried the 0.3-liter Maxbrau beer, which tasted like American beer, not the delicious Austrian Kaiser Karl beer I had before.

For the main entrees, I selected the "Getruffelte Tagliatelle"; Inna ordered the "Rumpsteak Rinderrucken," while Alex had the "Rinderroulade." Alex and Inna switched entrees, and Inna got a massive slice of beef, and Alex wanted to eat more beef. It rained a few times while we ate and watched the rain wheel spin around.

After dinner, we also ordered "Apfelstrudel" and some tea (the restaurant was out of ice cream). The dinner was costly but delicious.

We drove home in light rain but arrived before 9:00 p.m. We stopped at the beautiful Plansee Lake (in Austria) on the drive back. The water was so calm and peaceful that Inna wanted to swim in this beautiful, pristine lake.