A relaxing evening by the canal in Muiden

Post the KLM Golf Open, Pieter Elbers invited Raj and myself along with Paul for an early dinner. Knowing Pieter, he always takes us to unique places with awesome food. Yet again, he did not fail to deliver.

Dinner was at a quaint restaurant in Muiden which is famous for its fortress. I am given to understand that the Muiden castle dates to the 13th century and is one of the most visited sites in the Netherlands. It was built to protect the trade routes and possibly also to collect the toll. Unfortunately, we saw the castle from a distance and didn't have the time to visit it. Another reason for me to return. ;)

The restaurant was by the canal on the river Vecht and during the course of the evening we observed the boats passing through the lochs. Very interesting to see the road shift to one side to let the boats pass. The food was outstanding with very fresh North Sea Sole, scallops and prawns.

The view from the restaurant.

You can see how narrow the canals are.

Observe the road shifting to let the boat pass through!

The very fresh scallops and prawns with salad.

The North Sea sole off the bone. :)

The delightful company - Pieter, Raj, Paul and myself.

The river Vecht which runs through Muiden.

The vibrant sunflowers all over the place.

Instantly makes you feel happy.

Ludwig's Castles - Part 2 - Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle was built by Ludwig in honour of Richard Wagner. It is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. It was never completed during Ludwig's lifetime; infact he ran out of money. However today it is Bavaria's top tourist attraction. The palace has appeared prominently in several movies and was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle.

The setting of the castle is indeed gorgeous.

It is my intention to rebuild the old castle ruin of Hohenschwangau near the Pöllat Gorge in the authentic style of the old German knights' castles, and I must confess to you that I am looking forward very much to living there one day [...]; you know the revered guest I would like to accommodate there; the location is one of the most beautiful to be found, holy and unapproachable, a worthy temple for the divine friend who has brought salvation and true blessing to the world. It will also remind you of "Tannhäuser" (Singers' Hall with a view of the castle in the background), "Lohengrin'" (castle courtyard, open corridor, path to the chapel) [...].

– Ludwig II, Letter to Richard Wagner, May 1868

As with his other palaces, this one was beautifully decorated even if quite gaudy in some places. His obsession with swans continues..........there is a room with more than a 1000 swans on the walls and including in the shape of door knobs. He even had an artificial grotto attached to his study.
 
 

First glimpse of Neuschwanstein Castle.

A Glimpse of Hohenschwangau Castle - the 3rd of Ludwig's castles in the region.

Ludwig's Castles - Part 1 - Linderhof Palace

Thanks to Christina, I learned alot about Bavaria and in particular King Ludwig.

• King Ludwig was king of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly before his death.
• He was obsessed with King Louis XIV of France and did everything possible to emulate him.
• He was also obsessed with swans and in all his castles you find references and symbols of it.
• He never married and even though he built these huge castles, he did not like to be surrounded by people.
• I think he was gay.
• He was a devoted patron of the composer Richard Wagner.
• He was deposed on grounds of mental illness without any medical examination, and died a day later under mysterious circumstances.
• Ludwig is best known as an eccentric whose legacy is intertwined with the history of art and architecture, as he commissioned the construction of several extravagant fantasy castles (the most famous being Neuschwanstein).

Schloss Linderhof is the smallest of Ludwig's castles. It is near Oberammergau, quite close to Ettal.  It was inspired by The French Sun-King Louis XIV's Versailles. Linderhof, however is much smaller in size but equally beautiful. There is a lot of references to Louis XIV - the symbol of the sun which is found everywhere in the decoration of the rooms and which represents the notion of absolutism. Ludwig's bedroom is quite huge and has the best view. But unlike Louis XIV whose bedroom was also an audience chamber, Ludwig was a very private person and did not like to be surrounded by people.

Flora and puttos

Ludwig's muse - Louis XIV

The symbol of the sun

The gardens surrounding Linderhof Palace are considered one of the most beautiful creations of historicist garden design. The park combines formal elements of Baroque style or Italian Renaissance gardens with landscaped sections that are similar to the English garden. The palace is surrounded by formal gardens that are decorated with allegoric sculptures of the continents, the seasons and the elements.

The Neptune fountain

Amor with dolphins

The Moorish Kiosk is splendid but totally out of place in this setting. However it kind of ties in with Ludwig's obsessions.

The Venus Grotto is an artificial manmade grotto as an illustration of the First Act of Wagner's Tannhauser. Ludwig liked to be rowed over the lake in his golden swan-boat but at the same time he wanted his own blue grotto of Capri. Therefore 24 dynamos were installed which made it possible to illuminate the grotto in changing colours.

The swan boat

The artificial grotto which is illuminated in several colours.

The bust of Marie Antoinette of France

Beautiful gardens

Beautiful urns, each different.

Amor shooting an arrow

The temple of Venus

The 25m fountain is quite impressive.